The power of Vimeo

I still can’t quite believe it yet, but my children, Joseph and Amelia have gone viral, with their inclusion in the latest Google Chromebook Ad campaign (4 sec’s into the Ad) which aired in the UK on Saturday 17th Nov 2012. In media ad slots during primetime TV, during shows like The X-Factor and I’m a Celebrity, get me out of here!

And it’s all down to the power of Vimeo that the clip was found by STALKR, a creative collective of independent filmmakers and archive experts working globally from London who approached me with the view to using the clip in an unnamed project, which later turns out to be on behalf of ‘Bartle Bogle Hegarty’ http://www.bartleboglehegarty.com, one of the world’s leading advertising agencies, to use the clip of them playing boules at my mother-in-law’s house in France.

The clip was originally shot whilst on holiday in France this summer and featured in my film “En Vacances’, which you can watch by clicking on the link.

So excited!

All quiet on the western front

Well the new academic year is well underway at Swansea Metropolitan University and its just dawned on me that I’ve been bit quiet on the blog front. So I thought I’d post here about one my recent quickfire briefs to the 3rd year group.

The whole idea about my sessions, is getting them to think quickly and under pressure, with little or no time to research the subject matter in front of them. As my experience tell’s me that there’s no substitute for being able to think quickly and on your feet. This is an especially important skill, that if they master, will aide them throughout their careers. As spending weeks researching, developing, refining and finally realising a concept, is the process that they must employ whilst at university. But in a new business pitch or presentation, that isn’t going as well as you imagined, that is the time when you got to think on your feet and fast if you or your agency are going to secure the job.

So, we’ve been tackling lots of issues these last few weeks and I dropped a little light hearted one into the pot. The kind of brief that you’d get to work on in a regional agency, promoting tomorrow’s Wales vs Australia Rugby match at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. But this time, it was time to put my money where my mouth is, I had a go too! Same research & time constraints as them and had to present it back to them.

Here’s the brief and my solution:

After Wales’ defeat to Australia during this years rugby world cup, is any game ever a friendly?

Introduction

Wales take on Australia at the Millennium Stadium, on Saturday 3rd December 2011, KO 14:30pm. Although billed as a friendly match, Wales hope to build on their successful run during the RWC 2011 campaign, with captain Sam Warburton, back at the helm. It’s also an opportunity to take revenge for their 4th finish, as well as the taking of a southern hemisphere scalp in the process.

Tickets are priced at £50 & £65

All tickets are subject to availability and booking fees.

To book, click the button below or call 08442 777 888

More info can be found at http://www.wru.co.uk

The brief
As purse strings tighten in these difficult financial times, spending £50 – £65 per ticket is becoming a big ask, with previous autumn international games having seen their support and numbers through the turnstiles diminish. Devise a campaign concept that can be used throught Wales, that builds on their recent successes, one which encourages rugby fans to get back out and support their team in Cardiff.

Target audience
You decide! Just make sure you tell us who they are.

Requirement
Scamped up visuals.

Mandatory inclusions
WRU Logo, website address.

Research                                                      : .5 hr
Conceptualisation & ink-up                  : 1 hr
Presentations                                             : .5 hr

Doing my bit for the PTA

Doing my bit for the PTA at our children’s school, Ysgol Gymraeg Castell-nedd.

Any cats wanting some cream?

With only 11 days to go, my 3rd year BA(Hons) Design for Advertising students (Full Fat Creatives) at Swansea Metropolitan, have just launched a teaser viral for their final year show, which is being held at the National Waterfront Museum in Swansea with a few tutor cameo’s thrown in for good measure.

The show is a culmination of 3 years hard graft, which I’m sure is the beginning of some very bright careers in Advertising. So if you’re looking for a creative graduate to help out in your studio this summer as an intern/work placement or permanent employee, then it’s certainly worth a trip down to Swansea this May. (Dates underneath)

Private View: 14.5.11  — 7.00pm – 9.00pm
Open to the Public: 15.5.11 – 21.5.11 — 10.00am – 5.00pm

Click this link for a sneak peak at their portfolios.

Boy Racers don’t listen to advertising

Outdoor ad: Waitakere City Council: Car For Sale.

Boy racers don’t listen to road safety advertising. So Ogilvy Auckland created this unique campaign to directly target them in Waitakere City. With a Budget of just $950 this proves that it’s about how creative you are not the budget you’ve got.

Day 11 – was all about STI’s

In July 2009, the Health Protection Agency released figures on sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in the UK for 2008. They showed that 12% of the population is 16 to 24 years old, yet this age group accounts for more than half of all newly diagnosed STIs in the UK:

65% of chlamydia, 55% of genital warts, 47% of gonorrhoea, 44% of herpes, and 17% of syphilis infections diagnosed in GUM (genitourinary medicine) clinics last year.

If you have sex without a condom, the odds of catching an STI are quite high. You can’t tell by looking at someone whether they’ve got an STI. These infections don’t always have any symptoms, which means that you might not even know if you’ve caught something. You then run the risk of not getting treatment and of passing it on to others.

You only need to have unprotected sex once to get an STI or pass one on. So if you’ve only had sex once, you could still be infected. The more sexual partners you have, the more at risk you are. This is true whether you have more than one partner at the same time or at different times.

My brief to the 1st year group

Present a poster campaign to the target audience that will be on display in the toilets of pubs and clubs this Christmas, that focuses on one STI and warns of the dangers as well as giving advice on what to do if they’re concerned.

Day 4 – the random object brief

There are times in ones future career when you are faced with an advertising brief for an everyday, run of the mill product, which you find of no interest or inspiration. However, every brand, product or service has a target market and needs to put its best foot forward in an expanding market, where competition from the me-too brand is virulent.

So I asked my third year group to bring in a random object, which unbeknown to them, they’d have to create a print based campaign, advertising the object.

The brief

Produce a print based advertising campaign, which comprises of 2 separate adverts aimed at two separate target groups. Which are placed in two very different media spaces.

One is to be placed in a leading broadsheet newspaper and the other in a glossy mid-shelf magazine.

Target audience

• 18-25 yr males

• 30-45 yr females

Requirement

Present 1 concept for each target group (2 in total) and explain your differing rationale for each audience and where the advert will be placed.

Mandatory inclusions

Campaigns must include a tagline & call-action (what is the purpose of the ad?, what are you selling? & to whom?)

 

Day 4 – the random object brief, originally uploaded by the journey starts here.

Day 2

On the morning of day two, I felt more nervous than on day one. I think this was due to setting my first quick fire brief for the third year group. A topical and relevant brief as October is breast cancer awareness month.

The brief
Design a breast cancer awareness, advertising campaign for Tenovus.
Tenovus is Wales’ leading cancer charity and has a distinguished history in the support and treatment of women and men affected by breast cancer. In fact, work carried out in the Tenovus Institute for Cancer Research lead to the development of Tamoxifen, the world’s most successful and widely used breast cancer drug.

Tenovus are now looking to the future, but can only continue to provide support to the thousands of people affected by breast cancer each year in Wales with support from the general public.

Their campaign had to high-light the issues faced from the perspective of the patient or family member. The campaign could be hard hitting or positive in its tone of voice. However, it had a few mandatory inclusions: a strapline, call to action and contact info as well as the Tenovus logo.

As the session is only 2 hours, what they produce are unfinished, scamped up ideas. It’s a quick fire session that forces them to think on their feet, which will enable them to quickly visualise their thinking.