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Steve was coming back from Canada with his wife and 3 month old baby.
As they were on their way back to the airport to go to Heathrow, this is the email that they got from British Airways. 
And that was it.
Nothing more.
No apologies.
No solution.
No nothing.
I almost didn't believe it until he sent me a copy of the email.
Just bizarre. You can spend all the money you like on flash advertising campaigns, and then do something as stupid as this.
Hat tip to Digital Supposition for this one.
Sometimes you can get a bit trapped in your own country's Social Network bubble, or as Danah posted a while back, in our own social class bubble. Important to remember that not everyone uses the same social networking sites.
Originally in Le Monde.
This pitch is something that I am really proud of.
It encapsulates for me the fact that in the world of advertising (as in life) nothing is impossible, and that sometimes the under-dog can succeed.
We had to fight hard to even be considered for the pitch list on the London 2012 Olympic Games integrated pitch.
We weren't considered to be global.
We didn't have a big media buying arm.
We are a really small communications network compared to the likes of the big boys WPP and Omnicom.
But we did it.
Yesterday we announced that we had won the integrated communications pitch for 2012.
Three reasons why I think that we won it (and this is just my opinion BTW)
1. Small is Beautiful: It was a small tight team - basically Chris and Sue from Chime, myself and Steve from VCCP, Jon a former Olympian and David, a really heavy-weight politico PR man (who worked with my dad in the 70s!). And that was it. We brought other skills in as and when needed, but the core team was focused.
2. Brainstormings are Rubbish : The big creative thought wasn't cracked in a big brainstorming session. It was cracked through a number of little 30 minute working sessions mainly just myself (Planner) and Steve (Creative)
3. Play to Strengths: We didn't get hung up on what we could not do, we played to our strengths - coming up with very different way to approach this integrated comms strategy brief. We were digitally-led and youth-focused and everything that we did built to that solution.
.......
Anyway, the 2012 hard work starts soon, but at the moment I am basking in the glow of a good win (and also getting ready for a client tissue session this afternoon for the next integrated pitch and focus groups in the agency this evening...)
Very odd first link on Kebab.com
I was trying to make an analogy that "Digital" is the metal skewer in a meat kebab and Nathan found this online...
Thanks to Adliterate's dad for this.
Simple and common-sense, which always gets my vote.
Also something beautiful about old typewriter font.
I think that when new Planners come and work with me, I should give them this as part of the VCCP joining gumpf (spelling??) This is really how I should be held accountable as a manager.
Would any British MP ever inspire anything like this?
I don't think so.
I wish that we could though.
(without any irony: I really do love America, despite her imperfections)
Thank you, Catch Up Lady
When you read the transcript of the speech, it really is pure poetry:
We've been asked to pause for a reality check. We've been warned against offering the people of this nation false hope. But in the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope. For when we have faced down impossible odds; when we've been told that we're not ready, or that we shouldn't try, or that we can't, generations of Americans have responded with a simple creed that sums up the spirit of a people. Yes we can. It was a creed written into the founding documents that declared the destiny of a nation. Yes we can. It was whispered by slaves and abolitionists as they blazed a trail toward freedom through the darkest of nights. Yes we can. It was sung by immigrants as they struck out from distant shores and pioneers who pushed westward against an unforgiving wilderness. Yes we can. It was the call of workers who organized; women who reached for the ballot; a President who chose the moon as our new frontier; and a King who took us to the mountaintop and pointed the way to the Promised Land. Yes we can to justice and equality. Yes we can to opportunity and prosperity. Yes we can heal this nation. Yes we can repair this world. Yes we can. And so tomorrow, as we take this campaign South and West; as we learn that the struggles of the textile worker in Spartanburg are not so different than the plight of the dishwasher in Las Vegas; that the hopes of the little girl who goes to a crumbling school in Dillon are the same as the dreams of the boy who learns on the streets of LA; we will remember that there is something happening in America; that we are not as divided as our politics suggests; that we are one people; we are one nation; and together, we will begin the next great chapter in America's story with three words that will ring from coast to coast; from sea to shining sea – Yes. We. Can.
Being sick with flu and off work yesterday meant that I had time to catch up on various new ads - the two ones that really caught my attention were the Honda "Problem Playground" and Ford "Orchestra". They crystallized something in my mind that I wanted to blog about - then I come into work , checked my RSS and found out that Scamp had already posted about it. But I hope that I can add something new to the conversation.
I absolutely love the new Honda ad:
The music, the characters, the insight - just everything. It's a genuinely engaging piece of content, that is bang on brand, beautifully articulates the insight and fun.
This is the "making of the ad"
Then I saw the new Ford ad:
And it left me a little cold. It interested me, but didn't engage me. It felt like it could be any car and actually was only brought together for me in the final frame with the end-line "Beautifully Arranged". As the smart guys who blog at Spinning Around rightly say this has generated a huge PR for the campaign, noticeably for Alesha, she of Strictly Come Dancing fame, Dixon branded spin-off.
"The special edition Alesha Dixon video showcases a selection on the instrument including - Clutch Guitar, Door Harp, Fender Bass, Transmission Case Cello and Hatchback Kick Drum. In total 21 parts were taken from a new Ford Focus and turned into musical instrument that sound and look completely unique.
One of the instruments, the ‘Door Harp’ is made from a front door, a window, and a spring and uses harp strings. The ‘Clutch Guitar’ is made from body sheet metal, power brake booster and parts of the actual clutch.
It has real guitar tuning keys and real guitar strings with the strap made from a seat belt. The video shoot took place in one of the car manufacturer’s wind tunnels at its Technical Centre in Dunton, Essex in January. Alesha performs a classical remix of her track ‘For You I Will’ accompanied by twelve of the car part instruments."
So while, I doff my hat (is that an expression???) to the Ford team as they are trying something new. The question that stays in my mind is WHY? Why is Alesha singing with a backing band playing bits of cars- what does this say about Ford, what does this say about Alesha?
Why?
I guess that it is new way of generating old-school PR. Interesting, but to me not really on-brand and not hugely interesting. Sorry.
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