Quote

"I have always believed that writing advertisements is the second most profitable form of writing. The first, of course, is ransom notes."

Philip Dusenberry, quoted in Eric Clark, The Want Makers: Inside the World of Advertising.

Mouthwash

At first I thought these were ads, run in consumer magasines, in which case I think they'd be great. But they're actually ceiling stickers. I'm assuming these ceiling stickers are meant for the ceiling at a dentist's office. Where they're sure to scare patients ...scare them not for forgetting to use Listerine, but scare them about what manner of torture the dentist has planned. I can't imagine a dentist actually using these in his/her office.The only other public place I can think of where one reclines and stares at the ceiling is while getting one's hair washed in a hairdressers.

Volkswagen Beetles

The actual advert...

What it is representing...


Sometimes no words are needed...here is a great example of sharp, instantly recognisable imagery.

Ads that are clever, dignified and touching all at the same time.

Hospital advertising is typically approved by a committee -- a committee that is comprised mostly of people who know little about advertising and marketing. As a result, most hospital advertising is dull and generic.This campaign created by DeVito/Verdi, NYC is a welcome exception.

Hairspray

Film posterSnap shot from the film

A wonderful film in my opinion...a must see...especially to see John Trovolta dressed as a woman...its amazing how make-up and synthetic fat suits can transform actors nowadays.

Madonna likes Photoshop

The final retouched ad…An un-retouched outtake.
Detail.

We all know that virtually every ad in every magazine goes through Photoshop. Sometimes the retouching is good, sometimes, not so good. This poster campaign shows how photos have to be manipulated before printed... I thought it was nice to see how the industry manipulates images.

Kelloggs trolley

This is how ambient media works the smart way!

Using general objects and changing them slighlty to create a different message..this makes people stop and think. People use shopping trolleys on a regular basis...this is a clever way to advertise the slimming cereal product.....especially as people will have food on the brain considering they are on a shopping trip but also the fact that people always like to think they are eating healthily and secretly would like to lose a few pounds.

Sony under fire for "racist" advertising

The ad can be seen on the Dutch official PSP site.

Black groups in the USA are up in arms over the latest Sony billboard advertisments for a white PSP. The new billboard advert for Sony's white PSP has caused consternation across the US videogaming community. The ad shows a white model dressed entirely in white threateningly grasping the face of a black model. Next to them are the words, "PlayStation Portable. White is coming". Sites such as Kotaku, Joystiq and Digital Battle have questioned whether the ads are racist. So far the debate has split comments sections with some condeming Sony and equal numbers defending the ads as a harmless personfication of the handheld console's two available colours. Has this advert gone too far?...Is it more than 'disruptive' marketing. The website said:

"Disruption is the art of asking better questions, challenging conventional wisdom and overturning assumptions and prejudices that get in the way of imagining new possibilities and visionary ideas."

Is the world ready to explore themes of race and domination in the context of a videogame console advert?
Importantly perhaps, the ads are for the European release of the white PSP and are appearing on billboards in Amsterdam rather than in the US where racial tension remains a fraught issue.

Gone With The Wind

I have just finished this exciting novel by Margaret Mitchell.

A fantastic book. It goes on and on, showing the different moods of Scarlett. Her love for her father. her infatuations. her admiration and love for Ashley, her scorn for Melanie in whom she finds a friend later. Her love for her house, her land and her struggle to keep it at any cost. She is a character full of energy and wisdom. I like her for that ,and for that only Rhett Butler loves her. I could not put the book down and insist that you read it.

Are we lovin' it?

From a print campaign advertising a new McDonald's opening soon near Kimaya Kothrud (India)

A little worrying I feel....I have recently been researching about advertising and how it has an affect on childhood obesity for my dissertation, and I came across this new campaign for a new McDonalds. There is no surprise that childhood obesity is rising rapidly. So are we now expecting that newly born babies are gonna be Ronald MacDonald fans! Will people ever realise the damage McDonald's causing to our health or will the next generation still be lovin' it?

Shrek 3...

Trailer...

I recently went to see the third Shrek film, and although was greatly disappointed with the actual storyline, I was still very impressed with the incredible graphics...Dreamworks have once again bettered themseves, by making the visual effects even more realistic. The costumes have that lived in quality due to the textures the artisits created. The little things have seemed to improve the overall effect.

Chris Ofili’s... The Upper Room

I really enjoy visiting galleries and looking at a variety of artisits. I remember that in November I went to see Chris Ofili’s The Upper Room in the Tate Britain. The room consisted of thirteen paintings displayed in an environment especially designed by the architect David Adjaye. Critics commented on the chapel-like qualities of the space and its lighting. The arrangement of twelve canvases flanking a thirteenth larger one suggests Christ and his Apostles. I thought the lighting in the room made the paintings look even more impressive.

The entire construction is made of walnut-veneered plywood - floors, walls and ceiling, even the three benches in the room itself. The natural patterns on the veneer have a hallucinatory quality. Turning the corner of the corridor, one enters a semi-dark space, with six paintings on each side wall, and a single larger work at the far end. The corners of the end wall are rounded rather than square, making the room feel longer than it really is.

Each painting depicts a monkey based around a different colour theme. The twelve smaller paintings show a monkey from the side and they are based on a 1957 Andy Warhol drawing. The larger monkey is depicted from the front.

Drifts of glitter and stars float around the monkeys, which are set against decorative plant life, flowers and seed heads and blooms of colour.

"The elephant dung no longer shocks. But Chris Ofili has lost none of his power to delight and surprise" says Adrian Searle from the guardian.