Inspired by teenage romance comics from the 50s, here’s something for Valentine’s day!
But what should our heroine Sophie do next? Vote on Facebook for your favourite ending…
Tales from an ad agency
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The new year brings Positive Vibes
January can be a depressing month. Fading Christmas memories, foul weather and failed resolutions can all make for a gloomy outlook. However, rather than starting off the new year with a long list of resolutions, perhaps it’s better to take things one step at a time and start with some positive thinking.
At PLBR, we kicked off the new year by harnessing the power of positive thinking to help teenage cancer patients.
We entered the eyeforpharma Mobile Health Competition, which challenged us to develop an idea for a mobile phone app to help teenage cancer patients through the tough times.
We wanted our app to speak directly to patients and inspire them to connect with one another, share experiences and, above all, remain positive. We believe that our app, Positive Vibes, does just that by encouraging people to join an online support network – the Positive Vibes Loop. Once part of the Loop, members will be able to send out vibes to everyone else in the network, and receive them back. Positive vibes can be anything from funny video clips or blog posts to simple messages of support.
Positive Vibes is a place to be social, but it’s also a great information source. For example, if a user has a question related to their disease or treatment, they’ll be able to ask members of the Loop. There will always be someone on hand to provide support when it’s needed.
View our entry below and find out more about Positive Vibes:
The competition attracted almost 50 entries from pharmaceutical companies, advertising agencies, carers and even patients themselves. A ‘Global Superpanel’ of judges, made up of teenage cancer survivors, then whittled the entries down to a shortlist of the top 10 apps.
We were thrilled to hear that Positive Vibes has made the shortlist, which is now open to public voting until 23rd January. After this date, the three entries with the most votes will be reviewed by the Global Superpanel and the winner of the Mobile Health Competition will be announced.
The winning entrant will receive $5000 to be donated to a cancer charity of their choice. The winner will also have the opportunity to see their entry developed into a real app.
It’s all for a great cause so we’re calling to you for help. If you love our app as much as we do, please vote for our entry and help us turn Positive Vibes into a reality.
Check back here after 26th January to find out how we get on.
With all apologies to the Bing Crosby estate…
We’re dreaming of a white Christmas
Working through crisp white flakes of snow
Wrapped up in scarves and mittens
Our team will listen
To hear the light trill of the ‘phone
We’re dreaming of a white Christmas
The traditional festive scene
With snowballs flinging
and snowmen grinning
While we complete tasks in between
We’re dreaming of a white Christmas
Before we head home to our kin
For turkey and brussels
with tipsy aunts and uncles
From whom we hide the sherry and the gin
We’re dreaming of a white Christmas
Seems the perfect way to end the year
Some time spent relaxing
Attempting nothing taxing
Spent with those that we hold dear
We’re dreaming of a white Christmas
With every e-card that we send
To all our clients, colleagues and friends
May this year reach a prosperous end
Publicis Life Brands Resolute would like to wish each and every one of you a joyful holiday season, and a very happy New Year. We look forward to speaking with you all in 2012.
The easiest way to undermine your brand
Brand Managers spend countless amounts of time, money and effort creating detailed marketing and tactical plans for their brands. Hours are devoted to workshops to determine the brand’s essence, core values and personality. The briefs are written and distributed to agencies across the land who’ll beaver away to create a need, and then ultimately satisfy the eager public with a nice, big launch. All is well. Or is it?
Introducing the typo. A single word spelt incorrectly. All of those hours undone. Imagine you’re a carnival planner. Surely as a consumer you’d think twice about going to the carnival if you saw this sign? Or what if your local police force sent an email to you about preventing break-ins – would this garner your trust? Even though there’s a school of thought (note the spelling here) that suggests language evolves through typos, these mistakes are pretty extreme. But they happen.
Everything communicates
In one of my first lectures as a marketing student, I was told ‘everything communicates.’ At first it seemed obvious – after all, that’s what we wanted to do. However, I learnt that ‘everything’ even included times when we weren’t saying anything – “why the silence? Is it a bad brand?” – and when there were typos.
‘Everything communicates’ is a philosophy I have stood by, and it continues to work well. It’s a benchmark for all marketing strategies and tactics, and can simplify a sometimes unnecessarily complex discussion.
In the world of celebrities, individuals have become brands. And it’s not just celebrities. Arguably every professional wants to look after their own, personal brand. So what about that hasty email to a client? Or that brief sent over for their approval? What could they say about your personal brand? A single typo can undo all respect your client has for you – now you’ve got no attention to detail, no interest in double-checking anything for them and a lack of pride.
It may seem like over-kill, and it probably is, but it could be worth thinking twice about where that apostrophe really should go next time you hit send. You’ll be doing a world of good for your brand. All of them.
Christmas’ most wanted
At this time of year when we all want to be safely ensconced within the bosom of our family and friends, here’s a cautionary tale. Having been the victim of crime during the festive period I thought I’d post a photofit. Here’s an individual, who has year-on-year entered my property, hoofed my mince pies and had a pop at my finest bottle of brandy. To add insult to injury, he has left all manner of assorted tat under my Christmas tree and trodden reindeer poo into my carpet. Now I want payback ‘Oi, St Nic, this year you’re nicked!’
Please circulate this image and remember vigilance pays, bah humbug!
Janek, PLBR Art Director
The Penultimate Paradigm of the Century! 11.11.11
Nearly eleven years ago we celebrated the start of a new Century and a new Millennium.
Over this time we have possibly got a bit tipsy, fought, loved and prayed on a set of dates of which only a dozen exist in each Century.
1.1.01
2.2.02
3.3.03
4.4.04
5.5.05
6.6.06
7.7.07
8.8.08
9.9.09
10.10.10
11.11.11
12.12.12
… And we are approaching the penultimate one!
A few loose facts!
11.11.11 is a paradigm meaning it is numerically repetitive and forms a pattern. 11.11.11 can be a colour reference – grey I believe. 11.11.11 is a primary numerical phenomenon which Google has demonstrated on many of its search pages; and would you have guessed a spooky film to be released on the 11th November 2011. Or, as perhaps one prophecy might add – the END OF THE WORLD.
Whether 11.11.11 marks the end of the world or a grey day, I urge you to celebrate… THE PENULTIMATE PARADIGM! Wear a paradigm outfit, hop for 11 minutes, sing for 11 minutes, dance for 11 hours – get involved and share it! Do what no man or woman (since 1911) will do (until 2111).
If you’re lost for inspiration here are some tips:
- 11 cream crackers in 11 seconds
- 11 tiered cake with 11 candles
- 11 legged race
- 11 hours of silence
- 11 hours of singing
- 11 hours of hopping
- 11 letters to friends and/or strangers
- 11ses – tea and cake at 11mins past 11 (remember the 1 minute silence at 11am)
- 11 good deeds
- 11 photos
- 11 comments on this blog
So there it is, 11 ways to enjoy your PENULTIMATE PARADIGM.
Not only is the 11th November 2011 the PENULTIMATE PARADIGM OF THIS CENTURY but it is also Remembrance Day, also known as Poppy Day. I know I for one will be pulling out my red outfit and buying a poppy or 11.
Finally, if you are going to be 1, 11, 111, 1111 on this day then Happy Birthday and I think you are very special. Especially if you are 1111!
PS for those that may not have done this, if you re-read this blog and imagine the voice of ‘our Graham’ from Blind Date or the voice of Big Brother, to read the words in caps it will make it more dramatic. A better read for you.
Win a year of your life
A few months ago we blogged about a competition involving the new Justin Timberlake movie called In Time, and promised to come back with an update, so here we are.
To quickly summarise, earlier this year in May, a couple of A-level students named Ewelina and Kasia came into our studio for a week to work on a brief. The brief, set up through the Ideas Foundation, Metro newspaper and 20th Century Fox, was to promote In Time, a new science-fiction thriller starring Justin Timberlake. The film is set in the future, where time has become the ultimate currency. In this future, medical advances allow people to live forever, but only if they can afford it.
We showed the girls how we tackle briefs that come into the agency and helped them develop their ideas, which they then presented to a panel of judges. Their winning idea was to promote the movie by offering readers the chance to win a year of their life in time.
The film hits cinemas next week and is being heavily promoted at the moment. Today’s Metro features a wrap-around promoting the film and the ‘win a year of your life’ competition that Ewelina and Kasia came up with. It’s a fantastic idea and a worthy winner and we recommend that you get involved and win some time!
