Viral Vinyl - Tallulah Rendall

Viral Vinyl - Tallulah Rendall

Tallulah Rendall, a British musician, has come up with a very inventive way of combining the immediacy of the digital download with the pleasure people take in owning and collecting vinyl records. She's launching her newest single on both formats. At an event in Bush Hall in West London, everyone to attend will receive a specially wrapped copy of the vinyl.

Each record comes with a unique download number that the recipient can then pass onto friends. The people whose code gets used the most will receive a free album when released.

It's a great idea to get people involved with the promotion of music they love while rewarding them at the same time.

Branislav Kropilak Contemporary Photography

source: Cool Hunting

Branislav Kropilak's portrayals of modern technology and industry are far too alluring to be considered dystopian. And yet, if one were to seek a lite… more

Diageo Guinness Viral Ad - Fake but Pure Genius

Diageo Guinness Viral Ad - Fake but Pure Genius

From the Brand Republic - A "fake" and pretty saucy Guinness viral ad has surfaced on YouTube. It's best seen for yourself but Diageo has posted a statement claiming that it is in no way associated with the advert. Diageo's reaction however has prompted YouTube users to spread the video even more. Or maybe it's all an elaborate PR stunt? It's pretty much a win win situation for the company, free viral advertising and the knowledege that their brand is so strong that it's inspiring such high quality fake ads.

Gorillaz and Jamie Hewlett BBC Olympics Ad

The BBC has teamed up with Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett to produce it's first advert for the Beijing Olympics. The advert is based on the ancient Chinese folk story "Journey to the West" - which the duo have recently put on as a full length version at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden. Tickets were sold out very quickly!

From the Shanghaiist - Beijing's Nike Advertising Whitewash

As Nike is not an official sponsor of the Olympics, it's having to deal with it's adverts being whitewashed in Beijing. The photos above show an underpass at Dongdan, right in the middle of the city and next to the ever busy Wanfujing shopping street. As of the 19th July, the government imposed restrictions on advertising by unofficial advertisers in the city. The underpass that was last week plastered with Nike advertisements has now been whitewashed.

Adidas, on the other hand, as an official sponsor, has the right to use trademarked Olympic images and slogans and the permission to set up hospitality areas near the stadiums. While Nike has a strong retail presence in the city, with stores in prestigious locations, come the start of the games on 08.08.08, Adidas will have a more visible presence in the city. It will be interesting to see whether Nike tries to sidestep official advertising policies over the duration of the games and what tactics they might use in doing so.

Hospital Records Designs

I've often thought that designing album covers would be a great job. These three examples from Hospital Records show a great sense of humour.

Adverts in the Sky?

Ever had that feeling that you can see shapes in the clouds? Maybe you were looking at one of these. So it looks like there is literally nowhere left we can look without seeing advertising. It's definitely inventive but maybe a bit far I think - there's such a thing as overkill!

TBWA's Amnesty China Adverts

Omnicom ad agency TBWA has got itself in a bit of hot water pre-Olympics. The agency has been working on two briefs according to the Wall Street Journal. One, for Adidas (see below), shows Chinese sports icons held up by legions of adoring fans. The other, for Amnesty International (see above), shows Chinese athletes being tortured under the strapline "After the Olympic Games, the fight for human rights must go on"



Chinese netizens are all over this story, proposing a boycott of all TBWA ads. The agency has tried to distance itself from the Amnesty ad, claiming that it was the work of a lone creative working on a pro bono account.

TBWA won't be the first foreign company to feel the wrath of the Chinese internet population, an increasingly potent and active community. Earlier this year, Carrefour was boycotted by many Chinese and as the WSJ points out, luxury retailer LVMH dumped Sharon Stone from it's Chinese mainland marketing campaign after she commented that the Sichuan earthquake which killed around 87,000 people and left 5 million homeless might have been karma for China's role in Tibet.

China's Environmentalists and the brands lagging behind

Anyone who has travelled to China will have seen how thrifty and resourceful the average Chinese can be; nothing goes to waste, anything that can be re-used will be. I feel this is often overlooked by worldwide media coverage.

Environmentalism is becoming more and more popular in China, the middle-class increasingly cares about green issues and protests are becoming commonplace.

China Dialogue is a great site, a forum focused on environmental issues where comments and articles in both English or Mandarin are translated into the other language.

China Dialogue's Paul French points out in his article "Why is China different for western brands?" that a number of worldwide brands which adopt green practices in other markets fail to do so in mainland China:

"• Banking chain HSBC sends its mail in Hong Kong on recyclable paper, in envelopes that note the bank is committed to protecting the environment. None of this is mentioned on envelopes sent to Chinese mainland addresses;

• Luxury retailer LVMH’s new Catherine Deneuve-led advertising campaign features a tag line that supports the Climate Project. It appears everywhere from London to Hong Kong, but not on their ads in the Chinese mainland;"

Advertising - "Buy More" vs The Planet - "Please for God's sake buy less"

I've been reading a few articles recently that have got me thinking about the role of Marketing in the future and how this potentially clashes with the way the world has to start behaving. If we need to start consuming less and advertising on the whole tells us to consume more, then surely something needs to change with advertising.

Even Martin Sorrell, the Chief Executive of WPP, one of the largest communications groups in the world, has commented recently that "conspicuous consumption is not productive and should be discouraged" (as quoted in Campaign Magazine).

So what does this mean for marketers? If, for example, the stigma related to being a conspicuous consumer grows and grows to the point that it becomes a stereotype to be avoided, in what ways will advertisers and clients for that matter have to change their game in order to appeal to the new generation of thrifty, planet-conscious consumers of the 21st century?

Well, I think the challenges that advertisers will have to face will have to answer the following questions that the new consumers will be asking themselves about the products they are researching, (some of these are extremely obvious)-

Do I really need this?
Do I have "ENOUGH" of this product already?
Will I be able to repair it/maintain it/upgrade it myself?
Will it be obsolete this time next year? If so, why?
Has it been constructed by fairly paid workers and constructed in a way that does not harm the environment?
What does this product tell those around me about my beliefs and environmental credentials?


In the same way that the internet is democratising media coverage around the world, it's also fundamentally changing the way in which people view the world and their role in it. People are now looking online to find communities to be part of and moving away from the idea that materialism is the be all and end all.

Street Art My Arse

No comments needed really, it speaks for itself!

Li Wei - Dangerous

No- they're not photoshopped. Li Wei creates these "performance art photos" using props and extremely strong wires. His photos show him in precarious situations where for the viewer, the only possible outcome is disaster. These situations range from the above, to falling from the sky to having already landed, head first into various objects (cars, the ground, lakes).

His work evokes strong reactions from passers by: "The first reaction is astonishment. Some people think they are full of sense of humour. They are curious about how I did this".

It's this sense of humour, albeit slightly dark, that makes these images so striking. It's something that I mentioned in a previous post and I'm glad I've been able to find an example so quickly to illustrate my point.

Find more of Li Wei's photos here

China's Creative Imperative - Kunal Sinha

"I've learnt from my experience in China to never under-estimate the Chinese. Kunal's insight creates a compelling case that they have what it takes to move beyond the world's factory to become a force in creativity. "
— Colin Giles, President, Nokia China



Burying your head in the sand...
....if you think that China is not going to become a creative force in the future. This follows on from my last post, creativity in China is booming at the moment, especially in the fields of music and illustration/design. It's timely that a Strategy Director at Ogilvy Greater China has just published a book on the subject.

China' s in a unique position to absorb the best of all the creative talent and ideas arriving on it's shores, and to build a strong visual/design community and identity of its own. I think the next ten to twenty years will be a hugely exciting time to be involved with this kind of work in China. As the above image illustrates, the Chinese have a unique sense of humour and it will be this, combined with striking visual imagery which will hopefully provide some very inspiring work.

Nike China Advertising

Nike China is planning an advertising blitz this summer in the run up to the Olympics. As well as having the most famous Chinese athletes in their stable, hurdler Liu Xiang, basketball player Li Jianlian and the latest Chinese sports sensation Zheng Jie, the tennis player who reached the Wimbledon Ladies semi finals last week.

The adverts shown above, although a couple of years old, show how advertising should be done in China. Everday Chinese people in everyday situations show off unexpected improvised athletic skills using just what comes to hand. For anyone who has spent any time in China or watched any Chinese television, this video will definitely ring true.
















Nike 100
A few months ago, Nike took over a space in the 798 district of Beijing. While, relatively unknown outside China, the 798 area is a burgeoning creative neighbourhood in the north east of the city. It's full of old munitions factories and warehouses which are now being used by local artists and gallery owners.

The Nike 100 building showcased the top 100 innovative concepts ever created by Nike and was only open for one month. On entering the building, each guest was given an Ipod Touch preloaded with 100 tracks describing each of the innovations. Also on display were a great deal of rare exclusives. Although I wasn't lucky enough to see the exhibition, it strikes me as a great example of Nike building hype around their brand pre-Olympics.













How long before "Made in China" becomes "Created in China"?
Only a matter of time in my opinion, there's increasing focus around the world on the creative output coming out of China, eg. China Design Now at the V&A in London. From gauging reaction on various blogs, it's clear to me that the label "Made in China" is becoming increasingly resented on the mainland.

It will be interesting to see what kind of role brands like Nike will play in enabling homegrown talent to emerge, and what kind of imagery/advertising will follow. I'm not sure who was involved in the creation of the above Nike Liu Xiang outdoor advert but it's definitely distinctly Chinese in style. I wonder if this is the path Nike will go down in the run up to the Olympics.