Minizine

Posted on July 19, 2010 by Administrator

There is an argument that the advent of the iPad will make magazines in their traditional format an outdated medium. A visit to Minizine, the new magazine shop which has recently opened at Indigo & Cloth on Dublin’s South William Street, puts paid to that notion. This store within a store celebrates the magazine in all of its weighty and tactile beauty. Stocking a range of titles unavailable anywhere else in Ireland, Garrett Pitcher has put together an unrivalled collection of material for anyone with a passion for photography, art or fashion.

It is a beautifully curated collection of magazines, zines and art books encompassing titles such as Self-Service (a Paris-based fashion and culture biannual), Dossier (a bi-annual arts and culture journal incorporating fashion, photography, creative writing, art, music and culinary pursuits) and Inventory (a curation of ideas in product, craft and culture). I defy anyone who goes in not to lose track of time while browsing through the collection.

Garrett intends to use the space he has created for Minizine for brand collaborations and other collections in the future. It is nice to see someone stepping out of the mainstream and embracing new retail and cultural trends. Dublin needs more choice and inspiration so I hope Minizine will prove to be a success.

Evil Clowns

Posted on June 25, 2010 by Ray.Swan

Since I was a young child I have always felt a sense of unease in the presence of clowns. This is hardly unique. With their oversized feet and undersized cars they flippantly toy with the rules of proportion, and as an Art Director I find this particularly disturbing. They also waste perfectly good pie. Unforgivable.

Their self appointed leader, a certain R. McDonald Esq., has always freaked me out. Admit it – there’s always been something really Stephen-King-novel-waiting-to-happen about that one. So imagine my delight when the thin mask of sanity finally slipped from his large featured face to reveal the psychotic tendencies beneath.

Check out this Oscar winning proof from directing team H5.

Logorama from Marc Altshuler – Human Music on Vimeo.

Super Bien

Posted on June 22, 2010 by David.Bowen

These French guys are at it again with an amazing new projection. How exactly they do it is a well kept secret.

Prepare to be gobsmacked!

ENVISION : Step into the sensory box from SUPERBIEN on Vimeo.

We love Mexico

Posted on June 18, 2010 by Administrator

This morning everyone in the country has a special place in their heart for Mexico, after their 2-0 defeat over France last night. It seems Karma has caught up with the French in the form of green jerseys, hampering their chances of staying in the world cup. It is an example of how, overnight, consumers can focus on a person, place or theme formally of little importance to them. This is something that clever brands can use to their advantage. Pablo Picante Californian Burrito Bar held a screening of the match in the Sugar Club last night with free entry in for anyone wearing green. The event was a great success, with a superb atmosphere for the match and a full capacity crowd enjoying the event.

The show of support for the Mexican football team re-enforces the brands authentic credentials in all things Mexican as well as benefiting from the good will the whole country feels towards the other boys in green.

Viva la Mexico, and give me a burrito.

Dross’s Smash Hits

Posted on June 14, 2010 by Ross.Hardiman

A song that jumped out at me from an ad this year is ‘Remember When’ by the lovely Dublin twins ‘Heathers’. The two voices combined complement each other so well. My pick this week is also by identical twins. They are Alejandra and Claudia Deheza of School of Seven Bells. Their voices are strangely compelling. This is a song that took a few listens to get my head around, but when I did I was hooked. If asked to describe the genre I wouldn’t have a clue. The Internet told me shoegaze (whatever that is!). The video is a bit mental but interesting. Hope you enjoy!

Getting optimistic

Posted on May 20, 2010 by Administrator

Something we are sadly lacking in this market is positivity in messaging, especially in categories that have received huge amounts of (justified) public anger, such as financial services.
While the country is digesting the errors that were made, we will have to put our toe back in the water eventually and at that point, hope and optimism – coupled with hard work – is what will be needed. An institution that can champion this hope and optimism and its importance in stimulating the economy would find itself differentiated from its competitors.

We found a great example of this in the US market. South Umpqua State Bank was formed in 1953 in Canyonville, Oregon with six employees. Now the bank employs a store type model and a relatively flat administrative hierarchy, with one central manager. The reason for this is to remove the ”that’s not my department” thinking of employees and allowing all of them the ability to work in all areas of a traditionally specialized banking industry.

What stands out about the company is its open and simple optimism and the fact that it deals with negative economic environment head-on and with hope. We know this kind of optimism would be welcome in the capital of doom and gloom. We love the tone of their communications.

Check out their TV spot on their home page at: www.umpquabank.com

Small details with big impact

Posted on May 13, 2010 by Administrator

There were some extremely interesting points raised by Rory Sutherland in the area of behavioural economics during this morning’s IAPI seminar. For agencies it was a welcome articulation of the fact that pure logic based solutions to consumer problems do not properly account for the often seemingly illogical nature of people. The context in which people make decisions can create a situation where oblique thinking can have the most effective outcome for businesses.

One of the many points made which I found extremely interesting was in an area that Rory termed disproportionality. By this he meant the fact that relatively small details and initiatives can have a disproportionate effect on a person’s perception of a branded product or experience. A small, relatively low cost detail that is refreshing, different or innovative can be remembered and valued by consumers for much longer than costly, heavy weight activity coming from an obvious angle.

Such details can even out-weight negative associations. I recently ran a half-marathon in Limerick, which although very successful as an event, had some small practical errors based on the fact that it is a brand new event.

The roads were not closed, runners were given cups instead of bottles to drink from (almost impossible while running) and the distance of the 10k event had been miscalculated. However, despite these teething problems in the inaugural event, what many runners were focusing on was the fact that the first names of runners were printed above their displayed race numbers, instantly making the race more personal. This small detail, easily arranged through registration information, was hugely impactful and was focused on more than any practical details. It allowed supporters to urge people on by name and seemed the main topic of discussion after the event. Small details based on the right insight can have a huge impact. The breakfast seminar from IAPI was a really useful and held great insights for agencies.

Time Traveller caught on film

Posted on April 29, 2010 by Matt.Whitby

Look carefully at the picture below which was taken in 1940. Spot the guy who looks disinterested, wearing the funky sunglasses, stamped t-shirt and hippy shawl? He looks like he’s from another era entirely. There’s no Photoshop going on here though – unfortunately no time travel either. The photograph has been extensively analysed, revealing that no single item of this guy’s wardrobe is technically out of the period.

Read the source article here. Meanwhile, here at McCann’s we spotted our very own David Bowen travelling back in time for this publicity still of the Kinks. Freaky.