Phone a friend

I know pay as you go is the phone payment choice of children and I should grow up, get a contract and shut up, but I didn't know just how much for kids it was until I heard the new voice of Vodafone.
Now, I'm all for making company phone lines seem more human, and I have had some good experiences with Virgin Media who have done that recently.

However, when I want to check my top-up balance, a lengthy chat with homecoming queen 'Vicky' is not really what I want. Her 'OKs' and 'oh, by the ways' make a process, which took too long in the first place, even longer.

Not only that, but they seem to have retained the same old robotic voice for the personal details, which makes it an even more jarring switch from the standard stuff than before.

A friendly tone of voice is fine, but not when all you want to hear is some numbers!

We are Scientologists

Today was one of the most confusing days of my life. It started off with me being excited about having a free ticket to see We are Scientists, a band I'm particularly fond of.

I did wonder why it was free, and naturally assumed it had been scheduled for noon because it was an intimate acoustic set. (I love that term).

As we sat down, it soon became clear there were no instruments being set up, just a Powerpoint projected on a screen with the words 'Brain Thrust Mastery'.

I genuinely began to think the band had been brainwashed and were traveling round Universities trying to get others to join their (probably evil) cult.

Then the Powerpoint started, and I was relieved (but still confused) to see that it was the band taking the piss out of cults and self help schemes. Which they continued to do, for the rest of their hour long set.

Having been prepared to boo them off at the lack of music, it turned out to be quite an enjoyable comedy show, but it was still not at all what I expected when I got tickets to see a rock band.
Their music videos have always used comedy, and judging by their show, it is something they really enjoy. It was kind of heart warming to see them reveling in the chance to do something they love to a small crowd in Stoke on Trent, when they can, and do, sell out much bigger and more glamorous sets with their music.

I know the Ad industry is a hard one to crack, but I hope, even if I never make it to the top, that I continue to enjoy it every time I see a new brief, as much as those guys enjoyed performing comedy.

Things I love which have vaguely effected my ability to work in advertising. Part 1

Right, I've been working non stop on Uni work and Grad applications for the last couple of weeks, so now I'm going to write about something I like.
Whilst working on those projects this week, I came across a promotion I couldn't refuse. A free computer game from one of my favourite series of all time, Sam 'n' Max.

For those who don't know, it's an old school click and point adventure game from the early nineties, which has now been brought up to date and released in episodic format over the Internet. It stars a dog and rabbity thing as a pair of freelance detectives, and it is awesome!

Unfortunately I had been unable to afford the series due to being a poor humble student, but having played the free episode, it brought back all the memories of how I used to love point and click adventure games when I was young.

Honestly I can link this to advertising, I promise... (and not just about how the free demo was a brilliant piece of publicity before the second season of the game comes out, which it really is, because now I won't to buy it instead of eating!)

Games like Sam 'n' Max and Monkey Island (all made by LucasArts), were pretty much where I got my sense of humour from, because the writing was always so good in them.

Not only that, but it must surely have contributed to my ability to find creative solutions to problems. If getting a giant freelance detective dog to put a fish shaped magnet on a severed hand, then the severed hand on a golf ball retriever to get a ring out of the worlds largest ball o' twine didn't help me think outside the box, then I don't know what did!

I suggest you all go to http://www.telltalegames.com and have a laugh right now. Do it!

Not mushroom for good names

After going to the cinema last night, I was hit by the usual previews for horror films that appear at this time of year. However, it seems that as the Halloweens have past, all the good horror names have been taken (then remade about 5 times each).

So, in the next few weeks I'll be looking forward to seeing the terrifying 'Pathology' and the gruesome 'Shrooms'. They don't kill 'em like they used to.

A recent post by NP on confidence when presenting work made me think about my own approach to it. Last Friday, my team and I had to do a group presentation to win the chance to win the chance to win the chance to present at Cannes. We had some good plans for making the EU more appealing in the UK and this got us past the first round, but then something strange happened...
I realised I actually enjoy doing presentations. It may not seem like a big deal, but compared to when I first arrived at Uni and felt like I was talking to a group of (vaguely interested) lions, it's quite a change.

Exactly what has caused this change I don't know. It may just be the sheer volume of presentations I've done has made me lose the sense of pressure involved. On the other hand, it may be that I'm just proud of the work I do now.

I feel like my ideas and insights are actually worthwhile and relevant these days, so rather than needing to do a presentation to pass the course, I now want to do them to show something I have found, or come up with, that I think people will find interesting.

Plus I like using pretty pictures....

You'd better read, read, read, read, read, read, read...

Having recently been thinking of song titles/lyrics for a project I was working on, I was reminded of how important it is to think about everything to do with that song/band/scene etc. before using it.

One of the funniest examples I can remember of this going wrong is with Smile.co.uk. the Internet bank.

Now while I love the song 'Smile' by the Supernaturals, it does mean that I continue to sing it in my head after the advert finishes and unfortunately for them, I remember that the next line after the cut is:

'You'd better smile... because that's all you've got left.'

Probably not the best tag-line for a bank...

Card Sell

A quick question for any business types out there. Would you still keep a business card if it was slightly thicker (about 2x) then a regular one? And keep in mind, it would be a visual delight! All opinions appreciated, even if they're just a personal, curse filled attack on my character... Thanks!