"What Makes a Nation Rich?"

Max Weber, Montesquieu, Adam Smith, David Ricardo, Wallerstein ... they've all (as many others) offered their views on the subject. Daron Acemoglu from the MIT suggests starting with "free elections" and other kind of incentives and forget the dialectics between geography-weather, religion-culture or core-periphery.

I don't agree entirely with the reductionist "one size fits all" view of the author, nevertheless it's still an interesting article. The link's here for those interested in the subject.

"Let the news speak for itself"

Client: SKY TV
Agency: DDB Auckland

The return of simplicity

"These are the humble makings of a revolution in progress: Macaroni and cheese. Timex watches. Volunteer work. Insulated underwear. Savings accounts. Roseanne. Domestic beer. Local activism. Sleds. Pajamas. Sentimental movies. Primary colors. Mixed-breed dogs. Bicycles. Cloth diapers. Shopping at Wal- Mart. Small-town ways. Iceberg lettuce. Family reunions. Board games. Hang- it-yourself wallpaper. Push-it-yourself lawn mowers.

(...)

After a 10-year bender of gaudy dreams and godless consumerism, Americans are starting to trade down. They want to reduce their attachments to status symbols"


[Source: Time Magazine]

"Airball"

Client: Orange
Agency: Publicis Conseil

"There's more to life than a Volvo"

Reality bites

TV is so full of reality shows, that makes me sick. I wonder is reality becoming more interesting than fiction?

Brands and the best use of Facebook

------ > Here.

"Better Xmas presents, now!"

"Don't people realise that after 90 years on this earth I've enough socks, ties and bloddy bubble bath?"
-- Albert Summers, member of a pensioner's group that is campaigning for better Christmas presents (in Sunday Times)

"Fight back"

Client: Canadian Cancer Society
Agency: DDB

"Turn around"

Client: Barnardo's
Agency: BBH

"Rexona tuning"

"3 Stages"

The material evolution of mankind:

1) Hunter-Gatherer
2) Consumer-Colector
3) Consumer-Swapper

"Crowdsourced" Xmas card

Baldrick Saves Xmas from Baldrick on Vimeo.

"Be simple"

Luke Sullivan from Mediastash.tv on Vimeo.

Luke Sullivan speaks "simplicity" to the students at the Miami Ad school in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

"Food for thought"

"Total minutes spent on Facebook increased nearly 700 percent year-over-year, growing from 1.7 billion minutes in April 2008 to 13.9 billion in April 2009, making it the No. 1 social networking site for the month." -- Nielsen Online

"Trends 2010"

"Showcase Danmark II"

Another interesting use of QR codes.

"Crowd Riding"

Client: Subaru
Agency: Leo Burnett, Sydney

Gatorade "Replay"

Client: Gatorade
Agency: TBWA\Chiat Day

The champion's drink, yesterday, today and tomorrow.

"Noblesse oblige?"

"There's that saying, that one has to suffer to be beautiful, and it's not true, you don't. If you really suffer, it shows on your face - you get wrinkles and a bad posture."
-- Christian Louboutin, Sunday Times 22.11.02

"Esquire: Beyond paper"

"Less action, more talking"

"3 in 10 Chicagoans say they’d give up sex for a year rather than give up their mobile phones, according to a Samsung Mobile survey. 36% of women and 15% of men chose the phone. 30% of those surveyed also said they use their phones for texting more than talking."

-- CHICAGO TRIBUNE 10.6.09

[Via Iconoculture]

"Real Life Adventures"

Real Life Adventures by Gary Wise and Lance Aldrich

"Life's a list"

Life is made of lists: wedding lists, shopping lists, baby names lists, contacts lists, places to visit lists, food we should eat lists ...

"We Like Lists Because We Don't Want to Die", Umberto Eco in Der Spiegel.

"Share a taxi"

"Taxi2": Aother interesting example of "branded utility".

GAP "Upside down"

Inflatable pop culture

"She has no waist, an interesting face, but all we are really worshiping is two bags of silicone."

- Martin Amis on Jordan's boobs

"Learn something everyday"

"Learn Something Everyday"


[Via Dull Neon]

"The human circus"

Guiliano Stroe. Five years old.

The truth is scary

"80% of consumers no longer believes what brands say about themselves"
-- Zenith Optimedia ROI Tracker

Oh the stereotypes

"Stuff white people buy" - a brilliant "stereotypes' Bible" about the so-called white middle-class.

"Food for thought"

Pop culture wisdom at its best: "There are 3 sides of a story: ours, theirs and the truth"

-- Khloé Kardashian

Paint with video

SWEATSHOPPE, 4spots, the landing extras from SWEATSHOPPE on Vimeo.

Recession, inovation and private labels

"Consumer goods were once believed to be as recession-proof as any industry can be. Shoppers might not be able to afford Rolex watches and champagne during a downturn, the theory ran, but everyone still needs staples such as soap and toilet paper. Yet sales have fallen in this downturn, thanks largely to growing competition from stores’ own brands, or “private labels”.

"P&G, which has one of the most high-end brand portfolios of any of the packaged-goods firms, has tried to attract customers by launching “basic” versions of its popular brands. It recently released Tide Basic, which costs around a fifth less than its more upmarket cousin. But taking an existing brand downmarket in this way can be dangerous, analysts say. Consumers are unlikely to revert to the more expensive version if they are offered a similar product for less."

"Another strategy would be to sidestep retailers completely and sell directly to consumers through the internet. P&G’s new boss, Bob McDonald, has alluded to this sort of plan. It could be exactly the type of “game-changer” his company desperately needs."

[Source: "The game has changed", Economist]

"Stay on your feet"

Here's another interesting example of branded utility. In a recession and jobless context, Timberland helps you to "stay on your feet".

"Ageing childhood"

Agency: M&C Saatchi, Paris

"Words"

Client: Orange
Agency: Publicis Conseil

"The Hard Sell"

In a trading-down context, what strategies can retailers use instead of just cutting prices?

[BusinessWeek "The Hard Sell"]

"Homo Digitalis"

[Cheers Armando]

"Madmen on Sesame Street"