Get set for Movember

If you're thinking of joining the 'Movember' enthusiasts this week then this video is for you.

Featuring actor Nick Offerman, who plays a character Ron Swanson in US TV show 'Parks and Recreation', this two minute guide helps you to grow an awe-inspiring moustache.

Get your cologne, whale oil and beef tallow (don't know what that is?) ready for a successful Movember.

Darren the Bear tells his story

You may have seen the new IKEA ad 'Playing with my friends' on TV recently featuring over-sized toy characters sitting down for dinner.

But have you seen the 'making of' film featuring one of the lead actors, Darren the Bear.

A great pseudo-documentary featuring the store cleaning bear who gets his big break in the ad and changes his life.

We like the subtle humour, especially the bus.

Enjoy!


Ad by Mother London

From mono to colour

Here's a fun video by film maker Eran Amir.

From Black and White to Colour.

The entire film was shot in one go without any color correction and at the end you can see how he went about making it.

Abstract art that comes to life

London-based duo Tim Noble and Sue Webster have recently opened their first solo show since 2006 at Blain|Southern gallery in London.

The show is titled Nihilistic Optimistic and includes six large-scale sculptures built from what appear to be haphazard clumps of discarded wood. When illuminated by a light they create accurate self-portraits of the artists. 

The artists comment: 'Tim Noble and Sue Webster take ordinary things including rubbish, to make assemblages and then point light to create projected shadows which show a great likeness to something identifiable including self-portraits. The art of projection is emblematic of transformative art. The process of transformation, from discarded waste, scrap metal or even taxidermy creatures to a recognizable image, echoes the idea of ‘perceptual psychology’ a form of evaluation used for psychological patients. Noble and Webster are familiar with this process and how people evaluate abstract forms. Throughout their careers they have played with the idea of how humans perceive abstract images and define them with meaning. The result is surprising and powerful as it redefines how abstract forms can transform into figurative ones.'

The show runs until 24th November and you can find out more here.

Google open their doors to the internet

Google has opened the doors on its data centres for the first time giving us a glimpse of where the internet lives.

These beautiful photos are quite impressive.

See many more on Colossal.

Chameleon clock app for the iPad

For those with iPads here's a great app that turns your device into a transparent clock - a bit of fun for a few minutes!

Click here to download.

Waterstones campaign that makes you think

We like this new ad campaign for Waterstones by Leagas Delaney. Nice copy writing that hits home and gets you thinking.

Bodyform asks if you can handle the truth

When Bodyform received a rant on their Facebook page from a disillusioned male visitor they decided that it deserved a response.




Yulia Kretova, brand controller for Bodyform said in a statement: "We found Richard's post very amusing and wanted to continue the positive dialogue around periods that this generated. Working with the brand for five years, breaking down the taboo around Bodyform and periods has always been a challenge, and I hope that we have started to address this. Carat has created an original and uniquely personalized response, brilliantly PR-ed by Myriad, allowing Bodyform to quickly engage in consumer conversations in a meaningful way."

A very amusing response to social media interaction.

Coke gets interactive

Coke Zero has been getting interactive with the latest Bond movie. 

In a live marketing stunt at a railway station they invited Coke purchasers to take a challenge to win exclusive tickets for the latest 007 movie, Skyfall. Having to rush across the station to beat the clock Coke didn't make it easy for them.

A fun interactive marketing stunt that has gone viral with more than 2 million views.

See the video below:

Surreal ads from Drambuie

A very surreal advertising campaign from Drambuie, following on from their 'A Taste of the Extraordinary' press campaign. Did Dali have a hand in this?

Not the monsters you would want to meet on a night out!

See the ad below:



Drambuie's 'Extraordinary Bar' cinema commercial, written by Sell! Sell!, directed by Chino Moya and produced through HSI.

Teleport between cities

To celebrate the launch of the new direct TGV service between Lyon and Brussels, French train operator SNCF created a "teleportation device" that instantly transported the Lyon public into the heart of Brussels.

They created a box that was situated in Lyon's Place de la République on 21 September and invited passers-by to "take a look at Brussels", by peering through a hole in one of its sides. Multiple screens connected by satellite then transmitted their faces to another set-up in Brussels's Mont des Arts square, while also feeding back images and sound to participants.

The result was an intercity interaction with bands and all.

Take a look at the video to find out more. (Concept by TBWA Paris)

Get your running shoes on with City Peaks

Fancy a bit of a run in your lunch hour then take a look at City Peaks, a challenge that takes you to the top of the world.

Their website explains the challenge as, 'Office life is increasingly deskbound, and staring out at the city skyline while slumped at a computer isn’t good for our health or sense of adventure. So Digit thought: why not ditch the lift and turn taking the stairs into mountain climbs that make it fun to get fit? City Peaks Challenge is a game where players race each other up the office stairs. Inspired by tower running - the sport of running up the stairs of skyscrapers – it’s the ultimate cardiovascular exercise. Just 15 minutes of tower running equals the workout of a 30 minutes run, and with City Peaks it’s also fun.'

Basically they use NFC technology with players swiping their Oyster cards on readers at the bottom and top of the office staircase that record how far and fast they climb. Each player logs in online to start their climbing mission.

You can see how climbers are doing by tracking their flags on the faces of iconic London buildings, visualised as mountains. The first climber to place their flag on the summit conquers the mountain; then everyone’s scores are recorded.

Take a look here and see if you can take up the challenge and beat London's City Peaks.

Kopparberg talks and workshops

Swedish cider brand Kopparberg are continuing their interactive events aimed at giving something back to the fans with a series of free talks and workshops next week.

Based in London and Manchester the pop up spaces will play host to groundbreaking and talented trend-setters who will be sharing their stories and knowledge with Kopparberg’s Facebook fans. The workshops include doodle bombing with Hattie Stewart, talks from artist Margot Bowman, street artist Pure Evil and a question and answer session with Resident Advisor and Seth Troxler.

There will also be a discussion about the future of publishing with underground music magazine, CRACK and showings of LCD Soundsystem’s last concert entitled Shut Up and Play the Hits. As part of the Kopparberg ün-established campaign, it is a celebration of people who are innovative, ‘reject the status quo and follow their passions.’

There will be live streaming for those who can’t attend the event. For more information visit the Kopparberg website.

The Think Tank shortlisted for three Construction Marketing Awards

The Think Tank has been shortlisted for three awards in this year's Construction Marketing Awards for our work with SAS International and Rexel.

The shortlisted entries are:

SAS International - Best Product Launch
Rexel - Best Campaign over £25k
Rexel - Best Branding and Positioning

We are very pleased to have been shortlisted again this year and look forward to hearing the results on 6th December.

See the full CMA shortlist here.

Get your own classic Economist ad

Do you remember these classic Economist ads? Well now you can buy them as limited edition prints.

Russell Blackmore, who used to be an employee of The Economist, has formed a partnership with the magazine to print some of the most iconic posters.

These are from their 'White out of Red' ad campaign and are available hand framed in a limited edition of 250. They were originally created by Abbott Mead Vickers.

See more of these at Creative Review or buy yours at Sonic Editions.

A cat that will do anything for a car ride

This cat in an ad for the Toyota Corolla goes to any lengths to get a ride - even when it passed to the the other side.

Very, very funny.

By Saatchi & Saatchi New Zealand

Print ads that come to life

Looking for a way to bring your advertising to life then take a look at this print ad for Lexus. With a little help from an iPad the ad comes to life.

Lexus developed a special technology for this that it's calling "CinePrint."

"Most traditional mashups feature print ads that redirect to a digital experience away from the printed page," the automaker says. "CinePrint technology flips that on its head, creating a tactile and visceral connection that brings one closer to the printed page with a multi-sensory experience that combines sight, sound and touch."

Take a look at the film below to see how it works. Brilliant!

Number One Hit Product Recall

In this great marketing ploy Australian pop duo, Yolanda Be Cool, have announced an international product recall of their hit song "We No Speak Americano."

Their hit "We No Speak Americano" reached No. 1 on the charts in 16 countries and remains in the charts in many places even after two and a half years.

They have decided that they need to move on, mainly to their next album. So they've officially declared that the beats "are no longer fresh" in "We No Speak Americano," and they're calling on radio stations, DJs and fans worldwide to remove the song from their playlists and destroy any hard copies of it.

See the press conference below:

Parkour Dominoes

Combining dominoes with freerunning, this video featuring Jason Paul is a bit engineered but  still good fun.

The Human-Powered Freerunning Machine is part of Redbull’s Parkour sonsorship.

Hold onto your seats!