Music video director Chris Cunningham directs this spot for Gucci. Rumor has it that Neuromancer and Cunningham are not meant to be. Sigh.
It’s been interesting to see the luxury brands branch out with their directorial choices. Here’s another spot for Chanel No.5 directed by Jean Pierre Jeunet.
via DARE
I snapped this one in front of the church around the corner from my home. I applaud the inventiveness here.
A few weeks ago a local commercial for the North Carolina furniture store The Red House caught on fire. As of this writing there are over 600K views on YouTube.
The low budget commercial touts that The Red House is a place where Black and White people can “just get along”. Clearly the racial references in this are what has prompted its “popularity”.
The spot was created by the North Carolina-based comedy duo Rhett & Link. In an interview from a local paper, it’s clear that the two love the creativity that’s born of the low budget limitations of local commercials - they view it as an art form.
It’s always refreshing to watch brands and small businesses really leverage the limitations of a low-buget spot. Geico has been using this as its platform for years - though they look like they’re spending a lot of money to make their spots look low budget. Slim Jim’s commercials however were truly born out of their budget limitations - and were hugely successful for them.
I remember growing up outside of Philadelphia and seeing the commercials for Krass Brothers every Saturday morning. When done right, these things can really stick.
As far as the Red House, be sure to check back here later when I finally realize that I’ve unwillingly become a shill for some ironic big brand ad campaign.
For a while now media companies have been pointing to third-party ad networks (such as 24/7 Real Media) as contributors to the devaluation of online content. The alternative has been to bring ad sales in house (or partner with other media companies to start their own networks). In the short-term this is a costly approach, but all are betting that the creation of a trusted, high-quality environment will change perceptions and ultimately bolster the value of content.
AOL’s previous strategy to utilize third-party ad networks performed poorly for them - ad revenue dropped 18% year over year. And considering the size of AOL it’s highly likely that this move played a role in the devaluation of online content.
AOL has since changed their strategy. And in this video from Ad Age Walker Jacobs, SVP of Digital Ad Sales for Turner talks about what drove them to do the same.
On April 25th the New York Street Advertising Takeover (NYSAT) organized artists to reclaim 120 billboards that illegally operate in New York City.
The move battles the overabundance of advertising and branded messaging that over-saturates the city.
via The Groundswell Collective