Free Quidies

TALKTALK

Gloom, doom and the recession kaboom has lead TalkTalk to give away free moneys.

Personally I'm sure i speak for everyone, when saying i hate broadband providers.

I've been trying to change mine for the past week and god do they make it difficult. But i digress.

This is the news that TalkTalk have employed 20 'put-pocket' to drop money into peoples pockets, coats and bags over the coming weeks. Giving you something back in these difficult morbid times, to make people feel better.

Although i sound sarcastic, this actually sounds like a great idea, with them planning to back it by giving out £100,000 (from £5 up to £20) and launching it UK wide.

Just tell me when and where and i'll be sure to bring an empty suitcase.

Brain Surgery

I've just seen a programme on Dave called "should I worry about my spending?"

Basically showing how small changes can change our spending habits.

He did an experiment in a supermarket moving the Heinz baked beans down a shelf from the prime spot and moving other items around.

Sales of the products in the prime locations, like the end of the isles or at eye level on the shelves increased from 100% up to 500%

Makes you think about all these expensive advertising campaigns that never get seen or fail to sell products.

Why not pay to get it in more stores or in better positions in those stores?

Its all the fault of the emotional side of your brain.

Je Suis TwaT

I post this fully aware that i am quite possibly well out of date. You readers that flock in on your unicycles no doubt know about this cock up, but still it's fun to laugh right? 

It seems like a very minimal thing but it turns out the entire internet was buzzing about it.

Tory MP Ann Widdicombe fumed: “It is deeply tasteless.”

Makers Britvic said it was a “coincidence” (Corporate cock-up)

Bring back Blackcurrent Tango and i might start drinking it.

Missed Dave Trott?

You can view the whole Dave Trott and Mark Denton webcast from last night below if you missed it. Ah technology!

Dave Trott Live tonight

If you are one of those people who find Twitter pointless or a waste of time, this could change your mind.

Dave Trott is tonight talking to the drum magazine, not sure exacty what the topics are but if you remember the Scamp live chat it was pretty insightful.

This obviously won't be quite as straight forward as that but atleast there might be less anonymous sniggers and less Juan Carbrals in attendance!

It's live on Twitter sometime tonight,

You can ask questions too, all you need to do is follow the Drum's Twitter account.

The Drum's Twitter

Got a job at Y&R New York

Yes that's right. 

Graham Hall (of DDB London) has got a job at Y&R New York.

He's leaving DDB along with the head of planning (who's going to Ogilvy New York)

Some of his best work as presented by the ridiculously annoying Brand Republic presenter.

Free Budweiser

Four becomes two. Fallon are the latest agency to drop out of the Budweiser pitch. 

Declining to repitch, but perhaps with good reason.

Turns out all the agencies pitching must produce 3 fully formed campaigns in two weeks, 

as well as also waiver any rights to the work. 

Therefore Budweiser could actually use all 12 campaigns (if all 4 agencies pitched) without 

appointing any of them.

So now it's down to just RKCR/Y&R and DDB London to pitch for the business.

Really you can't blame TBWA/ or Fallon for this, who wants to put all the work in when there is a good chance

you won't get anything out of it at all. 

It's not like ABInBev are strapped for cash, they just bought Budweiser for literally billions of dollars!  

TBWA/ & Budwieser

First casualty of the Budweiser pitch. TBWA/ Media Arts London have decided not to pitch. With Tim Lindsay giving the reasons for this on his new blog here (or you can read below)

Long story short, they are simply to busy with existing clients and all the upheaval of moving into one office, to deal with such a big pitch, in such a short space of time

This could have been a big one for TBWA/ after all the trouble they've been having, with redundancies and account's jumping ship. Perhaps they can start their creative revival on an existing account, they do still have some good 'uns after all.

TOUGH DECISION

We had to make a really tough decision today.

You may have read on the front page of Campaign that Budweiser have asked us to pitch for their UK business. (What’s happening round at Fallon, by the way?). It’s a great brand and arguably a chance for glory, but an incredibly tough brief and a very short space of time in which to deliver it. We would have had to throw an enormous amount of resource at it – which would have consumed the agency for the next three weeks.

Trouble is, we’ve got a huge amount on. Two huge and exciting international pitches. Another big regional pitch about to walk in next week (we hope). Two RFIs from the AAR. A big Nissan task about to land. Lot’s of work on PlayStation in preparation for the arrival of a new European President. In August. When a lot of people are obviously on the beach. Oh yes – and with 150 Dean Streeters about to come up the road and move in with us.

So we’re not going to do Bud. It’s a tough call (and I can promise you Matt, Mark, Tom M, Julie, Ed and I went full circle on it at least twice this morning) but it’s the right call. We have to be able to do what we’re already committed to do well. And our first obligation is to existing clients.

I thought I detected a slight flicker of relief on Tom C’s and Paulo’s faces when they heard the news. Thanks for the work you put in chaps, it won’t go to waste.

Craigen isn't impressed.

Top Gear, making a VW advert, Jeremy Craigen looking on in disbelief.

You can imagine the quality of Clarkson and Captain Slows advert; for the VW Scirocco, wasn't quite up to the standard of DDB and Mr Craigen, nor the head of Volkswagen.

Mr Volkswagen client had out his 'How to write a Volkswagen advert' rule guide out for them, to which they would obviously pay no attention to.  

Watch from 19:20 - 40.00 on iPlayer. (apparently you can't embed iPlayer anymore?)

Here

or watch one of the many they made here;

Bollocks

Found this interesting little film of Dan and Amber at RKCR/Y&R. 

http://www.careerplayer.com/careers/advertising-and-pr/advertising/creative/dan-hubert-and-amber-casey---senior-creative-team.aspx

They answer questions about advertising, and attempt to sell us Helix rubbers. 

They used to work at DDB London, where they did this.

John Webster lives on.

Is it just me or is there a theme here? 

Everyone seems to love Comparethemeerkat.com

People who don't have cars.

 Kids. O.A.P's, my dog. 

But why do they love it? Not for the cheesy pun. 

But because of the character and the personality? (a la Webster) 

To be fair to Comparethemarket.com they are backing it and pushing the campaign as far as they can and are being rewarded for it. Making people talk about an insurance comparison site!

But with this campaign being such a success.

Why aren't more brands using a character or personality? Is it now going to become cool again? or is it still a creative no-no?

Heineken have been using a character in the US, 'The Most interesting man in the world' which has increased sales of their import brand so should brand characters be back on the table?

It's Pitch O'Clock

Budweiser has decided it wants a change. 

The UK account (Fallon) and the Ireland account (DDB) are both up for pitch.

As well as Budweiser, Beck's has also decided they want a new agency. According to Campaign, Lowe resigned the account but it sounds mutual. 

So that's £5.5 million for Budweiser and £25 million for Beck's. 

Of course both are owned by Inbev so it's no real surpise their both up for pitch.

When brands go up for pitch i always assume they're not happy with how the ad's are going at the moment, but i'm sure there is more to it than that. 

But can anyone remember the last great beer ad? 

Sure, the Bud spot up there is good but it's not something you will remember like Wassup or John Smiths (TBWA/London are on the pitch list for Budweiser). Beck's latest spot below didn't exactly blow me away, i know it's said beer is such a difficult product to advertise but it's also one of the briefs everyone seems to want too.

Less Than Zero

Great book i'm reading at the moment.

Sharp, short and very matter of fact.

Nice to read something with a different kind of tone and i always admire writers who can keep you interested whilst nothing much seems to have developed in an obvious story line kind of way. 

Any recommendations for something to read next?

Simple Thinking Works.

First of all, no i haven't adopted a Polar Bear. But it's possible to adopt anything from a Polar Bear to a Donkey these days.

This appears to be a simple and straight forward idea but look at charity advertising on the whole and it's actually a lot of cleverer.

How do you solve a problem like getting people to give to charity? Give them something back.

You never meet the animal you adopt (i assume they don't actually exist?)
But it's a brilliant idea that gains your initial interest and then maintains it for a significant period after the original donation.

As Dave Trott would say, simple preditory thinking. Executed brilliantly.

Scamp is alive

Sympathy For The Devil - Egos of the Advertising Industry from Toodle Pip on Vimeo.

Found this video on Toodle Pip's website, a student team trying to get into advertising. Featuring bloggings very own Scamp.