A little bit of what we like

Well things are really hotting up here for both RoarShack and Beeline, with the industry presentation literally only days away. We’re busy putting all the final touches to posters and storyboards, spellchecking and re-spellchecking everything and ensuring that every last ‘I’ is dotted and ‘T’ crossed. As you can imagine things are pretty hectic and everyone is starting to go a little bit cuckoo with all that’s going on, people have been wearing odd socks, forgetting lunches, losing glasses that are sitting on their heads and all kinds of silly things.

Despite all the madness we still have time to soak up a little bit of what we like. Some of the things we like are great digital ideas, fun & interactive ambient campaigns and, most of all, childish games where you fire coloured birds at surprisingly resilient pigs.

That’s why we got very excited when we came across this beauty of a stunt from T-Mobile in the Czech Republic:



Now, back to the madhouse. Has anyone seen my glasses? I’m sure I had them just a second ago.

I am so appy right now

iKnow, iKnow, iKnow! Like that multi-tasking over achieving kid at school, Apple seems to know it all.

I recall my friend discussing this girl who had unique language and dance skills ‘huh a stripper and fluent in Irish’. Nobody likes an over achiever. But what if an over achieving company can make you some big bucks?

iAd is a breakthrough mobile advertising platform from Apple. With it, apps can feature ads that mix the emotion of TV with the interactivity of the web. For advertisers, it creates a new media outlet that offers consumers highly targeted information.

People are using apps to get to data on the internet. The search bar is a thing of the past. We are all about the apps. The way to keep apps free to customers is to allow advertising in them.

The average iPhone user spends 30 minutes a day using apps. This means if there was an ad every 3 minutes, there would be ten ads per device per day. With an expected number of 100 million device users this summer it means there are 1 billion advertising opportunities per day. Apple says this is something we can’t ignore. And they must be right, right?

So not only should a brand be thinking about creating their own apps, now an opportunity to advertise via apps as a medium has arisen.

Apple: ‘we believe that people can love advertising again.’

Well I never knew...

Lego and Advertising

Here is a lovely playful ad by Lego. I have never been much of a dolls girl and this made me look back at the times I used to play with Lego.

Toys like Lego are fun for adults too. One of the things we learned from Art Direction class was that playing and creativity can’t be separated. Advertising allows us to give our inner child a career, and what is nicer than creating an ad for a brand like Lego? Working on a campaign that can save lives maybe?

Is the iPhone becoming the new bottled water?!

In 2007 Ogilvy released the Deep River Rock campaign “Water You Wear” and I think it's fair to say that since then, bottled water has transformed to become a reflection of oneself. No longer is it consumed to satisfy a human need - oh no. Bottled water is now a hand held mirror of your individuality and personality. Want to make a statement about how individual you are? Carry a bottle of water.

Similar to this I have noticed how iPhone owners now seem to use their phone as a ‘hand held mirror’. Figuratively speaking of course..! In the same way that people bring their chosen brands of bottled water for a walk; iPhones are now carried everywhere very visibly. Gone are the days when men and women placed their phones in their pockets or handbags. God forbid a stranger might not realise how individual and digitally savvy you are. No! Now that you are a proud iPhone owner it’s only just that you let the world know.


In a meeting? Place the iPhone on the desk in front of you. It will prove how professional you are.

On a bus? Plug in your white headphones; everyone will know that you’re a member of the iPhone club.

Phone ringing during class? Don’t hit it to silent. Not everyone may have heard the sweet, sweet lullaby of your iPhone ringing.

WAIT A MINUTE.... is that picture hanging lopsided?? Fear not, for you have an iPhone. You can correct its horizontality with your spirit level app.

Similar to other accessories, the iPhone has a shelf life. But if you want to show the world how modern and professional you are right now, there’s no better way to do it than to shove your iPhone in their face. They’ll respect you for it.

And FYI, for maximum effect I suggest purchasing an iPhone case, preferably one of the flippy ones. The whole flip motion of the case enhances the overall professionalism and importance that you stand for.

Oh, you’ll have to excuse me, my iPhone is ringing...

Here is an ad I love from BBDO New York

I don't understand why they have cut Liza Minnelli's part out of the ad on Irish television?? I think that is the best part, it is so unexpected and it is a great representation of the guy in the front seat's inner diva! It also shows the realness of Liza's personality (a sometimes grumpy old lady just like your gran), which we don't get to see often as she is mostly seen on Prozac (blissfully happy) when making a public appearance.

What I love about this ad is that the advertising seems to work for our attention, not too hard but it manages to use humour and the element of surprise. It gives us something back in return for the thirty seconds of our life. The message is also conveyed beautifully with a simple line "you're not you when you're hungry". I think it is probably my favourite ad out there at the moment.

Stay a Hero

New road safety campaign from the Sussex County Council.

Again like their previous TV ad they've gone for a positive approach.

I don't think it works as well as their previous ad but let me know what you think in the comments below.

Have a chew.

We’re well into the project now, the creative brief is well under way and the proverbial ball is rolling. As our campaign gains momentum I feel it is about time that we took a pause and indulged in some mental chewing gum. This clip won’t change your life but it is nice to look at.

Enjoy.