Browsing Month February, 2010

ad enough.

February 27th, 2010 // 2:46 pm @ // No Comments yet

Hello there. As you know, Saturday isn’t a proper blogging day so once again here’s something to play with for a while.  It’s a little film made by coy! to launch the new identity of the Creative Circle Awards. See how many ads you can spot and then get smug about it with friends in the bar of your choice. If you haven’t got anything better to do. Or more interesting friends.

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malice in wonderland.

February 25th, 2010 // 1:07 pm @ // 2 Comments

Hello there. I was just reading a film blog by the name of utraculture and was so impressed by their review of Tim Burton’s  “Alice in Wonderland”  that I had to share it with you.

” Imagine if Tim Burton directed a movie adaptation of Alice in Wonderland.

I just saved you £10. ”

Now that’s quality writing.

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too tight to mention.

February 23rd, 2010 // 4:09 pm @ // No Comments yet

I’ve spent this afternoon worrying. Worrying about what we’re going to do when all the unwanted, broken and surplus gold jewellery runs out. It’s worth thinking about isn’t it? I mean, if you watch the TV, listen to the radio or flip through the quality magazines,  (  Take a Break, Heat, Closer, OK ), the current economy is more or less based on sovereign rings, clown necklaces and broken bracelets.

What happens when there’s just no more gold to weigh in and melt down? Well stop worrying people, I’ve hit on an idea and I reckon it’s just what this country needs to get into the black and out of the red. ( please remember though, there’s nothing in this game for two in a bed. )

copyright andy white 2010

What do you reckon? I think this could be big.

(  Big thanks to Tim Sinclair for his help in making Cash My Spleen what it is today )

Oh, and as a little update. I did a version of it with that xtranormal thing.

Just like Dale Winton isn’t it?  Only more life-like.

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card sharp.

February 23rd, 2010 // 1:20 pm @ // No Comments yet

Hello there you. Sorry for the absence of thatandywhiteblog for the past couple of days but you know how it is. You don’t? Well you should. Enough said.

Over the past few days I’ve been giving some serious thought to business cards. Exactly how important are they? In the business they call “creative” and, as a freelance copywriter, I guess they’re a pretty vital tool. The first sample of your wares in a way so it’s important to get it right. I mean, I don’t want to get all Patrick Bateman about it, but you want to create a good impression don’t you? ( If you don’t get the Bateman reference you really should read “American Psycho” by Brett Eaton Ellis or, to save time, see the film. It’s all a bit old hat now I suppose but it’s still a good read or watch and a lovely “feel good” trip back into the caring, sharing  ’80s … )

Any old hoo, back to business cards. I’ve gathered together a couple of my current favourites and, would you believe it, they’re from Manchester companies. Well,  I don’t get out much these days.

First up, and most badly photographed, ( by me ), is LOVE‘s card. I particularly like it for its “pink porno plasticness“. Those aren’t my words by the way but those of Dave Bevan, top copywriting person of said establishment. It looks cool and what’s more, it has a hole in it. You could pin it on something, hang it from your keyring, even attach it to your latest body piercing. Do what you want with it in fact. I’m not here to judge anyone.

Next up is the rather excellent card from Music, another top notch Manchester design studio. Like the clever rascals they are, they actually make each card from old vinyl records.

image by Tim Sinclair

As cards are needed they’re die cut from an old LP and screen printed to order. So that’s a natty business card, a clever concept and saving the world from landfill in one fell swoop. Cunning devils.

In at number three and perhaps my own personal favourite is DOROTHY‘s beautiful little coin / token / round shiny thing / business card.

image by Tim Sinclair

They came up with the idea of producing something a little different from your usual business card and thus came this. It’s got the feel of a thing to treasure and to keep in your pocket, ( or handbag / purse, it’s an equal opportunity coin / token / round shiny thing / business card ), for a special occasion. Or perhaps to put into a parking meter or slip to a short sighted beggar when you’ve run out of real money.

Whatever you choose to do with it, it’s nice isn’t it?

Anyway, the point, ( if there is one ), of this post is that all kinds of opportunities exist to make you, and your business, look good so why not start at the very beginning? It is, after all, a very good place to start.

( Many thanks to Tim Sinclair for the photographs used in this post. You wouldn’t believe how hard it is to take photos of shiny things. Honestly, it’s nightmarish. )

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Excuse? Me?

February 19th, 2010 // 3:45 pm @ // No Comments yet

Hello there you. I’m terribly sorry but once again thatandywhiteblog can’t be with you in full effect today as I’ve got a bit of a rush job on. However, to keep you occupied why not have a look at what Campaign reckon to be “the 10 funniest TV ads of all time”?  I’m not sure I agree with them completely and I’m not convinced that you will either. Either way it’s something to think about and perhaps to stimulate argument and light fisticuffs between you and your friends and colleagues.

Oddly enough, Campaign’s list doesn’t include this, ( relatively ), new Old Spice ad which I think is fantastic, perhaps it arrived after the list was compiled. Enjoy this first then click on the link below it to get to Campaign.

Campaign’s  ten funniest TV ads of all time.

thatandywhiteblog will return in the very near future with a completely brilliant post that I’m already formulating.

Honestly.

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poet, lorry, hate.

February 17th, 2010 // 2:47 pm @ // 2 Comments

Hello there. Today I feel the need to tackle a particularly thorny problem. Poetry in advertising. Personally I feel that poetry in any form is something that should be left to the experts, not just any old copywriter but a proper poet. You know, one of those people who just writes poetry. No Direct Mail, not the occasional website. Just poems. Day and night.

The whole subject has been thrown into light, for me anyway, by the current  Cathedral City cheese ad. And, oh god, is there cheese involved in this ad. For some reason best known to whoever conceived of this nightmare, the best way to sell us some prepacked plastic cheese is with the aid of Pete Postlethwaite, ( who frankly should know better ), lending his actorly vocal chords to a poem while a traditional cheesemaker’s 18 wheel articulated lorry goes about the business of cheese delivery. Yes, a poem. And I reckon it wasn’t written by a poet but by a copywriter, ( who frankly should know better ). I mean, I have a mate who’s a really excellent painter and decorator but I wouldn’t commission him to do a bit of remodelling on the Sistine Chapel ceiling. So it should be with poetry. Just because you can write a bit of copy here and there and even rhyme things with things, ( see what I did there? ), it really doesn’t mean you should go waving your poems around the place.  Here, see what you think.

Gruesome isn’t it?  You can feel each rhyme being set up and then drawing inexorably closer like a big, runny cheese flan about to be rubbed into your face. The word cucumber gets forced into a shape it really isn’t comfortable with in order to rhyme with slumber and so it goes on, gradually becoming less and less poetic, more and more painful.

Abbey, cabbie. Queues, dues. Able, bagel, Lonely, macaroni. Dinner, winner. May, day. Socks, box. Rippon, Britain.

So I say it again. Leave the poetry to the poets, lest we end up with lines like “cheesey bake was a winner” served up before dinner.

Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I rest my case.

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the railway children.

February 16th, 2010 // 1:46 pm @ // No Comments yet

Hello there. Since I mentioned the new Barclaycard “rollercoaster” ad last week, I’ve  been wondering about that whole “is it/isn’t a remake of an old idea?” question and looking around for other ads that may fall into the same category. However, while I was doing that, Felicity Ford of  The Domestic Soundscape sent me a link to another rollercoaster  idea. It’s a Norwegian ad aimed at encouraging kids to become engineers. It’s new and it’s brilliant. Thanks Felicity.

Sadly, it’s developed a slight problem and isn’t showing properly so click the link below to see it.

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2c9hw_rollercoaster-train_fun

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playaway.

February 14th, 2010 // 1:38 pm @ // No Comments yet

Hello there, as you know, I’ve decided that Saturday and Sunday aren’t really proper blogging days. However as it’s Valentine’s day, I thought I’d just put up some stuff to have a bit of a play with in case you’re not going out spending this special day with a loved one. You know, having a romantic meal, walking hand in hand in the park, playing “pooh sticks” by a beautiful stream or kissing on a windswept beach. Not everyone does that you know. Oh no. *sniff*

Here’s something that’s a bit of a laugh. I actually first nicked it from LOVE’s blog but it’s been a bit tricked up since then with backing beats and stuff. It’s a daft punk console and if you enjoy playing with it for more than 5 minutes, you really don’t deserve a loved one.

Just click HERE

If you feel like expressing your political views, lack of political views or just fancy writing something silly that David Cameron, or better still Malcolm Tucker,  might well be saying, this is fun too…

Click HERE to do stuff.

I may well add more stuff to do as the day progresses. Seeing as I won’t be doing any kissing on windswept beaches. *sniff*

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st. valentine’s day, massacred.

February 12th, 2010 // 12:52 pm @ // No Comments yet

Hello there. As Valentine‘s Day is this Sunday I thought it would provide a suitable theme for today’s blog. I’ve noticed that, perhaps more this year than ever, there’s a very negative feeling to the whole affair. Maybe it’s the credit crunch effect. You know, we’re all skint and here’s another day we can’t afford foisted on us by greetings card manufacturers, confectioners and florists just to prise the last remaining pennies from our weary, undernourished fingers.

It’s a fair point. It is, after all, a day that really was created by the card makers. But I can’t help it, I quite like it. There’s nothing forcing us to buy cards, flowers, chocolates or indeed anything at all to express our love, gratitude, respect or any other emotion to someone we hold dear. There doesn’t have to be a special day to do it either. It is quite handy having a day set aside for such things though, isn’t it? A day where anyone can suddenly get all soppy and/or romantic with someone else and there’s a perfectly good excuse for it. So I, for one, shall be embracing it wholeheartedly. I probably won’t be buying any cards but I may make something for someone, I may make a phone call or two to say something nice. It doesn’t have to be a declaration of undying love, it might just be a “Thank you” a “Ta” or a “cheers”. Whatever it is though, it’s nice to be nice. And it’s nice to have an excuse to be nice.

However, if you’re still in the anti camp, here’s some nice ideas that express your sentiments…

 

 

 

 

 

While I was browsing around the net though I did find a site that I’ve fallen in love with. It’s where the pin cushion

This image copyright of Felicity Ford.

heart that starts this post came from and where this wonderful knitted heart is to be found. The site’s called The domestic soundscape and from what I’ve gathered up to now it’s chiefly the work of a lady called Felicity Ford. I haven’t been all the way through it yet but that’s what I’m going to do now. I think you should too. It’s both lovely and very, very interesting indeed.  It’s also where the heart is.

So, enjoy your weekend and don’t be afraid of being a big softy on Sunday. Ok, the cynical anti-valentine’s thing is a lot of fun.

But being a softy is where the big hugs are at.

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cold feat.

February 11th, 2010 // 2:22 pm @ // No Comments yet

Hello there. Yes, I’m blogging through regardless of my raging flu because that’s the kind of guy I am. Dedicated. Relentless. And a bit bored. This flu has actually given me something to think about too. I’ve been scouring the TV ads to find the flu remedy that’s right for me. There’s loads of them you know but they all seem to be a bit “niche”, if you know what I mean.

I thought I’d give Beechams a shot as that’s  a good old name isn’t it? Sadly I just don’t seem right for them. I’m not a night time DJ preparing for a big show,( and frankly, if I was and a cold and flu capsule started straightening my tie with his little robot arms I’d be inclined to question what I was taking ), I’m unlikely to be doing any sumo wrestling and, since the unfortunate incident at that Sealed-knot society coffee morning, I’m not down for any re-enactments of historic battles. So where to turn? The other brands don’t seem to have what I’m looking for either, I mean, I am a bit chesty but there’s no way I could compare my situation with the trauma of being leapt upon by a bright green mexican dwarf wrestler who’s taken up residence on top of my wardrobe, ( or is that mexican wrestling dwarf?, I’ve always had problems with etiquette in that area ).

No, what I seek seems to be sadly overlooked by the pharmacy companies and advertising agencies. What’s out there for the slightly overweight, middle aged Manchester copywriter sitting in grubby pyjama bottoms and T shirt who has no desire to do anything more strenuous than to get a bit of work done and walk from desk to kettle without blowing his nose three times on the way? Nothing, that’s what.

What I really need is an ad that says something along the lines of, ” If you’ve got a really bad cold and/or flu, this will make you feel miles better for a bit. ”  So I think I’ll try putting something together while I convalesce.

I realise the line needs a bit of work but I’d buy it.

The great smell of…

While I’ve been feeling sorry for myself and just surfing the net I found this. And I think it’s rather good. Humour in men’s smelly stuff seems to be limited to the Lynx, ” isn’t it funny that this slightly weedy bloke is irresistible to beautiful women due to Lynx?” principle lately. This has a whiff of something special about it.

Good, innit?

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