My Favorite Campaign: TAP PROJECT

Advertising is EVIL right? WRONG.

My favorite ad campaign every created was recently re-brought to my attention and I am feeling more inspired than ever. Bring on the dark-hole economy. I am not giving up on advertising if it means one day doing something this worth-while.

The TAP PROJECT began in 2007 with the support of UNICEF and 300 restaurants in NYC with the aim of raising awareness and funds to bring clean water to children in unfortunate countries.

They asked restaurant patrons to pay ONE DOLLAR for the glass of tap water that they normally receive for free. This $1 would provide a child with 40 days of clean water, or 40 kids a day of clean water.

World Water Week was institutionalized as March 22-28 in order to raise awareness. To date, over 2,300 restaurants have joined the now GLOBAL campaign to stop water related deaths among children.

Talk about an ad for goodness sake.

If you think you want to participate in this campaign, find out which restaurants in your city are participating here.

The logo is simple...

... yet the goal is simple too. Save lives. I really like the water vibrations around the glass... possibly symbolizing the GLOBAL following and impact they hoped the campaign would gain.

Learn more. It's amazing:

I am so entirely inspired by this and thinking big, thinking people,
thinking for the better.
Watch out world, some of us actually want to bring some peace.

Personal Plug: Plus1TV.com

Plus1TV.com  is an online site that provides 5 minute long video content in 4 areas (HUMOR, FILM, FOOD and MUSIC) with the aim to enhance your offline life.  They are produced by Plus1TV, aka this is no youtube wannabe.  Being online, "there's always something good on."

This is my client for Adlab, Boston University's on campus advertising agency.  We work for REAL clients and deliver top notch work for a minimal price.  

The site is in the midst of releasing the webisodes for the new show BarCraft with Eastern Standard's Jackson Cannon: CLICK HERE TO SEE.   

If you like something on the site, or another show, and want updates, opportunities to win (like the $200 you could get for watching BarCraft) and the privilege of leaving comments, register for the site HERE.  You could be their next 'Plus1' (like on an invite list...get it?).

Since they are fairly new, we are making some of their initial collateral.  Like this sticker/coaster:

(Check out the pixilated background and the play on the classic logo/color scheme from the site).  

Here is the postcard we are working on:

Take me to Harlem

As an advertising child, I am always looking for product placement, shameless plugs, celeb endorsements and more.  Our social world is shaped by my superiors and I LOVE it.  You call it annoying, I call it true.  

How else would I have come to have such an intense desire to own a pair of Nike Dunks?   

Not following? Well, this weekend my lovely aunts took me to see the Broadway musical In the Heights -- a modern West Side Story (also in town) with hip hop and dunks.

 I've seen a few musicals in my day (Lion King, Rent, Wicked, STOMP, Hairspray...) and this is BY FAR the best of the best.  It did, after all, win the 2009 TONY.  

It takes place on a block in Harlem and tells the story of the first summer after college.  One kid, who 'made it big' returns from Stanford while others have just rapt up their first year of jobs.  They reunite and as they have grown, they mingle differently than before.  

With rap, insane notes hit by hot ladies, hysterical references that are so quick it's like watching a PIXAR film and INSANE dancing the audience falls in love with every character and is left beyond satisfied.

These dancers, a girl can only pray that some of those gorgeous men were straight, rocked dozens of pairs of dunks and danced on every surface of the stage, in the rafters, on the triborough bridge, through stores... with street moves, classic hip hop, rewind motion and salsa.  I was in heaven and the standing ovation at the end proved that my fellow audience members were just as inspired.  

Now... I want DUNKS.  These are badass shoes made by Nike, apparently worn in Harlem (or just Nike sponsored... but who cares) and beyond.  I've always been into making a shoe statement but this is a whole new spectrum for me.  I've heard you have got to try it before you knock it with these.  Now, it's a matter of choosing a pair!    

Very In the Heights.

So many choices but I LOVE these:

Which pair are you?!

say OHMMMM

We all love to hate celebrities for their inhuman bodies and their lifestyles of the rich and famous.  While I don't have the answers to the rich and famous part (today) - I DO have the answer to the bangin' body part: YOGA.

Gwyneth Paltrow, Meg Ryan, Madonna, Jennifer Anniston and Uma Thurman are just a few of the celebs who claim that yoga got them the bod that rakes in all the dough.  

Don't hate.  It actually works.  You TOO can have a yogarific body.  It trains your mind to be calm, balanced and productive.  It also lengthens your muscles leaving you strong and lean.  You don't have to be a pretzel or in shape to start yoga... but you may be after some careful dedication.  

There are dozens of yoga facilities, over 75% of US gyms teach yoga classes, there are countless DVDs and you can watch classes online (or get podcasts from itunes and take it with you somewhere).  I personally, like to do yoga in my room.  I mean, there really is no good excuse not to work out if you don't have to put on shoes and leave the house.  Right?

After lots of experimentation and yelling at evil instructors online, I found this: Yoga Today.  This site uploads a new video each day with an hour long class.  You can just as easily scroll through the archives and choose a different class with a difficulty or theme fit for you.  And, each class is taught outdoors somewhere beautiful, helping you stop thinking about the chaos that abounds around you.

Yoga is a fun thing to learn because it's an internationally recognized exercise that is easy to travel with, like running.  I would love to actually be sitting on the mountain tops in Minnesota or next to a lake in Wyoming, but I am always in my living room.  I wish I had gotten into this sooner and could have done yoga like the people in the picture below at the top of the Sydney Towers.    

So don't hate on celebs that give credit to yoga for those bodies.  Save the hatred to the ones who say it's just "genes" - yeah effing right.  It really does work if you're loyal to it.  At the very least, it gives you a moment in the day to just breathe. OHMMMM

Ad of the Day

I'm guessing that the Netherlands has collectively dropped hundreds of pounds as a country.  Why?  Well, if you went to the bus (which already sucks that you have to deal with public transportation when you just want to get from A to B) and you had to deal with this... you wouldn't have lunch (or any other meals) either. 

Fortunately for this chubster, nobody else is at the bus station.  But every time I wait for the bus, I am NOT alone.  I don't want everyone to see the results of my lack of exercise this week and the fries I engorged last night after hitting up the bars.  

I think if I were to sit on this bench and have my weight exposed to the entire street with a giant red number of death, I would have to enter it on F*** My Life.  This is the newest social networking site where people bond over the fact that life gives you lemons and there ain't no lemonade.  Super.   

These ads proved to raise the gym memberships, for the gym that made this 'advertisement', by something like 5% near the bus stops.  Talk about connecting with the audience on a personal level.    

Ad Agency Websites

Jobs.  Some people have 'em, some people want 'em, some people got screwed and lost 'em, some hate 'em and the rest actually like 'em.  

As for me, I want one.  Badly.  I am an advertising major with extensive intern experience.  I really don't want to have to order office supplies or arrange a gift basket again... unless I'm the one giving orders.  

I think, after working for free/virtually for free for four years and living and breathing advertising communications in school, I should be able to get out there and show the world what I've got.  

Unfortunately, this early bird might not get the worm just yet (thanks economy). 

I spend HOURS of my time searching for a fit for me.  Even though I should take whatever I can get my hands on right now, I still want to feel inspired, exhilarated and intrigued by my creative and strategic work.  That requires the right agency.  I LOVED my agency (SMART) in Sydney, AUS, but that's a little too far away for now.  So, I search.

I am repeatedly appalled and surprised by how BAD some agency websites are.  Why on earth would a top-notch client trust you to creatively represent them to the world if you can't represent yourself.  APPEARANCE DOES MATTER PEOPLE!  Some of the websites I come across "sound" great but the site might as well be for a bank or investment company with its bland serif font, neutral color, block design pages.  YAWN.  

Then, there are the companies that I would give my right arm to work for.  Not only do they "sound" great, they LOOK like they know what they're doing.  These are my ultimate favorite finds:  Check 'em out!

          

Wexley School for Girls

This one has a website and a "boring" website (for those who like the informational thing)... clever.  BUT, they, at least, PROVE that they are capable of outside-the-box thinking that advertisers are supposed to have.  They have a whole personality concept for the company... a school for girls with lessons, etc.  The site is interactive and stimulating and even has its own in-house soundtrack.  It's nuts, in a good way.  

Conover Tuttle Pace

This place is so amazing.  It makes me excited about advertising.  Their client list (including RED SOX, AT&T, Red Bull, etc) makes sense.  The site shows their capabilities and dedication to every project and is super interactive.  Just looking at it normally inspires me when I get mind-block.  Just imagine what their ads do.     

Why would multi-million dollar companies risk giving their business to UGLY companies?  They want to keep their status as exciting and innovative in the social mind.  A good site takes respect in themselves and will do the same for their client.  Seems obvious right?!  If you CAN do it, do it!  People will want to work for you and clients will flock to you for brilliance.   

DRESSES!

The sun came out and I didn't have a jacket on and I immediately started thinking about DRESSES!  

(Sorry boys, but this is still a helpful read for you.  A girl's style and choice of outfit when she's going to be seeing you can tell you a lot about her.  If she claims it doesn't, she's frumpy.  Move on.)  

I love dresses.  Last Spring in Australia, I spent more on drinks and dresses than I did on food [I have since been in a constant state of BROKE].  I love dresses so much that I was caught in a blizzard last year and nearly froze [until finding someone to hitch-hike with] because I insisted on wearing a dress.  

You could say it's the California in me that makes me love the free-flowing material and possibilities of bright colors, or the child inside who loves to twirl around, but really I just unexplainably LOVE dresses.  

I cannot wait till the first thought of the day will be 'what dress to wear' again.  Now, I am not your source for extreme fashion advice but I've never been called fugly or had someone turn away in disgust.  So, I'm guessing I semi-know what I'm talking about.  

My next dress purchase will be a cute, simply elegant dress for graduation (AHHH).  So, I went onto ShopBop.com .  You don't have to shop designer, but if you're going to... use a discount website like this one.  And if you're poor like me, go to a site like this and choose your tasteful favorites and look elsewhere for a similar look.

Here are some of my favorite finds for Spring/Summer:    

Sophisticated Wrap: Perfect for Dinner, Drinks with the Girls, Family Party or Office

 You're a Star in this one.  Rock this out at a club, a swanky poolside party or a celeb meet and greet.  (Please just loose the hideous shoes this model has insisted on...barf).

 

Adorable, chic.  This is appropriate for almost any activity and can be dressed up or down with shoes.  A girly blazer and simple pumps make this workable or cute silver flats and a long, embellished necklace makes it perfect for a day of shopping or brunch with your sweetheart.

 Date night.  This dress with amazing 4 inch heels will have you rockin' the dress and his world.  Save this one for July because the colors will have your then perfect tan POP and you'll feel just as amazing as this dress looks on a hanger.  

 Totally Gabs.  While I would wear everyone of these dresses in a split second, I think most of my friends would pick out an outfit like this for me... probably because I own a variation of it in about six colors.  It's versatile, cool (for the weather) and completely innocent and fresh.  Leave something to the imagination, right?  

 Sex sells.  I don't care where you're going... wear this.  It DEFINITELY leaves something to the imagination while letting you show off those shimmering legs and reign as dominatrix of the summer.  If the weather's hot, why can't you be?!

 Sexy and Sleek.  This dress is fancy and summery.  It's perfect for a formal cocktail party or a dinner cruise.  The sleeves are embellished and ad just the weight this silky dress needs to balance it out as well as an aesthetic, girly quality.  

 Jet-Setter.  This look is HOT.  It's perfect to stay cool and still hit up the hotel bar and get the cute guy down the way to buy you something with a cherry and an umbrella.  Live it up social diva.  (Also, olive skin and brown hair/eyes... wear blue.  You'll get that drink.)

 MY FAVORITE.  

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE buy this for me.  Not only is it totally original, it's DVF and has POCKETS!  Pockets are a god-sent invention in the dress world.  You are free to be YOU and not worry about lugging around some purse that prohibits spontaneity.  The empire waist, the ribbon and the keys make this a winning look.  

Oh, how I love dresses.