Battle of the Blogs...

So here it is, we go head-to-head with Emily over at The Idea Bakery... It starts tomorrow - for a week.

You may have seen Adam & Dan triumph over Blog off Mate a couple of weeks back but now the ball is in our court. It's all a bit of a laugh, but if you get a minute hop over to BOTB and give us a nudge (Just click on the pic).

Em's already got her post in so it would be rude not to stick up for ourselves!

Collateral...

Being as the Nike film it is our first notable piece to circulate the public domain, it seems to be getting some interesting coverage. There's the obvious...

And then the slightly unexpected places...

The most interesting bit is reading the comments on the film - the social interaction is one of the most interesting bits, I always wonder why people duplicate films on YouTube? Is it for the ratings?

Under all of the faceless slanging matches (typical of YouTube) there are a few interesting debates coming out of the film...

I'll let you judge for yourselves...

Who's the better player Wayne Rooney or Fernando Torres?
Rooney & Torres to team up at Man U or Barcelona?
What in the film is real and what's not?

What's the song? I'll tell you this one the track is called 'Jump' by 16-Bit.

Technology has added benefits...

How many times have you been caught doing this? This is Noe one of the Creatives here at Wieden + Kennedy.

Ah, tracing off a laptop - Phil and I used to do this all the time in our uni days, and to be honest, ever since we left. The tip is not using a sharp pencil and extremely fine pen or pushing too hard on the screen. You can learn the hard way, but it certainly does beat the hell out of printing stuff off and holding up against the nearest window, plus it works when it's dark. Bonus.

...there is always a light box however...

#Mangojuice...

The latest social media phenomenon.

Take one...

Add one @Colman

A nudge by one @nicowen

& an ultimate love of #mangojuice.

Wow. In under a day. Impressive.

If you can't win the game, change the rules...

This is actually mind blowing and distinctively original... just watch out for the night mode.

First person Tetris. Amazing.

All you can eat...

A sweet little note from an all you can eat chinese buffet at the weekend. I'll restrain from pointing out the obvious flaws in its logic, but I do like little hand written notes, I can't help but hold on to them.

There's something rather nice about the time someone has taken to put pen to paper and how it tends to be a little more personal. I tend to slip them into the inside cover of a little great book of hand written notes I have from the University days, called 'I lick my cheese' by Oonagh O'Hagan.

Ok, the titles a little strange but it's a collection of witty insights to flat-sharing via scribbled notes - In some cases they are utter genius. Here's a sampler: 'I have put your copy of "My Wammys are bigger than Pammy's" in your bedroom' or the one below... 'Here's a stamp. Write to your mum she keeps calling'.

Maximalist or Minimalist?

Here's two great websites that I've stumbled across recently. A lot of websites seem to be going pretty clinical these days, favouring the modern minimalist look (including this very blog) ...and for a good reason too, usability and simple navigation usually have something to do with it. However, these two sites do the opposite, I actually want to spend time clicking around finding out which bits I can click and which I can't.
So maximalist or minimalist... for me it depends on my mood. It's got to reflect your personality right?

What if we created websites that matched our mood? Neat & tidy vs. Full on & Hectic.

Nike film released...

If you're not a follower on twitter or a friend on facebook or generally haven't been following the Nike feed etc - here's our Nike film that was released yesterday after featuring on Soccer AM.

Or the YouTube version if you'd prefer it...

It seems to be getting some coverage after appearing on the Sun website and numerous other online feeds. Make sure you've got your sound up, way up. If you like it, let us know.

Sometimes there's just not enough crockery...

Nicole does caesar salad American style. Big bowl, small salad.

Weightless...

My instincts tells me it's wrong to laugh, my mind tells me otherwise.

Rayban Viral...

You may remember this...




Now there's this...

I really like these from an entertainment perspective, but the new one certainly feels a bit more 'real' - I use that term loosely. The first one makes me think, oh that's cool - but then it gets a bit silly, the second I could actually see some idiot doing. 

Viral as a term seems to be overused these days, I wonder if the definition is clouded somewhat. I see a viral as something that has the capacity to entice you to pass it on to someone else... or post it on your blog, in which case I've done both. I always think they are there to question the norm but still in the realm of believability - cue the is it real or is it not debate. Surely anything to do with PR, Advertising or promotion of a product should endeavor to be viral?

What do people think? YouTube seems the best place for natural 'virality' like the little kid playing the ukulele or the cat playing the piano (for a more recent reference). When associated to brands do they have to be entirely believable or just a bit of fun?

How much do you want one of these...

Multicoloured Pentax K-x - the limited edition camera of a hundred or so from Pentax Japan.

Hello 2010ers...

Does anyone else think the hols have just flown by? or 2009 for that matter? I already feel like I've been back for weeks, perhaps that's just the welcoming feel of W+K.

I've been stalling and it's now the 9th. Most people seem to reflect on the best industry ideas of 2009, new year's resolutions and the copious amounts of food they consumed over the holidays. So i'll probably just do that in a roundabout way.

Over the past year we've been on a bit of a journey... less of a bit - and more of a lot. You can find out more or less of what we've been up to if you read back through the blog, but unless you're ever so slightly obsessed and have nothing better to do, you're unlikely to do that so let me give you a brief overview...

We've made our way through 4 different agencies, Iris, DLKW, Leagas Delaney & W+K. All have been very different, both through the work, people and experiences. Most of our luck has paid off in the most recent placement as we're still in at Wieden's, we're due for a catch-up to discuss possible long term plans at the agency.

The development of the film has been a steep learning curve. I never realised just how much production goes into it. It doesn't end when you've shot the footage, there's the rushes, the editing, the grading, the sound design and the post visual effects. People have no idea just how many people are involved when they sit back in their livings rooms and watch a 60 second spot - nor do they care, probably.

The last week has been split between post production over at Time based arts and working on a new brief that landed on our desks just before the winter hols. We've not entirely cracked it yet but things are progressing and it seems to be going along the right tracks so fingers crossed - and toes.

Just recently we've taken to having the review meetings out of the agency, which has been kind of nice. A little more inspirational that sitting in a board room or in the booths of 16 Hanbury St.

We'll set up a link when the films finished. Be nice to know what some of you lot think.

My main new years resolution, besides a few personal targets is to stop taking photos on my phone and start using my camera again!

Back in the day...

Adman Phil

                            
                      Adman Mike