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Cheeky Durex ads designed by Andrej Krahne

Although I think the type choice could be better (Hobo definitely isn’t one of my favorites) and the copy writing tweaked, I think the overall concept is pretty great.

These posters are on display  in front of the Vancouver Art Gallery.

They are from a series that Omega (http://www.omegawatches.com), who is the official time keeper of the Olympics, puts out called Great Moments in Time. Regardless of whether you love sports or not, there are lots of cool such things on display in Vancouver over the next few weeks while we host the 2010 Winter Olympics.

Check out our latest touch screen technology website for 2010 Legacies Now, www.2010andbeyond.ca

This is a Flash website built with Action Script 3 coding and it features a backend api that integrates the site with a content management system built upon the PHP Symphony framework. It’s Flash, but it’s search engine friendly because it utilizes deep linking and mirrored HTML SEO/Usability content.

When lululemon came to us with the need for an ad campaign that was unpredictable and entertaining, that was current and relevant with the times, we ran with it.  They said that they weren’t scared to tell the truth and give the Yoga Journal readers a dose of what they needed to hear.  In the ad world, we don’t always get the opportunity to reveal our pitch.  However, at Cowie and Fox we agree with lululemon in saying that the “Pro Reality” message was a great ad campaign to work on.  It sends a message that resonates with something we all need to be attentive to in our daily lives.

The Pitch:

“‘The world is rapidly becoming muddled into a technology driven trance, where we lose touch with our senses, emotions and the true relationships that makes being a human so amazing. Instead we seek fulfillment by watching other people’s lives on television and communicating intimate personal feelings through cold and emotionless machines. Our subtle body language, facial expressions and simple touch have been replaced by abbreviated text message jargon, emoticons and blurted “comments” on a Facebook page. We are overestimating technology and are losing sight of true community, true life, and the truly powerful emotions we feel when simply looking into someone’s eyes.”

The Ads:

I hope you can all take something away from lululemon’s ‘Pro Reality’ message.

I know we did.

Released in Singapore, these ads are cute and effective with a little dark side. Although these ads do make me wonder how safe Play-Doh really is, because i’m sure almost every kid has atleast tasted Play-Doh in their lifetime. (Mmm salty.) Does anyone know how true their “non-toxic” labeling is?

The target market: youth, university students and highschool.
Advertising collateral included: posters, newspaper ads, scratch cards, stickers, instore signage, university campus ads and more.

Poster:

Stickers:

Vanity Fair describes itself as the cultural catalyst that drives popular dialogue globally. When they are writing about something do you take notice? When the most trusted clothing and lifestyle brand lululemon sends out a picture worth a thousand words, do you get the point?

Well, if you don’t then maybe I will text it to you.

That way it may be in a format that you can understand.

This month lululemon and Vanity Fair are both saying that we should try to preserve the real and tangible aspects of our lives in the midst of the rapid expansion of technological advancements.  Messages like this only get heard when they are united with the right people and media.

My challenge to you is to submit your unique way of speaking to your readers/fans/followers on how technology infringes on the quality of their lives.

Here is some examples on how to be unique:

As quoted from the article What’s a Culture Snob to Do? By James Wolcott in this month’s Vanity Fair
link: http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/features/2009/08/wolcott200908

Use a lil humour….
“How can I impress strangers with the gem-like flame of my literary passion if it’s a digital slate I’m carrying around, trying not to get it all thumbprinty?”

Or
Use metaphors….
“Books not only furnish a room, to paraphrase the title of an Anthony Powell novel, but also accessorize our outfits. They help brand our identities. At the rate technology is progressing, however, we may eventually be traipsing around culturally nude in an urban rain forest, androids seamlessly integrated with our devices.”

Or

Recently discovered some fishy advertising.
This quote from the movie Finding Nemo really says it all “fish are friends, not food.” Although I still eat fish, I don’t think this ad should of been allowed, it’s just plain cruel.

Courtesy of Ads of the World
Click image to see original or go here.

Newly launched Semperviva Yoga College website has now been followed up with it’s own facebook page. Become a fan today and don’t forget to check out their main facebook page too.

http://www.chipsnotdeadyet.com

Update: lululemon founder Chip Wilson and Cowie and Fox heated up the pavement once again with the fun and engaging Chip’s Not Dead Yet Memorial Mile. The event last weekend showcased C&F’s playful creative amongst numerous superheros, rockstars, scantly clad runners, street performers and a bustling beer garden. Approximately $100,000 was raised for BC Children’s Hospital Foundation and Chip is going to match that. It was a great success and one heck of a party!

Not that there is anything wrong with statues, monuments, buildings or roads that are built to commemorate somebody’s life, but the one unfortunate feature of this kind of commemoration is that they almost always depend on that somebody being dead. It’s nice to be remembered, but certainly nicer while you’re still alive. That’s why Lululemon founder, Chip Wilson, decided to forge his own legacy instead of waiting to die and have someone name a cul-de-sac in his memory.

Chip decided that part of this legacy would be a yearly charity run. Unlike most charity runs, Chip’s run is pretty short, just one mile to be exact. The brevity of the run was specifically set so that anyone could join in. The soul purpose of the event is to get as many people together to do something good, and to have fun while doing it. In order to find a way of capturing and sharing this spirit, Chip enlisted his long time agency, Cowie and Fox, to see what it could do about making this the largest and ‘funnest’ one mile race in the world. (more…)