The Junior Files

CO Bigelow

2009-08-26T08:39:00.000-07:00

Today's gentle installment into the world of "Should it say 'Buy This!' or 'Get This!'" comes with a shout out to the Junior Files only reader Lauren Z., who, to the extreme surprise of this writer, asked why I hadn't written anything new in a while. This incredible turn of events coupled with the fact that the poll has nearly doubled in votes overnight has answered the age old question," If a junior art director blogs in the woods, will somebody read it?"

In lieu of such good news I felt it was the perfect opportunity to trash a campaign, because lets face it when you're up you're a bit cocky.

C.O. Bigelow products are sold throughout the US at various large chain-y Bath and Bodyworks style shops and boutiques. The brand is styled after an old fashioned snake oil apothecary style to beauty. Bigelow emphasizes the scientific technology their chemists created 168 years ago in New York City with use of simple ingredients and some catchy copy on their bottles. Great story. Great product. Their product packaging:

Is something I consider brand delicious. Simple, clean but magically transporting me on the set Deadwood. Holding this in my hand, I imagine claw foot bathtubs and the gentle sipping of hot whiskey for my ailing consumption. And with visions of curly mustaches, bowler hats and a scratchy victrola, I go to bigelowchemist.com and find this:

And perhaps in a strange twist of events or cosmic ad magic, the music stopped.

Literally, my pandora music station stopped and pathetically informed me of its new policy for limited free music. (Which I need to express, will be the death of pandora.)

Now I know what you're thinking readers (Lauren), "It's really not THAT bad, is it?" But when you peg today's age of fast moving flashy web pages, impeccably well designed branding styles and a consumers nearly heroine dependent addiction for the new cool you have to ask yourself, is doing bare minimum worse?

CO Bigelow is really missing the boat on this one, and I have to admit sadly that its negligence has changed the way that I viewed the brand. In short, CO Bigelow's package design to website transition has left me feeling abandoned.

I found my mustachioed gentleman, fell in love then realized he has a Taz tattoo on the inside of his arm.

BaMadMen Republic

2009-08-04T12:46:00.000-07:00

Jumping into this hectic career choice inevitably comes comes with its price. Late nights and endless deadlines, and invariably having family members tell you "winning" commercial ideas they thought of in the shower.

One of the perks to this business, however, is that you are compared to AMC's brilliant take on the advertising world in MadMen. "Yes," you will boldly claim to your aunt Tildy, "I am Don Draper."

Recently Banana Republic decided this bold showing of the 50's ad man biz was worthy of good suit and partnered with Lionsgate for the promotion along with followers Clorox, Vanity Fair and Variety.

Though this may be no great feat of advertising genius it did provide a great sense of what a good suit can mean to a man.

And lets face it, Jon Hamm can sell just about anything:

One thing I really love about this is that Banana Republic has decided to take on a quieter approach to branding themselves to the hit show. Rather than take on an obnoxious approach like GM's screaming logo treatments in Michael Bay's Transformers they simply tagged themselves in the corner and let you see the show.

Print for this campaign seems pretty cut and dry though I would like to take a moment to compare their ads:

To a print ad I made in my second semester portofolio class:

Interactive for this brand/show marriage is also pretty great though I'm not sure if BRep had anything to do with it (this may be the work of 8 O'clock Coffee), but such free publicity are the perks of tagging yourself with such a beloved show.

Overall I give Banana Republic a tip of the brandy glass for this move.

Mitsubishi's blend of car commercial.

2009-07-29T16:06:00.000-07:00

And after a few months of handing the parents straight chicken soup I'm back and coming to you from New York's Lower East Side. Viciously critiquing from what little knowledge I know of today's hectic world of advertising. Aww, short is the sword I wield.

My come back installment comes in the form of Mitsubishi's Lancer commercial entitled "Blend". Lets take a look:

I know what you're thinking, "What could I possibly see in this car commercial that I actually want to comment on?" And you're right, there is nothing to comment on since it's just the same as any other car commercial we're bombarded with. And if whoever is the voice man for all these commercials is paid with cars then his garage must be bigger than Leno's.

That was not the commercial I wanted to talk about rather I wanted to talk about its much cooler twin:

I saw this particular bit during a preshow at the Sunshine theatre and instead of chucking my popcorn/raisinette duo at that screen like usual, I turned to my neighbor excitedly and exclaimed, "For once, I actually want to drive that!"

Mitsubishi finally experimented away from the same drones of fast moving, light shimmering off the dash, rave music blasting, trivial one in a million commercials we see everyday. They did something simple: they showed that the car could drive great and that it was actually fun. I'm impressed by the simplicity of the idea behind the commercial and even more impressed at how the motion of placing a camera behind the camera makes the act of driving the car in risky fast movements completely plausible.

This reinvention of the typical luxury sports car commercial only further enhances that despite having the same parts you can always make something new every single time. And just as CPB reinvented the sale flyers in newspapers for Old Navy, so too can Mitsubishi's team reinvent the car commercial.

But its sad the say that this reinvention only came with the price of birthing its boring typical brother. I can only imagine the intense stare down between the creative director and client on this one as the account person finally exclaimed, "Why don't we just do both, see how they do?"

Still, I commend the effort of putting out the reinvention. Hopefully Mitsubishi will see the potential as well, quite frankly I would love to see more of these out there in the world, maybe even a few professional test runs featuring real buyers in the passenger seats. I would be more than happy to ride shot gun in case anyone is asking.

Marley & Me

2009-04-11T20:24:00.000-07:00

Being in El Paso Texas for a month inevitably leads to developing a close relationship with salsa, Tejano music, and of course, the Super Walmart shopping center.

This past Tuesday, after getting a plea from the old folks for a six pack of Ensure (because they simply party that hard) I came across this DVD package design:

And seeing this I had to remember the words of Norman Rockwell:

"If it doesn't work, put a dog in it. If it still doesn't work, put a Band-Aid on the dog."

And after mulling it through my head for several hours, since the highlight of that day was Walmart, I decided that I needed to really look into this package design; for although I enjoy simple design style this is like the wheel of design layouts. There is an art director out there that got paid to put a dog on a box and call it a day. Can it truly be this simple? Can one really buy their weeks supply of Pigma Microns in various colors and point sizes with five minutes of design work?

How can this be true?

To answer these questions I did what any terribly bored but terribly disturbed junior art director would do and I made an entire Marley & Me design timeline chart:

And despite my better judgement, and after a quick foot to mouth dinner, I realized that this design layout did, in fact, have quite a bit of effort put into it. And I have to give credit to a designer who can take the same picture of a dog and play with it as much as this one has; because lord knows I would have stopped after number 4 and called myself a copywriter. It also goes without saying that the final design is, by far, the best design in the bunch.

So Rockwell was almost right.

If it doesn't work, put a dog in it. If it still doesn't work, then you just haven't play with the design long enough.

Old Navy's Supermodelquins

2009-04-08T13:59:00.000-07:00

Working in a sandwich and coffee shop in Brooklyn's industrial sector meant I had a lot of free time, and so without much to do other than clean the same window over and over again, I would pop open the Post to read the comics or whatever horrendous story they would manage to uncover in the city.

Flipping through one Monday, I saw the myriad of advertising noise print, the Sears catalogues, the buy one get one's, I flipped through the paper and found an ad that actually stopped me:

This new gem brought to us by the young and brilliant minds of Crispin Porter & Bogusky in Miami is really showcasing to us that even the mundane can reinvent itself into something entertaining. I'm very much impressed that finally somebody decided that the mid 90's designs found in every single newspaper in America was in need of an upgrade. The creepy quality the ad had was a plus as well and something that only Old Navy could pull off. With photos of the mannequins shoping for clothing and arm parts, decapitated models with a "Match the head to the fashion" section; Old Navy had me looking through there entire catalogue and wanting to see more.

Later, CPB introduced us to these characters:

And although they didn't use their creepy qualities to their full advantage they did still have fun with what seems like an oddly familiar set of characters. I do hope they take it just a little more extreme since it seems a little disappointing not to jump on something that can be so fun to watch. Their youtube minisodes seemed promising but lacked the imagination that was first witnessed in their newspaper prints.

If Old Navy loosens their reigns on CPB just enough (since we all know what the agency is capable of creating) they can have a campaign worth talking about for the next two years. What I saw in the newpaper print was new and terribly inventive.

I hope in continues.

Cheetos, they're WEIRD!

2009-03-28T22:56:00.000-07:00

An analysis of the Cheetos strategy seems like something that should come from the big wigs. And by 'Big Wigs', I mean creative directors working the Wig Company account.

Now, I love my weird attempts in the world of advertising. I love seeing what comes out of people's minds when they realize they're allowed to just be out of their skulls. Sometimes its beautiful, sometimes disturbing, but always well worth the journey.

BUT, it goes without saying that interpreting the weird must still inevitably come back to the product in some way. Because its still an ad, not art. And so you still have to be simple despite the weird.

I commend Cheetos for trying the weird. But seriously? Whoever sold them this idea came in with the opening line "Weird sells. I know this because I'm 'weird'. And as an expert, I also know that you can't have too much 'weird'. Budget costs? Recession? No, no! Don't worry, in the world of 'weird' you don't even have to try that hard. Because the rough look makes it more 'WEIRD'. Its what the target likes! They like that whole pasted together, "urban-street" look. Its WEIRD! It reminds them of parties and being super "boss". Trust me, more weird means more revenue. Lets get on this, duuuude."

And then they hired on a bunch of interns and had them go to town. Although there are a few things I really liked about this site for the most part it looked as though they gave the 13 interns and 1 real but annoyed art director only two weeks to paste it together. I understand that there are time crunches and indecisiveness with introducing a new brand but Cheetos.com is so poorly polished that I'm left wondering if their still working on it while the site is running.

Social Media

2009-03-23T15:23:00.001-07:00

This is part of an email I wrote to Danny Nathan (creative strategist/genius at Poke) in regards to part of a creative assignment he gave me to research and discuss social media.

I liked it so much I thought should put it in here so as to never forget it:

"I'm just barely understanding what its all about. At first I assumed it was about the use of the internet, networking sites, blogs; I assumed it was about these THINGS and how we use them. I thought about this and not the idea of what they represent. Which is strange to break down since I've been so immersed in this media since I was in high school but never understood what I was a part of. And after picking up a few books (none I've finished reading yet because I'm an incredibly slow reader) I'm really beginning to understand that its so much more than a blogspot or facebook page.

Its social interaction, collective thought, and the influence of the individual to society as a whole. It reminds me a lot of a book I read a few years ago called 'The Tipping Point' (I'm sure you've read it). The movement of a particular group of individuals that really influence the masses. In fact, as odd as this timing is, last night a few friends of mind and I revisited Friendster.com and laughingly pointed out our fossil profiles, like they were old photo albums from our youth. Thinking about this now, I realize that our view of the pages wasn't from something Friendster was missing in any grand scheme, they were still functioning as a networking site, but from the collective consciousness that the site had died socially. And we weren't alone on this as we searched through friend's profiles and saw that they too hadn't visited their site since 2005.

Right now I'm reading 'Conversation Capitol' and 'The Wisdom of Crowds' (although more with the first book). I've looked through a couple of things I found on the internet here and there but again, the internet seems to focus more on the method rather than its implications to how it affects society. I think the first real piece that let me understand all of this in a big picture sort of way was a lecture I found from writer James Surowieki who talked about 'When Social Media Became the News'. He basically rounded out the idea that social media pulls together collective thought and the influence that it has (positively and negatively) on shaping society's intelligence.

Its absolutely fascinating to me since I feel as though I've always had this scope on watching the human being. I love realizing the moment when its happening rather than interacting with it, which inevitably always makes me a little distant from the individual but fantastic at understanding interactions, the relationships between people, and the understanding of what happens when we take a step back and look at big pictures.

Whether I love or hate what social media has done to influence mass society really depends on the way I look at it all. At length I hate that social media has distanced us from each other's physical presence which I feel is such an important element to the way we connect, it also distances us from ourselves through this networking self celebrity. But from the other end it helps us understand each other on a conscious level and understand what it is that makes us all connected in a way that's so much more personal, true and vulnerable. Social media has made writers, artists, and photographers of us all whether we like what each other has to say or not. And because of the media level, it has created an entirely new culture that we must also find a way to survive in, learn from, and keep up with.

Hope this didn't sound too foolish.

-Ani"

I'd like to hope I can continue to think at this level. Its so much more interesting this way.

Snowy view

2009-03-02T06:33:00.001-08:00

Things to be remembered about about today's snow:

Thing one:

The way that little girl ran gleefully through the white, untouched snow. It reminded me of the strange fulfillment we get with bubble wrap. It also made me sad to realize that the parents beside her simply kept walking the retrodden snow.

Thing two:

The snow on the cars outside falls so perfectly that it makes any heap seem like a new model of sports car. Which would be a great way to introduce the new line for a December model. Interactive: Old model sits in the corners of internet pages getting snowed on quietly, right at the launch date (Merry Christmas Capitalism) someone comes out and drives it away as the new car.

Thing three:

Because of the snow there is even more emphasis on people running to the subway to make it. Today I ran to catch my Q and with two other people we made it within seconds before the door closed. There was an actual moment (rare I've noticed) where we all turned to each other then to ourselves and smiled; like we won the race.

For once its not me...its you.

2009-02-06T23:35:00.000-08:00

One great victory today. After four days of uploading issues I find out that it wasn't me that was wrong...IT WAS THE INTERNET!

So after some customer service talks I am good to go. Last few touch ups and I'm up to my knees in packing issues and general nervousness.

There has never been such a pivotal point in my life as there has been now. Its interesting to realize you're right in the middle of it. I just hope that they will give me the time of day.

Now I just need to survive this:

And I'll be as good as a New Yorker.

Paranoia.

2009-01-28T18:42:00.001-08:00

I'm constantly worrying in this lab now...

As if by some weird chance some dean or chancellor is going to come in and catch me furthering my education without signing up for another loan.

Cool Blue and L'il Oaty

2009-01-27T21:11:00.000-08:00

In an effort to save every penny we've decided to take on imitation cereal brands rather than the real stuff.

So instead of:
We get the more economical:

This delectable bag of toasted cinnamon squares tastes exactly like its counter part, is yards cheaper, and even comes with a resealable top. I feel almost ridiculous for ever having fallen for the real stuff. I mean, its the exact same cereal right? The same experience. The same morning. Right?

Wrong.

Notice Cinnamon Toasters left bottom corner. See it? Yes that's Cool Blue & L'il Oaty. The spokescartoons for Cinnamon Toasters. So I think to myself that I want to read more about this unknown duo (yes I am five) and so I turn the bag to reveal whatever story or gameboard or nuance that Blue and Oaty have to say on the back.

And there's nothing.

No story.
No gameboard.
Not even a stupid "Blue & Oaty love eating healthy" blurb.

And I begin to wonder, surely they didn't just slap some cartoon on the bag and call it a day. So online I go to check out malt-o-meals cold cereal section. No Blue. No Oaty.
I think, perhaps in their frenzy to get out these cheaper cereals they didn't label this one particular cereal. That Blue & Oaty surely must have their story told via the other cereal lines (and because my house is filled with cereal fanatics) I search through the other selections of bagged cereal in the house. Coco Crunch...nothing. Marshmallow Glitters...zip. In fact, Cinnamon Toasters is the only bag in the cereal group that even has these two ridiculous kangaroos. And are they even Kangaroos? I DON'T EVEN KNOW THAT! Because quite frankly they look like a freakish mix of dingos and kangaroos. Dingoroos. Just some hopping, human sized freak with large dog jowls lined up with your face. And with their blue and yellow exterior it becomes frighteningly irresistible to not notice them staring menacingly at you every single morning of your bastardly poor existence. What vicious cereal company could do this to a lower income home? Is this how they expect to keep you? Simply by the maddening hope that one day, ONE DAY they will surely explain who these two Dingoroos are or why they came into existence or why they are SO OBSESSED with cheap economical Cinnamon Toasters.

...........god.

...an argument for name brand cereal.

"The planetarium would like to welcome Polkside Elementary and the Emerson Council!"

2009-01-19T15:59:00.000-08:00

Somethings need to come back.
And by things I mean field trips.

Do you ever wonder why it is that dinosaurs, science experiments, hell...even the inner workings of a box factory is reserved ONLY for ten year olds or the people that work with them.

Why close those doors of curiosity?

I want to see busloads of hopeful thirty year olds ecstatic to get out their regular work day because, yes, they're going to learn about the galaxy.

Beards, booze, bopping

2009-01-16T20:49:00.000-08:00

All one ever needs for a dance party to get started is for two seemingly unembarrassed people to jump up and shake it like there's no tomorrow.
Last night I started a dance party at a tattoo bar. There is something about pulling a bearded, tattooed, punk rocker out for dance that is really satisfying.

It was fantastic.

Things I could go without hearing anymore this month:

"New York? Do you have a job yet? Cuz the economy is bad."

"New York? Do you have a coat yet? Cuz it's cold up there."

"New York? Do you have a place to live at? Cuz its really expensive."

Now barfing boarding

2009-01-13T18:13:00.000-08:00

One way ticket to New York. February 9th at 5:00pm.

I'm sure glad there are barf bags still available in the seat pocket facing in front of you.

getting into position

2009-01-12T18:02:00.000-08:00

this seems to be the position i've held for the past year. right up against the screen like it had challenged me to a staring contest and the prize was a life time supply of food that tasted like the way playdoh smells. generally such a position is held on to for several hours for upwards of seven days a week only to be occasionally exchanged for this:

the groaning despair of wondering what i coded wrong or why my colors are looking so jankity once i print them.

in lieu of such things i am grateful for:

hulu
pandora
grateful interruptions from mom
the cuisine at 7eleven

Why the robot?

2009-01-08T21:50:00.000-08:00

A lot of people ask me why the robot. If it has some special significance or something. Most of the time I just joke around turn around robotic style and creep them out for a minute before I turn back to the screen and continue photoshopping.

But in reality, the robot signifies more to me then that.

As a socially awkward person I have this tendency to watch the world with foreign eyes, I love the way people embarrass when they take some joke to that too familiar place, the way they try so hard to bring back the Reebok hightop sneaker, or insist on some form of specific flavored Dorito despite the fact that they all taste the same. I love the way people quirk. And so because of this, I find myself watching and waiting for their next moment, finding glee in the statements you can take out of context to mean an entirely different thing or just taken out of context because certain sentences should be repeated just to realize that they were said, and this curiosity... it's infinite.

That need for more information about people, thats what robots do. Because in the end, they want to figure out the magic; the "why's" on human behavior. I think robots are fascinating, adorable little things. And I can relate to their need to know why, their fascination of the human being. Leo Bruscaglia, a speaker and author in the 1980s, once said that every person in the world hugs different, so why not try them all. And I can only agree.

This is the beginning.

2009-01-08T18:32:00.000-08:00

Continue on if you wish to reach the end.