W+K London Rule.

See why with their brilliant new spot for the Honda Civic.

Nice Melons!

Spotted in the window of a Brick Lane curry restaurant in London.

Scary Kids

Hungry or simply possessed? Check out more Demonic Tots.

That's Scary,

HMK

Google Target

Wow.

Pretty Genius.

Target is now using rooftops to appear on Google Maps.

That's Smart,

HMK

Peroni Me

Free beer while shopping -- it’s a new idea brewing in Atlanta.

While shoppers age 21-and-over browse $150 jeans at the stylish Bill Hallman Boutique in Virginia Highland, they can sip on a beer imported from Italy.

The lure might sound like exactly what’s expected from an upscale, designer clothing store. The wealth of foot traffic already flowing through the Virginia Highland neighborhood is providing great exposure for the store – as well as Peroni beer.

Anyone hoping to score a quick brew while browsing should know that the beer is kept behind the counter. A boutique clerk is needed to get a beer for a shopper.

Peroni spokesman Chad Wodskow said the beer company pays Bill Hallman for the space. Their idea is that if shoppers see the beer in a cool store, they’ll think the beer is cool.

“Atlanta is the launching pad of our national campaign,” Wodskow said. “New York is next, then San Francisco.”

Peroni is offering their beer free in 11 Atlanta stores, mostly located in Midtown and Buckhead. And, the stores don’t even need a liquor license. It’s actually legal to give beer away without one.

That's Right,

HMK

Web Sites Judged In A Blink

TORONTO, Ontario (Reuters) Internet users can give Web sites a thumbs up or thumbs down in less than the blink of an eye, according to a study by Canadian researchers.

(Admit it, you wouldn't even be reading this if it wasn't for the chick... HMK)

In just a brief one-twentieth of a second -- less than half the time it takes to blink -- people make aesthetic judgments that influence the rest of their experience with an Internet site.

The study was published in the latest issue of the Behaviour and Information Technology journal. The author said the findings had powerful implications for the field of Web site design.

"It really is just a physiological response," Gitte Lindgaard told Reuters on Tuesday. "So Web designers have to make sure they're not offending users visually.

"If the first impression is negative, you'll probably drive people off."

In the study, researchers discovered that people could rate the visual appeal of sites after seeing them for just one-twentieth of a second. These judgments were not random, the researchers found -- sites that were flashed up twice were given similar ratings both times.

They also matched the responses given by subjects who were shown the sites for longer.

But the results did not show how to win a positive reaction from users, said Lindgaard, a psychology professor at Carleton University in Ottawa. "When we looked at the Web sites that we tested, there is really nothing there that tells us what leads to dislike or to like."

And while further research may offer more clues, she said the vagaries of personal taste would always be a limiting factor.

"If design were reducible to a set of principles, wouldn't we find an awful lot of similar houses, gardens, cars, rooms?" said Lindgaard. "You'd have no variety."

Thanks to Reuters

Awesome Concept

Go here and confess: Come Clean.

Acoustic Energy Wi-Fi Radio

I'm totally dying to check out this Acoustic Energy Wi-Fi Radio. It's the world’s first radio capable of accessing over 99% of internet radio stations broadcast anywhere in the world. Compatibility with all three major streaming formats gives the Wi-Fi radio an amazing choice of content from Britain’s BBC Radio1 to Brazil’s Radio Calypso! There’s no subscription to pay, no signal coverage problems and no international content boundaries.

From what I've read, the simple plug and play device links to any Wi-Fi network and broadband connection to stream both live and listen again internet radio content. Channels are listed alphabetically and the easy to use multi-function control knob makes choosing a station simpler than an FM radio. The AE Wi-Fi radio brings all the benefits of internet radio to the kitchen, bedroom or even the garden and can also play music stored on any Wi-Fi enabled PC in the home. PC and Mac compatible.

So far, no US availability! I'll keep y'all posted...


HMK

This Ad Sucks!

Siemens

The quietest vacuum cleaner in its class : technopower sound & silence. Great work for Siemens from Scholz & Friends, Hamburg.

Once again, thanks to the kids at Ad Hunt.

Who wants a relationship with someone boring?

David Ogilvy quote:

“If you spend your advertising budget entertaining the consumer, you’re a bloody fool. Housewives don’t buy a new detergent because the manufacturer told a joke on television last night. They buy the new detergent because it promises a benefit.”

It's fair enough to criticise agencies for claiming a category generic, 'creativity', in a way that fails to differentiate their offering and is arguably unsubstantiated by their output. Creativity is a vague and subjective term. We would never suggest to anyone that they should work with us or for us because we're 'more creative'. It would indeed be meaningless and unprovable.

And I agree wholeheartedly with the continuing relevance of David Ogilvy's comments about sponsored gags. But I don't think it's simple enough these days to say that our job is simply to 'promise a benefit to the housewife'. Media is more fragmented and the consumer is smarter. If there's anything that's different about the way we approach what we do it's in trying to build that 'strong and provocative relationship' between people and brands. You don't achieve that just by telling jokes - though humour can be part of it - you do it by surprising them, pleasing them, making them think, and prompting them to act.

Entertainment on its own is not enough. But in a world where it's increasingly easy for people to avoid messages that are dull, irritating or irrelevant, then it can't hurt to be entertaining. Who wants a relationship with someone boring?

That's Right,

HMK

Thanks to David Ogilvy & Marc Babej

Rogue Amoeba Rules!

Airfoil 2 Sends Audio to Multiple AirPort Express Units

Rogue Amoeba Software officially released Airfoil 2.0 today, the latest version of its software that streams any audio to AirPort Express. The new version can simultaneously send audio to multiple AirPort Express units, with support for streaming audio to units that are password-protected.

In addition, Airfoil 2.0 features a 10-band equalizer, along with volume and balance controls, the ability to send all the audio playing on a computer, support for Smart Crash Reporting and full AppleScript support. The software also supports sending audio from new sources, including USB radios, Dashboard Widgets and external devices, and it has a new user interface.

This is a free update for registered users. The full software is US$25. Mac OS X v10.3 is required.

UPDATE: Although I've yet to try it yet, the latest version of iTunes 6.0.2 will now lett you stream to multiple AirPort Express units. Sweet.

Fuhgeddaboudit!

Brooklyn: It's the Place Too Big For Just One Slogan.

A thousand would-be sloganeers answered Borough President Marty Markowitz's call for a boastful phrase that would boost tourism - but in the end, a single slogan wasn't enough.

"Brooklyn is too broad and diverse for one slogan," said Markowitz spokeswoman Jocelyn Aframe.

"It became apparent that one slogan wouldn't be able to express all that Brooklyn has to offer."

Instead, the Brooklyn Tourism Partnership will use several slogans - which range from the classy ("Brooklyn: Bridge to the World") to the wacky ("Brooklyn: The Tenth Planet") and possibly risque ("Do It In Brooklyn") - for specific advertising campaigns.

The contest started in April as an effort to rival such memorable slogans as "I N.Y." and the more recent "What Happens in Vegas Stays in Vegas."

Most of the suggestions - judged by a panel that included Brooklyn Academy of Music President Karen Hopkins and Brooklyn Brewery founder Steve Hindy - came from Brooklynites, but a handful came from as far away as Florida. Markowitz, who cruised to reelection in November, plans to publish all the entries in a handout at his Jan. 26 swearing-in at Brooklyn Technical High School.

The Daily News showed an early selection of slogans to Brooklyn residents last week and asked them to pick a favorite.

"We definitely have attitude in Brooklyn," laughed Shakeena Culler, a 27-year-old receptionist at the Allen School, who fancied "Brooklyn: the Birthplace of Attitude."

Mohamed Farhane, 22, of Park Slope, liked "It's Brooklyn, Baby."

"It seems like Brooklyn - short and sweet," said the St. Francis College senior.

But Mildred Brown, 67, didn't like any of the slogans - and then coined her own.

"There is no place like Brooklyn," the Fort Greene great-grandmother declared.

"I've traveled and there is no comparison. It's a world unto itself."

Thanks to The Daily News NYC

VW Fox Spots

Here's one of five classic movies told in 30 seconds. Nice tv campaign for VW Fox. From the brains of DDB Berlin, animation by Angry Alien Productions Los Angeles. Check out Jaws!

You can find the rest over at the cool Ad Hunt site.

That's Right,

HMK

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That's Right,

HMK