I Love Media

// Matthew Walker from Lowe Roche directed this cute spot, called Blubber, for the Toronto Zoo. Two polar bears are having a conversation about their fur making them look fat, and if polar bears could speak, this is a realistic dialogue, that, and the fact that they could be extinct in the next 100 years or so  if climate change continues to melt the North Pole’s ice, yikes! Stimulant Online reported on all the details of the ad campaign nicely.

//Welcome to crazy life indeed, really entertaining TVC and Web Film from Mother New York, debuting their new creative for Virgin Mobile USA advertising their $25 / month unlimited text, email & data plan. I like the intro, I’ve always wondered if was possible to use your phone during childbirth, depends on the woman I suppose. This spot seems like it would naturally develop into a series, we’ll see.

// Rogers posted a part interactive adventure, and part online game called “The Briefcase.” Remember the days of the amazing Choose Your Own Adventure books circa the 80′s? Same idea idea, only digital. It’s pretty fun, you get to control decisions of the character “Needlebaum,” formerly from Rogers TV spots. The premise is that this character has to deliver a briefcase to his boss before getting on a plane, the viewer decides what options he should take along the way.  The game was created to bring awareness to Rogers Handset Protection Guarantee, a free program for Rogers customers,  providing a replacement device when you loose your phone or if it is stolen or broken. You can see the whole series on Rogers YouTube channel.

// The opening reporter on this highlight reel is “engaging”, just to throw that overused word out there again, but hey, it’s true. The consensus is that the digital medium still reigns supreme in the ad world (obviously only getting stronger). This spot showcases interesting snippet’s from 25 interviews that were taken at the 2010 International Advertising Festival, aka,  Cannes Lions. You can see all the coverage in video clips here.

// I had the pleasure of attending this years’ Toronto Pride Gala & Awards ceremony on June 30th. Pride Toronto’s 30th Anniversary kicked off with a red carpet entrance into a gala dinner, followed by entertainment that included: Ashley MacIsaac, Miss Conception (hilarious), Trey Anthony, Saidah Baba Talibah, Georgie Girl and many more. Pride Toronto Award recipients went out to Robert Sirman (Arts and Culture), Neill Kernohan (Human Rights), Kyle Rae (Lifetime Achievement), and PRIDE House (Sports). This is an annual event to start Pride Week in Toronto, created to celebrate the history, diversity, courage and protection of gay communities. It is actually considered to be one of the leading cultural events of its kind in the world with a total economic benefit in 2009 of $136 million. You can check out some of the photos I took on flickr.

// From the wild & peaceful west coast, it was a lovely trip. I will be posting more on the wonderful Pride Gala & Awards show later, and with that I say, “HAPPY CANADA DAY!”, the queen celebrates this special day on Parliament Hill, more here.