American Express and the Rebirth of the Patron
Soul superstar John Legend said something memorable about his recent partnership with American Express on the “unstaged” series on YouTube/Vevo: “It was a relief to not have to worry about how well the songs would do on the radio.” (AdWeek 2010) In an ironic twist, Branded Entertainment seems to have created a space of artistic liberty that stands in fundamental... Read More
Facebook & The Gift of Attention
All over the web, there is growing irritation with the amount of time people spend on social web sites like Facebook or Twitter. “Web’s ultimate timesink” is one of the nicer descriptions. Suggestions of getting back to productivity usually follow. The irritation is correct. The cure may be wrong. What is happening is nothing less than epochal. The time we spent... Read More
Miami Ad School: “Don’t be an advertiser. Be a Pop Culture Engineer.”
Interview with Miami Ad School President Pippa Seichrist For more than a decade, the Miami Ad School (Portfolio School) has been one of the most influential institutions for the ad industry. No other portfolio school has brought forth more award winners. One could even argue, that Miami’s ad industry would never have supported a Crispin Porter + Bogusky without the steady... Read More
Finally, receipts are exciting – as a medium
Who would have thought that Miami Beach is a place for serendipity. I recently met with my friend Birame for lunch. Birame is one of the most creative people I know, but you will never see her in an ad agency. Because she does not invent commercials, she invents businesses. A couple of years ago she launched Musicphone. One of the first music sending and recognition services for... Read More
How PETA creates an internet hit. For DODGE!
W&K just made a rather lame promotion-spot for the Dodge Tent Event. Random Dodge cars zig and zag across the screen, until a self-aware and slightly bored announcer says sth. like this: “This event could not be more amazing. Oh wait. There is a monkey.” On cue, a monkey in an Evel Knievel suits walks in and ignites a confetti bomb. But not for long. PETA,... Read More
The Ingredients of Joy
How São Paulo’s Mixer combines a bag of skills to create entertaining stories for brands. Once upon a time, in a land far far away, there was a TV production company that picked up Cannes Lions year after year. Over 40 of them. But they did not keep doing it happily ever after. Why? Ask João Daniel Tikhomiroff, owner and president of then fabled and now defunct Jodaf production,... Read More
Social Networks Save the Holiday.
Costa Rican eco-lodge uses social media to win new customers in difficult times. It’s been a difficult year for tourism. Travelling is one of the first things private households cut in years of financial hardship. In an ironic twist, marketing is what the travel industry cuts in response. But that isn’t even an option for small hotels who mostly depend on tourists being... Read More
The trouble with community journalism
In Alexandra Township, the work of media trainees is valuable, but not bankable. As part of the Ideas Will Travel project, I was allowed to spend some days with Siyakhona Africa in Alexandra, Johannesburg. Siyakhona is a joint CSR project by FIFA, Sony, and streetfootballworld to create communal education and providing media training to young South Africans from poor neighborhoods. The... Read More
Gringo Spice
A New Take on Costa Rican Cuisine adds Socialweb Presence for La Cusinga. La Cusinga’s Chef David has returned from a trip to Panama, and that means that dinner at La Cusinga has become even more delicious. But that’s not the reason why David Mahler will feature more prominently on Ideas will travel next week. The true reason is that he is an important part of the... Read More
The Curse of Nike
Drogba! Cannavaro! Rooney! Ribery! Ronaldo! Ronaldinho! These are – in order of appearance – the superstars of this year’s Nike world cup commercial. And those 3 minutes are the only place in the space time continuum they will rule this year. As of this Sunday, they are all out of the tournament! And we’re not even talking semifinals. Not only did those... Read More
