That Interweb

eArchive: The WD40 banner that changed the world (At least for me).

Let me take you back to my mind circa 2001.

“Those poor bastards. They must be really crappy creatives to be stuck doing banner ads and websites all day. Glad I'm not in their shoes. Oh well, back to writing this TV spot. Maybe this will be the one that wins gold. That is if I first beat out the other six teams pitching ideas. Damn I'm lucky to be doing real advertising.”

I was an Internet snob. I believed those that couldn't hack it in "the real advertising world" did DM and interactive. What a fool I was. In 2003 I found myself at Digitas doing DM and I found it completely exhilarating. It was like creative and math all rolled up into one. The creative challenges were immense and being held accountable for a direct, measurable response was oddly rewarding. To see that what I wrote, and more importantly how I wrote it, could increase or decrease response was amazing.

Skip a few years ahead and the newness had warn off. While the math of DM was still fun, the creative constraints were beginning to chafe. By this time I'd started doing some banner and site work but I still thought of it as ghetto. Then one day I saw a banner that changed my life. Here it is:

http://www.oneclub.org/os/search/?year=2006&id=4704
Client WD40
Agency Proximity Singapore/Singapore
Art Director Kun
Creative Director John Pye
Writer Juilana Koh
View the ad in action here.

It got me hook, line and sinker. I was so intent on seeing if they really put a naked woman in an ad that I never noticed the can of WD40 off to the side. When it showed up to loosen the banner I was shocked, delighted, and shamed. My piss poor attitude of banner advertising had been shattered by a simple yet brilliant execution that was both creative and original. I distinctly remember thinking to myself at that moment, "I wish I did that." No higher praise is their in the world of creatives.

As I sat at my desk coming to grips with years of pigheadedness and missed opportunities I realized I'd been building towards this moment for quite some time. I'd become completely bored with Superbowl spots. I was tired of fighting for TV scraps. And the only things that ever really sparked my creative fancy/envy were the links friends sent (subservient chicken, shave everywhere, monkey mail, etc.). How had I not seen it before? I was an "Interactive Creative" stuck in a traditional's body.

I spent the next several years absorbing as much knowledge and experience as I could about all things digital. And when I did projects I always thought back to that WD40 banner and tried to beat it. So simple. So smart. Such a great product example without using real product!

Though it only won bronze in the 2006 One Show Interactive annual, it will always be my gold standard and remembered as the one that started me on this crazy ride.

Donovan scores and patriotism swells. The viral video proves it!

There are those who bad mouth soccer. They call it goofy names. Some even go so far as to call it unAmerican. I can't think of a more American and patriotic moment than this. This just also happens to be a killer example of the social aspect of web video as this little clip is a compilation of several YouTube videos. I love it when my passions collide. Go Yanks!

Posted via email from Idea City's posterous

Why? An Example.

Just thought of a great example to go with my earlier post. In this video, we're told the story of an ad agency trying to figure out how best to show the speed of a Samsung SSD (Solid State Drive). These are super fast drives that make nerds like me geek out. The IT guy (the target nerd) basically said, yeah one is fast but 24 strung together, now that would be really fast. And for nerds, really cool. Thus is born a video that makes nerds giggle with excitement. And judging from the 2.8 million views, those nerds are sharing their giggles with friends.

Go back to the whys: Why do I want to watch this video? It shows how wicked fast Samsung SSDs are and I think that's cool. Why do I want to share this video? Because I want to reveal in my nerdness with my nerd friends and talk about how wicked fast Samsung SSDs are. Once you have the whys, the what becomes pretty simple.

From a business stand point, this was a super cheap "spot" to create. There is no media buy. If you Google "SSD Drive" this video shows up on the first page. Pretty awsome ROI. Why is the way.

Why? Concepting by Questioning.

A friend called me the other day and asked for some advice. She was starting a big website project and wanted to know how I go about concepting. Do I think of the design first? The navigation? The content? The imagery? The user experience? My answer: none of the above. I think about the concept.

I told her to start by asking herself what I always ask myself, "Why?" Why do I want to go to this site? Why do I want to come back? Why do I want to tell a friend about it? Why do I find this site valuable to me? Of course, the "I" is really the target user so I have to do some channeling of what I know about who we're talking to but you get the idea.

From there I start thinking of ideas that give reasons to all those whys. Once you have the reasons, the rest is easy, or at least, easyish.

Remember, a microsite, just like any other piece of marketing, has to be grounded in a core concept and from that all things will spring. If you're creating a sales site, what is the big idea that will lead to more sales? If you're creating an experiential site, what is the big idea that will make an engaging experience? And the way you find he big idea is by first asking yourself, "Why?"

Why Google Kicks Yahoo's Ass. Pt. 2

Google is giving the homeless in San Francisco permanent phone numbers and voicemail thus making it easier for them to get a job. Just one more reason I love the internet.

Fun with YouTube: Flash

When someone mentions Flash in a meeting, they probably don't mean this guy. Unless the person speaking is an interactive creative, in which case they are almost definitely mean this guy. Snarf!

What a Difference a Decade Makes.

Wonder what's it's like to be the guy that wrote this in Newsweek back in 1995:

“The truth is no online database will replace your daily newspaper…”

“…Nicholas Negroponte, director of the MIT Media Lab, predicts that we'll soon buy books and newspapers straight over the Intenet. Uh, sure.”

“Internet addicts clamor for government reports. But when Andy Spano ran for county executive in Westchester County, N.Y., he put every press release and position paper onto a bulletin board. In that affluent county, with plenty of computer companies, how many voters logged in? Fewer than 30. Not a good omen.”

“Then there's cyberbusiness. We're promised instant catalog shopping--just point and click for great deals. We'll order airline tickets over the network, make restaurant reservations and negotiate sales contracts. Stores will become obsolete. So how come my local mall does more business in an afternoon than the entire Internet handles in a month? Even if there were a trustworthy way to send money over the Internet--which there isn't--the network is missing a most essential ingredient of capitalism: salespeople.”

“Computers and networks isolate us from one another. A network chat line is a limp substitute for meeting friends over coffee.”

And the ultimate irony of this ancient article is that can be found, wait for it, online. Ah the good old days. Can’t really say I blame the guy. I was there myself not too long ago. The lesson to be learned here is that judging the world by yesterdays knowledge makes you look pretty silly when you get left in the dust. Just ask Ptolemy.

It's Funny Because It's True.