If you've done time in advertising, you know advertising award shows are nothing more than ego boosters for our fragile personas and a chance for us to get a group hug from our fellow industry mates. The Phoeniz Addys aren't trying to hide this truth with their call for entries promotion called Ego Stroke 5,000, a device that sends ego boosting thoughts into the brain. Of course it's just a cheesecake pan with a bunch or wires attached but it does the job. The promotion was created by Riester~Robb.
Oh, it had to happen sooner or later. It's not as though we haven't made errors before but today we made a big one when we poked fun at MWW Group for launching a blogging practice called Blog 360 and chastised the agency for announcing the service but not listing it on their website. We were wrong on both counts. First, MWW Group didn't launch a blogging practice today; they launched it 11 months ago in January. Apparently, our press release and RSS feed funnel dates were a bit out of whack today. Secondly, the practice, which was later re-branded DialogueMedia is, in fact listed on the MWW Group site as plain as day.
Had we done our research properly, this never would have happened. We apologize profusely to the fine folks at MWW Group for unnecessarily bothering them with our stupidity. Had our head been on straight today, we would have told you MWW Group gets the whole blogging thing and practices what they preach. We would have pointed out MWW Group President and CEO Michael Kempner publishes a company blog called Straight Talk. Also, had we been concentrating on more serious news rather than condoms covering buildings, pole dancers in elevators and Lynx Deodorant's attempt to launch an airline, we would have told you MWW Group New Media Strategies Director and head of DialogueMedia Tom Biro also blogs for the company insightfully and informatively at Open The Dialogue.
Once again, we apologize to MWW Group for unnecessarily dragging them through our drawers. We understand if you, and the rest of our readers, place our credibility in the toilet for a few days.
Working for The Weinstein Company - the Hollywood production company formed by Bob and Harvey Weinstein, founders of Miramax and Dimension Films - online marketing firm Deep Focus and creative services firm Big Spaceship have created YouAreNowInfected, a promotional site for the upcoming Dimension Films feature Pulse, starring Veronica Mars' Kristen Bell. The site resembles an online FTP directory devoid of fancy Flash graphics usually associated with online promotions for Hollywood films and contains simple links to images, character video diaries and, of course, the film's trailer.
While the success of the film which takes yet another stab at "Internet as host for really bad things" could go either way and won't be known until March 3 when the film opens, we can say, this promotional site is refreshingly welcome. Without all the Flash n' Crap, the site, which is blissfully easy to navigate, we're told, will build over the four month run up to the opening with more video diaries and film related trivia, clues, and imagery.
Here's a billboard for former client and much maligned company Tyco which, with this billboard, is promoting the company's security division. The board is located in Zurich Oerlikon near Hallenstadium. While the whole condom thing, while overused, connotes the ability of Tyco to keep what needs to stay in in and what needs to stay out out, the thing looks more like a baby bottle than a condom and baby bottle are far from leak proof. Too bad Tyco's own security products couldn't have prevented former CEO Dennnis Koslowski from bilking the company for millions.