Bright Ideas Come When You Aren't Looking For Them

Quoted from: Make Something Cool Every Day 2009 on the Behance Network

The Twisted Frosty vs The iPhone

I had a whole blog planned out for Wendy’s new Coffee Toffee Twisted Frosty, because the commercial reminds me of the characters I work with and it looks really yummy, but that was before I got my iPhone.

iPhone Day 1

I had been waiting for its arrival all week, so come Friday, with my tracking number in hand, I repeatedly checked to see if it had been delivered to my house. Finally, around lunchtime, it had arrived. Time to stop everything and go get it—god forbid someone steal it off my front step. So, rather than go it alone, I told Brian, my partner in crime here at Peak Seven, to stop what he was doing and dragged him along with me.

After picking it up without incident, I made a half-hearted attempt at my Twisted Frosty blog by going to Wendy’s for lunch. But to no avail, I was too busy playing with the iPhone (or rather just holding it since it wasn’t even charged up yet) to even try the Frosty!

Since I was not able to do anything with the phone until I got home, I went back to work and tried to forget about it for a while. Okay, occasionally I took the box out and admired the packaging and just held the phone to feel the weight in my hand, and gazed at the sleek design ….. just kidding, c’mon, people, I was at work and had important things to create. ;)

Hours and hours later after much hard work, the day was done and me and my iPhone went home. But, once again, life got in the way—my in-laws were visiting and I couldn’t be rude, my manners kicked in and felt that it was only right to eat with the family, and my mommy duty wouldn’t let me do anything else until I gave my son a bath, brushed his teeth, put on his pj’s, read a story and tucked him in for bed. Luckily, my son is very easy (knock on wood) and this went very quickly. Finally, it was time to give my phone some juice and see what it could do.

So, my hubby and I sat down at my Mac with phone in hand. I plugged it in and just like that it was activated! At the advice of my pal, Brian, we set up a new email with an imap account so I wouldn’t get dupe emails that would very well make me go crazy, and then I synced it with my calendar, emails, contacts etc and voila, I had a phone ready to use. Of course, now I had to make it my own. I sent myself pictures of my son and with the click of a button, instantly made it my wallpaper, oh so cute! Now I see his adorable face every time I use my phone. Then I went to the free apps and got myself some cool stuff: Fandango to check movie times, Pandora to listen to music, some neat games and of course, Facebook and Tweetdeck so I can stay connected (because as we know, social marketing is very important). Eventually, I had to call it a night, because unfortunately, the world of being a parent doesn’t stop just because you get an iPhone, so off I went to bed.

iPhone Day 2

With my son happily fed and taking a morning nap under his grandmother’s watchful eye, I was able to run some errands and the first thing on my list was an iPhone case. I had scoped out cases for a week and came to the conclusion, with advice from other users, that the incase brand was the way to go. I went to BestBuy and bought a gunmetal slider case that fits perfectly! Very nice!

Next stop was Lowes, where my hubby likes to take his time and I usually get bored. But this time was very different—I had an iPhone to keep me busy. So….I made plans with friends for a movie night. I looked up the time on my Fandango app, sent an email to one friend, sent a text message to another and called a third friend with the Voice Memo feature so I didn’t have to search for a number or dial, and lastly, I added the event to my calendar. All while walking around the aisles of Lowes!

So now, here I sit, on Saturday night, sipping on a latte at Barnes and Noble (grandparents really are grand!) and writing my blog on the Notes feature on my iPhone, and I am amazed at how much I used my phone in just two days, especially for someone who never really wanted one until my hubby suggested I get one. And so I have to ask, now that I have an awesome phone and a really cool case, should I get a new purse with the perfect spot to fit this new coveted phone? (I’m only half kidding, this is important to us girls!)

I also ask you this—is this my life now, revolving around the iPhone or is it that the iPhone works perfectly in tandem with my life and so my iPhone revolves around me? I choose to go with the latter. And off I go to find more apps, take more pictures, play with more videos, read more emails and on and on and on…. Glorious!

Keepin' It Oldschool in The Newschool

Quoted from: Graphic Design was here before pixels on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

Rainy Days + Tuesdays

Quoted from: New Math by Craig Damrauer

I. MY. ME. MINE.

I wrote what I am about to say, not you. I thought of it, and you didn't.

There is no "I" in TEAM, but last time I checked there isn't a "U" either.

MY BLOG = "I Could Do That!" + "Yeah, But You Didn't"

Mmm...Hmmmm...

There you are, on top of the world again. Your high horse is higher than Cheech & Chong™, and your afternoon post Taco Bell® lunch visit to the restroom smells better than Bath & Body Works® on a Saturday. You are amazing, you are special, you are wonderful, and whether you admit it or not, you are plagiarizing the life out of everything you see and hear on TV and on the internet.

You know it. I know it.

"I've seen the commercial that you are pitching. I've read the blog that you are writing. I've seen the pictures you are taking, and I've seen the ad you are laying out. It's all been done! Come on, show me somethin'?"

What about You?

"Me? What about me?!?"

"Ohh... well that is a different story all together. You see, I am completely original. I have originality down to a science. I am inspired only by the modestly awesome confines of my very own mind and soul. Psh, I don't even watch TV! Internet, what's that? I don't know what you're talking about! That is my idea, and I have only my (undeniably phenomenal) self to thank for it's existence, I rule! ©2009 Me."

Listen... everyone...

Muse, creative influence, ingenuity, insight...all of us need inspiration from time to time no matter how brilliant we all are (or believe we are.) Tom needed Jerry, Frodo needed Sam Wise, and Jordan needed Pippen (maybe.) We all are indebted to the endlessly available innovation and genius that we nibble on constantly in preparation for our next "big idea." And YES, while the end result may be "yours" at the end of the day the blueprints were drawn long before your mommy and your daddy... you get the idea...

All I am saying is be creative, be amazing. Just don't forget that YOU are simply the one driving the car, and not the one that built it.

- Thanks to Stacy for the Frodo and Sam wise bit, and to Full Metal Jacket for my awesome blog banner quote, word.

Blog Post By:

Brian Tipton, Art Director

brian@peak7.com

Nobody Moves Everybody Gets Hurt

When I first started here, which wasn't that long ago anyways, Brian took it upon himself to school me in the ways of graphic design. The little short cuts and tricks that you pick up after years and years of practice and creative thinking. He said something to the extent of "the eagerness to learn would be more valuable than those who already have the knowledge and have become complacent".

And I wondered, "how could you become complacent if this is your passion?". There are many reasons but we shouldn't forget that our career choices are more than just the day in and day out money maker. It's what we loved to do, applied to the real world. When you get up in the morning, you should feel as if your work is fulfilling.

As an intern, I feel like a sponge. Ready to soak up anything important Peak Seven is ready to teach me and I know that if i stay eager to learn in this field, I will be just fine. You can stick your talents to a cause, a product, a movement, a group. Pretty much anything you feel strongly about would bring about your best work.

Blog Post by:

Danny Lotion

dannylotion@peakseven.com

Dose

So DOSE is my ode (or shameless crush) to advertising that has caught my eye.

This week, that piece is the latest viral/online video campaign for TAMPAX. It stars a pubescent 16 year-old named Zack Johnson. Zack mysteriously awakens to find the aim on his morning water-pistol is now resembling the buck shot of a sawed-off shotgun. The culprit? Zack’s “twig and berries” have been swapped out for a vagina by the magical vagina fairy-not really but we’re speculating here.

Having lost his man parts, Zack struggles socially and physically in his day to day school life. Winged by his comrade Bryan and crushing on the school hottie, Chelsea, Zack documents his encounters on twitter @zack16 and his website www.zack16.com. Through social marketing and videos, Zack analyzes the pains of having PMS, hovering over a stall to pee, cramping, sudden weight gains and mood swings. A situation, as he states “I know what it feels like to be a girl and it's rough! I think every dude should have a period just once.” After experiencing what women go through, Zack quickly apologizes for men everywhere (yes this includes excessive pee on the toilet seat). The viral videos total about 12 minutes in all, while being broken up into smaller 3 minute versions for release.



The cleverness and genius of the campaign comes when you are subtlety given the campaigns promoter and creator Tampax during the last 2 minutes of the 12 minute video run. After realizing he is having a period, Zack strikes a chord with neanderthal ingenuity and creates a “man pad” out of wadded up toilet paper, which of course, doesn’t work. He then sneaks into the girls locker room to grab a tampon from the Tampax labeled vending machine. Upon which, he returns to class right as rain, ready for next month. No Tampax sign off, no jingle, no website push, just that one hidden clue 2 minutes back.

Upon initial reaction, I had a hard time connecting the campaign to women and the targeted demographic. How could this 16-year old kid reach women across the nation and say after one day of experiencing what they have for the majority of their lives, he knows exactly how they feel? But I realized it’s not the age or demographic that is important here, but rather the message. What if every guy, just for one day, did go through a period and pms? Would we react differently to situations just as Zack? Will this campaign connect more to men and allow men, in turn, to connect to what the women in their lives are going through? This campaign successfully bridges the “you’ll never understand” gap between men and women and for that, I think it’s genius and women will respond to it favorably.

Work by Leo Burnett/Chi-Town.

zack16.com
twitter.com/zack16

Blog Post By:
Josh Munsee, Creative Director
josh@peak7.com