advergirl

The family sports car

I've noticed that publishers and advertisers have managed to make pregnancy look hot (less the swollen ankles and vomiting, of course); so, the next challenge can only be making the diaper-bag-toting, exhausted, mother-of-a-two-year old hot, too. Game on.

Client: SEAT Altea
Agency: BBDO?

Found at: Twenty Four

Much better than another free pen...

It's the yoga straw by Leo Burnett. Delightful.

Found at: Metamike's metablog

Columbus' giant iPod

Drat. Scooped on actual local news by a national feed. How often does something blog-worthy actually happen in cBus anyway?

And, sadly, as I've been trapped in the 'burbs all weekend, I can't even speak to it firsthand, but local rag Alive (via MacDailyNews) is buzzing about a giant iPod smack in the middle of downtown.

The music is a live feed and synched with a tini little pod at the pub HQ. Peds can even go online to check out the song they just heard and vote for their favorite.

I believe this music monster replaced the very buzz-worthy Mini Cooper billboard featuring a diecast car in a slingshot with the tag "Goliath lost." That particular installation had huge fans. (Agency: Taxi?)

In related news - downtown is really becoming an advertiser's paradise. From the Nationwide "Life comes at you fast" buses to the huge billboards to a planned  "Times Square" development at Broad and High, our local agencies should be loving this ad-guy-friendly haven...

Found wallet

Wow, I like this a lot better than the questionable trash cans. Getting down to the very guerilla level, a newspaper (similar to a Wall Street Journal) in Sao Paolo scattered wallets around the city, each containing a sticker that said roughly - "You found the wallet. Now find out how to fill it"

Found at: MIT Advertising Lab

Grey's World Market spot

Anyone know where I can find it online? I've tried all of the usual sources ... no luck.

Might be wrong about the agency. But, this is the retailer.

Bank of New Zealand: Piggy Bank

Sometimes it's ok to be derivative if you're this flat out delightful.
Agency: Y&R Auckland

WWJ ... download?

There are so many odd things about this site, I'm not sure where to begin ... but, mostly, I'm just wondering if Apple will enforce its IP against a church.

Agency: M&C Saatchi Auckland

(I did find this somewhere, but by the time I went through all my Newsgator mess and closed out, I flat forgot ... maybe one of the Ad-something-something blogs?)

Found at: Hidden Persuader

Stop music piracy

Copy: Nothing great comes easy. Please respect artists. Stop music piracy.

Agency: TBWA
Found at:  Ad Arena

Cadbury billboard

Sold.

(Damn, where are my quarters for the vending machine?)

Distracted by: Found at: Peanuts

More at James' Flickr

Treasure Hunters: "Cheap is good"

I'm just heading out of that age group plagued by competitive consumption - first house, best job, nicest car, trendiest furniture... sometime in the early 30s, people fall out: the ones who were leading the packs of their college friends (and thus will likely have to do so forever) all the way down to those that just blew it and are done trying (that's me!).

So, I'm having a hard time seeing this growing consumer trend that's been hitting the news all over: treasure hunters.

I love this phrase in BCG's paper:

Today everybody loves a bargain, and people boast about the low prices they pay. You feel smart to spend the smallest amount you can, no matter how wealthy you are. It used to be that the janitor would drive an old Cadillac to show he had class. Now the Mercedes-Benz driver shops at Target to show she has smarts.

And, this is the telling stat: Aldi - the world's leading hard-discount retailer for food and household goods is the third most respected brand in its German homeland - right behind Siemans and BMW.

I think Target is in a pretty close respect parallel in this country. But, if the trend continues, I could see a Big Lots - morally unambiguous, unlike a Walmart - really taking a leap in brand awareness and aspiration.

A couple of other motivators and drivers:

• Nearly two out of five shoppers (39.4%) said they "save a lot in some places and splurge in others".
• 71% said "it makes me happy" when they purchase an item because it's good value for money. More than half (59%) said "it's exciting" and the 51% said "it feels like I'm on a treasure hunt";
• Most consumers (92.3%) said they tell people about their successes - and how much they paid - when they get a great deal on something special to wear or for their home;      
• Almost three-quarters (73.3%) of Americans said they had purchased an item that they didn't need at the time, simply because it was good value for money;      
• Three-quarters (75.1%) said they believe "cheap is good" in some categories.
• Almost two-thirds (64%) of Americans said there are more places now than there were five years ago to find real value for money when shopping;
• 73.1% of Americans identified themselves as "savvy shoppers".

Read the studies:
Cheap is Good
Treasure Hunt