Spacebarspeeds

How often do you come across a banner advert that’s worth talking about? Worth smiling over? Or even worth clicking and clicking and clicking? Well the new, innovative banner ad from Pringles does just that. It keeps your attention by involving you in a one sided converstation from which you can’t turn away. I found it strangely addictive, clicking right till the very end. But what I really love about this ad is that it takes banner space that most people ignore or find annoying, and turns it into a fun, engaging moment of play with the brand.

So how to measure it’s success? Simply by the word of mouth that it is drawing. Twitter in particular is becoming the barometer of the buzz – it’s how i found out about the ad in the first place.

And the real power it has? There’s no call to action, no button to drive you through to a website. Just good, old fashioned brand awareness. After all that clicking, i couldn’t help but crave some tasty potato snacks…proving that Pringles have hit the nail right on the head. Yum.

Ever wanted to be a touch more inventive with your Sharpie? John Clark draws film noir inspired Sharpie portraits on vintage book pages, leaving a bit of text floating in the background to hint at the background of the piece. The result is a one-of-a-kind “story” – a portrait with a literary history, a story within a story. Simple, bold, clean and dramatic, it’s easy to mistake John’s drawings for altered photographs or Photoshop trickery. They’re all hand-drawn though – and he can custom make portraits of individuals to really add some mystery to your walls. I love them – if only i was as flash with a Sharpie as he is! Check out his work on Etsy.com.

Has anyone seen the new, limited-edition Cola-Cola can designs especially for summer? Working within their back-to-basics rebran, they make use of the printed red can to create summer-related objects such as a beachball, pair of sunglasses and line of surf boards. Nice idea, simply executed. The BBQ can is my favourite!

There’s been a serious lack of bold, courageous advertising around recently. Are clients losing their bottle in light of the economic crisis? Or are brands finding it hard maintaining a strong presence with so many competitors juggling for attention?

Not by the looks of these adverts for Timberland. I really like the art direction but especially the powerful headlines. The first boldly insinuates that even under economic threat , Timberland will last forever. The second cleverly plays to a common insecurity, turning it into an advantage for the brand.

It’s comforting to know that such heroic, brave, headlines are still being bought by clients and enjoyed by Copywriters alike!

I ventured down to Brick Lane on Sunday for the annual Car Boor Fair @ The Old Truman Brewery. There were plenty of stalls and original ideas to keep me amused – but i really loved the new jewellery designers and artisits i discovered. One photographer – Alice Mara – takes the most stunning pictures of the urban landscape and uses a computer to enhance their surreal appeal. She then transfers them onto plates, mugs, bowls and serving dishes so you can display a little piece of London at home whenever you wish. Like mini, decorative forms of art they are instantly recognisable with familar streets and skylines.