Cannes Lions

I attended the opening night of the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity yesterday at the Winnipeg Art Gallery and as always, I laughed, I cried, and I asked myself “What the eff did I just watch?”

The biggest WTF of the night was Lady Gaga’s perfume ad: black tar, nakedness, and bondage-clad men galore. I had no idea what I was watching. It reminded me of her music videos, but with no Lady Gaga music. 

To be honest, a perfume commercial didn’t do the big idea justice. The idea of commercialism and provocative art just wasn't gelling this time, unfortunately. 

However, there were many commercials that made up for it. The Carlton Beer ad was perfect—just watch as the burglars and cops go over the hill.

Another highlight was Dove, where I cried, obviously. The sketches were heart-breaking when you see how differently people view themselves compared to how other people view them.

APES had a clever ad, which to me was one of the highlights of the night produced by ad agency Ogilvy & Mather Chicago. It shows what message can be sent when a gorilla and a can of white paint are mixed together.

The last batch of commercials of the night had a mixed response from the audience. Intel and Toshiba teamed together and made a series of videos (more like short films) that had the message “The beauty inside”.

The shorts were interesting to watch, but after almost forty minutes, it felt like way too much.

Visit http://wag.ca/visit/entertainment/film/display,event/521/2013-cannes-lions for more information on where and when you can see these awesome commercials! DON’T MISS OUT! 

An interesting question...

Filming a PSA is hard. 

It’s easy to think of a concept for a PSA, however it’s incredibly hard to think of a great concept for a PSA because, most of the time, PSAs are often heavy-handed or very cheesy.

For my Media Production class we had to film a PSA for a client. My group’s idea was strong, but executing it took a lot of time and patience. Adding music, the first time, made the 30 sec. PSA look like an SNL video short, which was NOT what we were going for at all.

Eventually we had luck though with a music track, and not to sound entitled, but I think we deserve a bonus mark just for that manhunt.

However, a lot of PSAs do miss the mark, and while ours was salvaged and the music complemented our final product, I can say, without a doubt, it’s effin’ hard and I commend the people who do it on the regular.

One PSA, which has definitely stayed with me since I watched it, has to do with bullying. The PSA from France asks, ‘why is bullying okay in schools when we would never condone it in the workplace?’

What an excellent question!

The mentality that ‘kids will be kids’ is an incredibly detrimental notion when compared in ‘Le Monde en face : Harcèlement à l'école’.

It’s an amazing commercial that everyone should watch, especially those who go to school and those who teach in schools, too.

Some of the scenes in the PSA are hard to stomach, but for some kids in school, this is their reality and yet, if this happened in the workplace it would be dealt with by HR and the perpetrators would be fired. 

What we need is an HR department in schools. 

What do you think?

I want those sweeties!!!

If I hadn't been so lazy this week, this commercial would have been perfect to post on Thursday during my ‘Throwback Thursday’ edition of television advertisements.

You see, for my marketing class, we were handing in an integrated marketing campaign to promote condom usage on Thursday and the commercial below would have been serendipitous to post.

Of course I didn’t.

However, let’s pretend that it’s Thursday, the weekend is upon us and it isn’t Sunday when we dread waking up early the next day to start another long week of work/school/exhaustion. Optimism!

Below is a banned commercial from, I believe, France (bons bons?) and it's absolutely hilarious. Although I can see why it was banned—the use of fear tactics is not subtle—but it’s a clever way to get the point across. Especially clever if your mentality is where the very idea of kids resembles the child in this commercial. 

Also, I used to be a nanny, so this situation is something I've encountered many times, and the biggest incentive to deal with a tantrum is knowing at the end of the day you're going to get paid for it. 

The guy in the video, not so much. 

Chocolate couture

Here I am cutting it severely close with a blog post that HAS to go out Thursday.

Typical.

However, I had promised my advertising version of “Throwback Thursday” would be a constant on my blog—and damn to hell if I don’t keep one promise here!

Kate Moss hologram

This week, I’m dedicating it to chocolate—which is fitting since it’s Halloween after all.

In 2010, Cadbury came out with one of the most beautifully crafted commercials I had ever seen. It was high fashion, pure indulgence, and utterly ethereal.

Video maker Baillie Walsh directed the Cadbury commercial and had previously worked with the late fashion designer Alexander McQueen to create a hologram of Kate Moss during McQueen’s 2006 Autumn/Fall collection.

The billowing fabric, the arms trailing—both are haunting. The commercial resembles the hologram image of Moss, and the similarities between the two are striking. For me, this aspect provides the only real criticism I have regarding the commercial. Otherwise, I’m totally enthralled for that minute.

You will be too.

 

The romance, the drama, the love: Chanel No. 5

I meant to write this a while ago. I actually meant to do one every Thursday because it’s such an awesome idea—you know, if I had to describe it in one word.

It’s a “Throwback Thursday” version for advertising! Cheers!

I don’t need to state the truism that there has been some awesome advertising in the past. But on Recoco, I wanted to put my favourites.

My goal is to be consistent with this in the future because I’ve run out of decent-looking baby pictures to upload on Instagram—my priorities have now shifted.

To start off, I will show you my inaugural submission to this category—it’s an oldie but a goodie.

It was the commercial that initially piqued my interest in advertising. A perfume advert for Channel, which also happened to feature Nicole Kidman who had stared in my favourite movie ever: Moulin Rouge.

Not to mention it was directed by Baz Luhrmann, who directed Moulin Rouge also.

So I admit, I may have been wearing rose-coloured glasses while watching Kidman channel her inner ingénue in Chanel couture. 

Heck, I may still be wearing them, but this is an awesome commercial—I don’t care! Enjoy the romance, the drama, the love with Chanel No. 5.

Fat-shaming Melissa McCarthy

There's no doubt that Melissa McCarthy looks beautiful on the cover of ELLE.

However, there's been some considerable controversy regarding whether ELLE covered up the star's body in an oversized coat.

Right now oversized fall coats are all the rage. I see them everywhere—the mall, online, catalogues—and it appears that even the tiniest of women are enjoying the current trend, too.

The question remains though, that in the context of Melissa McCarthy and the fact that ELLE’s issue also has other female cover stars wearing less, was McCarthy treated differently because she’s bigger?

Perhaps.

Reese Witherspoon appears in a black Versace cutout dress, Shailene Woodley is dressed in a bathing suit, and Penelope Cruz is shown pushing her hair back to reveal a bare face.

At the same time, we should also ask what Melissa McCarthy thinks. It’s unfair to assume that she’s as equally unhappy as those who are reacting critically to the cover.

Each one of these women is at different stage in their life, too: Woodley is an emerging star, Reese Witherspoon is a veteran, and Cruz, while also a veteran, is pregnant as well.

McCarthy is known for comedic roles. The roles are often atypical of female comedians, and when she delves into a role you are reminded of Jim Carrey, Mike Myers, and Steve Buscemi because what she’s doing is so groundbreaking.

The roles are not sophisticated—think Bridesmaids—but that’s why she’s so great. She’s breaking down gender norms for female comedic roles.

The cover of ELLE may have been a way for her to relish in her femininity. This is assuming that fashion shoots are as glorious as they sound—she was probably having fun picking clothes out of one of the best couture closets ever.

Therefore, I commend her for her ability to transition so easily between what is considered the gender norms for males and females. I find that women are so uncomfortable with lowbrow humour, and yet we can laugh when men scrape the dirt with it.

Many believe that ELLE is fat-shaming McCarthy by putting her on the cover with an oversized coat, and given the context of other stars who’ve been put on covers and made to look slimmer—I agree.

However, I also believe that if it were a male on the cover in a bulky coat, it would just be about him and not about his weight.

That’s the difference we constantly rely on between male and female celebrities.

Is criticizing her cover taking away from the beauty of it? Are we a part of the fat-shaming, too?

Those are difficult questions and there’s a strong argument from both sides.

Personally, I don’t want to take McCarthy’s agency away from the cover where she reportedly picked out the coat and felt the experience “was kind of amazing”.

She’s one of my favourite actresses, especially when she hosts SNL, and it’s unfortunate that half of the stories written about her are either criticizing or defending her weight.

It doesn’t surprise me that this would be a part of the narrative of her celebrity. 

What do you think?

What did the fox say?

I’m obsessed with Howard Gossage. I adore his sense of humour, and his ability to come up with surreal promotional ideas that involve winning a kangaroo and mailing in for “pink air”.

In class, we were given the opportunity to make a Gossage-inspired ad for The Bay.

I’m also obsessed with The Bay.

However, thinking like Gossage is a lot harder than I anticipated. It’s so easy to fall into the trap of taking one of his ideas and applying it to the fit The Bay’s criteria. Therefore, I avoided Gossage-isms at all costs: no winning a kangaroo and no receiving a balloon of pink air.

My original idea was to revert back to the fur trade. However, that has a whole list of past and present negative connotations, despite it being a part of Canada’s rich history.

You’re welcome, PETA.

Instead, I thought: What did the fox say?

Well, he said nothing. He ran away.

My ad focuses on the case of the missing fox from The Bay’s coat of arms, and what the moose would do without him. I tried my best to find a vintage picture of the fox, but no such image exists unless it’s severely pixilated. Therefore, I use a modern version of the coat of arms—and luckily it still works.

Enjoy!

#MyDunkin

Apparently I need to be tweeting more about food. Dunkin’ Donuts is featuring two consumers in a national commercial after they tweeted positive comments about the products.

If any poutinerie wants my adoration/admiration/sweet lovin’, let me know. I will gladly tweet/share/Insta everything in my power.

But how awesome is that? I think it’s a fantastic way to incorporate and engage consumers with their brand. Not to mention it’s an exciting way to promote the brand through social media. It’s the best giveaway ever.

The two 30-second commercials will debut on Oct. 14, and Dunkin’ Donuts is calling this marketing strategy #MyDunkin.

I’m excited to read what the critics will say about this initiative.

Will the commercials work?

Will it win any awards?

A Cannes Lion, perhaps?

We’ll see come Oct. 14.

Also, again, I would love if a poutinerie did this. I would hashtag everything #My[Poutinerie name].

Jus’ sayin’.

"Moments so perfect..."

I wrote earlier about the Chipotle and True Move H commercials, which have everyone in a tizzy over how compelling, emotional, and controversial they are—which is warranted, these commercials are great.

However, I forgot to mention one of my favourite commercials this year that I discovered while waiting for my dad to give up the TV.

It was serendipitous that the OMEGA Co-Axial Chronometer commercial came on during the break from the U.S. Open (or some type of Open— it's irrelevant). 

“There are moments so perfect, you’d hardly think they were made by humans”

OMEGA takes you on a mechanical tour, and I enjoy the futuristic, utopian characteristics it includes. Very clean, very surreal, and the music “Smiling” by Harry Gregson (but more aptly titled “Tears of Joy”) is a perfect choice that holds the commercial together. It’s dream music, light, soft, and complementary to the graphics.

The graphics remind me of the old Olympic game icons that represented the athletes: lean and strong. I'm assuming these robotic people were meant to look strong and unbreakable—a symbol of the watches endurance, and perhaps even the OMEGA brand itself.

There was also a flame that looked suspiciously like the Olympic games flag during the cycling race, so maybe I’m on to something!

Now watch “the most perfect mechanical watch movement in the world”:

Are we emotional, now?

I’ve seen a lot of good advertisements lately. Well, a lot of good television advertisements.

Chipotle released their anti-mass food production commercial "The Scarecrow" to the tune of Fiona Apple’s cover of “Pure Imagination”—a haunting tune from the 1971 film “Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory”.

It's fantastic.

What I like about the ad is that it doesn’t try to shove the Chipotle brand down your throat; instead, it’s addressing the ramifications of mass food production by imagined competitors.

The style of the ad is similar to Chipotle’s ad last year, "Back to the Start", which won the Cannes Lion International Festival of Creativity’s top award.

One of the defining characteristics of these ads, much like the style, is the song choice. Last year, it was Willie Nelson’s cover of “The Scientist”. His raw voice, sounding weary and exhausted, encapsulated the commercial’s message that animal farming was heading in a detrimental direction for the environment and society.

Ready to bawl?

The second ad is for the phone company TrueMove H.

It begins with a young boy, who has stolen painkillers from a pharmacy and is chased out onto the street by the owner. A man from a nearby café witnesses the confrontation and comes to the boy’s aid. He pays for the medicine and has his daughter give the boy some veggie soup as well.

Years later the man from the cafe collapses and is taken to the hospital. As the daughter looks over the hospital bill, she realizes she can’t afford the costs. In desperation, she puts her house up for sale.

The next day at the hospital, she sees that the bill has been paid for. The commercial then reveals that the boy who stole the medicine ended up becoming a doctor and has paid for everything as a thank you for the painkillers and veggie soup.

The tagline: “Giving is the best communication”

Can I get a loud, collective “AWWWWWW”?

Officer Sundae

I wouldn’t consider this story a civilian’s commentary on our police force—it’s more in the league of “you had to be there”.

My friends and I were eating ice cream at Sargent Sundae around 10:30 last night—our lives are TOO exciting. However, the reason for this late night ice cream run was to satisfy my friend’s ice cream itch before he heads back to Toronto despite the fact that he’s lactose intolerant.

After grabbing a pumpkin spiced soft serve, a banana split, a chocolate sundae, and a dip cone, we headed to the tables outside to eat, talk, and make jokes that only we find terribly funny.

Soon after sitting down though, a police car’s lights goes off on Portage Avenue, and both police officers step out and begin shouting.

Back at the table we look at one another, gleefully.

We get up from our seats and circle around, crossing the street to stand in front of Joe Black Coffee Bar because we want the best seats in the house.

The cops have their guns out and are telling the driver and passenger to stay in the car… and I swear… they said something along the lines of “and no one will get hurt!”

Is that a police cliché I heard???

Anyway, three other cop cars soon show up, and the driver emerges from the car.

Now, stereotypically I was expecting a man in his mid-twenties, possibly wearing a baggy sweater and pants, which hang below his butt, but no, it was a girl and she was wearing this cute flowery sundress. I debated whether going afterwards and asking her where she bought it.

My friends and I chuckled at the sight—all these police officers and a girl who could probably fit in their pocket— but we assumed it was just protocol to ask for this much backup.

My friend Emily then proceeded to take a selfie with her phone, the cop car’s lights flashing behind her. We all concluded she should hashtag it an “inconsiderate” selfie.

If you’ve ever watched the finale of Gossip Girl, you’ll understand when I say the ending to this saga was severely underwhelming. The cops all went back to their cars and drove off, leaving the girl to get back into her car and wait till her heart stopped pounding.

We all sighed in disappointment, still unable to determine the cause for this controlled chaos, however it did discredit our theory that this was just an excuse to all get together for ice cream at Sargent Sundae.

The Recoco era

Summer :'(

I meant to start this post last Monday as a sort of countdown towards the first day of my last year in Creative Communications. 

However, as was the theme this summer, I procrastinated, and now I'm starting this post with only the weekend separating me from the end of the holiday.

Sigh.

Nonetheless though, I'm excited to start school. I'm excited to start my Independent Professional Project (IPP), I'm excited to see my peers, and I'm excited to debut the new theme of my blog!

One of my biggest criticisms for my blog was the lack of direction I had during the previous year. Seriously, if you go through the archives you'll see what I mean: movies, cats, books, poutine, Harry Potter dinner parties... it's a hot mess. 

Luckily for me, I had a surge of inspiration after visiting the 100 Masters at the WAG. My friend Nick and I were looking over an art piece by François Boucher called “The Wooden Shoes”, which depicted a couple in the forest feeding cherries to one another. In the description of the piece, it described the painting as being part of the Rococo era, an art movement that moved away from the typical French paintings at the time that were politically driven. Rococo art was made to be elaborate, playful, and humourous—similar to the themes I want to convey in my blog, particularly focusing on my life in Winnipeg.

Therefore, I will leave you with a link to my article in the Winnipeg Free Press where I talk about one of my favourite places in this beautiful city: Naru Sushi. Enjoy.

Eat and greet

We're not in Hogwarts anymore...

This is a little late, but the first trailer for The Bling Ring was released starring everyone's favourite former witch: Hermione Granger aka Emma Watson.

The movie is directed by Sofia Coppola, who has directed such fine films as Lost in Translation, Marie Antoinette, and The Virgin Suicides (all of which I adore).

The Bling Ring follows a group of young materialistic capers, who rob celebrity homes like Orlando Bloom, Paris Hilton, and Lindsay Lohan, and taking off with hundred of thousands of dollars worth of jewellery, shoes, and clothes.

Smart.

However, they are all eventually arrested and will probably serve a lot of jail time for it. Here's the trailer:

Stay golden

metronews.ca

Poutine makes friends.

At least it did in my case. 

Yesterday, my friend Kat and I had a craving for poutine midway through the afternoon. With less than 10 minutes between classes, we decided to rush out into the frigid April air towards the one and only Goldies Fries near campus. 

Now, this was my first time ever heading to the iconic food truck, and neither Kat nor I realized this is a cash only establishment.

Rubbing our hands up and down our arms, we reached the window, the music blasting outside. Darryl Leiman, the owner, opened the window and told us this devastating information.

Kat and I looked at each other. What were we going to do?

Then Darryl asked us what we wanted.

I thought, I had 25 cents in my pocket I could maybe, possibly, afford a package of ketchup.

“What do you want?” He asks again.

"Poutine," I tell him, meekly. 

He smiles at us, “onions?”

I look at him in shock, but shake my head.

He tells us we can pay him back on Monday and closes the window.

I turn to Kat. A disbelieving smile crosses both of our faces. Today is a good day.

Leiman opens the window and hands us the poutine. We exchange names and express our utmost gratitude. We tell him we’ll be back on Monday.

This reaffirms one of Winnipeg’s best attributes, I say. One I often dismiss when talking about where I come from. Although we live in a city with over 700,000 people, it never feels that way. I often see the same people out on a regular basis. I run into teachers, friends' parents, and old acquaintances often. It's reminiscent of a small town, really. 

And that's what I enjoy most about Winnipeg.

Darryl Leiman spotting Kat and I at his own business is a small town experience because it's based on an honour system. He knows we'll be back.

Of course.

Wake up, happy.

What's better than waking up happy?

This Thursday from noon to 4 p.m. at The Roblin Centre (Red River College's Princess Campus), STIR magazine is launching its inaugural issue at the annual Magazine Trade Fair. 

 

STIR magazine is all about weekend morning food, fashion, fitness, and fun—everything that makes you feel good from the time you wake up till the rest of your day begins.

Our booth will have coffee, banana bread (right from our issue’s recipe page), and other morning delights for you to enjoy while reading our magazine.

Not to mention we have an amazing photo contest that’s super easy to enter— and here’s what you could win: Sephora make up products, a $25 Cha Cha Palace gift card, a $50 Hermanos Restaurant & Wine Bar, and a $50 CarnavalBrazilian BBQ.

Visit our Facebook page for more information.

See you there!