That's Mr Diagonal To You

Saturday's Guardian had an article on "Breaking into Advertising", which describes the IPA's new test to see if you are suited for the world of drumming Gorillas and talking sticks of meat. Well as a copywriter (on placement) and curious individual I took the test. And my results? Well i scored 79 for the lateral part, but forgot to jot down the linear result. Nevertheless the concluding overall result was...High?

This apparently means I'm a high lateral and logical thinker, making me a diagonal thinker. It also means I'm suitable for the world of Advertising. Well I didn't need a test to tell me that. And, had the result been lower, I still wouldn't be deterred. It's what I want to do and no test is going to influence me. Especially one that hands out a certificate after completion of a forty minute assessement, in which you are responsible for marking the second half.

But if you have a spare 40 mins, why not try it out for yourselves. You get a nice piece of paper with your name on it and everything.
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Deja Vu?

Have you seen the recent adverts for Yell.com? Well I think the creatives at Mother have been browsing the archives. Because this is simply a remake of the Argos adverts that starred Richard E. Grant as a highly demanding Rock Star, with a helpful P.A. using an even more helpful Argos catalogue to meet all of his ridiculous demands.

Yell does have some slight nuances. Instead of a funny dated rock star, played by an actual star, we have a posh nancy boy who is irritating in every way. And the Argos catalogue has been modernised to a laptop.

Has it really come to this, a lack of ideas leading to regurgitation?

Good Use Of Old Porn

Check out this viral for Diesel's 30th party bash, excuse the pun. They must have had a lot of fun working on this. Genius.

A Day In The Office

So here I write, surrounded by a sea of A4 and A3 sized paper. Headlines, sentences, words, all ideas, all lost. Just a graveyard of thoughts and me, sat in the middle. Staring into a blank page, waiting for something to happen. Sometimes it does and most of the time it doesn't. But somehow I always manage to get it done on time.

Ah what a life.

Lazy and Boring

Red bull, such an exciting brand. Air races,art exhibitions, musical remix websites, the list goes on. So why the hell did they sign off, such a boring poster. Look at it. It's basically the brief mac'd up. A real opportunity has been lost to do something innovative and cool, just like the product itself. And what really grates me is that any self respecting copywriter spending longer than ten seconds on this poster, would have changed the end line from "Strong & Natural" to "Naturally Strong", it sounds more natural, therefore is naturally stronger.

The Older The Better

Last night my ears were fucked by Metallica. They played a mixture of classic oldies and soon to be classic newies. I loved every moment. I wanted my ears to bleed, but they did not. The 02 arena some how lacked the punch of the mighty riffs from Kirk's and Jame's guitars. But nevertheless, it was a truly special night, where all ages came together from 11 year olds, to 27 year olds, to 57 year olds. And the one thing i learnt last night is; no matter how old you are, playing air guitar while simutaneously going into an epleptic fit is never acceptable. Unless you're listening to Metallica of course.

Are they back? You're damn fucking right they are!

Facebook Sold Out?

I'm sure you, yes you, are aware that Facebook is changing it's user face template. I'm still hanging on there with the old Facebook. Its cleaner, simpler and less intrusive. But due to Facebook's need to please advertisers and make a profit, the people who really count (that's you and me by the way) are getting shunted.

It's a shame, because Facebook was one of the best sites to be used for people to interact with other people, without the interference or anal probing of advertisers.

First Google, now Facebook. Will there be anywhere on the net that people will be free from ads or advertising related content?

By the way have you seen my new clock to the right of the page. Pretty don't you think?

The Cyberspace Grave Yard

The Internet, the final frontier?

Seems these days campaigns come with a pre-bolted ".com". Do brands really need these websites? What value do they add? And how does one advertise the site rather than slapping the URL at the bottom of any poster?

I spend a fair time on the net, and I've never, out of my own free will, gone to the homepage of Branston pickles or Lurpack. Why would i? Why would anyone with a life do so? Nobody in the middle of stalking an ex girlfriend on facebook and scouring ebay for a date, will ever take a time out to explore the world of the brownest and tangiest pickle.

Now give me a reason to visit, something I can engage with, something that improves my life and I'm there.

But what happens to these sites once they have served their purpose? Will they be buried like an Egyptian relic, only to be discovered in 100 years time by our descendants?

Maybe if more thought went into a brand's homepage that goes into their campaigns, the Internet wouldn't feel like a giant reservoir with one or two fish, a few supermarket trolleys and a shit load of floaters (no pun intended).