ThoughtSpurs

Top Gear producers know how to create interesting TV. In this clip The Hamster races a fighter jet. The Bugatti Veyron drags in a mile (on the ground), then turns and reruns the course. Meanwhile the jet takes off from a standing start zooms to a mile above the ground then turns and heads for the ground, levels off then crosses the start finish. Who wins? You'll have to watch to find out. It's quite bombastic. But I enjoyed it. A Thoughtspurs exclusive! Actually, scratch that…it is one of the top 10 viral videos of the day. the graph, ironically, mimic the vertical performance of the Eurojet. But will its descent be as rapid. In a cynical footnote it's interesting to sell arms manufacturers finding interesting, contemporary ways to sell their weapons. The chequered flag was even replaced by a Union Jack (the branding, make my logo bigger, bit…). What Arab sheik doesn't watch Top Gear? Free Bugatti Veyron with every Eurofighter sold.

I'm sitting in bed with my laptop (2.04 a.m. - obviously I'm single) - writing my book Vanishing Act…Fiction is hard. In the past week I've managed a whole 20 pages. Pathetic. Nothing edited - that comes later. The tele's on: Mulholland Drive by David Lynch. Like it but haven't the slightest idea what it is about. Cool Soundtrack too…

Putting aside the deep psychological pain of being kicked to touch prematurely at the Rugby World Cup I was shocked to find that the 'Of this Earth' campaign for the All Blacks was created by Adidas in Holland by the agency 180 . Now that is just wrong Advertising for the All Blacks brand should be of this Earth. Aotearoa, New Zealand. Of course I'm being a hypocrite. How can I reconcile a point of view that it doesn't matter where your favourite kiwi brand's physical products are manufactured then squeal about the small matter of an iconic symbol of identity being jobbed out. Maybe if it wasn't a dutch agency - what was it that Austin Powers' dad, Nigel Powers, said: "There are two kinds of people I can't stand in this world. People who are intolerant of other people's cultures, and the Dutch." And yes, I've banged on about the joy of atheism, but I can't help but wonder if this was just bad juju…?

Picked up a copy of the new look North & South magazine. Its tidy up is very smart and much needed. The venerable title has a reputation for outstanding writing, nurtured by the steady and talented hand of Robyn Langwell. She left in June after 22 years (she was the longest serving editor in New Zealand and made a fantastic contribution to the standard of magazine writing in this country - she and husband Warwick Roger are, together, probably, the most titanic force in publishing here). "Much to admire and little to enjoy." Samuel Johnson - referring to a manuscript submitted for praise. By and large I like it the new N&S. It's better. I do feel that magazines are tending to look like very smart, interchangeable templates. Without being churlish, there are overtones of Notebook magazine and Marie Claire - possibly also Martha Stewart's Blueprint magazine. You get the point. Design, or rather good taste has become commoditised/generic. I have a feeling that d...

Watch this clip from the TED conference. An interface that is most interesting for the fact that it isn't there. Nothing comes between you and the task you are aiming to achieve. If you have hands you can create and manipulate data. Amazing stuff. I found the comment that you shouldn't have to conform to a machine's design to accomplish what you want perceptive and ≥more important…exhilirating! I haven't been to an Apple Store for a while - serves as a reminder to check out the iPod touch. Some of these ideas have been integrated into the touch interface on the iPhone and the iPod. Thanks to Publicis Digital for the heads-up.

Up at Waipu on the weekend. Saturday was market day. I came across these knitted things on a stall in the town hall - right next to a table of artisan honey. I have to say that I was impressed. The little old lady running the stall must spend half her life knitting these little figures. What I liked was the characterisation. Seriously. They reminded me of Tin Tin - or a mash up of Tin Tin, The Life of Brian and the Wombles. I took the shot but didn't notice the mad looking bagpiper in the background. It's crying out for speech balloons or a stop motion show (maybe for G3 mobile distribution). Might have to head back up next market day and see if I can commission the wee woman to knit some characters of my own cunning design... Caught up with Simon Morgan for pint and a chat last night. Simon is managing partner for Publicis Digital Australia and New Zealand. Interesting to hear some of his thoughts on the use of social media by marketers. He described a successful promotion hi...

I wrote about Prof Pausch a little while ago. His final lecture at Carnegie Mellon is Brilliant but and hour and a half of video. So here is his para-phrased and repackaged for a mass audience. It has lost some of its charm but it doesn't matter. He is a positive inspiration. I read that his cancer is responding well to treatment. Alright. Enough of that. Because I don't want you to think I've gone all wet… so here's some Charlie Brooker. It's been a while. Watch and weep. Don't show Randy Pausch though he'll stop taking his medicine. Though I suppose his work in virtual reality might have prepared him for it...

Last week I was waiting for my son to finish up his cricket practice. He plays for his school - Westlake Boys High School. I looked up at the science block (or who knows it could be home ec - though I think they call that something else now ...some sort of technology...It's an all boy school after all) - thought the skeleton of a horse in the window was kind of surreal. Reminded me of the Mexican Day of the Dead festival.

Michael Gondry has to be one of the most original people in film right now. This clip for the Rolling Stones is brilliant. Apparently it is entirely composed from stills - not that you'd know it. I am looking forward to seeing his next movie (starring Jack Black - who seems to be the goto guy for characters who work in shops - the trailer for Be Kind Rewind is here. Maybe I'm just a sucker for concept movies?) He also shot the classic White Stripes Hardest Button to Button . The man's a genius. And, according to the Guinness Book of records, he directed the most awarded single commercial of all time. And here it is:

The stylishly stupid Tui commercials from here in New Zealand seem to have spawned a genre. Compare and contrast the Pure Blonde commercial from Clemms in Melbourne, Australia. Times have changed since Mo and Jo created the 'I feel like a Tooheys or two' commercial that completes our ensemble. (How does that make you feel?) Pure Blond via Simon Law's Blog

When we launched Idealog Martin Bell, one of my partners and the business director and I were interviewed on 'Breakfast '. I hadn't seen the clip before - two years on it makes me cringe a little, But, hey, it's part of the record (there's no escaping your history anymore -it is available 24/7 all around the world). I was originally searching the TVNZ video archive for a segment on the prize winning Kiwi wildlife cinematographer who featured in a 20/20 or 60 Minutes segment. Couldn't find it. If anyone can point me in the right direction I'd be grateful. I'm writing a novel about a Maui dolphin and the marine biologist who will save them. The footage is part of my research. I wan't to hear how wildlife cameramen talk…From memory he had dreads then cut them off...? Help. By the way the book is called 'Vanishing Act'. It's really about media agendas and the obsession we have with celebrity and glossing even the most unpleasant fact of life.

I had a thoroughly dis-spiriting session with my students yesterday. I felt that they hadn't really got it in the paper I had taught. As the last session of the semester, assignment complete and handed in, attendance was dismal. I had an important message for them to hear. I'm not sure whether those who showed really got what I had to tell them but I do know that those who weren't never will. It may be hard for students these days but it's hard for teachers as well.

I have always felt uneasy about those cheesy posters that businesses like to hang in offices to motivate staff. I once joined a firm in a pretty senior role and above my desk was one of those terrible propaganda pieces. I don't remember the exact detail of the content because I had my assistant consign it to the storage room ("be sure it faces the wall"), but it was an image of a rowing eight, taken from above at sunset on a river in Massachusetts or somewhere there is russet light. Very Ivy League. Beneath the image was the word TEAM and the legend - There is no 'i' in team. Even now it produces a feeling of nausea that I find hard to explain. So I appreciate the antidote. Despair.com specialise in demotivation posters and such-like. This morning I got an email announcing that new designs are now available. They are very funny. On the site - accompanying the TRADITION image it says: Grammar Nazis who think this is a double-negative, when it's really a litot...

Who said architects don't have a sense humour? This is an aerial photo of a U.S. Navy building in California. Apparently nobody noticed till Google Maps democratised aerial surveillance. Duh! (Apparently there is a little cosmetic architecture in, shall we say, the wings). The image on Google is here.

Lloyd Jones had high hopes of winning the Man Booker Prize for his novel Mr Pip. Not to be unfortunately. The award went to Irish writer Anne Enright. I think the most surprising aspect of the news coverage was the spurious connection between the All Blacks failure at the Rugby World cup and not winning a literary prize. Wrong. One endeavour relies on the direct conflict between two equally matched teams. Literary awards are random. There is no opponent and the work was performed in different places at different times. The All Blacks played badly on the day and lost. Utterly objective. Lloyd Jones performed brilliantly but just didn't win on the day. Utterly subjective. It's getting to the point where news media are more imaginative than advertising in the use of exaggeration and hyperbole. By all accounts Mr Pip is very good. Here's what the Melbourne Age newspaper said . I was rooting for Indra Sinha - crikey when did literary fiction become gladiatorial.

You know that incandescent bulbs are inefficient and waste energy. That's what we're told. So what is the alternative? Long-life bulbs,…right? Maybe not. The eco bulbs that you can buy from your supermarket today have issues of their own - although in many ways they are superior to incandescents. It's not especially safe to dispose of them into a landfill. They leach heavy metals like mercury into the ground when they break (be careful when you handle them at home - mercury poisoning isn't so nice. Personally I don't like the colour of the light these bulbs give off either. LED (Light Emitting Diodes) might be the solution. Unlike conventional bulbs they don't emit heat as a by product of their use. All they give off is light - photons. This video from business 2.0 is an eye opener. Look and learn. (By the way I was saddened to see what the magazine has become the other day. It used to be brilliant - a worthy complimentary title to Fast Company magazine).

Further to my previous post. On the news this evening is the case of Jamie Lockett, who is accused of "declaring war on New Zealand", based on overheard (surveillance) conversations by the police. Apparently this guy 'declared war' on New Zealand in telephone conversations with ... who knows?…his mum?. I haven't heard the material but the suspect/victim argues his remarks were taken out of context. "How could that be?" I hear you say. If he's going to war with us…goshdarnit…we're off to war with him. Lock the bugger away. Let's take a step back. New Zealand is a signatory to the Hague convention. According to that international treaty here is the recipe for declaring war: The Contracting Powers recognize that hostilities between themselves must not commence without previous and explicit warning, in the form either of a reasoned declaration of war or of an ultimatum with conditional declaration of war. Clearly there is no 'Contracting Pow...

…you can't handle a bigger logo. If you've worked in an ad agency you'll appreciate this. If you haven't…thank your lucky stars.

I've written a lot in praise of amateurs of late. I guess I am for the people who actually do things. David Hockney, apparently, painted on the foot of his bed the legend: "Get up and work". An Opus (let alone a Magnum one) is a work. The work of art. If you're working on your writing/blogging here are some tips from the greats (via Pick The Brain ) 1. Cut the boring parts I try to leave out the parts that people skip. ~ Elmore Leonard Unless you’re writing for personal reasons alone, you need to consider the attention of your readers. There’s no point is publishing content that isn’t useful, interesting, or both. 2. Eliminate unnecessary words Substitute “damn” every time you’re inclined to write “very;” your editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be. ~ Mark Twain I used to feel that using words like “really”, “actually”, or “extremely” made writing more forceful. It doesn’t. They only get in the way. Cut them and never look back. 3. Write wi...

For the past week there have been teaser ads on New Zealand TV featuring Erin Brokovich introducing herself to the audience - for those who haven't seen the eponymous movie starring Julia Roberts . Watch at 6.20 Sunday she told us. Well I've just seen the ad - for Noel Leeming. First impression: Who cares? Second: She must have needed the money. Third: What a boring ad. Too clever, not interesting enough. Brokovich's credibility has taken a major hit. Dear oh dear. When will agencies learn that ads have to be relevant and interesting - this one is neither. It will be interesting to see how sales go. 'Course when they don't eventuate then there's always the opportunity to blame it of reduced consumer confidence or somesuch… Oh, and fourth: What are they covering up? (As Maggie Thatcher once said "If you have to tell folk you're a lady - you probably aren't." - of course that's before she became Lady Thatcher). Footnote - just watched it ag...

I saw Tim Finn perform live not so long ago and I swear I was the youngest person in the theatre. He kicked the show off with an intruction/invocation by a Druid. Not something one sees everyday. Or should. The show was very good. Mostly tunes from Finn's latest album. He is a very cool performer. Heavy emphasis on performance. He was obviously the driving creative force behind Split Enz (a band I never really cared for when I was a kid - probably due to cultural cringe; which I think I have since shucked off). An enduring perception was that it seemed odd to go see a rock performer in a comfortable, modern theatre where the entire audience is seated. Not sure about that. Or Hearn the Hunter. I came across the clip for one of Finn's songs that has been nominated for male solo performance in the New Zealand music awards . I've decided to adopt as the theme song for the New Zealand creative economy..."They said it couldn't be done". Nice vid too, though it remin...

Think how many times you have heard the expression ' the Rolls Royce of suitcases ' or maybe ' the Porsche of baked beans '. Ok, I am stretching a bit with the suitcase analogy; but I'm sure you get my point? I've just watched an interesting clip on the Monocle website about Japanese luxury car brand Lexus. Since its launch into North America (Lexus is an acronym of Luxury Export United States - very sexy…). Founder of Monocle magazine Tyler Brulee chats to the European man from Toyota who fronts for the Lexus brand. His observation is that, to penetrate the European market, Lexus should stop being shy of its Japaneseness. I agree. I wonder if the admiration the world has for German Engineering is based on the savage efficiency of Germany's tools in their Blitzkreig campaigns during WW2. Not as silly as it sounds. Though time does change perceptions. The Japanese obsession with luxury and detail, Brulee argues, poises them to shed the negative connotations ...

Doug Howlett is a very useful rugby player. He made a blue after a night on the turps. Introduce me to a person who drinks who has never done or said something they wouldn't have had alcohol been in the mix and I am pretty sure they will lie about other things as well. I don't think Howlett's actions were correct or admirable. But give the guy a break. He has stepped up and taken responsibility. He has apologised and is taking steps to repair the damage. In my opinion that is a rare ocurrance. Have you ever heard Naomi Campbell facing the media and making an apology. Just thank your lucky stars you're not in the media glare when you've had one glass more than you should. As for the All Black's management's comments I don't really like how they have hung him out to dry. Howlett's hairstyle is unforgivable though.

Another quick riff on social media. Interesting book: The Power of Many - How the living web is transforming politics, business, and everyday life. I like the concept of a living web 'the part that is being constantly updated'. Worth a look. Strong emphasis on tools on the web. Love this passage about the Grateful Dead fans (Deadheads) who were early users of the web when it was Arpanet and Usenet: "Now that the Dead has reconstituted itself [following the death of Jerry Garcia], more or less, the diffuse community, with its physical and virtual manifestations, has proven resilient enough to enable newcomers to tap in and once again make plans to meet up at the show. Who's bringing the hacky sack and who's bringing the juggling sticks? Remember, at a Dead concert, you aren't part of the audience. You're part of the show." Can't think of a better metaphor for Web 2.0 Buy from FishPond : The Power of Many: How the Living Web Is Transforming Politics...

…and make a horrible mess. Wellington, New Zealand has wearable arts Brighton, UK has The Art Car Parade . What is an art car? “A drivable installation – any vehicle which has been re-imagined, re-styled, re-modelled, or completely metamorphosed by an artist into a transport of delight.” Michael Trainor, Curator, Art Cars 2007 'Transport of delight' . Cool. Weird. But cool. Compare and contrast. The Snake Oil Sales Van. Very funny. Nissan announced the PIVO 2 at the Tokyo Motor Show. According to Autoblog : The PIVO 2's driver gets some company in the form of the "Robotic Agent," a disembodied monkey head on the instrument panel that speaks English and Japanese and is able to help out with things like directions. Compact Lithium Ion batteries power in-wheel motors, and the PIVO 2's wheels themselves rotate 90 degrees as well. Tight parking spot? Turn the passenger compartment sideways, turn the wheels, and slide right in or out. Then aim the cabin in the dire...

You may have heard of or seen the Prof. Randy Pausch final lecture. It has been getting a lot of cover (and is worth watching). My favourite part was when the terminally ill academic said that he wanted to address spirituality - 'here we go…' I thought to myself. He had, he said, "experienced a death bed conversion - I bought a Macintosh." View Pausch's home page (some useful resources - including links to the open source Alice programming model that teaches kids to learn 3D modelling and create virtual worlds - very cool). You can also download the transcript of his talk: Here are some of the highlights for me: On being refused a role at Disney's Imagineering department: "…Remember, the brick walls are there for a reason. The brick walls are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something. Because the brick walls are there to stop the people who don’t want it badly enough. They’re there to sto...

It took Apple two years to sell a milion iPods. The iPhone has sold its first million units (as at Sept 11 - 3 months after launch). Just thought I'd share. ( Via NYT )

The Bravia ad is sensational.I'm a fan. But it seems that the inspiration comes from an art group called KozyDan. Apparently Fallon contacted Kozydan a couple of years prior with a view to working with them but then never called back. The interesting thing is whether advertising should pay homage to artworks with paying royalties? Heads up via The Skinny

There's no doubt about it. The rise of video usage online is a force to be reckoned with. Few would doubt that Google's rise since the late 90s has been spectacular. But even against such a phenomenal benchmark that is nothing compared to the stratospheric growth of YouTube. This chart from the Alexa.com site shows that the use of video is on an upward path that looks like Al Gore's chart for CO2 emmisions - remember the one where he dramatises the idea of 'off the chart' by using an hydraulic platform to rise to the point of projected growth. …and that's YouTube alone - it doesn't account for the many other sites promoting user generated content. This is the horse I'm backing. If brand custodians (I know that's a little twee - but the best I can think of right now) don't get their heads around the issue it will be a lost opportunity. Putting a stake in the ground now should be a priority. “In 1995 there were 225 shows across British television t...

Here's latest in Dove's campaign for real beauty. While I think the strategy for the Dove brand is spot on (reposition the competition) I still struggle with the fact that it is a little disingenuous for the company (Unilever)that also promotes the Lynx/Axe brand to be so pious.

The Sony Bravia ad number 3 is Genius. I love it. It's here

For those of you on the edge of your seat NB: The global launch is a day behind. The 4th is the 5th in New Zealand,

Here's what I am reading now (in addition to the rest). Brain Tattoos Creating Unique Brands That Stick In your Customers' Minds by Karen Post. Oddly enough I picked up this book on the recommendation of Heath Row (who was my contact at Fast Company magazine when I coordinated the Auckland Cell of Company of Friends). Beaton Portraits - from the National Portrait Gallery (London). Picked this up because I want to practice drawing and I like these images. The Ten Faces of Innovation .. Key words: Design. Innovation. Ideo. Tom Kelley. Nuff said.

I was on Mars the other day… Actually I was mucking about on Photoshop and Apple's Photobooth with my daughter Zoë. Pays not to take yourself too seriously, dinnit? Entries are still trickling in to my Stephen Hawkins save the planet idea. You must remember? Send me your copy of A Short History of Time and I'll turn it into something useful - a Yurt .

I am America (and so can you). by Steve Colbert.

This is rich. The Real Estate Institute must be the most flat-footed organisation in the country. This evening the TV3 News reported the case made by the REINZ against new real estate agency The Joneses for ' bringing the industry into ill-repute '. I can hear barely muffled laughter rippling through New Zealand's Internet community. The Joneses have created their business model to work on the basis of flat fees, rather than a sliding scale of commissions. Why should you pay more for facilitating the sale of your 3 million dollar home than if it was worth 1.5 million? I can't think of a balanced reason. But the Institute's members obviously have a vested interest in protecting the status quo and discouraging those members who might have maverick ideas that win them market share at the expense of own unearned profits. It's not so long ago that accredited advertising agencies were bound by law to pocket a 20% commission paid to them by the media for placing clien...

This Giant installation in a London train station, created by UK ad agency Mother to promote a reality television show about a tattoo parlour owned by UK tattoo artist Louis Molloy, who is famous for inking David Beckham and Kate Moss. The sculptures’ tattoos were designed by Molloy - instead of a rampant eagle, common in traditional tattooing, she has a tatty looking 'flying rat' - the ubiquitous London pigeon as her 'tramp stamp'. It interests me that the advertiser will be stencilling London city with promos. They should take care with that approach. In the U.S. Sony embarked on a similar campaign idea - paying grafitti artists to paint iconic images of kids using the PSP. The reaction from bona fide street artists was swift and hostile. According to Wired:Sony Draws Ire With PSP Graffiti "Outside Casa Maria, a small Mission bodega, someone wrote, "Get out of my city," added the word "Fony" to the graffiti..." I don't think Banksy ...

Over on Kevin Roberts' blog he has posted an interesting discussion about the way illusionists and stage magicians protect their Intellectual Property without resorting the IP Law. He bases much of the post on an article, Secrets Revealed: How Magicians Protect Intellectual Property Without Law By Jacob Loshin. ( Download as PDF - highly recommended if you have any interest in IP or the Creative Economy ). Mr Roberts also posts this clip from what looks like a British talent show (featuring David Hasselhoff and Sharon Osbourne as judges - don't let that put you off though - the illusion is brilliant).

Vogue is one of my favourite media brands. It manages to remain constant in the constantly changing world of high fashion. While tragically hip fashion magazines come and go with increasing frequency Vogue seems to have resisted the urge to follow. I guess leaders don't follow. I read about the launch of Vogue India on Jack Yan's blog and was struck by how weird the cover image was. Not only by the astonishingly euro-friendly beauty of the Indian women but also by the bizarre look of the Australian model. Well, they say she is Australian but I couldn't help feeling that she looked more alien than Aussie. So I couldn't help but goof around with the image (but only a little I assure you - here is the original ). On a serious note - When India won its independence from Britain (thanks in no small part to the leadership of Ghandi) - it was a triumph over imperialism. It seems a shame that Vogue haven't embraced Indian-ness (which I am sure is mind-bogglingly diverse) r...

Actually I find this ad for Australian underwear specialist Bonds very likeable. Not that I'm planning on rushing out to buy the product (though the brand has a male extension - as it were). There is just one thing I find disturbing about this ad. No it's not the fit young Aussie girls gamboling about in their undies - It bears more than a passing resemblance to the Japanese retailer Uniqlo's clock - don't you think? It also reminded me (just reminded mind you) of the terrific Gap 'Swing' commercial of the mid-nineties. Perhaps the old rule of advertising "If you nothing to say - sing it" has been adapted to: "When you have nothing to 'say'- dance it'" A new genre, perhaps?

The sequel to the exploding paint and 'balls' commercials is coming your way. Hop(e) its up to the hype.

I wanted to post an article about this the other day but didn't get around to it. This issue of how women are idealised in media is a serious matter - not simply one for easy consumption. In part this is because the media is a mirror that we hold up to ourselves. In theory, at least,it is representative of 'us'. Through the media we tell our stories. Increasingly they are not true stories but fictional accounts. Fantasies. Fashion is, perhaps, the world where the greatest distortion exists. Haute Couture is the preserve of the very wealthy. When was the last time anyone you know bought an original Balenciaga evening gown? But the extremes of fashion trickle down through other channels from high street ready to wear to popular culture. It is easy to forget that, when creating a collection fashion designers are not highly motivated by the utility of their garments but the impression they make when they are first shown. Unlike other forms of design fashion doesn't respond...

The Uniqloc dancing clock I posted the other day turns out to be a promotion for a Japanese knitwear brand. Very clever. Too bad the clock is now wrong. New Zealand shifted to daylight saving the other day.

I thought you might also be interested in this video from the excellent TED conferences. "In this deceptively casual talk, Charles Leadbeater weaves a tight argument that innovation isn't just for professionals anymore. Passionate amateurs, using new tools, are creating products and paradigms that companies can't." I am beginning to feel a little like a picador to Andrew Keen's bull.