the peanut gallery

Ogilvy on copywriting

2012-01-25T11:12:00.000-08:00

David Ogilvy writes a letter describing his ad producing routine to a Mr. Ray Calt. Modesty and rum, the perfect mix. Pinched from Letters of Note.

April 19, 1955

Dear Mr. Calt:

On March 22nd you wrote to me asking for some notes on my work habits as a copywriter. They are appalling, as you are about to see:

1. I have never written an advertisement in the office. Too many interruptions. I do all my writing at home.

2. I spend a long time studying the precedents. I look at every advertisement which has appeared for competing products during the past 20 years.

3. I am helpless without research material—and the more "motivational" the better.

4. I write out a definition of the problem and a statement of the purpose which I wish the campaign to achieve. Then I go no further until the statement and its principles have been accepted by the client.

5. Before actually writing the copy, I write down every concievable fact and selling idea. Then I get them organized and relate them to research and the copy platform.

6. Then I write the headline. As a matter of fact I try to write 20 alternative headlines for every advertisement. And I never select the final headline without asking the opinion of other people in the agency. In some cases I seek the help of the research department and get them to do a split-run on a battery of headlines.

7. At this point I can no longer postpone the actual copy. So I go home and sit down at my desk. I find myself entirely without ideas. I get bad-tempered. If my wife comes into the room I growl at her. (This has gotten worse since I gave up smoking.)

8. I am terrified of producing a lousy advertisement. This causes me to throw away the first 20 attempts.

9. If all else fails, I drink half a bottle of rum and play a Handel oratorio on the gramophone. This generally produces an uncontrollable gush of copy.

10. The next morning I get up early and edit the gush.

11. Then I take the train to New York and my secretary types a draft. (I cannot type, which is very inconvenient.)

12. I am a lousy copywriter, but I am a good editor. So I go to work editing my own draft. After four or five editings, it looks good enough to show to the client. If the client changes the copy, I get angry—because I took a lot of trouble writing it, and what I wrote I wrote on purpose.

Altogether it is a slow and laborious business. I understand that some copywriters have much greater facility.

Yours sincerely,

D.O.

Wiggle wiggle

2012-01-24T11:14:00.001-08:00

I love the interwebs.

The great digital outdoors

2012-01-23T04:06:00.000-08:00

After visiting my Pop in Arizona, and returning to flat Copenhagen, I realize how much I miss the magnificent mountains. They follow you wherever you go in Tucson. At least I can get a digital taste of the great outdoors. Pinched from Minimal Me.

Edible Art

2012-01-22T03:36:00.000-08:00

Digging the sandwich art. Meals imitiate art? Pinched from Low-Commitment Projects.

Domestication

2012-01-20T09:28:00.000-08:00

Jarring Animalia series by Mikel Uribetxeberria. Hope it never comes to this. Pinched from BOOOOOOOM.

Russian style

2012-01-17T07:42:00.001-08:00

And that's how BK broils in Russia. Pinched from Prostituted Thoughts.

Bake it like Grandma

2012-01-15T06:50:00.000-08:00

Grandma's muffin brings all the boys to the yard. Love these. Pinched from I Believe in Adv.

Shit girls say

2012-01-10T04:53:00.000-08:00

It's all true *sniff* (and very funny). See episodes 2 and 3, and the Shit Black Girls Say, here.

Fake tans

2012-01-09T07:11:00.000-08:00

Photographer Reiner Riedler created the Fake Holidays series to challenge holiday making and selling, and our perception of vacations. Where's my self-tanner?

Via Fubiz

Foodie Tunes

2012-01-08T12:00:00.000-08:00

Didn't see this lovely little number in 2011.

Del Campo Nazca Saatchi & Saatchi, Argentina produced a limited edition of a thousand microwave ovens that played your favorite song when the food is ready. The microwaves, which came with a USB port that you could just plug in, sold out immediately and will be made commercially available next year.

Via Creativity Online

Fading

2012-01-07T07:52:00.000-08:00

If people look closely
They'll see that I'm dragging my left ankle
against concrete sidewalks

I've been trying to twist it back into shape
even added peach foundation to hide
weird bruises and a sick ET color
Funny thing is, it doesn't hurt
Feels like carry-on luggage,
heavy and cumbersome

I try to explain the mystery
flipping through my mental rolodex of events
to assign cause and blame
usually the easiest thing to do
when trying to quiet the banging mental monkeys,
is chock it up to a party
attribute it to a blackout that probably occurred
with a fifth margarita in hand, salt lining lips
while sitting on a faded brown couch
with cigarette burns, charred polka dots
Maybe that's when a cocker spaniel bit me

Frothy waves of relief pass over me,
A part of me feels nothing
Can you imagine what that's like?
Not to care, worry about what she or he thinks,
how you're doing at work, where your career is going,
where your life is headed, what to have for dinner,
if true love really exists,
or if it all fades into who will buy the milk or feed the cat,
if you put down the toilet seat, picked up the dry cleaning,
called your parents on Sunday, burnt the roast, exercise enough,
where you came from and where you're going,
and when exactly you're going to exit the building

This ankle, devoid of skin tone, obscenely twisted,
feels dead
death cascades through my veins
like Guatemalan worry dolls surfing on blood
I won't visit my GP
I'd rather not find out what it is,
or fix, cure or soothe it
There's freedom in the rot
The stench reminds me that I am changed

Paris vs NYC

2012-01-06T11:38:00.000-08:00

I've been dreaming of Paris lately, and as a New Yorker in Copenhagen, I found A Tally of Two Cities by Vahram Muratyan right on the money. Nicely done. Pinched from TWBE

One bad ass Princess

2012-01-05T13:00:00.000-08:00

Whistler Film Festival - "Princess"- Spot

Found on the Daily Obsessional

Get some personal space

2012-01-04T06:39:00.000-08:00

Stinky print Ad for Heinz Garlic Sauce placed in the personals.
Made by N=5 Amsterdam.

A scanwich a day...

2012-01-03T06:07:00.000-08:00

A scanned sandwich a day makes me hungry. A Tumblr blog celebrates toasties and bread and filling marriages.

Advice from Granny

2012-01-02T05:40:00.000-08:00

Or rather advice you wish your grandma told you. Chacho Puebla puts his talent and great aunt to work.

Once again

2012-01-01T06:20:00.000-08:00

I still have to write my list of resolutions. They're in my head, and I'll release the tiny voices when I put pen to paper. Here's to making better mistakes in 2012. (Via Share Some Candy)

So long sucka

2011-12-31T05:57:00.000-08:00

Out goes 2011, in comes 2012. May it bring adventure and happiness. (via nevver).

I like gin

2011-12-30T05:28:00.000-08:00

Love this new Aldi ad. Simple, funny, surprising. Nicely done, too bad the rest of the series couldn't keep up.

Original style

2011-12-28T05:42:00.000-08:00

Ad campaign for Shock and Soul by Y&R London. Dig it, but reminding me who wore it last almost makes me not want to rock it. Almost (there's always dry cleaning). Since when has death moved product? Pinched from BLDGWLF.

Merry merry

2011-12-24T06:18:00.000-08:00

(via I'm Remembering!)

Inside the reel

2011-11-30T01:02:00.000-08:00

Another great idea from Canal+. Ads told by story makers...

Long live long copy!

2011-11-29T09:43:00.000-08:00

Killer Kijiji (E-bay's response to Craig's List) Ad selling a snowblower. A powerhouse sales pitch, sent straight to cheering crowds. Yee-Haw. Highlights below, see the entire Ad here.

11HP/29" Snowblower
Price $900.00
Address Moncton, NB, Canada

Do you like shoveling snow? Then stop reading this and go back to your pushups and granola because you are not someone that I want to talk to.

Let’s face it, we live in a place that attracts snow like Magnetic Hill attracts cars, only that ain’t an illusion out there.

Here’s the deal. I have a snow blower and I want you to own it. I can tell you’re serious about this. It’s like I can almost see you: sitting there, your legs are probably crossed and your left hand is on your chin. Am I right? How’d I do that? The same way that I know that YOU ARE GOING TO BUY THIS SNOWBLOWER.

I want you to experience the rush that comes with smashing through a snowdrift and blowing that mother trucker out of the way. The elation of seeing the snow plow come back down your street and watching the look of despair as your OTHER neighbour gets his shovel out once more while you kick back with a hot cup of joe (you don’t have a drinking problem like that other guy).

Here’s what you do. You go to the bank. You collect $900. You get your buddy with a truck and you drive over here. You give me some cold hard cash and I give you a machine that will mess up a snowbank sumthin’ fierce. I’ve even got the manual for it, on account of I bought it brand new and I don’t throw that kind of thing away. Don't want to pay me $900? Convince me. Send me an offer and I'll either laugh at you and you'll never hear back from me or I'll counter.

You want a snow blower. You need a snow blower.

This isn’t some entry level snow blower that is just gonna move the snow two feet away. This is an 11 HP Briggs and Stratton machine of snow doom that will cut a 29 inch path of pure ecstasy. And it’s only 4 years old. I dare you to find a harder working 4 year old. My niece is five and she gets tired and cranky after just a few minutes of shoveling. This guy just goes and goes and goes.

You know what else? I greased it every year to help keep the water off it and the body in as good as shape as possible. It's greasier than me when I was 13, and that's saying something.

You know how many speeds it has? Six forward and two in reverse. It goes from “leisurely” slow up to “light speed”. Seriously, I’ve never gone further than five because it terrifies me. I kid you not, you could probably commute to work with it dragging you.

You know what else is crappy about clearing snow in the morning? That you have to do it in the dark. Well, not anymore! It has a halogen headlight that will light your way like some kind of moveable lighthouse (only better, because lighthouses won’t clear your driveway).

Oh, and since it’s the 21st century, this snow blower comes with an electric starter. Just plug that sucker in, push the button, and get ready to punch snow in the throat. If you want to experience what life was like in olden days, it comes with a back-up cord you could pull to start it, but forget that. The reason you’re getting this fearsome warrior was for the convenience, so why make it harder on yourself?

By this point, you’re probably wondering why I would sell my snowblower since the first snowpocalypse is upon us today. I’ll tell you why: because I heard it was time for you to man up and harness some mighty teeth and claws and chew your way to freedom, that’s why.

This is my snow blower. Make it your snow blower.

Choked-up

2011-11-28T10:37:00.000-08:00

For one reason or another, I've been speechless. Running out of words can mean ruin for a copywriter, luckily (or not), it has mostly been in the private realm. I've had trouble finding the right ones when I most need them. I also had my Google account hacked, but I'll spare you the rant (all five of you:). Lately, I've also resorted to re-blogging, posting the interesting things I've picked up while inside the hive. But I will publish at least one home grown post a week, and hopefully words will find me. I'm back in blogging business.

Get ready to travel during the holidays...

2011-11-20T05:19:00.000-08:00

with these nifty luggage stickers. Makes baggage easy to identify and keeps the authorities on their toes. The right kind of surprise.

Via The Cheeky

Just my type

2011-11-19T12:18:00.000-08:00

Some messages are just better received when wrapped in type. More goodies here.

Snap, crackle and popaganda

2011-11-12T10:46:00.000-08:00

Ron English makes cereal statements.

Modern classics

2011-09-13T12:20:00.000-07:00

Sweet design project, Victory League, celebrates athletes. A modern touch to historical champions.

Getting them to the gig

2011-09-10T12:20:00.000-07:00

Posters to get you in the mood.

Via Typography Served

Public consumption

2011-09-09T07:29:00.000-07:00

Via Vice.

The Wonder Years

2011-09-07T16:36:00.000-07:00

Via Tampax Superstar

All the world's a stage...

2011-09-05T07:36:00.000-07:00

I recognize some exaggerated forms of my peeps in here. Great character sketches.

Via Design Made in Germany

Post the memory

2011-09-04T04:14:00.000-07:00

Sweet decals from Shanna Murray.

Add caption

Via Design Sponge

It's coming...

2011-09-03T04:15:00.000-07:00

Via Made byRadio

Food & sex (rock n' roll optional)

2011-09-02T16:37:00.000-07:00

Great illustrations by Emily Burns.

Stellar Gifs

2011-08-21T10:57:00.000-07:00

Ignacio Torres takes our stardust composition to a stellar level. Nice.

"This project began from the theory that humans are made of cosmic matter as a result of a stars death. I created imagery that showcased this cosmic birth through the use of dust and reflective confetti to create galaxies. The models organic bodily expressions as they are frozen in time between the particles suggest their celestial creation. In addition, space and time is heightened by the use of three-dimensional animated gifs. Their movement serves as a visual metaphor to the spatial link we share with stars as well as their separateness through time.”

Via Bumbumbum

The Good Ol' Days

2011-08-20T06:47:00.000-07:00

NYC subway riders in the 1980s. Some arresting imagery via Flavorwire.

Parks n' Rec doll

2011-08-09T04:29:00.000-07:00

The new edition...

Via Flannel Animal

Before the words...

2011-08-06T04:36:00.000-07:00

...there is ink. Ink bubble drawings by Roland Flexner
Title: Marcel Marceau

Via But does it float

What would Don Draper do?

2011-08-05T04:27:00.000-07:00

Via The Denver Egotist

Disposable expressions

2011-06-20T02:23:00.000-07:00

Keith Scharwath created hand-painted 'disposable communications' signs for his Blah Blah Blah show. Sweet.

Via Design Work Life.

Damn right your Dad drank it

2011-06-16T00:47:00.000-07:00

Digging this retro Ad for Canadian Club. Pinched from Hello You Creatives.

Breakfast interrupted

2011-06-12T12:26:00.000-07:00

Beautiful slow motion Sunday morning ruin pinched from Cover.

BSS | Breakfast Interrupted from Bruton Stroube Studios on Vimeo.

Off your face...

2011-06-11T02:08:00.000-07:00

...and other great work by Sanna Helena Berger.

Top of the world

2011-06-10T03:58:00.000-07:00

Finally, less porn, more awesomeness by American Apparel.

Via Copymatt

Mug shots

2011-06-09T10:43:00.000-07:00

There is something really telling about these 1970s mug shots. Perhaps it's the film, or the moment, people not being quite sure when the photo will be snapped, but something was caught on film. Pinched from These Americans.

Eat this.

2011-06-08T01:53:00.000-07:00

Loving this 12” vinyl platter. Pinched from You Might Find Yourself.

Baaaaahhhhhhh

2011-06-06T12:57:00.000-07:00

The sound of creative tagging during a meeting today.

Not much of a horror show

2011-05-15T11:39:00.000-07:00

These Hoxton Street Monster Supplies are designed beautifully, from concept, packaging, to copy, by We Made This. Lovely. I'd love to buy the cure for a vague sense of unease.

Pinched from Lovely Package

The Genesis of Ideas

2011-05-14T11:44:00.000-07:00

I've loved Rod Serling and the Twilight Zone since I was a little girl. His stories made my imagination soar, shocked me, scared me, took me places. Here's Rod on the genesis of ideas.

"Writing is the easiest thing on earth. I simply walk into my study, sit down, put the paper in the typewriter. I fix the margins, turn the paper up, and I bleed."

Cheeseburger - Cocaine

2011-05-13T12:31:00.000-07:00

Friday the 13th needs some prime NYC rock. (Song from Grand Theft Auto IV Radio Broke).

Fruit types

2011-05-12T08:34:00.000-07:00

Sweet typography project by Garret Steider using fruit and sticky design.

Pinched from Bumbumbum

If only...

2011-05-10T11:38:00.000-07:00

...Facebook icons were like this:

Via Designer Daily

Recovery kits

2011-05-08T11:54:00.000-07:00

Ahhhh. How sweet it is when copy and design create loveliness together.

Workday Recovery Kit: Maximum relief from mind-numbing, morale-destroying, and all around miserable day on the job.

Via Lovely Package

Knowledge Map

2011-05-07T04:31:00.000-07:00

Marian Bantjes created a map which "refers to the "known" beyond which lie monsters." Lovely.

Tumblr of the week

2011-05-06T10:57:00.000-07:00

Dads are the original hipsters. Damn straight.

Dancing pants

2011-05-05T11:58:00.000-07:00

Not sure what this has to do with chocolate, but this latest production from Glass and a Half Full is nicely done. Makes you want to move, not stuff your face with Cadbury's.

Inside fridges

2011-05-04T05:17:00.000-07:00

There's something about looking inside people's medicine cabinets, fridges and even shopping carts that's fascinating and revealing. Digging photographer's Stephanie de Rouge's series, "In Your Fridge".

Via Fubiz.

Everything and nothing

2011-05-03T12:24:00.000-07:00

My fingertips reach
for the bright lights,
tear one off
only to find a Christmas bulb,
small, flickering and out of season

Love looks blinding in the distance,
up close a red blinking sign:
LIQUOR OPEN 24 HOURS
Drunk on a feeling
Choking on bile
A bitter film coats
the back of throats

A sweet rock candy
gone sour from sucking
the color no longer a bright pink
but a dull hospital lime green
Hard, small and beady
it rolls around tongues

Love is blinding
When seen from a distance
The longer you stare at the sun
the less you see
Shadows dance behind closed eyes
Black dots hover

Spots burn like cigarettes
into a light, white fabric,
create crusty black and brown holes
Rips in the world
I hold it up to the light
and look through a portal
A round window facing the sea
A calm, immense blanket
of deep, dark blue
covers everything

Until I am so close
Condensation leaves white clouds on the glass
It waits for fingers to draw initials
A flannel gray sheet
subsumes the present
lifts it with a breeze
and light floods in again
so bright it seems dark
and I’m so close
I see nothing and everything at once

The backside of webpages

2011-04-21T13:23:00.000-07:00

Really digging this new Tumblr - back of a webpage.

Type tunes

2011-04-19T14:15:00.000-07:00

Nice series of typography experiments from Matt Ottdal showcased on CD covers.

Pinched from The Dieline.

The smell of amazing

2011-04-18T02:39:00.000-07:00

Love the new w+k Old Spice spot. Read about the production here. Great work.

Physical tweets

2011-04-17T07:52:00.000-07:00

Really digging this side project by Ted Mikulski posting tweets in physical locations. Perfectly placed 140 character commentaries.

Beautiful

2011-04-16T13:41:00.001-07:00

Newspaper blackout poetry

2011-04-15T06:54:00.000-07:00

Brings new meaning to reading between the lines. See more Austin Kleon poems here.

Fast food prints

2011-04-14T14:19:00.000-07:00

Vintage calorie-free fast food prints by Dale Edwin Murray.

Pinched from design work life.

Lego does the Royal Wedding

2011-04-13T05:52:00.000-07:00

Pinched from Ink.

Punchy copy

2011-04-12T14:18:00.000-07:00

With a name like Punch in the Face, this bottle of wine from Australia is begging for playful macho copy grandness.

Pinched from Lovely Package

100 faces

2011-04-11T03:15:00.000-07:00

100 Portraits, a photography project by Andy Adams and Larissa LeClair, showcases 100 budding photographers and their portraits. See it all here.

Via GOOD

Simply rad

2011-04-10T06:09:00.000-07:00

Look! It's a 3D rainbow...

2011-04-09T06:16:00.000-07:00

...in your hand. Lovely project.

The Blackbird Rider

2011-04-08T06:21:00.000-07:00

I would seriously learn how to play if this baby landed in my hands. Beautiful instrument and design concept.

The Blackbird Rider features an all-hollow uni-body shell setting it apart from any guitar in the world. That is the body, neck, and head are cast in one-piece with the sound board, fretboard, tuners, etc. added to that main component. Forming the main component in one-piece eliminates the weak and sound-absorbing joints associated with standard guitars. This patent-pending construction relies on the incredibly strong and stiff properties of carbon fiber as well as plenty of unique design features to create the strongest, most resonant small-bodied guitar available anywhere.

Via Josh Spear

Flying high

2011-04-07T06:25:00.000-07:00

Beautiful paper plane installation, i fly like paper get high like planes, by Dawn. Her source of inspiration is also poetic.

Dream recommendations

2011-04-03T09:19:00.000-07:00

Modern counting sheep videos to help bring some shut eye. They're weird, eerie and beautifully executed. See Dream Scenarios 1-9 from Help I can't sleep.

Dear blank, please blank

2011-04-02T04:19:00.000-07:00

Sapling Press, in collaboration with the creators of Dear blank, please blank, produced various ironic and humorous cards to raise awareness of their card creation service. Sweet.

Via Fubiz.

Served fresh from the closet

2011-04-01T03:10:00.000-07:00

Katrin Schacke turns gloves into french fries and other delicacies. Imaginative transformations.

Found on Hannah Dollery Creative

Push the button

2011-03-31T01:04:00.000-07:00

Irreverently Skittles.

Forest sounds

2011-03-29T10:54:00.000-07:00

Simple and lovely.

Tap project

2011-03-28T10:37:00.000-07:00

Nice one Unicef.

Via Alla.

Hello.

2011-03-27T13:11:00.001-07:00

Another great project by David Schwen: The Hello Series.

Dog Walker

2011-03-26T10:02:00.000-07:00

Seriously, it's the Craig's List resume of the year. I present...the dog walker.

"I'm not about to take a bath in your foie gras, moneybags."

Cosby does dubstep

2011-03-25T10:01:00.000-07:00

Watch and learn folks.

Spicy

2011-03-24T07:41:00.000-07:00

Folks with time on their hands spice up the shelves at Asda.

Via The Sun.

Gangsta

2011-03-23T13:03:00.000-07:00

Serenading unicorn strikes again.

Life paused

2011-03-22T03:07:00.000-07:00

Lovely photographs by Satomi Shirai.

Pinched from booooooom

Word of art

2011-03-21T05:23:00.000-07:00

Nice work from artist Micah Lexier and poet Christian Bok.

Pinched from the Denver Egotist.

You can't be everything to everyone

2011-03-20T05:32:00.000-07:00

Seen in Budapest airport.

Budapest bound

2011-03-19T05:29:00.000-07:00

Walking around in Budapest, one notices a few things.

Banks have interesting adverts...

"No, no, no. I don't need a bird, just a super savings account."

Just what every bank needs - a man multitasking in a bathtub.

Everyone likes going to the bathroom.

The creepy little bitch party is where it's at.

Creative types

2011-03-18T07:32:00.000-07:00

Digging these new typefaces: Tenshu,Thickset, and Idiom.

Pinched from grain edit.

Meat market

2011-03-17T14:09:00.000-07:00

Great portraits of butchers by Dave Imms. Surreal, revealing, and ominous. More here.

Youtube my Facebook

2011-03-16T08:57:00.000-07:00

Great piece by Cedric Vella and his 1,000 closest friends making music.

Via Beautiful Decay.

Covers

2011-03-15T08:13:00.000-07:00

A few great images of people with album cover heads have been floating around my Tumblr feed. It's the return of sleeve faces.

Maru's not a one hit wonder

2011-03-14T11:50:00.000-07:00

He takes internet fame seriously and has since grown and extended his repertoire. Maru now does cardboard wigs.

Via I might have stole that.

Sliced n' diced pixels

2011-03-13T12:45:00.000-07:00

Victor van Gaasbeek creates pixelated animals. More on Behance Network.

Sliced Pixel from Victor van Gaasbeek on Vimeo.

A dreamy Ferris

2011-03-12T11:03:00.000-08:00

Digging this recut of the trailer for Ferris Bueller's Day Off. It turns this classic into an indie Sofia Coppola-esque film.

Via The Daily What

Roll & Mix

2011-03-11T08:02:00.000-08:00

This elegant design solution combines a pestle, roller and oil bottle. Three food preparation utensils in one by Marcial Ahsayane. Read more at Dezeen.

Some days...

2011-03-10T11:11:00.000-08:00

feel like this.

Mad Hatters

2011-03-09T13:40:00.000-08:00

Alice in Underground Clubland. Animated gifs put the literary drug rumors in motion.

Sign for the times

2011-03-08T10:18:00.000-08:00

Digging the Rétrofuturs project by Stéphane Massa-Bidal. He turns retro cultural slogans into modern expressions. See more here.

Musical Mondays

2011-03-07T10:35:00.001-08:00

There is no chill in here. Fire Monkeys light-up an otherwise dreary Monday.