Enchanted forest - fairytale by... FedEx

Nowadays in advertising content is king, we all know that. So good storytelling is more than welcomed. And 'fairytelling' too.
Here an example: FedEx introduces its sustainability solutions with a fairytale-like cute ad.
It's a story about a shipping giant that befriends a forest...

What is Luck? Martini answers in its new commercial

Going through the newest and most interesting examples of content in advertising for the last week, I just can't skip this 2 minutes black&white retro ad by Martini, part of their 'Luck is an Attitude' campaign.
Nice execution with a little twist in the end of the story; for me that makes the last 15 seconds the best part.

Disney Magic in NYC, brought by Mickey

Disney is the ultimate expert in creating Magic. Here's one more example - the augmented reality experience on Times Square, NYC.



With Mickey Mouse and co this year's winter holidays mood is already set. Thanks, #DisneyMemories.

Thought of You. Danced. Animated.

This is a bit dated already but I found it just today and can't stop myself sharing it. A beatiful short animation movie, by Motion Graphics showing the possibilities for collaboration between artists:



And behind the scenes:


Thought of You - Behind the Scenes Preview - ROUGH CUT from Cambell Christensen on Vimeo.

The story that made a coffee bean smile, Dhjana by Nespresso

This week I found by chance the Dhjana web-site promoting a Limited Edition of Nespresso as part of its Sustainable Quality Program.

It's worth sharing especially because of the creative solution I find lovely both in terms of copywriting and visualisation.

Check it out here, on the Dhjana website.

I would advise not to skip the intro and then start with watching the short movie before exploring the whole site.

As for Nespresso's project, it made smile not just the coffee beans but also me. Good luck to Dhjana!

Pirelli celebrates a successful F1 season with Dance Attack in Milan

Here's a very well executed Dance based piece of content by Pirelli, dedicated to the successful season of the Pzero tires in Formula 1:



Putting together the nice look over Milan's city center, the attractive dance performance (considering also the successful choice of costumes), and the music background choice I wouldn't be surprised if that  becomes the next example of Viral video on YouTube.

Special thanks to Cata and her cool and always up-to-date  cooladsniceart blog (my source of information for this post).

Cereals are good for children and... make them dance

It's Saturday, time for breakfast and some dance moves.
Here's the new advert for the UK cereals brand Weetabix, starring the 9-year old street dancer Arizona Snow:



Great performance by Arizona, impressive routine by the teddy bears. Here how all that was made possible:

Summer memories or the Art labels of Campari

It's mid-September, so time to say goodbye to the summer days and long evenings with cocktails... which reminds me of a bottle label that was around these summer months: Campari Limited edition by Romero Britto.

The label is the forth example of the Art collaborations for the 150th anniversary of Campari and it's based on one of the most successful pieces of work of the Brazilian pop artist, called  "A New Day".

Even if the celebrations for the brand's anniversary were back in 2010, a year later we saw the label of Romero Britto all over the world, after the big success it had in Brazil last year. That's also the idea behind this campaign, as Campari guys say - to make Art accessible to everyone (even when you're having a drink).
As for me, the concept is warmly welcomed.

And if it still around 30 degrees C where you are (as it is in Sofia), maybe you can go for a refreshing drink with friends tonight.

Why not even for something Campari based... a Negroni?

Dancing hamsters drive the new Kia Soul

Do you remember the hamsters driving Kia Soul back in 2010? No matter the answer, you have to see them do the dance now (dancing was quite appropriate as the commercial was shown during the MTV VMAs):



Pretty nice performance, hamsters, well done! And the back-up dancers the robots are doing good too. Although I'm not sure you convinced me to have a ride with your preferred vehicle, the Kia Soul crossover.

The Art of Parkour and the mastery of RedBull in branded content

The last parkour video for RedBull (Turkey) is everything that makes a piece of branded content amazing: the master performance of Ryan Doyle, his philosophy of parkour as art expression, the great cinematographic work and the cultural context of Mardin, Turkey.

All that makes the video absolutely beautiful and, last but not least, makes me smile surprised and say "wow" when pigeons do back-flips with Ryan!

Gulp. Nokia returns, with the world's largest stop motion animation

Just when everybody were thinking (not without a reason) that Nokia is dramatically left behind its competitors, we see Gulp. The world's largest stop-motion animation (confirmed by Guinness records) and it's done with the Nokia N8 camera.

After I saw it, I can't think about anything but positive comments:
using the stop-motion animation art form to promote the phone camera features - nice;
breaking a Guinness record with it - even nicer;
plus, it's summer time, everybody think about sand and sea so watching the animation definitely makes us smile - here's a nice seasonal effect.

And finally, my personal association about the fisherman character - reminds me of the adventures of Pinocchio and Geppetto in the whale. Nice!



So, obviously Nokia is coming back and they chose the right partners for their communication (Gulp is a short film created by Sumo Science and Aardman).

Video Dance Messenger! That's how Google finally made me install Chrome

Google's browser is out there for a lot of time already but I never got a reason to install it, plus I always found their campaigns a bit agressive, forcing you to install the browser "for better experince". So, I decided 'I'm not installing another browser unless you give me a damn good reason!'

Well, the one I saw today made me finally go for Chrome just to try the Video Dance Messenger, especially when it turns out to be a collaboration of Google and Ok Go with Pilobolus (I have a soft spot for this dance company and I'm following their projects for years).

As a result, here's my personal Video Dance Message: http://www.allisnotlo.st/videoend_en.html?mid=mxSpEfhwHUz

'What is Juke?' or the importance of naming

How and why companies are choosing the names of their products might be an important issue especially when a single name provokes controversial associations.

Here an example. Tell me, what's Juke?

Answer 1: Pff, it's the new Nissan model, of course! The car is awesome, look:



Answer 2: It's a phone by Samsung. I was using it a couple of years ago, nice one. Here it is:



Well, I'm confused. Why would Nissan choose a name for their new car that was associated with a phone just a couple of years ago? Is it on purpose (if yes, why?) or it's just a coincidence as someone didn't do enough research during the naming process? Too many questions, still looking for the answers.

Morris Lessmore - the game changing app

I never thought that an app would make me wanna buy the new iPad just so that I can install the application itself. But it happened.

Here's a teaser video for one of the latest apps you can find for your iPad on the AppStore. It's absolutely stunning both in terms of visualization and technical innovation.

The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore iPad App Trailer from Moonbot Studios on Vimeo.

Great work by Moonbot Studios.

Dip Desperado: an epic story by Doritos

The new Doritos ad in UK looks more like a short movie than like an ad and people love it.

Check out the story of Esteban Ortega told in 2 minutes:



You liked it and wanna try if you have Esteban's skills? Try the Facebook game following the link here (it didn't work out for me being outside UK but it should, so you can still give it a try wherever you are but be prepared to get an Error screen as well).

The game is available also as an app for iphone and android mobiles.

with Red Bull Beat It, the streets of Paris belong to you (dancers)

The first edition of the Red Bull dance battle 'Beat it' was few days ago, on 21st of June, in Paris.
The concept: 12 of the best street dancers from different styles in France, 3 key places around the city, the crowd voting their favorites.

Check out the video showing the atmosphere around the event:



As the organizers claimed, with Beat it, the streets belong to you (dancers)!

Unleash your fingers, with Samsung Galaxy S2

The creative solution of the commercial for Samsung Galaxy S2 phone turns around a dancer with fast fingers and geometry - I just can't skip sharing it:



The video is already viral for dancers and choreographers. I'm not sure they care about the product but I'm positive that it will be their inspiration for the next work-out in the dance hall. And who knows, the Galaxy S2 might be their next choice also in the phone store, just because they have fast and supple fingers!

Mercedes-Benz shows the new M-class in a witty short movie

Mercedes-Benz's communication is becoming more interesting lately. Here's the latest short movie promoting the new M-class:



The lesson: never use the same packaging for all the presents... or start saving money to face the challenge with a M-class.

Le club Perrier - the more people who watch, the hotter the party

The French water brand Perrier started a new type of interactivity campaign with a video on YouTube, uploaded a week ago.

The idea is simple and brilliant at the same time: the more people watch the video, the more parts of it are being unlocked.

After a week, at the moment I checked it out, it had 1 011 396 views, 3 levels had been unlocked and still 3 more to go. Looks like very good approach to go viral.





















The only weak point here is the story told in the video - sexy, sweating, hot nightlife and water? Being sexy is an old trick that always works in advertising but this time the audience seems to be a bit negative (check out the comments on Perrier's YouTube channel), and some people didn't even realize that's water! (Here my favorite quote: "Its water! lol i thought this was beer haha disapointed, but this still looks chillin =P")

Now, check it out by yourself, and share it if you want to help unlocking the final part of the video: Perrier YouTube channel

Dirt Devil or what happens if you use tons of creativity in advertising a vacuum cleaner

Who says that a vacuum cleaner is not exciting product? Here how this one made the difference:

Dirt Devil-The Exorcist from MrPrice2U on Vimeo.

The new movie by Karl Lagerfeld: does this tale really feel like chanel?

A week ago appeared a short movie by Karl Lagerfeld that promotes the Chanel Cruise collection 2012.

As much as I admire and respect the artistic genius of Mr. Lagerfeld, I really don't have the Chanel feeling when watching this movie... Bored hysterical and perverted rich ladies that are so lonely and miserable - is that the Chanel world? Even with all the beauty and the fairytale, I am not convinced. It's just not my idea of this brand but, of course, I might be wrong.

Here's the movie, watch it and if you love it and think it represents what Chanel is about, let me know or even try to make me like it as well.

The Tale Of A Fairy - FULL VERSION HD - English Version from germaine dulac on Vimeo.

Converse/the canvas experiment reminds us of the good old All star sneakers

The Canvas Experiment is what Converse came up with to remind us about the brand and to face the recent activity of the big players Nike and Adidas.
What is the Canvas Experiment about: 480 Converse Chuck Taylor All Star: 4 meters high, 5 meters wide, 400kg of canvas, rubber, and wire - a huge screen in the Converse stores in Paris and Berlin... here are the experiments till now:

Google celebrates Marta Graham's birthday

Today the Google icon is dancing. The reason is the 117th birthday of the legendary Martha Graham - the one that revolutionized the world of dance.

Here's the Google animation - you can enjoy it on YouTube not only today:

MTV Brazil "pops"

How many balloons you have to "pop" to create one-minute animation and how fast you have to do it to represent the motion effect? Here is the answer, by MTV Brazil:

"Inspired by Iceland" campaign makes people dance

Promoting Iceland as a tourist destination by "Inspired by Iceland" campaign is fun and makes people dance. Take a look:

Inspired by Iceland Video from Inspired By Iceland on Vimeo.

Thanks for sharing, Bas!

The music box, by Daniel Cloud Campos

It's time to go back to the genius art called dance in its pure manifestation - no commercial purpose, no brand or advertising campaign behind it.

Here is a short movie by one of the best dancers worldwide nowadays - Daniel Cloud Campos. But be careful, "only those who listen can hear"... Check it out by yourself:

The PRADA Dance

Prada is a fashion brand with very distinctive artsy personality. That's also shown in their communication.

The Spring/Summer 2011 campaign is a great example how this brand keeps its consistent image. Just imagine Prada was a dance - it would look like that:

The Samsonite acrobat commercial - made in Italy

Some days ago I visited an Italian advertising agency named "Hi! Comunicazione"... As I didn't hear the name before I did a small research on their work and found something I liked - the Samsonite Cosmolite commercial:



To be honest, Italian agencies are not on the top of my list with Favorites, but this case made me consider the potential of every creative team, no matter where are they from or how big are they.

Institutional campaign for Eni with Ilana Yahav, realized by TBWA/Italia

4 or 5 years ago I saw for the first time the incredible work of Ilana Yahav, an artist drawing with sand. The video absolutely amazed me:



Now I remember her because I see her work again - this time in a commercial for Eni. It's always a good solution to use talented artists in advertising. For sure this campaign will get more "likes" because of Ilana's art. Good news for Eni and for TBWA/Italia that realized the project.

A soft spot for Nike Women campaigns

Recently people around me reminded me about my favorite campaign. It's for Nike women and my favorite contemporary female dancer Sofia Boutella is starring by coincidence.

Just to remind you how all that starter for Nike Women:



And this is how it evolved:



Respect!

Creative directors of the year: Lady Gaga for Polaroid and Will.i.am for Intel

Music artists nowadays are working in a way much wider than ever. The ones claimed as the most talented even have their new important role in the serious corporate world.

Obviously, being creative and serving corporate goals at the same time is not anymore just for advertising agencies. Creativity widens in any possible way, through every possible art form and this trend is probably about to define the new brand communication rules.

Two careers to follow up during 2011 are definitely Lady Gaga's as a Creative director for Polaroid and Will.i.am (Black Eyed Peas) as a Creative director for Intel.

iPhone apps conquered the world: the BEP 360° experience

When discussing a communication strategy for almost any brand today you will probably hear one very "innovative" suggestion: "Hey, let's create an iPhone App!"

I would say that apps for smart phones became what TV spots were ten years ago.

Here is a new app from Black Eyed Peas, a band that has a strong brand-orientated approach towards their work. And why not - in the end, music and entertainment is a business like any other business. I would even say that Will.i.am and co. are playing better Brand Managers than the someones working for big international brands.
Take a look how they promote the Black Eyed Peas brand:

Logorama - an Academy award for the World of brands

These days I was shown a short movie with Academy award 2010 in Animated short movie category. It was shown for the first time at Cannes Film Festival 2009 and opened the Sundance Film Festival 2010. Yes, I'm talking about the Art of the short movies. Key word here is Art!

But... the creators use an interesting metaphor - a world of brands and logos.
It's absolutely fascinating to follow the movie and discover all the brands presented through their logos and to observe each brand role - who are the bad guys, who are the heroes, who are the victims?
The story is fun as well. Well, in the end the world of brands falls apart and the reason is that brands destroyed each other just like in an American action movie!

I mentioned already the metaphor of the world of brands, right? Or it's not a metaphor at all? As I said it's about Art here, so Brand managers shouldn't take it personal.

Just see Logorama, search for your Lovemarks inside and think about what you've seen in the end. Also think about is it better for your brand being there as the bad guy destroying the world, as the victim killed in one second or not being in Logorama at all?

Logorama from Marc Altshuler - Human Music on Vimeo.

Who owns the Heaven - Lavazza vs. Nespresso

After the long Christmas and NYE holidays people are full of hopes and bright expectations, thinking about the essentials in life - love, friendship, happiness. Being so idealistic is a rare and good mood and if you ever felt into it I would like to ask you a simple question:

Who owns the Heaven?

Here's an epic battle: Lavazza vs. Nespresso (Yes, it's again about brands!)

Lavazza chose the divine theme long time ago...



Nespresso jumped into the Heavens as well, starting the big battle on who has the right to be in clouds (with George Clooney their army seem to be stronger, don't you think?)



Lavazza fights back with a divine smile by Julia Roberts (who was paid an incredible amount of money to play an angel without saying a word)



Another question: if brands are already in Heaven, is there forbidden field for them? Just drink an espresso and wait for the answer during 2011.