sparking curious mind

Tuborg, movies, parties, the right formula to chill your summer.

Is the new drink from Fosters worth dipping your hand in a bucket of snakes? Maybe if you're Cold Blooded enough.

According to the “Internet and Multimedia 2007″ report by Edison Media Research and Arbitron, the internet has become increasingly important to US consumers as a medium for information and entertainment, and is approaching the level of television in being “most essential”.

As you can see in the above chart, the internet already leads television among those age 12-17, 18-24, 25-34, and 35-44. Only above age 45 do any age groups still put television in first place.

“It is not a stretch to say that the Internet has become just as important as television as an important source of information and entertainment in the lives of Americans,” said Larry Rosin, president of Edison Media Research.

I bet that in five years time the internet will be the most essential medium for entertainment and info.

Does this says "tender" to you? This is a new brand from Transavia, a chicken meat producer from Romania. The brand name is Fragedo, suggesting tenderness, freshness etc. Well, at least that's what I suppose they meant to convey. To me it sounds more like green. It doesn't make me think of "fresh chicken meat". But that's me.

Brandient is responsible for the design and naming. Transavia expects(ro) a 20% rise in total turnover with the new brand.

What do you think about the new brand, Fragedo?

"Fear. The prevailing corporate climate is one of fear. There is a difference between fear and being afraid. It makes sense to be afraid because it can guide you to do the right thing. Maybe if you're lucky it pushes you into action because you are afraid to be mediocre. Fear, on the other hand, creates paralysis. And to be successful you have to have the courage to act." - Alex Bogusky, Chief Creative Officer, CRISPIN PORTER + BOGUSKY

This is a slideshow from a workshop at the Communication Summer School, oraganized by local AIESEC branch for their members and other students from marketing and communication disciplines.
I've been invited to talk about brand communication, ideas and the briefing process. I gave them some work to based on a brief. I've had a lot of fun, in spite of the heat. I like their enthusiasm, even though I expected them to have more courage and initiative.
All in all, a very pleasant experience.

If Marketing 1.0 was mostly about print collateral, then Marketing 1.5 moved to the web brochure, and Marketing 2.0 is about the entire online experience. In Marketing 2.0, you no longer have tight control of a polished, coherent message stream.

In effect, marketing is turning into a myriad of interlocking conversations between people inside and outside the company. Blogs and online communities give individuals a loud voice in conversations about products and brands, while keyword-based marketing is changing the way corporations disseminate their messages.

In truth, the conversations were always out there, in coffee shops, book club meetings, over the garden fence, at the corner store; millions of conversations are going on about hundreds of topics relevant to your company every day. The extraordinary thing today is that you can literally watch these conversations as they unfold online.

This an ad from Women's Wear Daily. It's a scathing letter from Chanel warning people of misusing the Chanel name or logo in any way. So watch your language! Their lawyers mean business.

via

This is a video made in Connected Ventures, a company that develops and maintains Vimeo, busted tees, Defunker, College Humor and Crazewire. Brilliant!

via

"You're going to have so many versions of ads, and you're going to have so many media decisions to make with the fragmentation of the media. How is a human going to be able to process that amount of information?"
- Mark Read, director of strategy for WPP Group

According to the data collected by Forrester, there are more "spectators" and "joiners" then "creators" on the internet. The web looks very young, the most active age groups are those between 18 and 26.

This pretty cool news! Just found out that Starcom Bucharest won a Silver Lion for their campaign "1 in 8 women - Breast Cancer Crusade" for Avon.
Congratulations guys! Well done! Especially if you think that Starcom is a media agency. Now let's see how this will affect the Romanian advertising. Hopefully will we have more innovative, inspiring and creative ideas.

Update: Second Lion for Romania. Bronze for Mandra milk, "The Note - 2". Excellent use of media. Well done GMP!

"Business managers seem to believe that, once they've clicked through a PowerPoint presentation showcasing their conclusions, they've successfully communicated their ideas. What they've done is share data."

- Chip Heath & Dan Heath, authors of „Made To Stick”

You feint! And made them look the other way!

Apparently I have good copy writing skills. That's according to Advanced Marketing Institute's headline analyzer.
They say that "Sparking Curious Mind" appeals equally to people's intellectual and empathetic spheres. I didn't know that I have such abilities :)

Precious little ad for Honda Motorcycles.
Directed by Alex Laubscher, and produced by Independent

I've just got back from the Idea Forum, a 2 days event about innovative theories in marketing, advertising, digital and media. Thanks to Cristi, I've had the opportunity to listen to the likes of Faris Yakob, Russell Davies, Iain Tait, Keith Lewin and Chris Jackson. Also there where a bunch of Romanian advertising professionals talking about their view on the shift happening right now on the way brands communicate. Or should, at least.

This was, probably, the best conference I've been in Romania so far. There were less PR presentations and lots of little things that inspired me a great lot. A wonderful experience!

At the conference I've got the chance to meet some bloggers I've already knew and meet knew ones which blogs I read but didn't get the chance to meet offline. A very fresh and pleasant experience. I will come back later with some notes from the event.

The emergence of the new 'ubersexual' man presents a potential goldmine for global manufacturers and marketers according to the latest research from Euromonitor International.

Cosmetics companies, health clubs, retailers and travel companies all look set to profit from the changing male image, as men become more image-conscious. The ubersexual man is defined by Euromonitor International as 'more complex, more thoughtful, more culinary and better groomed than macho man, but more traditionally masculine than the metrosexual'. They are, therefore, more likely to prepare and research meals, buy cosmetics and toiletries, and join health clubs.

Intra pe gala societatii civile si afla si tu cat talent ai

comScore Networks today announced the launch of comScore World Metrix, the first true estimate of global online audience size and behavior based on activity from the world’s largest online behavioral research panel. The comScore World Metrix panel has active representation from countries that comprise 99 percent of the global Internet population. In launching comScore World Metrix, the company announced that 694 million people, age 15+, used the Internet worldwide from all locations in March 2006, representing 14 percent of the world’s total population within this age group. This number marks the first worldwide universe estimate based on a consistent methodology across all countries.

Israel, Finland and South Korea Lead the World in Online Engagement

comScore also released the top 15 countries ranked by average hours spent online per visitor for March 2006, as a measure of engagement. Israel led the list, with the average user spending 57.5 hours online during the month – twice as much time compared to the average person in the U.S, which did not rank in the top 15 countries. Rounding out the top 5 were Finland, South Korea, the Netherlands and Taiwan – all countries with high broadband penetration.

New to blogging? Or you're doing it for some time, now? Still don't understand what is RSS and hot it works? Watch this simple video explanation.




I can see clearly now.......!!!!!

Agency ONE cauta grafic designer. Daca esti interesat, vezi datele de contact in layout sau suna la 0232/214 500.
E-mail: office@agencyone.ro

New Skittles ads made by TBWA, TORONTO. Funny as hell!!!

Hey ladies! Ever wonder what it would be like to sneak into a sweaty, steamy men's locker room? No you can. Thanks to Levi's Lady Style new collection. Take a peek here

"A good typographer is someone who communicates a point of view with skill and imagination, and makes the type taste good."-- Jeffrey Keedy, graphic designer

It's a quotation you'll find in this short piece of motion design realized by Boca AKA Marcos Ceravolo and Ryan Uhrich, two students of the Vancouver Film School.

College students in the USA, may love to use the latest gadgets and wear the hottest fashions, but they may not know where their favorite brands originate, according to exclusive new research from market research firm Anderson Analytics.

53 percent of students thought Finnish cell phone company Nokia to be Japanese, while 57.8 percent thought Korean electronics company Samsung was Japanese. And 48.5 percent mistakenly thought Adidas clothing came from the United States, not Germany.

"For the most part, this next generation of educated American consumers either have no clue where the brands they use come from or simply assume everything comes from the United States, Japan or Germany," said Tom H. C. Anderson, Managing Partner, Anderson Analytics,

The study is based on an online survey of 1,000 US college student conducted during the fall 2006 semester by Anderson Analytics’ GenX2Z.com, which provides in-depth research on the youth market. See how students rated brands here

Karakiri is a creature of confort, a friendly octopus, made from cotton for a lasting relationship with your skin.



It holds you even when you watch TV. Is fully washable. Custome made for a perfect embrace

Karakiri is made by Oana Felipov. Great idea, Oana!

Check out the beautiful site for more info about how to get your Karakiri

A few months ago Yahoo! Sport and Eurosport started to work together to build the site. The aim was to develop the premier Sports web destination – Yahoo! Eurosport.

Finally, 41 year-old Romário netted the landmark goal four minutes into the second half of the Brazilian first division match that pitted his Vasco da Gama against returning northerners Sport.



“This is a very special moment in my life and Id like to dedicate this last goal to my children and thank my parents and everybody else who is present here tonight”, thanked a visibly moved Romário, crying openly.




To celebrate his achievment, here is a compilation of his best goals and moves.

The Samsung Summer Collection of mobile phones showcases the latest in mobile communication devices

Mai sint cateva ore pina la inchiderea urnelor. Nu sta deoparte! Rupe-ti jumatate de ora si voteaza. NU conteaza cum. Doar mergi si voteaza.

Log out, shut down, GO VOTE!

"Adopt an NGO" is an initiative of the Civil Society Gala the only Romanian event that pays homage to all civic initiatives, large or small, that are making our society better and healthier.

So I've been invited, along with other bloggers, to adopt an NGO, thus showing my support to it's activities and efforts. I decided to adopt "Save the Children". One of my best friends works for this organization so I'm quiet familiar with their programs. Basically, "Save the Children" fights for children's rights. They deliver immediate and lasting improvements to children's lives, not only in Romania, but worldwide.

Save the Children Romania is guided by the fundamental values expressed in the UN Declaration on Human Rights and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and is founded on the conviction that:

• All children and adults are of equal value
• Children have special rights
• All children have a right to life and development
• • No child should be discriminated against
  • All children have a right to be heard
  • The Child’s best interests should be a guide

The project aims at creating and implementing an alternative system of services, which should ensure the intervention and protection of the child victim of violence. The multidisciplinary team of the Center, made up of doctors, psychologists, social assistants and psychiatrists offers the following services:

• protection for the child and the protecting parent (housing and food for maximum 30 days);
• therapy, treatment, rehabilitation and specialized ambulatory or residential assistance;
• legal counseling;
• training the specialists for working with children victims of violence and their families;
• offering information and informative materials to the persons working with the children, to parents and children;
• prevention program in high schools, schools and kindergartens.

The results of the third annual planner survey are in. The research, conducted by Heather LeFevre of the Martin Agency, shows that the most desirable place to work as a planner is W+K. Closely followed by Crispin, BBH, Chiat, Goodby and others.

Those who think that the quality of planning has increased (42% of the respondents) credit blogging (talking about blogging killing planning :)), generosity of thinking, better defined roles, the challenges of the world pulling us up and better people.

466 planners completed the survey (compared to 192 last year). 36% are likely to change their job this year. Regardless of the current position. Those set on or considering leaving planning specify that they don’t know exactly what they will do or they plan to start their own business, freelance, go back to school, go to the client side, switch to consulting, research, innovation, creative, production or media.

There are a lot more details about salaries and other stuff. You can download the results here

“We stand behind our skin care products, so much so that we are prepared to go naked to prove it.” states The Elave web site. Instead of wandering around a science lab in a white gown, the presenter speaks completely naked, along with the rest of the room.

The video, featuring nude women and men, is online at www.nothing-to-hide.co.uk. Is it gratuitous nudity, an unnecessary attempt to get the attention or is an example of courage and nerve from Ovelle Pharmaceuticals? You'll be the judge.



Ovelle has seen a 500 per cent rise in sales, both online and in the High Street, since the campaign was launched on May 5.

AdofDaMonth.com is a forum to promote good creative. The featured work is judged by a jury of trained ad-monkeys who vote for the best ad every month.

These ads are a spoof on the trend on pro bono advertising for entering in showcase
websites, awards.

Advertising Agency: Ogilvy & Mather Budapest, Hungary
Title: Barber Shop and Restaurant
Creative Director: Dalbir Singh
Art Director: Zsolt Molnar, Pablo Compos
Copywriter: Dalbir Singh
Photographer: Zsolt Molnar

We define culture as a network of discrete, specific knowledge structures shared
by individuals within some definable population. Icons of a culture are like “magnets of meaning”; they connect many diverse elements of cultural knowledge.
Thus, cultural icons, when activated, will spread activation to other constructs in the cultural knowledge network.

Like other symbols, a consumer brand can also be a cultural icon or a vehicle for
cultural meaning. Iconic brands are consumer brands that become “consensus expressions of particular values held dear by some members of a society”. These brands are loaded with cultural meanings; they are strongly associated with the culture’s values, needs, and aspirations
and increase their cognitive accessibility.

Consumer brands vary in their degree of cultural iconicity. We conceptualize brand iconicity as the degree to which a particular brand is associated with multiple constructs in a network of cultural knowledge. Consumers’ knowledge about products/brands forms integrated structures in memory. Iconic brands can transfer their iconic status to the product category they belong.

Accordingly, we conceptualize an iconic category as a product category with highly accessible iconic brands. Through the strong connections with their iconic brands, iconic categories also possess rich cultural significance; they are strongly associated with the values, needs, and aspirations in their culture of origin. Brands with rich cultural meanings can create stronger and much deeper connections with the consumers.

Directed by Dante Ariola through MJZ
Voice by Edward Norton
Music by A-Bomb

João Ribeiro and Sérgio Veiga, students at the University of Aveiro, started this experiment of mapping each and every internet user in the Whole Wide World!

MapMyName is the name of the project and the guys want to do this in only one month. So better hurry up and join. I'm already there.

Media and entertainment executives see the growing ability and eagerness of individuals to create their own content as one of the biggest threats to their business, according to results of a survey released by Accenture.

More than half (57 percent) of the respondents identified the rapid growth of user-generated content — which includes amateur digital videos, podcasts, mobile phone photography, wikis and social-media blogs — as one of the top three challenges they face today.

The new landscape offers opportunities as well as challenges, according to the study, as two-thirds (68 percent) of the respondents said they believe that within three years their businesses will be making money on user-generated content. However, a quarter (24 percent) of respondents said they do not yet know how their businesses will profit from user-generated content.

Asked to identify which type of content offers the highest growth potential for their industry over the next five years, the greatest number of respondents — 53 percent — cited short-form video, followed by videogames (13 percent), full-length film (11 percent) music, (11 percent), consumer publishing (9 percent) and business publishing (4 percent).

According to a recent survey orchestrated by GfK Custom Research, a staggering 87% of Americans have been put off the sport of running for a variety of reasons including the fear that they need to be competitive in order to participate*. In opposition to this philosophy, Reebok asks consumers, "What are you just doing?" in its innovative global movement "Run Easy."

Reebok's "Run Easy" movement kicked off with an aggressive media campaign featuring advertising created by New York agency, Mcgarry Bowen.




The first phase of the "Run Easy" movement will feature several attention grabbing OOH executions including edgy messages such as "Run + Puke + Run = Crazy".


Reebok's Run Easy television spot celebrates the joy of social running "at the speed of chat." In opposition to Nike latest TVC's which depict the pain and suffering which athletes go through.