creative riff » Ads Ads Ads

I’m about to be wired

Ruth Loose88 — Sun, 04 Apr 2010 21:38:56 +0000

Lordy me, it's Easter. I think the website is officially 1 year 1 month and 1 day old at this point. Things have changed dramatically from last year. I had just gotten back from Florence, Italy, and was living back in the dorms for a semester my senior year as I was scrambling to apply to a number of ad schools. Yes, that was my take on what these schools were for.

Now, I have two bedrooms and I am student at the VCU Brandcenter in communications strategy. 2009 already seems like it was eons ago. Yet, I feel like I have grown a ton over the past six months here in Richmond. I am now an loyal podcast/NPR

Why is it that I long for NBA Jam?

Ruth Loose88 — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 03:35:00 +0000

It has been a long time coming. Hi, I am back in the saddle again. The first semester at the VCU Brandcenter is long over and I am beginning to take back the physical detriment it caused my body. Weight gain aside, I am becoming so much more involved in the advertising process.

So where does that leave me for the second semester? Longing for some NBA Jam. Yes, the game franchise that began on SEGA Genesis has had more staying power than anything else I have encountered over the past month. Fans of Saturday Night Live will remember Andy Samburg’s turn as a victim of ADD ("Automatic Death Disease") fulfilling his wish to commentate a professional basketball or football

IRS saves money by making advertising push in Second Life instead of with NASCAR(?)

Ruth Loose88 — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 20:32:40 +0000

They say there are two constants in life: death and taxes, so when the Internal Revenue Service decides to invade the virtual computer massively multiplayer online [MMO] game known as Second Life a few heads should turn (as well as a few eyes start rolling).

Virtual Worlds & Social Networking Project Manager Frank Stripe said, "In 2008, the IRS project team established a presence in the Second Life virtual world with the goal of exploring the potential use of this environment for recruitment and training purposes. The team has created the IRS Careers Island and constructed a sky platform with an IRS Careers Center and an IRS Education Center. A number of building

For a good time, make it a Suntory time – Celebrity ads in Japan

Ruth Loose88 — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 03:50:26 +0000

The reference in the title is from the sublime film Lost In Translation. Not only does the film depict the creepiness of Tokyo it also does a great job of examining how the city is both foreign and inviting at the same time. Simultaneously, it also features the best use of Scarlett Johansson's butt in film yet.

Caught up on a few photography blogs, and I found an article everyone should check out. I thought I would link the two Tommy Lee Jones television spots because they are too awesome to miss out on.

Oh, and this... Source: Michael John Continue reading

Apple says no to Microsoft “Laptop Hunter” ad campaign

Ruth Loose88 — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 03:45:40 +0000

In what could go down as one of the lamest attempt at corporate backlash, Apple apparently tried to get the latest Microsoft ads pulled from TV. Apple cited a recent "price drop" of $100 across their computer line that rendered the "too expensive" statements in the ads as slander.

Microsoft's response:

Kevin Turner, Microsoft's chief operating officer said, And so we've been running these PC value ads. Just giving people saying, hey, what are you looking to spend? "Oh, I'm looking to spend less than $1,000." Well we'll give you $1,000. Go in and look and see what you can buy. And they come out and they just show them. Those are completely unscripted commercials Continue reading

The King of Madison Avenue by Kenneth Roman – Book Review

Ruth Loose88 — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 20:01:49 +0000

“In writing ads, act as you would if you met the individual buyer face to face. Don’t show off. Don’t try to be funny. Don’t try to be clever. Don’t behave eccentrically. Measure ads by salesmen’s standards, not by amusement standards.”

Who is David Ogilvy? Many, including this reader, proclaim him as their main inspiration for entering the advertising field. Why? There are three reasons: 1) Ogilvy’s working philosophy was not the 1960s smoke-filled business pitch as seen in AMC’s Mad Men. He always professed to “sell” the product through detailed feature descriptions and speaking directly to his audience. 2) He interacted and had meaningful relationships with so many assorted major thinkers of the twentieth century that these

Volkswagen’s “Pink Moon” Ad 10 years later

Ruth Loose88 — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 03:20:44 +0000

For those unfamiliar with Volkswagen's "Pink Moon" ad it goes like this: Four friends are riding in a Cabrio at night to a house party. There are lots of quick shots cutting to the moon and the four friends enjoying a night drive. The wind whips their hair about as they make off-screen stares into the light created by the headlights. Upon their eventual arrival at the party the four friends silently decide that the ride over was more fun than the party they are going to will be. The final scene shows the friends enjoying the expansion of their carbon footprint.

So what makes this ad so great? Unlike the newer VW ads that use shock

What’s the deal with the banner?

Ruth Loose88 — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 06:21:00 +0000

So I have about 38 page views total over the past month. Something in my cranium thought it might be a good idea to generate some revenue as I expand this in whatever capacity I expand. Click on it or block it. I'm not scared. At best, laugh at a banner ad like we all used to do with Netscape and AOL Continue reading