Dear Dove,
You've come a long way from your moisturizing beauty bars and body lotion. For the past 10 years you've set yourself as a beauty ambassador with a mission to make women feel beautiful, and everyone around the world thanks you for that. But we don't want to feel beautiful. We want to be bold. We want to inspire. We want to be taken seriously.
Sincerely,
People don’t stand up against brands. They stand up against the feeling of ownership they feel has been taken away from them. All they want is to feel it’s still theirs, to know they have the power to decide what’s beautiful. And they can. Because brands do not define people. People define brands.
Last week Jerry Seinfeld took the stage at The 55th Clio Awards, the "world's most recognized international awards competition for advertising, design, digital and communications," to be honored for his recent work for Acura, and laughed at the advertising industry instead of making us laugh.
Last week Apple released ‘the most beautiful phone ever made’. Now that the new Apple obsession has arrived, there’s something else that’s going to drive us crazy, and that is discovering how these early adopters will be using the new phones’ features.
When I came out of college, I was an eager spirit ready to take over the world. I had 2 bachelor's degrees from a prestigious European university, a master's degree from the most awarded ad school, and most importantly, I had an indestructible dream of doing something that matters. So when I stepped out into the world, I couldn't understand why I didn't get my dream job straight away.
For anyone who’s seen the film Vanilla Sky, it’s almost impossible to forget Benny the Dog, a dog who fell into a frozen lake and was brought back to life thanks to a new form of technology called Life Extension. The technology offered cryonic suspension to people or large animals after death, while offering additional services such as lucid dreams to keep them dreaming of a non-interrupted living state.
Spring is just around the corner, which means it’s been a year since Advertising Week brought the NYC madness into London Town during the 1st Advertising Week Europe. I still remember the crisp London air as everyone waited in line for Bafta’s doors to open. The long days were filled with inspiration, the sleepless nights with wonder, as the European flair brought people together in an atmosphere filled with promise. No sudden cold, or unexpected loss of a winter coat, could make this experience any less memorable.
Every year’s beginning starts with great expectations. Resolutions are made in the hope of new beginnings as we get ready for what the New Year will bring. When it comes to welcoming a new year, there’s been no anticipation greater than new technologies and digital trends since Apple unveiled its iPhone back in 2007. And although there is a great deal of amazing technological trends coming our way, from wearable technology to delivery drones for your online purchases, 2014 will mark the difference as it points to something greater.
When the city felt it’s first ‘brrr’s last weekend as temperature dropped in the 20s (-2ºC), I knew it was the perfect time to start hibernating, so I began planning the perfect way to remove myself from the dark afternoons by cuddling up with a good book at my favorite coffee spot in town. However, my mood was not swinging towards any of the books I had, so I decided to wander along the isles of the Barnes & Noble until I found the perfect companion.
Times Square, Monday, 8:30am. Who would be running around these streets besides tourists, Elmos, and Mad Men from all over the world? Even more, which industry, besides music and advertising, kicks off a Monday morning at the Hard Rock Cafe? This is why the ad industry is so exhilarating, and Advertising Week is the sort of music festival highly anticipated by ad groupies.
Times Square, 8:30am. Who would be running around here besides tourists, Elmos, and Mad Men from all over the world? Even more, which industry, besides music and advertising, kicks off a Monday morning at the Hard Rock Cafe? This is why the ad industry is so exhilarating, and Advertising Week is the sort of music festival highly anticipated by ad groupies.
The ad industry is a war zone: it’s a battlefield where agencies send their creative soldiers to team missions that entail an endless inner quest for creation which strives to achieve a meaningful human connection, hopeful that their tactics and strategies will lead them to market domination. Ideas die, but the few that survive live a long victorious life as their heroes are celebrated in ceremonies where they are granted medals of honor which we refer to as awards. And as we stare at those shiny trophies that fill up our agency walls, each one serving as a proud reminder of another victorious battle, the one common question comes to mind: to what point were all these battles fought?
As everyone looked forward to summer, May brought us much more to look forward to. New York was filled with inspiring events until the first summer day finally hit the city last week, and here’s a recap for those who might’ve been away in the quest for some early sun rays.
Katy Perry might not want to be “one of the boys”, but when it comes to the advertising industry, it seems like there’s no other way to be present but by wearing a ‘stache. Somehow, our industry developed a gender and — not surprisingly — “congratulations! It’s a boy!” As I look around, I ask myself “where are all the girls?!” Does an industry need to have a gender, or can it just be neutral?
It’s an understatement to say that the first Advertising Week Europe offered a refreshing glance at the latest updates in our industry, and I’m not referring to the snow blizzard that hit the town when we were there. Piccadilly Circus was turned into Madison Avenue as London was hit by four breath-taking days filled with innovative leaders who kept participants at the edge of their seats.