Court Crandall of WongDoody/LA likes to make movies. He has a story credit on Old School (2003) and was the screenwriter on A Lobster Tale (2006). His latest project, Free Throw, takes Crandall and crew into Compton where high school kids with good grades will compete to win college scholarship money. I discussed the project with Crandall this afternoon. He said, "people say the name 'Compton' and there's a …
Take My Kings, Lose My Crown
The Kings, which left Kansas City for California's capital some years back, may now move to Anaheim or Seattle. But that's not copacetic with one of the city's ad agencies. Amber Williams, president of Sacramento's Glass Agency, told The New York Times, "For us, being from a city that has that legitimacy of a professional sports team is so critical to being taken seriously when we enter a room. The Kings leaving …
Forget Buy American, It’s Time To Buy Local
American Express is advocating for America's mom and pop businesses. I'm glad someone is, although I question the "shop small" call to action. The line is a minimizer, when in fact choosing to shop local and support small businesses--not massive box stores--is a big deal. The new spot from Crispin Porter + Bogusky was unveiled during the Academy Awards last night. …
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Viva la Información
This month, WikiLeaks opened an online shop hawking coffee mugs, bumper stickers and T-shirts emblazoned with Mr. Assange's image. One shirt shows the white-haired Australian dressed as the Marxist revolutionary Che Guevara. "Viva la Información!" it says. Mr. Assange is trying to harness his growing celebrity to raise funds for both his document-leaking Web site and his legal-defense fund. Source: The Wall Street …
See The Problem, Fix The Problem
First-Stop is a new portfolio site for illustrators and photogs. Its aim is decidedly ecological, as First Stop wants to reduce the volume of printed promotional materials in circulation. According to GOOD, First Stop will feature photogs and illustrators on their site, but only when they pledge to significantly reduce the amount of paper promotional items they produce. "The inspiration for the project came from the …
Corn Refiners Say, “Sugar Is Sugar.” What Do You Say?
One of the things I've learned while working in advertising is that the people who make the ads rarely, if ever, question the client's message. It's not viewed as our job to do so. Our job is to convey whatever message the client wants to send. This ugly truth about the business has driven more than one ad man to higher ground. Recently, it drove one of the very best to leave the business. But there are always others …
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Stop Human Trafficking
Young & Rubicam New York joined forces with MTV EXIT (End Exploitation and Trafficking) and music collective Black Iris--featuring Best Coast's lead Bethany Cosentino--to produce a powerful new music video that raises awareness of human trafficking. The song, "When Will I Feel Love," was written exclusively by Cosentino for this project. "The music video tells the story of a girl who is tricked by a man to follow …
Love And Prosperity For All!
Have you been wondering what Alex Bogusky would do with himself after retiring from the advertising juggernaut with his name on it? Well, wonder no more. He's creating a "new capitalist brand" to help us "transition from competitive advantage to collaborative advantage." The brand is called Common. Here's the presentation deck. You can also watch Bogusky present the deck. Introducing COMMONView more presentations …