ThoughtSpurs

Well, here’s a first. Blog number 450 is being written not online but in MS Word. Feels kind of weird. “But why?” you ask. (I can intuit these things). It’s simple really. I pay Xtra sixty bucks a month and they provide me with slow, unreliable service. I’d like to know ‘why’? I don’t understand a transaction that goes something like this: I give you $719.40 a year; you blow it on a barrage of existential commercials: a girl, a boy, a soundtrack, a kiss – all in service of the ‘idea’ that incredible things happen when X meets Y. Clever eh? X for Xtra, Y for Yahoo… I get it . What I don’t get is access to the Internet. A.K.A. : Service. The thing is that we’re not talking about a little player. Xtra, for those of you who didn’t know, is owned by Telecom, you may have heard of them. Seems to me when gigantic gets it horribly wrong it’s, …well, pathetic. Remind me to buy a share so I can have some curled up sandwiches and the opportunity to curse the board of directors in person – maybe g...

The Police say that the public are ignoring the drink driving messages in the LTSA commercials. The interesting thing is that the police made their announcement after a roadside blitz that caught a high number of alleged offenders. This then somehow translates into more people are drink driving inspite of the messages, rather than the more we police the more we find. Therefore...if we policed more we'd catch more. It doesn't seem to follow that the numbers have anything to do with the messages. I doubt that advertising is the answer to changing community attitudes. Behavioural change precedes attitudinal change (according to the theory of cognitive dissonance). I did think the commercials in this series from Canada were hard hitting - if you will pardon the pun.

What do you get when you cross Spiderman with Ganesha? A funky picture ( thanks to Kevin Roberts blog ). A connection Kevin doesn't make in his commentary is that in the Hindu religion Ganesha is patron of arts and sciences, god of intellect and wisdom - Lord of Obstacles and Beginnings - a literally creative force. The other aspect to conjoining him with Spiderman is that Ganesha is always part human, rather than being an elephant god - so no great conceptual leap for Hindu's to make (they probably don't apply a post-modernist filter to it). I just thought the idea/image was kind of surprising and interesting.

Big nostalgia trip on the tele tonight. A doco about Th'Dudes on TVOne. For those of you who don't know, Th'Dudes were, at their peak New Zealand's greatest band. And a great band they were too. I feel a little guilty, having watched the show. I used to finagle my way into Th'Dudes shows at the legendary Gluepot even though I was far too young - shorter and skinnier than Dave Dobbyn ever was (OK, maybe not). I was there when the band was pelted with eggs at Sweetwaters. My friends may have pelted them with cans - or was that The Eurythmics ? It was the beginning of my punk awakening - even though I had flirted with it by wangling my way into Zwines, the Punk Club downtown to watch the Suburban Reptiles after Punk had gathered momentum here in Auckland. Ironically I heard the finale of Th'Dudes final gig at the St. James from outside on the street. I was walking a date back to her car. We heard the last tune from outside, I think it was ' Bliss ' bringin...

Russell Davies has a terrific blog which I have referred to often (though I preferred it before he disintegrated it from his personal life - what's wrong with whole people). It was fun to see that he got a mention in the tony Auckland city magazine of record Metro; in their Digital Stimulation section

Helen is a fantastic performer. Grab some tickets from Ticketek.

I've spent the past week sprucing up WellSpring the website about wellness practices. The site was looking a bit like a shanty town; bits and pieces added in over time. I've published it since 2002 when I lived with a chiropractor. Aside from the A-Z of practices (from acupressure to zero-balancing) I'm going to start including articles - if you have any you'd like to contribute ... I'm also looking for someone to liaise with practitioners...if you know anyone.

I approve of the McDonalds pasta zoo snack for kids. My daughter enjoys it; though she tells me the sauce is 'disgusting'. Along with the Happy Meal came a free sample of this new product from Watties. The Zoe test? Disgusting I'm afraid. She didn't like the taste or the mushy baby food texture. I didn't like the excessive packaging. The heavy duty plastic cap for a small single serve seems grotesquely over the top. So, a single children's snack - about half a dozen animal shaped ravioli in a printed cardboard box, milk in a plastic cup (with lid) and straw with flavour beads, a paper bag, a set of plastic thongs, a plastic toy with with five components, plus stickers and a plastic outer. All you people saving up for a Toyota Prius...don't waste your time. McDonalds has too much of a head start, just keep pumping gas into your Porsche Cayenne. What the hell, upgrade to the V12 and drive with the aircon on and the windows down. No more happy meals. A little l...

Its Friday, so a sigh of relief. Came across a light hearted site by musician Ian Morris (a member of Th'Dudes). Worth a look. I couldn't agree more with most of his judgments - though I am surprised that there aren't more entries. Stupid Ads As I write there is a commercial on the tele that I think qualifies: "What does your toilet say about you?" How about "You should go easy on those curries squire...". Which reminds me of a pretty stupid ad I made years ago. I had a sports car I needed to sell so I ran an ad in the National Business Review with the headline" Quicker than a vindaloo through a pensioner." Didn't sell the car but I did field a number of calls from irate pensioners who vented their fury like, well, a vindaloo through a pensioner. Another stupid ad on the tele, more of a promo really but I am heartily sick of the TVOne promos..."Blue Eyed sun...". Drivel.

Further to my previous post; I came across a video of Kevin Roberts of Saatchi and Saatchi addressing a gathering in Wellington. His topic is along the lines of givng Wellington the edge. Here's an extract that resonates with me and is consistent with the views I expressed last night, tinkering at the margins is not the same as going out to the edge. He refers to the campaign slogan of Labour at the last election - 'You're better off with Labour'. No doubt the creative genius who came up with that line felt pretty darned clever at his/her use of loaded double entendre but, in fact it is a poodle of a line that expresses a King Charles spaniel of an idea. It hardly makes you want to man the barricades. It reminds me of the line for some tourist destination or other who announced "It's all right here". Ummm...I think you get my drift. "The conundrum is that Wellington is the capital city; “contentedness is a problem for a capital; where is the burning ...

I have been thinking about politics in New Zealand. The current balance of power is about 50/50. The consequence of that is interesting. With such an even balance along traditional partisan lines there is an inevitable blurring of the edges. Either side will 'bat for the other team' along the margins. National, in the Tory Blue corner will defuse Labour in the Soviet Red corner by agreeing with them on on matters such as the anti-smacking bill. Both sides get to 'win'- Labour permits the amendment's passage in an amended format that it can live with (bearing in mind the divisive original draft was the work of the Green's Sue Bradford) - embrace and distance at the same time. National force a tweaking of the proposed legislation that is about as significant as driving a Toyota Prius as your first line of defense against melting icecaps. Ultimately pointless, but at least you are seen to be doing something. This is the new age of politics. The age of appeasement. ...

One of my students came up with the headline for a totally different idea - something to do with the organ donation brief I gave them (did you know that the total number of organ donations in New Zealand is about 20 per year?). I was reading Simon Law's blog where he had posted this video: Terrific idea - a billboard that responds to your presence... I'm wracking by brains for a client that could use it. Have you ever seen the old gag where the figure in the mirror is out of sync with the subject...there has to be something in that?

This commercial for Old Spice lets rip some good, old fashioned post-modern irony. But, strangely, the agency (or client, it's hard to be certain which) insists on the inclusion of little mnemonic devices like 'Ahoy' being dropped in casually here and there. Ok, not so casually. And what's with the little whistle at the end all about. All the same it's nice to know that it isn't just the Lynx/Axe guys who get the girls. Not sure about the package design either - and why is your deoderant in the living room. Thanks to Ana Samways' Spare Room blog for the link ...oh, and the information that the actor is Bruce Campbell (Evil Dead trilogy, Maniac Cop, Spider-Man cameos). I must have missed Maniac Cop (not to mention Manaic 2, 3). IMDB gave it a 5.5 and offers up the 'Memorable Quote": Frank McCrae: Gina this isn't about romance. It's about murder. Ahoy indeed.

Image what a harmonious world it could be if every person, both young and old, shared a little of what he or she was good at doing. Quincy Jones

Larry Ellison's BMW Oracle is out of the Americas Cup. Team New Zealand suffered a loss to the Spanish - who are putting up quite a fight. It's getting exciting. Luna Rosa has been so convincing that whoever they face in the final will have to perform consistently well. I noticed an interesting use of language in the newspaper this morning. The New Zealand and Australian governments plan to form a merged Therapeutic Goods Agency. Johnson & Johnson have released a comment that 1000s of products will disappear under the new regulation regime. Annette King, New Zealand's beleaguered advocate for the controversial legislation, is showing the strain of an assault on her beat. The Herald had this to say: State Services Minister Annette King would not comment last night on Johnson & Johnson's claim but said there had been a huge amount of misinformation peddled about the legislation, which was aimed at shutting out "snake-oil merchants". Quite how one can not...

I have been watching the Americas Cup in Valencia. Too many late nights. Last night's semi final by Oracle BMW vs Prada's Luna Rosa was catastrophic for the Americans. Most of the team on board Oracle are Kiwis. The Skipper was Chris Dickson who has been a public figure in New Zealand since he was the skipper of KZ7 in Perth, the first NZ Challenge. Listening to he pre-race panel discussion tonight it seems that Larry Ellison has fired Dickson. On one hand understandable. Oracle was the hands-down favourite before the semi-finals. Their first round-robin performance was totally dominating. I'm no sure that firing Dickson is a great decision at this stage of the game. Petulance. Reminds me of the old adage in advertising: NEVER work for entrepreneurs. They know everything (apparently). And when the things they require you to do don't work: It's YOUR fault. I'm backing Luna Rosa tonight. Visit the Oracle website

The Guardian nails Blair's long, embarrassing goodbye.

I have been publishing posts that refer to external sources and other people's ideas. Sometimes it makes me feel like a constant critic. Of course criticism isn't necessarily negative. But it is a huge responsibility. This week I spent time with my students going over their essays - which represent 50% of their marks for the paper (about semiotics and other arcana). Some failed and I had to hand over the mark and my assessment. It's a tough job and the realisation that teaching isn't about what I say but how well it is received and integrated by my students. Tugging me in the opposite direction are colleagues in the world of design and advertising. They want to be sure that the grads who knock on their door are capable. Interestingly the capability they seem to demand most is the ability to integrate into the organisation. Will they accept direction? Are they capable? Things like that. Very rarely will they care whether the student is 'top of the class'. In a fu...

The Break Up Uploaded by geertdesager Things are changing in the world of advertising. Advertisers aren't necessarily getting it. This little film kind of says it all really.

In New Zealand this commercial is running in a cut down format without the Dutch subtitles and with the idea that most owners don't get them dirty superimposed onto one of the later scenes. I love it. It is a simple idea that is amplified by wonderfully chosen talent, a great performance and direction. I downloaded the nominees for the D&AD awards and showed them to my ad class today. It was fun. There is a definite trend to strangeness. I'm not saying that's a bad thing. View them here . I know who the winners are (but can't tell you till the 24th - media embargo)

"A scientist…is supposed to be looking for the truth about nature. But not all truths are equal. Some we call deep truths, and these are the ones that are also beautiful . An idea must be more than right-it must also be pretty if it is to create much excitement in the world of science. For the search for truth is not simply a matter of discovering facts. You must also understand their significance, and then persuade others that your way of looking at them is valid. It is always easier to persuade people to believe in something new when they find it beautiful, especially when it runs counter to their established beliefs." Physics for Poets by Robert March.

Today I bored my advertising class at Massey University with the odd idea that, in the future (now) they will be asked to create ideas that extend a little further than the edges of the double page spread or the the narrative structuures if a 30 second TVC. So it interested me to see Bruno Trouble being interview by TVNZ at the America's Cup in Valencia, Spain. Monsieur Trouble is a familiar figure to Aucklanders. Even I remember him toodling around town in/on his BMW thingy motorbike (don't know the model name, sorry - big C cab). I seems the idea of the Louis Vuitton Cup challenger series was his. What a great idea. I've heard kiwis saying they aren't interested in the Americas Cup. I'm not believing them. I love it. In part because Louis Vuitton made it interesting. Bring it home gentlemen. There is a point by the way. Combining editorial and advertising is the way forward. In the future I'd like to see more ed and less ad. If you don't mind.

It's 1977 and I'm 15. I didn't like very much about Glenfield College (Rachel Hunter was still in Intermediate School with my sister). British motorbikes. Leather jackets. Unavailable Dr Marten's boot. And the melodic sounds of the Sex Pistols.... I'm waiting for the Americas Cup races. There's a gratuitous show about Sid Vicious' last 24 hours...so some nostalgia.

I don't have a problem with nudity. I'm nude now under my pjamas. I'm guessing you are too. I found this commercial through the blog of Ben Kepes who left a comment on Rod Drury's site . Apparently it was shot in New Zealand. Ben says: Forget the content but think of the concept in terms of how much marketing punch it packs. But I am not so sure it is that easy. The gratuitous use of nudity or any other provocative technique is only useful when it is highly relevant. The idea behind the commercial is that the company has nothing to hide. The curious thing is that dressing doesn't usually indicate that we are hiding anything. It is quite normal for people. We wear clothes: to keep warm, to display (ironic) and to protect ourselves from harmful elements. I am sure there are other reasons. I once wore a transformer costume to a fancy dress party and got stuck in a doorway - can't remember the purpose. Dressing can also indicate modesty - an attribute I think you w...

This just in (nice to see New Zealand ad agencies performing well on the international stage): The top Pencil winners at this year’s One Show (in a breakdown by office) include: TBWA: Total 18 (9 Gold, 4 Silver, 5 Bronze) Berlin (1 Silver, 1 Bronze); New York (9 Gold, 2 Silver, 2 Bronze); Auckland (1 Silver, 2 Bronze) Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide : 9 Total (5 Gold, 2 Silver, 2 Bronze) Toronto (1 Gold); Singapore (3 Gold, 1 Silver); Cape Town (1 Silver); New York (1 Gold); Mexico (1 Bronze); Chicago (1 Bronze) Saatchi & Saatchi: 9 Total (2 Gold, 5 Silver, 2 Bronze) New York (1 Gold, 2 Silver, 1 Bronze); Singapore (1 Gold, 3 Silver, 1 Bronze); Auckland (1 Bronze) BBDO : 8 Total (1 Gold, 3 Silver, 4 Bronze) New York (2 Silver, 2 Bronze); Argentina (1 Gold, 1 Bronze); Philippines (1 Silver, 1 Bronze)

Here is a beautiful ad for a washing machine. That's right. A washing machine. It is a nominee for the D&AD awards. Winner announced later this month.

Who doesn't need more art in their life? This is genius from Kiwi designer Glenn Jones on Threadless

Do you get emails like this? Without wanting to seem like a wizened cynic I find them curious. Not the syrupy sentiments, but the hope that something miraculous will happen because I might forward it on to you. The real miracle was that it made it past my anti spam filter and that the original image size - huge - didn't get bounced by my webhost. Subject: FW: SUSPECT: FW: Amazing picture! As we grow up, we learn that even the one person that wasn't supposed to ever let you down probably will. You will have your heart broken probably more than once and it's harder every time. You'll break hearts too, so remember how it felt when yours was broken. You'll fight with your best friend. You'll blame a new love for things an old one did. You'll cry because time is passing too fast, and you'll eventually lose someone you love. So take too many pictures, laugh too much, and love like you've never been hurt because every sixty seconds you spend upset is a minu...

I found this snippet on the website of the a boutique Champagne house's website : " The therapeutic virtues of Champagne. Champagne has always been a great pick-me up. Being easy to digest, it is ideal for patients recovering from operations and those suffering from general tiredness. It is highly recommended by French doctors! ...no more lunatic than taking supplements that offer little more than expensive urine. “I drink it when I am happy and when I’m sad. Sometimes I drink it when I’m alone. When I have company, I consider it obligatory. I trifle with it if I’m not hungry and drink it when I am. Otherwise I never touch it – unless I’m thirsty” Lily Bollinger.

There are some conversations that wear a little thin. My threshold for hearing about global warming has very nearly been breached. But I guess he irritation factor is important for the idea to become integrated. Sustainability is an issue for design and designers that will only become more important as consumers increasingly demand products that make them feel better. Whether or not consuming more of anything will make any difference to the health of the planet is moot - but that is one of the perversions of this whole debate. Buying a hybrid car will make you feel good about your choice (if not superior), but, in truth using a car at all is probably pointless if you really want to make a difference. Living on Auckland's North Shore it is almost impossible to to practicably rely on public transport if you travel to more than one destination per day. One of the things I enjoyed about living in London was the tube. I didn't drive a private car in the entire time I was was there. ...

I find TradeMe a very useful tool - even if my golf clubs didn't sell this week. Via the Edge website I found this piece of marketing insight from Sam Morgan, Trademe founder: "His advice to budding online entrepreneurs is to learn code, keep a tight rein on finances and not to bother with advertising until the website is truly established. Initial marketing should be done by word of mouth. " There is no joy of discovery when you find a product through being advertised to ," he says. " When did you last tell someone how cool Coke was? "

The web site that tracks the accomplishments of New Zealanders (past and present) now has a blog. It should be interesting. We're an interesting lot. Slightly self absorbed, but interesting. The Edge Blog I went to Waipu again this weekend. It was nice to give my new car a trot. It's big and boring but like a flying armchair on the open road.

I like Sarah McLaughlan. This should get you thinkin'. Having a bit of a social consciousness day - talked about Olivero Toscani and his Benetton advertising in class today.

All Black and Auckland Blues rugby player Ali Williams has been stood down from his team's trip to South Africa for some off the field indiscretions (nothing criminal or particularly serious from what I can gather from the extended media interest - another cat up a tree story ). This Nike commercial starring basketball bad boy of the 90s Charles Barkley sums it up pretty well. A Herald Story A TVOne story (cat up a tree central) What the Wikipedia has to say about knitting. How to get a cat down from a tree

On the news tonight the story about Subway firing and requesting a police prosecution of a member of their staff for sharing a soft drink with a friend. The employee was entitled to a free drink, but not to offer any to the friend. That, according to Subway is stealing. Perhaps I have different values to Subway, but I do not think that, in this instance the response has been appropriate. As an employer the correct thing to have done would have to have been to discuss the matter with the employee, to guide them and remind them of the company's policies. A little perspective. Treating employees as disposable, despicable units suggests a level of contempt that should not go unrewarded. I suggest that you don't eat at Subway. I won't and neither will my kids. No hardship to me because I think their food is tasteless. Criminalising, vilifying and impugning a low wage individual shows us what Subway really think of people. The individual will be enduring a dispropotionate amount ...

I was looking forward to one of the Comedy Festival shows on Sunday night. It didn't happen unfortunately. I can imagine this ad would have been perfect in the programme. Sometimes context offers up an opportunity for an idea. Of course, with Mother's Day coming this weekend what better reminder does a gentleman require than this... The, of course, overcoming the idea that a condom spoils the pleasure of sex... Good ads should put a smile on your face.

Threadless invite design submissions from members. Members vote on them. The winners get made and offered for sale. The results are fun and cool. Interesting how T Shirt designs have changed from the days of Crazy Shirts up by the Auckland Town Hall (Fly United and Makin' Bacon were about as clever as it got). I also like this one - the secret life of luggage (now you know - the technology behind Glidepath ) Check out the collection here

I have been thinking about our job. Communicators that is. Everybody consumes. That's just the way of the 21st Century. But what provokes people to take up time consuming then interpreting it with a pain in the ass and risky activity like blogging? Let me posit an idea. Some people are compelled to make meaning. They look at the night sky they invent astrology. They correspond with the facts (and some times the facts don't write back). What is observed seems to relate to the human condition. Some people observe the natural world and feel it is so perfect it needs no further realistic interpretation. They invent their own vision/version. Picaso comes easily to mind. Frank Gehry. Ralph Hotere. Each, in their own way,'carves' a new totem. The people who see life their way, not as it is - but how it is for them - and who then interpret it for us are the people I respect. Their output: music, paintings, books, poems, software, systems...ideas for figuring out the world, i...

Ummm... Just because you can doesn't mean you should. What exactly does Elvis have to do with American Idol ? What does Celine Dion have to do with starving children - or Bono for that matter? Get real. Charity begins at home. Look after the people who matter to you. I didn't notice any Iraqi kids in the 'heartwrenching' clips to entice Americans to donate money to the widely criticised one.org campaign. I also read that billions of dollars offered to the victims of the Hurricane Katrina disaster didn't receive the charity in cash and kind. Overlay that with the US military study of the less than charitable views of American troops in Iraq and one has to wonder about broadcast tv altogether.

I've added Kevin Robert's blog to my blogroll. I think he's an interesting bloke and says interesting stuff. I often disagree. That's ok. I often disagree with myself. "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds." R.W.Emerson I rather enjoyed the launch of his book Lovemarks at the Hilton in Auckland. When I left I was grumpy about: a) taking time out to listen b) paying for stupidly expensive parking c) almost everything he said (I was busy and wanted to think about it - do you ever get annoyed you can't spend the time it takes to think about important things - I'm coming back to that idea later...when I have time).

Viz earlier post with the (admittedly unkind) satire of Mark Sainsbury

In the 1980s you couldn't visit a cafe or virtually any other public place without hearing Sade. I was watching a B movie on TV this evening and heard a track from The Jam - you remember the Jam? The movie featured 'our very own' Lucy Lawless as a dominatrix. A fine performance from a fine young actress. Ahem. Obviously someone pitched a crossover role to her agent to transition from TV (Xena) to celluloid. Doesn't seem to have worked. I hope she had a contract that continues to reward her for her 'Maxwell Smart' role. Saw Ms Lawless live in the Vagina Monologues. She did a sterling job but I had to leave - too disturbing. But back to Sade. An American friend, Barbara Bieler (ne Blank) took me to her concert at His Majesty's Theatre. It was a defining moment in my musical education. Don't go the the latest hyped up performer's show. And that is why I won't go to Pink's show. Oops, exposed as out of date. Footnote: My first wife's uncle de...

Good news. Idealog magazine won the Launch of the Year category and Business Magazine of the Year. Missed out on cover of the year and designer which was disappointing. Adrian Clapperton is a terrific talent and has elevated the form of the magazine dramatically. I didn't make it into Time's Most Influential list however. That is a little easier to understand. But just when comprehension arrives like a lifting fog the inclusion of Justin Timberlake casts doubt anew. It frightens me to think that Justin Timberlake is one of the most influential people in the world. Who? What kind of dullard would be influenced by him? Bizzare. Surely there is a difference between celebrity and influence?

My car has issues at the moment. An intermittent fault that means every now and then it will just - stop and refuse to go for several minutes. I can't figure it out and my mechanic makes those expensive facial expressions accompanied by the drawing in his breath...that's right, one of those problems. So I've been looking around at my options. I came across this little piece from Popular Mechanics and think I'd quite like an electric Mini Cooper. Ok, I'll just come right out and say it. I'd quite like any Mini Cooper. Or even a car that was reliable. Tonight is the MPA magazine awards dinner. Idealog is up for a couple of gongs. The rival in our category is Unlimited magazine . The guys from HB Media are ex Unlimted people so it will be a symbolic victory if we win. I have some doubt because Unlimited has so many more finalist nominations in other categories. It might be that the old favourite beats out the challenger. Who knows. It will be an interesting eveni...

I have always argued that 'subliminal advertising' was a load of old tosh. I have never -in more than 20 years in the business - been involved in or even seen examples of secret, embedded messages in communications. That doesn't mean there isn't a code of meanings that can be embedded in a message for a particular audience. So I was interested in this clip...it is a little bit spooky.

It is New Zealand music month. Part of the event is a dinner/auction/show at the Auckland town hall to raise money for Play It Strange - a charitable trust that promotes songwriting to secondary school students. I think it is one of the most worthy causes that you could support. Whatever I hear you say...indignantly snorting into your morning coffee. Trivial, teenage angst and all that... My son showed an interest in music some time ago. We trucked along to guitar teacher Danny McCrum (recommended by the inimitable Bill Latimer of Bungalow Bills music shop . He showed some promise - a natural according to Danny. But music fell by the wayside to his obsession with sport. My advice during the music phase was - if you join or form a band make sure you write the songs/lyrics and get a credit . Compared to the estate of John Lennon and the fabulous wealth of Paul McCartney Ringo Star earned a pittance from his time as a Beatle. He didn't pen any/many of the songs. The royalties from p...