Armani Exchange Campaign: Um, yes.

Suffice it to say A|X is not my kind of brand. My style is more, oh, Madonna ex-husband meets "cool dad with tech job" combined with a touch of 2020 pop star. A|X is, quite simply, for tools.

However, their new ad campaign is great. I mean, the images are shot beautifully--the female lead is particularly striking--but the final shot, located just above, is the most memorable. (For obvious reasons.) So I applaud the art direction here. Racy advertising isn't limited to Gossip Girl, DSquared and Calvin Klein. A high-end douchey brand offshoot like A|X can be trashy, too!

WTF

Bjorn Borg is a great clothing company, but this has nothing to do with clothing. In discussing it with one of my mentors, Glenn Gill, I described it as an ad in the vein of Andy Warhol's Campbell's soup can. It's beautiful as art, and as a statement, but it really chalks up to pure shock value. And in that sense, it's taking advantage of the gay/socially conscious audience in an attempt to sell--get this--"Lucky Underwear."

So is it a good ad or not? No straight guy will ever buy from them again, and any conservatives that would consider buying Lucky Underwear certainly won't now.

Bjorn Borg Advert= Gay content (alienate 0.5 x audience) + Religious content (alienate 0.25 x whoever's left) x possible gay exploitation= a bad ad.




BUT...Here I am talking about it.

New Pepsi Logos make me LOL

Okay, Pepsi. Are you serious? Like, seriously? The new Pepsi logos are so beyond hideous. It's as if the cast of The Hills impregnated the Olsen twins and their baby said, "Let's revamp the Pepsi logo for the fourth time in fifty years! And do it with modern flair." If Coca-Cola has the same logo for almost a century, don't you think Pepsi should have caught on by now?

Brand recognition is contingent on visual recognition. The new logos remind me of a drab cleaning product or a deodorant. Yummy, Old Spice Soda! Diet Speed Stick! No matter, it's over for Pepsi anyways. They are the Burger King to Coke's McDonald's--there's just no momentum left.

Anyways, here's more info on the hijinks.


P.S. The Mountain Dew design is kind of growing on me. I'll update on my impressions later...or I'll just forget, which is far more likely.

Music: Ultraviolet Sound

A very good friend of mine turned me onto an electro-pop group who call themselves Ultraviolet Sound. They aren't exceptionally talented--more so than Dangerous Muse but lacking the originality of Crystal Castles or Neon Neon--but they have quite a few tracks on which to build a decent musical foundation (unless their garish album cover is any indication). The lead singer, a woman with a nondescript vocal style and, tragically, a look that just won't sell to the American public (okay, she's ugly), is moderately entertaining, chirping like an over-processed crack whore on "Babyz" and "The Thrill Can Kill," but hitting the perfect balance between Sam Sparro spotlight-grabbing and Cascada vocal placeholding on "Ooh I Like It," far and away the best track on the EP/LP hybrid. "Brainwashed" demonstrates some clever writing and vocal diversity (almost Kelis-like in tone), but "Ooh" steals the show here.

"Ooh" is a track that's actually surprising, which is well, erm, surprising considering the set is free. Beginning with a ferocious opening lyric--a muzzled, sexual confession of dancefloor ecstasy--that tricks the listener into thinking the chorus has already been spoiled, "Ooh" is actually a slow burn, with purple-tipped flames rising until the middle of the track where Ms. Nondescript oozes out a suitably electro-zapped, "I liiiiikeeee itttttt..." to a relentless bass and well-placed synths. It's the only track in the collection that really stands out, which should be expected--what artist would honestly give away their best work for free in an Adidas campaign?

Speaking of Adidas, I find it kind of comical that this is their way of promoting their new shoe line. I'm in advertising; Adidas has no relevance in the market right now, and I'm pretty sure shilling a half-decent electro band like Ultraviolet Sound will only drive them further into the abyss of forgotten brands (remember K*Swiss? Didn't think so). Although, if they are marketing towards emos, which I believe has grown to about 30% of the mall population and is therefore a demographic all its own, this is a smart route to take.

But honestly, the emos are far to busy dying their hair and shopping at Hot Topic to listen to Ultraviolet Sound. We all know they're actually listening to Boys Like Girls anyways.

Gossip Girl has done it again

As you may remember from a post I wrote back in April, I'm a huge fan of the racy Gossip Girl adverts. They're sexy, they're bold, and unlike the show, they take serious risks. Sex sells, I get it. But America has slipped into a strange cultural phase as of late, and this is indicative in the way girls dress. (If you ask me, the fashion trends started this whole thing, but let's pretend the fashion houses reacted to the consumer for once) Skirt hems are being lowered, bellies are most certainly 'out,' and most desired silhouette in clothing right now seems to be slimmer rather than curvy. Big breasts are big breasts, and beauty itself will never go out of style, but with Hillary Clinton just barely missing the opportunity to lead this country, there's an air of female empowerment floating around--and that's a great thing.

I read about the newest Gossip Girl ads this morning at work in The New York Post, and though I don't think they're quite as good as the "OMFG" ads, they are once again a shining example of creative advertising for the 21st century. "A Nasty Piece of Work" is my favorite ad, simply because "Nasty" is one of those words that is as slinky as it sounds. The Parent's Television Council advert is the weakest of the bunch. It's just an awkward image. Awkward is definitely one way to describe the Chicago Tribune ad as well, but it's still stronger than the former.

Coldplay's "Viva La Vida" Album Art...

...is the best. Album. Art. Ever.

Finally, an artist gets creative with their cover art. Coldplay is not a rebellious band. They are not new-wave, punk, or any brand this album art says they are. They're freaking pop. This art is...not.

The painting, which I actually saw in person last summer, is by a French artist (Eugene something, I believe) and depicts Republican rebels overtaking France in the 1820s. The female centered supposedly represents the French spirit. Besides my love for all things French, the spattered letters bring this album art to unprecedented "cool" levels. It's even cooler when compared to Madonna's recent cover, which is hideous, or even Coldplay's XY (unique but ultimately very boring).

Recalling the mood of early 80's disco records, where men wore chiffon and makeup like homosexual pirates, Viva La Vida's cover art is taking Coldplay's image in an entirely new direction. That is, if their music can follow their kick-ass cover art.

Frank Miller, always amazing

Above is a poster for the upcoming film The Spirit. Suffice it to say I was not excited about the film until this poster surfaced earlier this week on I Watch Stuff. Sure, it's Eva Mendes, who has an earthy hotness that really can't be explained--or maybe it can (pursed lips, perfectly curved eyebrows, beauty mark, that luscious behind)--but either way, her face expression brings this shot to another level. In fact, the film takes what could be seen as a good imitation of The Invisible Woman (played by the less-enticing Latina, Jessica Alba) in the Fantastic Four posters and drastically improves the circumstances so this film is immediately interpreted as more "artsy" than the latter or any other superhero film coming out this year (gasp!). This is especially true of Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk, two films playing their 13-year-old market as hard as they can.

Most importantly, however, the poster perfectly captures the vibe Frank Miller has cultivated over the years, which reinforces his already impressive brand. Below is another of his works, Sin City, a decent film but great art piece.


He even uses the same font! I love it!

Racy? More like brilliant

I am sure everyone has noticed the new Gossip Girl ads. They're all over FOX News, each and every kind of Parental Council has jumped them, and if you've opened a recent magazine with the ad you may have thought--for just a split second--you had picked up Maxim.

Yeah, yeah, so they're racy. I've heard reviews of the campaign ranging from "It's what the show's all about!" to "It encourages teen sex!" I, for one, do not give a flying rat about Gossip Girl, nor will I ever care. However, these ads are fantastic. And I'll tell you why.

Gossip Girl, as I understand it (and that is quite little, indeed) is like a teenage version of Sex and the City (yet another show I have never watched). So it's a copy cat. And, from pictures of the show, the main characters (bitchy blond lead character, brunette loser, some guy with an emo haircut both girls like) are just as stereotypical. These ads could change that image. They are provocative, eye-catching, and combine the youthful nuances of textspeak and an elegant design. The Hills is currently mutilating the charts for preteen girls and the 20-25 year old female market. I would wager this campaign will sway more than a few viewers.

Obviously, the racier of the two is the better ad, but it's far more raunchy than the make-out shot. But it is my favorite. To whoever designed this campaign: Bravo. You are promoting your show and--most importantly--altering Gossip Girl's image in a--I say this loosely--mature way.