Cricket Calling

Cricket called on the Cultural Engineers of Seattle-based strategic non-traditional marketing and events firm NEVERSTOP to craft a unique campaign leveraging the creation of the world’s largest fully functioning cell phone. The campaign will included pop-up retail stores, inconspicuous wallet drops containing cards, coupons, and sometimes cash to drive traffic to the official campaign website. Commuters who spot fellow commuters reading green newsprint featuring the letter “K” and containing the campaign URL will be rewarded with Cricket-branded free subway or train passes. http://www.getsomerespekt.com

The Cricket pop-up boutique with the world’s largest cell phone will be active March 6th through 15th in Chicago. The campaign will launch in Philadelphia on March 20th.

Thanks Cosondra!

AKQA Nukes Christmas

Perhaps my new favorite agency holiday video of all time.

Business Cogs

The incredible geared business card designs of Adam Mayer. Still in prototype development, Mayer's designs allow us to catch a glimpse into the future of business card design. Digital cards perhaps?

via Unique Business Cards.

Smart (Business) Cards

Advertising Agency: Duval Guillaume
Creative Directors: Katrien Bottez, Peter Ampe
Creation: Tom Theys
Copywriter: Hans/Raoul
Typography: Stoffel Van den Bergh

via Ads of the World

Taxi Cafe

Vancouver--For a long time now there has been a shift in the marketing tactics of companies who are moving away from simply advertising their product or service in favor of aligning their brands with particular lifestyle choices (think Mac vs. PC). A couple of weeks ago we covered the opening of BK Studios here in Chicago in which Burger King has desperately attempted to buy themselves into a subculture with their burger-free art loft. Now comes word that advertising agency, Taxi is getting in on the act by opening Taxi Cafe. I know what you're thinking, "But I work at an Ad agency and we have a coffee bar..." except your coffee bar is most likely hidden away on the 16th floor and exists only to impress clients and serve slacking employees where as Taxi Cafe is situated at street level and serves not only to impresses clients (the cafe itself is decorated with successful Taxi ad campaigns) and serve the occasional employee (no word on the discounts yet) but Taxi Cafe is 100% open to the public (you know, that bizarre outside population of consumers, agencies are supposed to uh, be able to interact with?).

via Ad Pulp

Unbranding 101

Burger King Studio: Wicker Park, Chicago


Quarter Pounder: Shibuya, Tokyo

On oct. 12 BK Studio opened in Chicago's Wicker Park neighborhood at 1904 W. North Ave. A kind of artist's loft/think tank/art space blah blah etc. packed with things the kids are supposed to be into these days like DJ's, silk screen T-shirts, and sneakers. Noticeably absent, were actual Burger King burgers. Now comes word that McDonald's, not to be outdone, has opened "Quarter Pounder," in Tokyo's Shibuya neighborhood. The ultra modern eatery is almost entirely devoid of McDonald's branding even going as far as serving traditional McMeals in unbranded packages. The whole thing smacks of a "Denny's All Nighter" debacle. More information on Mcdonald's Quarter Pounder can be found courtesy of Neil Duckett in Tokyo.

Minneapolis says moNO!

In a perfect example of how people are willing to sign anything, Agency Mono stomped around my old neighborhood in Minneapolis and soon to be Mono's new neighborhood, in an attempt to gather signatures to ban the agency from moving in. Sound confusing? Watch the video. See you at Christmas Mpls!

via Adgabber.

Pot-O-Gram

Larger view
Agency: Le Bureau, Stockholm

Bouquets of hemp (the kind without the THC) were sent out like a flower gram to press and media agencies to promote the premiere of the TV series Weeds.

via adgoodness

The Gum Thief Promos

Glove Pond Pt. 2

To help promote the The Gum Thief, the latest novel from Author Douglas Coupland, Random house teamed up with Crush Toronto to produce a number of online teaser ads (9 in all) featuring Douglas reading excerpts from the book.

According to Crush’s managing director/creative director, Gary Thomas:
First off, we loved the book and we all love Doug’s work. We felt that the nature of the narrative lent itself to a less traditional form, and we thought Doug’s readers would be visually sophisticated and net savvy enough to appreciate this approach. We wanted the three strands to have a unique look, but when viewed as a group would feel coherent. Our designers, Stefan Woronko, Adrian Lawrence, Chris Rolf and Greg Dunlop each used a wide variety of techniques, and brought their varied design aesthetics to their pieces.

via ad-titude.

Dangerous Art

“Dê mais vida aos seus desenhos - Açougueiro / Ninja / Cachorro / Macaco”
Criação: Hugo Amaral (direção de arte) e Omar Caldas (redação)
Direção de arte: Hugo Amaral
Diretores de criação: Jader Rossetto, Pedro Cappeletti e Flávio Casarotti
Ilustração: Macacolândia
Fotógrafo: Lucio Cunha

I love these illustrations/print ads? If anyone has more info on these please let me know. More incredible illustrations from Macacolandia here.

Cool as Ice

Agency: Giovanni + DraftFcb, São Paulo

It amazes me that a car in this day in age would just be introducing air conditioning not to mention the identities of these mysterious "Trend Setters" who received this promotion (sign me up) but no matter, to me this idea is so simple and unique it deserves mention and oh yeah, I totally want one.

BMW Intsallation

BMW Welt in Munich is a mechatronic installation by ART+COM, the Berlin-based interactive media company. The project uses 714 metal balls that are individually suspended on barely visible strings, creating an seemingly weightless, amorphous mass. Each ball lowers and retracts independently, which allows them to approximate almost any form.The installation moves through a cycle of classic and contemporary BMW car shapes from throughout the company's 90-year history. In between cars, it goes through some impressive routines, showing the creation's versatility.

via Cool Hunting

What, No Martini's?!

It's Better Than Coal

Because Critical Intent still loves Jung Von Matt, Because it's Christmas and because I want one!
via I Believe in Advertising

Advertising Agency: Jung von Matt, Zurich, Switzerland
Executive Creative Director: Alexander Jaggy
Creative Director: Michael Rottmann
Art Director: David Hanselmann
Copywriter: Tom Seinige
Photographer: Patrick Rohner

Winter Olympics Goes Vinyl

We're digging the new 2010 Winter Olympics mascots. It seems that after the New Rave inspired design debacle that was the 2012 London logo, the Olympic committee finally got something right by commissioning Vancouver's own Meomi design and illustration studio. Meomi, made up primarily of illustration/design duo Vicki Wong and Michael Murphy, brought a vinyl touch to the cuddly Sumi, Quatchi and Miga, a native pacific northwestern guardian spirit, a sea bear and a Sasquatch respectfully.

Happiness in a Can

McCann Worldgroup wants coke to conquer China. How do they do it? A fully integrated campaign aptly titled 365 days of Happiness. This 7 minute video shows how a concept, even something as ambiguous as "happiness" can encompass just about every media known to man and some previously undiscovered media like magnetic LED lights.
Via Virtual China

A World of Pure Indigestion

Congratulations to Chicago's own native daughter, Anne Gemkow for winning the Golden Ticket. Well, sort of. Gemkow managed to win a brand new Jeep by chomping her way through 700-lbs of chocolate in the shape of a 2008 Jeep Liberty. Part of the car maker's "Sweetest Day The Jeep Way" challenge in Cleveland, Gemkow was pitted against other contestants as they searched for a winning mark encrusted somewhere in the chocolate car. Start with the exhaust pipe, who ever thought this up wasted a lot of brain cells, time and money.

Censorship and Sensibility

When we first came across this great little piece of point of purchase promotion by the German sex shop, Beate-uhse we were dubious. censorship glasses? How much does a sex shop really need to promote it's products and is this the tone you want to set? Then we went to the website. Among other things, Beate-Uhse seeks to remove certain social taboos surrounding sex while at the same time urging the public to "have more fun with sex." We think they've done it. kudos.