The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources. -Albert Einstein.
Deuce Gangsta made the song What About The Move? back in 2005. The song’s authentic rawness inspired us to shoot a video for it in January 07. We had an unrelated meeting with the creative resources manager at MRM (the agency of record for Verizon) in June 07. During our meeting the creative resources manager sent samples of our work to the Creative Director for the Verizon account. The Verizon/Samsung Juke Phone commercial (above) first aired in October 07. We don’t blame Verizon nor do we blame Samsung - they should get their money back from MRM. We do hold the Creative Director, the Director and the Art Director who were inspired enough by our hard work to bite our style and use our video as ‘reference.’ Sadly, in the advertising industry this happens all the time. Ultimately, it’s a small thing to a Giant, and we have stacks upon stacks of ideas - next time call us and we might sell you one. In the meantime we find solace in the words of the great Raekwon the Chef and Ghostface Killah:
A lot of planning and money is invested in the real estate above the fold in the NYT. This movie ad takes up more space than the front page feature photo and has run alongside DNC coverage every day this week.
“Just Because You’re Paranoid Doesn’t Mean They Aren’t Out to Get You”.
As a result of my daily, rigorous cultural research (youtube, facebook & random RSS feeds) I was reminded of a re-occurring theme in Hip-Hop videos of the 1990’s: young brown men running from authority figures: police officers, security guards and other young brown men who posed as perceived or real threats. Did this theme come from the reality of an increased level of crime in the 90’s only to disappear in the streets and on screen in the next decade? A possible link to Freakonomics & Black Swan theories? Or was it just a Director’s aesthetic preference? In either case, what has this theme been replaced by and why? I have an idea of what it has been replaced by therefore, it follows that the artists involved in making these images today are either now very wealthy or no longer interested in reflecting their community’s reality.
I am both an Apple fanatic and a creative strategist in the advertising industry, but I still reserve the right to choose when I follow a brand blindly.
“A third of iPhone users carry a second phone. There have been anecdotal reports of iPhone users carrying a second mobile phone, either for basic voice calling, or for other functions like composing e-mail. The survey confirmed those reports. (Page 20.)”
That’s because there are no buttons on the damn thing! Humans are still tactile creatures no matter how futuristic we strive to be. The multitouch keyboard is a glimpse of the future but it should be an extra feature on the iPhone until we are able to think our email responses directly into our phones (btw cats at TI & MIT have a prototype device for that).
Microsoft is helping connect iPhone users to MS Exchange Server so Apple can get some of that corporate business, but you can’t possibly write long documents or detailed emails with that touchpad - this is why people are keeping their other phones.
Are Tweens still what’s hot in youth marketing? It’s difficult to keep up:
“One problem about a consultant-dominated field is that consultants build fame by coining and popularizing new concepts. Just at the point that a few customers might be starting to grasp the fact that they need more than pretty colours and flashy widgets to help their customers, the consultants realize that their pitch is no longer differentiated. So they need to invent a new term.“
The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources. -Albert Einstein.
The new Mazda spot is a direct rip of Feist’s highly choreographed video. Not only do I detest lazy Art Directors but, when are Ad Agencies going to stop using Gospel to sell products. Take a cue from The Church’s Fried Chicken Gospel Dinner Box - it is NOT a good look.
Staple Crops is a creative enterprise. An ideation studio with the primary aim of building a global community that honors values above geographic location; encouraging audacity and innovation while generating wealth and sharing resources. Use STCR as a conduit. The Answers To Your Most Pressing Questions™
