John Drake

Zagging with a Name

On the way in to work today the country song "Long Gone" came on the radio. The artist: Lady Antebellum.

That name got me thinking--when was the last time a female country music performer came out and called herself something other than her first and last name? Over the last few years we've come to know: Miranda Lambert, Carrie Underwood, Heidi Newfield, Gretchen Wilson, Julianne Hough, Sara Evans, Jessica Andrews and many more.

All of the above have talent, but from a consumer perspective, their names kind of blend together. And interestingly, all of the names above are either 4 or 5 syllables in length.

If a female singer came out and, instead of going by her first and last name (fictitious or real), grabbed something like "Lady Antebellum" they would immediately stand out and demand attention.

I think this train of thought is as true for bands as it is for brands--It's funny, you can look at something all the time and suddenly a way to zag can just pop right out of nowhere. Is it a good idea? Who knows, but at least there's an unique opportunity on the table to chat about.

As it turns out, Lady Antebellum is a band of two guys and one girl. (And they're quite good.) So, as far as country music naming goes, it's really no different than Sugarland or Little Big Town. But the moral of this random thought is that the stage seems to be wide open for a new artist to come along and call themselves Ms. so and so, or Lady such and such...something other than just a first and last name. Guess it would get my attention.

Just a thought.

Get Some Soft Cover Moleskine Notebooks

I've benefited greatly by tips from Russell Davies, Northern Planner and others on presenting ideas, organizing information and beyond. Figured it's about time to volunteer something I've found to be really helpful...

I never know when an idea will arrive. I also never know when I'm going to bump in to a colleague or client around town and need to jot down an immediate note or number.

In a past life when these encounters would happen I'd grab whatever scrap of paper or cocktail napkin was lying around and scribble stuff down.  And when I did I would frequently lose it. Ideas (especially half-way decent ones) are hard enough to come by as it is, so it's ultra frustrating when you actually had one and now can't find it!

All that changed with soft cover notebooks by Moleskine. (I guess they're relatively new.) I love them.

A mere 3.5" x 5.5" these books come in various page sizes (I prefer the 32 leaves size) and can fit nicely into the back pocket or jacket pocket.

Moleskines have been used for years, or course, but the nice thing about these is the soft cover: you completely forget that it's there until you need it. Personally, I like the graph paper version...

Also, in the back there's a flap that's perfect for tucking away a business card or any loose-leaf note you happen to gather.

I've been able to find these books in packs of three at book stores. I grab one every morning and carry it with me all the time. For me, there's no rhyme or reason as to which book contains which information... the important thing is simply to have one handy.

Happy idea gathering...

That's Some Great Art Direction

Last night I caught a TV spot for the Help the Honey Bees effort via Haagen-Dazs and their agency, Goodby Silverstein. I came across the website first a few weeks ago and have brought it up several times in meetings and casual conversations. From an advertising standpoint, I really like this whole effort...

In terms of general consumer brand interaction, oftentimes the look of an integrated campaign is first absorbed in some kind of mass media or PR which then leads to a congruent web experience. I loved that the opposite happened here for me. The great thing about the TV spot is that within the first few frames (arguably before we even see a bee, a species that I feel is used somewhat frequently by marketers) the viewer can accurate guess it's for Haagen's Help the Honey Bee effort: same tone, same look & feel. You can tell by the sky and the flower and the overall color. Very tight. That's some great art direction. I feel Krone would be proud.

One of the great things about this campaign is it takes the issue seriously, and prompts the consumer to find out more, without installing fear. (Note the choice of words: HELP the Honey Bees, vs. SAVE the Honey Bees.) And for Haagen, it's still all about the product since they need the bees to create premium ice cream ingredients. Very nicely done by all involved.

Fashion in London vs. America

English fashion is always intriguing. There's a bold sense of creativity that's typically not found over here in America. And regardless of where current trends may be coming from at the time--Tokyo, Sao Paulo, Los Angeles--it seems that London is, and has always been, a center of fashion influence.

Over the years, there's been many comments and reporting as to why London fashion always seems to keep an edge over America. But I recently stumbled across a great comment made by Kate Williams, Sr. Editor at Nylon that seems to sum it up pretty well and I think her comment goes beyond fashion and in to some core country truisms. She said:

"In America we want to wear what everyone else is wearing, only we want to wear it just a little bit better. In London, style is a personal issue: There's less of a focus on how one should be dressing as there is on how one wants to dress."

I think that's very well said. 

Great Work

Over the last couple of days, found some great stuff that just caught my eye. Wanted to share...

Stumbled across some interesting Sony work on Adverbox. No, it's not new, but I just don't know how I missed it when it came out originally. Simple. Extremely eye catching. Interesting. All about the product. Just great.

Wonderful execution for Hut Weber by Serviceplan Hamburg / Muchen, Germany, courtesy of Ads of the World.

JWT Kuwait produced an interesting piece for Taiba Hospital. Again, find courtesy of AOTW. (I actually didn't know color blindness worked in this way.)

Fanta is doing some cool stuff. And if you get the chance, be sure to check out the AKQA designed site. (Found on Adverblog.)