FastPay, a new tech-enabled finance platform servicing ad-tech businesses, launched today with $25 million already funded to dozens of digital media businesses. FastPay "empowers early and mid-stage companies in this $29B industry to fund their growth in an efficient, cost effective and equity-preserving manner. "
And that's not all. It's about getting paid faster once your business is up and running.
eMarketer estimates the size of the digital ecosystem will grow to $100B by 2015 and the IAB says nearly 80 percent of invoices now take from 60 to 90 days or more to pay. We can personally attest to this and it's not fun so we're a big supporter of any entity that claims it can get us out money faster and more efficiently.
more »
The best thing about this Anatomy of An Ad Agency infographic which takes a look at agency life is the daily timesheet section which is broken down by functional area. For example, account execs spend most of their time " managing expectations" and "looping in" while art directors are busy "tweaking," "bumping that up a bit" and moving things "a bit to the left." Copywriters ideate while reading The Onion and wishing they wrote for The Onion while developers spend their time "larping" (no idea), coding and working on their own, non-billable coding projects.
The second best thing about this infographic are the pick up lines used. AEs want to get real so their favorite is, "I spend all day metaphorically screwing people. let's do the real thing." Art Directors? "I can fill your shite space." Funny. Copywriters are high on themselves to they boldly proclaim, "My brochure copy isn't the only thing that's long." But it's developers who are the most twisted leading off with, "Can I debug your backend?" Ew. Gross.
Thanks for the laugh, Grip Limited.
David&Goliath is out with a new spot for Kia Optima featuring Blake Griffin, power forward for the Los Angeles Clippers. Following the Kia Motors' 2011 Sprite Slam Dunk Contest, the two are teaming up once again in the form of a new :30 commercial that features Blake as the official spokesman of the vehicle he dunked over, the Kia Optima.
Of the work, D&G copywriter Dan Kelly said, "The creative was inspired by two things: the highly-publicized Kia Optima Dunk and Blake Griffin's off-court personality. After researching Blake and meeting with him in person, we soon came to realize how funny he really is. He has a very dry sense of humor and is extremely comfortable in front of the camera. We got to work right away creating a campaign that utilized both his personality and Kia's."
The spot is impressively goofy and over-the-top absurd which is why it's so much fun.
more »
Are you a fan of Smallville? Or V? Or just love any chance you can get to stare at Laura Vandervoort? Well, now you can stare more as PETA, otherwise known as celebrity porn for a cause, is out with a new animal rights ad. In the ad, Vandervoort is naked and painted to look like a reptile. The ad's tagline asks, "Whose Skin Are You In?" Of course, the ad is aimed at urging people to "leave wildlife out of your wardrobe."
In a short PSA, Vandervoort says, "I want to make people aware that if you want a high end python bag or crocodile... Three or four alligators have to die for each purse. It's just ridiculous. A lot of people think that reptiles don't feel, but they do."
And she should know. She played one on TV.
more »
Howard Gossage, known to many as The Socrates of San Francisco, launched an ad agency out of a firehouse where, as documentarian Ashley Pollak says, "Gossage had managed to save the Grand Canyon from being flooded for profit, helped estblish Friends of the Earth, discovered Marshal McLuhan - an obscure Canadian academic who thought up the Internet - and inadvertently caused the military invasion of a small Caribbean island."
Pollak is out with a trailer for a full length documentary on Gossage. You can check out the trailer below.
more »
American Express Open Forum has put together a list of eight tips marketers can employ to make better use of YouTube in their marketing mix. Chief, of course, is humor though using humor is many time a crap shoot and often times the effort falls flat. Other tips include making your video purposefully unrelated causing the classic WTF reaction among viewers. telling a story, using interactivity, make a game out of it and more. Check out the full list here.
- Scarlett Johansson spews ridiculous platitudes in new Dolce & Gabbana commercial.
- Siri stars in the newest Apple iPhone commercial.
- Woman loves her bank so much she has an orgasm.
- When it comes to condoms, it's not size that matters, it's technique.
- Like fire? Like skateboarding? Then you love the new film Never Extinguish. See the trailer here.
- Dude gets bored at work. Doodles. Launches Doodle cards via Kickstarter.
- Yet another building projection. This one, for Bacardi, is actually pretty cool.
- Interactive store window display helps launch My Starbucks Rewards program.
The Tomorrow Awards, an "international award show dedicated to discovering, showcasing and awarding advertising creativity that pushes new technological boundaries," will close its call or entry next Friday, October 28. So if you fancy yourself another award for your case you had best get your entry in soon.
What's unique about this award show is that there are no categories/ Anything goes and only the best win. Here's a video explaining how the judging works.
more »
If you're a fan of the game Minecraft (a low-fi, 3D building block game) then you might like this new work from The Barbarian Group. the agency created a video it bills as the first ever branded Minecraft game. The work was done for GE and it's a re-creation of the Edison Memorial Tower. For those really into Mincraft, you can build the tower yourself by downloading the blueprints. Check it out.
Bloodlines is the new campaign from Doremus New York aimed at building awareness for J&J's Ortho Clinical Diagnostics' Transfusion Medicine franchise. Designed to reach blood bank and hospital management, Bloodlines highlights the caretakers of the world's blood supply.
The ads, shot by Christopher Griffith, capture subject subjects of varying ethnicities and ages. Each black and white portrait shows a patient who has benefited from a transfusion next to a bright red unit of blood.
The campaign, which launches at the Advancing Transfusion and Cellular Therapies Worldwide conference will feature a booth, fully designed in campaign graphics, vertical banners, double column wraps, and a 2-minute film playing on the digital wall boards.
Damn. I wonder what kind of shower this guy took after shooting this commercial. To help promote tourism in Switzerland - though using ants to do so is questionable at best - Swiss "weather prophet" Martin Horat climbs atop an ant hill to have a conversation with them about what the weather will be like this winter. Apparently, these ants can help predict what the weather will be like. Personally, if there are ant hils like this in Switzerland, we are staying far, far away!
more »
A new campaign from fashion brand Kenneth Cole has wise words for men who are completely disconnected from all manner of reality when it comes to interacting with the opposite sex. And it's got a new fragrance for these idiots too. Way to portray your customer as a buffoon. And, by association, make everyone realize the only people who will purchase your brand are blithering idiots.
more »
Occupy Wall Street has been getting a lot of press. Now it's trying to get its message out to more people with a commercial it's purchasing through Google TV with crowdsourced funds through LoudSauce. There's zero said in this commercial that hasn't already been said a million times before in a million other cause-related political commercials. Basically, the message is the same. Everyone wants more for less. Tax the the rich. Free health care for all. No wars. Blah, blah, blah.
Hey, it's a noble cause and maybe the work will result in actual change. But call us jaded. We aren't buying it. As long as there's money to be made, those making it will bend every last rule to make more no matter who it hurts. It's really that simple.
more »
|
