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The Yes Men Fix The World

[ Comments Off ]Posted on September 7, 2009 by admin in Popular Media

Monday, September 7th, 2009

The folks who brought you the Halliburton SurvivaBall™ are back to fix the world again.

Remember The Yes Men? Don’t feel badly. Not many people do, in spite of their outrageous antics. The Yes Men are consummate culture jammers who utilize “identity correction” by pretending to be people of position or power, or spokespersons for prominent organizations, and then making public statements on their behalf. One of their most well-executed stunts involved appearing on BBC World Television as Dow representatives, to apologize and promise restitution for the Bhopal Disaster. Needless to say the Dow Corporation wasn’t too pleased, but the stunt came off so well that the BBC actually asked them back after their cover was blown. Another stunt that briefly duped some news sources was the The Halliburton SurvivaBall™, “An advanced new technology that will keep corporate managers safe even when climate change makes life as we know it impossible“. This one was so over-the-top that it quickly became appreciated simply for its utter absurdity. The Yes Men released an hilarious movie (aptly titled The Yes Men) about their ballsy adventures back in 2004, and they’re at it again. If you’re an HBO subscriber you may have already seen it, but watch for The Yes Men Fix The World in US theaters October 7. Read the rest of this entry »

Tased & Confused: Building Brands With Distraction

[ Comments Off ]Posted on September 2, 2009 by admin in Popular Media

Wednesday, September 2nd, 2009

After seeing the new Taser 3 web site, I was left screaming “GO AHEAD, TASE ME BRO!”

I’m really not a masochist, but viewing the web site for the new Taser X3 yesterday left me with a feeling of “Wow. Getting tased looks really pleasant“. It also reminded me that really good advertising and marketing campaigns don’t need to describe a product that you like to engage you and build a relationship. A great example of this is the UNIQLOCK site. I easily spent 10 or 15 minutes there, not even realizing it was pitching a product. I didn’t care; I love the Japanese pop of Fantastic Plastic Machine they used in all the clips, and the visuals were strangely engaging in that way that only the Japanese can muster. Can you figure out what the product is? After you view the site, see the campaign details and more video here if you’re curious. Many of these sites use the still rather under-explored medium of Flash, which when used well, is great for greenwashing, as evident in both this Michelin site and this General Electric Smart Grid site. The Michelin guy already had his “cute cred”, but that GE site almost leaves you feeling like the planet raping war contractor and media company really cares. On a possibly more sincere note, check out the Eco Zoo (say “Ecodazoo!” briskly with a Japanese accent), complete with virtual pop-up books designed to instill a little conservation thinking in kids, without them even knowing it’s happening. There are thousands of these kinds of sites out there, created by hip (and usually new) ad agencies like Switch, BrandStudio.ru (they did this Toyota born every 5 seconds site),  BBH, and Mono 1. This site, for instance, is Mono’s idea of a happy new year wish. Below are some screen grabs and more links, and you can find a nice round up of more Flash sites like this here. Have any of your own to share? Read the rest of this entry »

Bowling For Bailouts

[ Comments Off ]Posted on August 24, 2009 by admin in Popular Media

Monday, August 24th, 2009

Michael Moore’s new film Capitalism: A Love Story in theaters October 2, 2009

I’ve been a little hard on Michael Moore in the past, but in my heart of hearts I believe that, much like President Obama (who I think is a good man swimming in a shark tank), his heart is probably in the right place, regardless of where his ego is. My only real criticism of his films – that they seem more geared toward entertainment and profit than action – is pointless. It’s not his fault that Americans won’t watch a serious film about a serious topic, or that no approach seems to motivate them to act on the things that make them angry or unhappy. So I’m pretty excited to see what Moore has put together this time for Capitalism: A Love Story , due for an October 2, 2009 release. I’ve written plenty on topics like corporate vs individual rights, bailout apathy, fictitious capital, and revolution; so I have some hope that although no-one seems to mind that grotesquely wealthy Americans are getting wealthier while other Americans are going hungry and enjoying a 16.5% nationwide unemployment rate, maybe they’ll still want to learn a bit about it while munching on some popcorn. Read the rest of this entry »

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus

[ Comments Off ]Posted on August 19, 2009 by admin in Popular Media

Wednesday, August 19th, 2009

Nothing is permanent, not even death?


Nothing is permanent, not even death?

I don’t know why I still list Terry Gilliam as one of my favorite directors; I didn’t see his last two films (The Brothers Grimm and Tideland), and although I definitely enjoyed Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (I am in fact Hunter Thompson’s well-mannered bastard child) I’d hardly describe it as a cinema masterpiece. Perhaps Gilliam remains a favorite because Brazil, The Fisher King, and 12 Monkeys are three of the most absolutely brilliant films ever made. Which is why I’m giving it another shot and getting a little excited about The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, due for release October 16, 2009. Will the magic of Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell fleshing out Heath Ledger’s last and uncompleted role bring something special to the film? Let’s hope so. And lets hope they use a line other than “Nothing is permanent, not even death” in the continued promotion of the film. Read the rest of this entry »

Bigipedia – You Think, Therefore We Am

[ Comments Off ]Posted on August 12, 2009 by admin in Popular Media

Wednesday, August 12th, 2009

Written by you, for you, for free, for money, for us.

Even before Time Magazine picked you as the person of the year (don’t feel so special, they picked this guy one year, and this guy twice), life and popular media were starting to take on these blurry edges. I’ve never understood your fascination with Reality TV; I mean, even a professional writer only has at most 30-some plots at their disposal, and you’re an amateur, so your storyline (like most people) really only revolves around whether you’re happy or not. Plus, you usually die. That’s why I was pleased to discover – amongst our ever-expanding world of user-generated content, the new BBC Radio program Bigipedia. Forget Wikipedia, forget Dickipedia. With Bigipedia, you don’t even have to be able to read! And since 70% of you use multiple forms of media at the same time, take note that with Bigipedia, you can still take some stupid Facebook Quiz or Twitter while you listen. On the other hand, those of you who are American may need either subtitles or a dictionary. The program – since it’s produced by people who actually speak English – manages to seem highbrow in spite of its clearly adolescent, internet-oriented humor. Welcome to Bigipedia – written by you, for you, for free, for money, for us.

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