Update: Book Burning

Ihaveanidea's Portfolio Night 6 will have tickets available for purchase on Friday, March 21, 2008.

The price, which varies for each city, includes a portfolio critique by at least 3 creative directors, food to fill your belly, drinks to calm you down, and a goodie bag filled with stuff, including an official PN6 t-shirt to remember the night.

New this year — students and junior creatives may bring their laptop. Be sure the work is up and ready for review, because you only have a short amount of time with each CD.

After all is said and done, your portfolio will be uploaded online. Any and all CDs in the universe that attended PN6 will be able to check out your best work. Make sure it's your best.

Questions? Visit the Official Portfolio Night 6 site, or see the FAQ Section.

Happy Holidays

Hi, everyone. I really apologize for not updating lately. Finals week was really busy, and now I'm home spending time with family and friends. I will be posting more sometime after Christmas, and I look forward to sharing with you again. Until then, enjoy the merriment and wonder of John Denver and the Muppets "Twelve Days of Christmas". Merry Christmas to you and yours!

Happy Thanksgiving

Book Burning

ihaveanidea's annual Portfolio Night is looming forth for the sixth time. May 8, 2008 signifies a night of dancing with the devil, or sitting down with brilliant creatives from the world's leading agencies. Aspiring creatives get three opportunities and 10 to 15 minutes to show their best stuff to creatives within an hour; it's more like speed dating rather than a formal interview. Last year, it was held in over 21 different time zones on the same day. This year, at least 33 cities are getting involved. ihaveanidea has submitted the event for application to Guinness World Records for the World's Largest Portfolio Review. Registration isn't up yet, but I'll let you know when it is.

Facebook Lures Advertisers

Mark Zuckerberg has something up his sleeves for November 6th, but he's keeping whatever it is under the table until then. Facebook sent advertisers and agencies in New York a little invitation in the form of a Lucite brick: "You are invited to a discussion with Mark Zuckerberg and the Facebook executive team as we unveil a new way of advertising online." There's a big rumor that all the de-classified information you provide on Facebook will be available to advertisers. Already, nine companies -- Apple, CBS, Chase, Coke, Condé Nast, General Motors, Nike, Sony, and Verizon -- have jumped on board and will pay at least $300,000 each to be "Landmark Partners". Another rumor is that, somehow, Facebook will be able to target non-Facebook users on other sites. Internet marketers salivate as the countdown begins.

Permit Pests, Prevent Fires

K-State reminds all residents that it's time to recognize our uninhibited friends who walk next to us on the way to class.

National Fire Prevention Week is also this week -- a little more important than swerving for suicidal squirrels (but still a good thing to do). These critters won't rescue you from a fire, but they may start one. Northern Idaho ground squirrels, for instance, like fires.

Join the Great American Fire Drill, so you'll be prepared. Schools, families and offices are invited to share their experience on YouTube.

Buy a Lion

Did you go to Cannes and win a Lion? Maybe you accidentally dropped it whilst in a drunken stupor in the Mediterranean, boating with your advertising cohorts. Perhaps you left it out of your sight for ten seconds in the bathroom at LaGuardia. It's possible that you just want two because good things come in twos. Whichever it is or isn't, you can order a duplicate from the Cannes Lions official Web site. They only accept a cheque from the UK, bank transfer, Visa, Mastercard, and American Express.

Advertising is the only industry I know of where you occasionally have to pay for the award. A former copywriter at JWT Toronto won a Bronze Lion (approximately $1,150) this year and cannot afford to purchase it. (via AdRants)

My Super Sweet 23

There were no invitations, no guest list and no celebrity appearances. I didn't even get a brand new sports car. Today was my birthday. This is a blog about creative concepts in advertising, and like in advertising, you sometimes have to bend the rules (staying within moral and ethical guidelines). The following is all fact, but it's written to be something like what you would see on MTV's My Super Sweet 16. (I really enjoyed and am thankful for everything that happened today.)




My Super Sweet 23
My birthday started when my grandma picked me up in her sleek, silver Buick sedan. OMG, she even let me drive. We went to a Mexican restaurant and like for dessert, they gave me a fried ice cream with honey. There was loads of it! The waitress even gave me two cherries -- probably because she had the hots for me. She did have a cute smile. Anyway, like where was I? Oh yeah, after we had lunch, my grandma took me to the movies. Ten minutes before the movie started, we had to wait in the lobby for them to see if the theatre was clean. Like WTF? So we get in and there's this Screenvision advertising thing going on. The announcer guy like announces Oasis is coming up next. "Champagne Supernova" is going on through the speakers. I love that song! I was singing along with it, but the song is cut off not even half way. Did this really just happen on my birthday? So then another song comes on and it's Jamiroquai -- the one where he's on the treadmill thing in his music video. They cut that one off, too. Right before the movie starts -- I mean before the actual paid commercials -- the announcer says, "Thanks for watching Screenvision." Like I had a choice? Seriously. The movie was okay. My grandma let me drive her car again and I went home. Later on that day, after being so bored doing nothing on my birthday, my mom took me out to eat dinner. We went to the local neighborhood Applebee's. My mom told the hostess that it was my birthday. She knows how special it is. When we sat down, she told our waitress, too. The service was quick and whatever, but the waitress never brought out my dessert and NO ONE sang. The waitress just said like, "Is there anything else I can do for you" and then left. Right as we were leaving, my mom asked if they did anything for birthdays and some other hostess said that they give free sundaes. Where's my free sundae!? How can all of this be happening on MY day? Well, to make it up to me, my mom made me a cake and I had ice cream. Above is a picture of the cake. Because it's my day, she let me help design it and place the candles. I think I did a pretty awesome job.

"All the pretty ladies goin' crazy in my A380..."

Forget Cadillac, Ferrari and Maybach, as they soon will be a thing of the past in lyrics and music videos for billionaire rappers, hip hop stars and other artists. Realizing the emissions spent with these vehicles has been depleting our ozone and causing glaciers to melt, they'll decide to go green.

The first order of the world's largest private jet has come in. The Airbus A380 will normally hold approximately 700-800 passengers when it takes flight with airlines across the globe late this year. The price: $300 million. Though this first buyer seems likely to be from the Middle East, we may be seeing Diddy with one in the years to come.




John Travolta would have to move if he wanted one -- it wouldn't fit in his backyard.

(via Drudge)

'London 2012' Triggers Seizures, Nausea, Disgust

People in the UK have gone awry since the unveiling of the 2012 London Olympic Games logo. There have been (edit: eighteen) reports of people having seizures while watching the new launch event animation on the official Web site or TV broadcast.

According to BBC News, a London 2012 spokeswoman said the section of footage concerned showed a "diver diving into a pool which had a multi-colour ripple effect". It was not the logo itself that has caused the problems.

"Some have had seizures, but others are feeling very unwell with potentially worrying symptoms including vomiting and headaches. A lot of people are very frightened", said Ingrid Burns, spokesman for Epilespy Action.

The London 2012 Web site has taken down the video to re-edit the clip. London's mayor, Ken Livingstone, opposed the logo from the start. He also criticized the designers for not testing the video for 'health checks'. It took a year to make the logo, but it only took seconds for everyone in the world to hate it.

(via Drudge)

2012 Olympic Game Over for London Logo

London has recently unveiled the logo for their 2012 Olympic Games, and the public are not pleased. Especially when it cost them £400,000 (US $797,640). They had no say whatsoever, but they're speaking out now. BBC was, of course, all over this coverage; the Sport Editor's Blog asked for comments and has received over 3,300 reactions so far - mostly negative. Also, according to the blog, an online petition has been set up and has received almost (edit: 50,000 signatures) to bring the old logo back or start from scratch. A Facebook group has also been set up for a petition. BBC is taking a poll on what people think of the logo.



The logo was designed to inspire social, structural, and social change. It's also aimed at the young person. In five years, some of the young people who are currently on Facebook will still be on there. Granted, Facebook is for everyone now, but the majority are college and high school students. Yet there is a Facebook group asking for the logo to be changed.

I guess I could be considered a young person, too, still attending college. What do I think? It's a kind of drawback from the 80's, but one we'd like to keep there. Even my sister, a junior in high school, said, "It looks a bit older, like from the 80's". The emblem will be coming in a series of shades of pink, blue, green and orange and will evolve as the Games draw closer. I like that idea. But it's really hard to believe this was done for over a half a million dollars.

The logo in itself is not inspiring, but the Olympic Games themselves, when you look far past the controversy, are. The best of the best athletes from around the globe competing against each other - that's inspiring. Hopefully that will be enough to overshadow the logo and keep the torch burning in everyone's minds.

BBC and the official London 2012 Web site has encouraged everyone to create their own design. You can see the BBC designs here and here. The London 2012 designs are here. You can also watch a film about their new brand/new look. (I think it's an honest message but a little cheesy. With the reactions already made about the logo, I think the public may be less forgiving.)

What do you think?



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