space station ... can you hear us?

I love chatting to parents on skype. It's a bit like base camp trying to communicate with the cosmonauts deep into space. There are always some difficulties with setting up images, microphones, sending and receiving chat messages ... but it makes you feel closer to home.

things that numbers can not capture. or not?

I am studying for one of those super-useful-mega-boring courses these days: Analysis for Marketing Planning and Decision Making (dubbed Anal Marketing). Currently focusing on measuring the effect of advertising on sales.



On the one hand it's amazing to see how much you can figure out with regression analysis, cluster analysis, conjoint, etc... On the other hand, there is a feeling that there are things that this number-crunching will never manage to capture, i.e. the infitite subtleties of how the human mind responds to persuasion. Or perhaps it can? Is advertising an art, or is it a science?

thoes of u who will not sing u must be playin with ...

... ur own dingaling. ahahaha!!!!

Persil washes whiter ... since always

Went to see the Museum of Brands, Packaging and Advertising in London yesterday. It is essentially a private collection of branded products, although a stunning one, spanning from Victorian age to today.
Interesting to see how many of today's brands were already around over 100 years ago (think Cadbury, Rimmel, ...). Also funny to see how some others haven't changed a whole lot in the past 60 years or so:


(Rolo, ww2 time. The pack hasn't changed a bit since then. Apologies for the poor picture quality)


(a 1950's Polo poster. It was already about mints and holes)


(a Persil pack from the early 50's, with a coupon! wow)

exciting

When someone rises to the challenges brought by the digital media and is able to come up with a simple, well thought through, no-bullshit, relevant solution.

I have posted about Pleon's work before, but here is an update, and a PDF file explaining exactly how it works. I am sure in 10 years from now, if they market it smartly, we will speak of Gianni and his crew as the guys who reinvented PR. Kudos.

disproportion

Hilarious flyer handed out by the police (yes, the police! :) ) last night in the streets of Soho.

I am impressed

With Orange's work (created by agency Poke).



Not only I like how they execute the concept of Unlimited. I also like how easy they make it for people to borrow pieces of content and disseminate them out there. Consumers become co-authors to the brand: that's something a 30 sec tv commercial can not do in a million years. Hats off! (and thanks to Scamp for making me find this)

pop art portraits

Went to see this exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery this afternoon. I am trying to take advantage of being a student with a lot of spare time while it lasts (it won't last).

I was taken back into the age of 'mass consumer culture' for an hour or so, and it was really interesting. I was tempted to look for dissimilarities between that age, and this one now, in which we all strive to find and offer as much customisation as possible. But I couldn't really.


(Andy Warhol, Double Elvis, 1963)


(Mel Ramos, Hunt for the Best, 1965)


(Andy Warhol, Self-portrait, 1964)

whooooo-hooooo!!!!??!!!

Is there anybody out there? who are you people who read this blog? Greek man: what's your name? you seem to come here often. Swiss guy? Swedish chick? is there anybody out there? C'mon, at least you American old lady ... leave a comment.

Or are you all just robots?

London therapy

If you ever are a bit stressed in London, jump on the bus. Go upstairs, sit in the front row and let the city roll past. Very calming. It cleared up my head from all the tension of interviewing.