Archive for August 2008

This site has pulled together a fantastic dashboard to monitor the election. Not only does it have all the key metrics, above, but it also has the latest Tweets, recent blog posts and recent news.

via Dan Germain

This is an idea we’ve seen a few times before, but I thought it was particularly well executed. Created by Saatchi & Saatchi in Australia the ads use the headphones from a Sony Walkman to draw out subway maps from various cities with cach station named after an artist.

Via AdGoodness

Procter & Gamble is certainly pulling out all the stops to forge partnerships with all manner of brands so that its new laundry detergents Tide Total Care (a ’sort of an anti-aging line for clothes, using ingredients derived from Pantene hair products and Olay skin care’ according to the company) and Downy stay in the minds of consumers despite the economic downturn in the US. Take a look at this:

1. A partnership with Tim Gunn of Project Runway, where he offers laundry and fashion commentary on a Tide-sponsored site called Dress To The Sevens.

2. A tie-up with Ann Taylor Loft stores where, beginning September 9th, shoppers will receive Total Care samples with their purchases, as well as a co-branded magazine which will offer tips on style, products and trends.

3. Another recently-concluded partnership with Project Runway for their Downy Radiance Collection where there was a contest for users to create an online mood board to inspire 3 designers that were associated with Downy Amethyst Mist, Turquoise Frost and Pink Opal special detergent range.

4. A partnership with a dry-cleaner, Green Earth Cleaning, which uses an environmentally-friendly solvent, and two other dry-cleaning stores, as well as the launch of a company-owned store in Kansas City that will provide services such as ‘a drive-through, valet and concierge services, an on-site tailor, and a proprietary process to improve garment color’.

[via Ad Age, Trend Central and MSNBC, image courtesy Trend Central]

Film director Aaron Sorkin, who has made acclaimed films like A Few Good Men and Charlie Wilson’s War, is apparently overcoming his fear of technology to create a Facebook page - in order to learn more about it AND make a film about it! The story goes that he is making the Facebook Movie for Sony and producer Scott Rudin. From what we can see, it seems to be legit and not just a joke. This is what the Facebook group page for the movie says:

Welcome. I’m Aaron Sorkin. I understand there are a few other people using Facebook pages under my name–which I find more flattering than creepy–but this is me. I don’t know how I can prove that but feel free to test me.

I’ve just agreed to write a movie for Sony and producer Scott Rudin about how Facebook was invented. I figured a good first step in my preparation would be finding out what Facebook is, so I’ve started this page. (Actually it was started by my researcher, Ian Reichbach, because my grandmother has more Internet savvy than I do and she’s been dead for 33 years.)

On the page, he also asks fellow members for suggestions, comments and anecdotes about their Facebook experiences which could help him make the film. Yet another example of collaborative work online, this time culminating in a movie. Interesting indeed.

Image courtesy Facebook.

[via New York Magazine]

Our PSFK Conference Asia in Singapore has already received a lot of backing by some major players in the region and beyond. I want to make a point to thank MTV, Mindshare, Bates 141, Flamingo International and Anomaly for their early support. It’s much appreciated.

There are still several opportunities to get involved in sponsoring the PSFK Conference Asia - drop Hedyeh an email here - hedyeh@psfk.com. And for the rest of you, buy your tickets for the October 10 event now here.

Glassdoor.com is a site that aims to give users an “inside look at companies from those who know them best” - through anonymous salary sharing, ratings, and reviews of some of the top companies across several industries. A sort of Yelp! meets “Wall Street”. While the salaries featured, ranging from Creative Directors (a CD at Avenue A goes for about $132,500) to tax managers (at Deloitte, around $60,000) are a fun, though at times painful, read, perhaps most useful are the first-hand accounts of the companies from their anonymous employers. CEOs are featured alongside their percentage approval rating, and all salaries are averaged from multiple users’ information.

[via Mediabistro]

We’ve been spending quite a lot of time in the last few weeks considering the right venue to hold our next conference. After a long search, we’ve decided that there couldn’t be anything more appropriate than holding an event that celebrates creativity in the region at the Asian Civilisations Museum. Here’s a little background to the venue

The Asian Civilisations Museum is the first museum in the region to present a broad yet integrated perspective of pan-Asian cultures and civilisations. As one of the National Museums of Singapore under the National Heritage Board, they seek to promote a better appreciation of the rich cultures that make up Singapore’s multi-ethnic society.

While Singapore’s forefathers came to settle in Singapore from many parts of Asia within the last 200 years, the cultures brought to Singapore by these different people are far more ancient. This aspect of Singapore’s history is the focus of the ACM. The Museum’s collection therefore centres on the material cultures of the different groups originating from China, Southeast Asia, South Asia and West Asia.

Tickets are selling well - get yours at: http://psfkconferenceasia.eventbrite.com/

In a world where H&M and Uniqlo and Zara and Top Shop (and a million other labels) are able to recreate runway trends at a fraction of the price with two-week turnaround times, what’s left for the high end designer? The Financial Times says it’s all in the fabric. Designers such as Prada and Balenciaga are now focusing heavily on textiles as a way to differentiate themselves from the mass of cheaply made but on-trend labels. Bringing back long forgotten craftsmanship and experimenting with revolutionary techniques, designers are taking a stand and trying desperately to save face.

Prints, texture and rich embellishment were other avenues of exploration. Dries Van Noten revisited a 1920s printing technique created by Swiss inventor Orbis Wirth. With producers Jakob Schlaepfer, the label created incredible marble-ised patterns using an elaborate system of printing layers of coloured wax from a cylinder on to wet fabric. Nicolas Ghesquière at Balenciaga meanwhile (remember the chain-mail leggings from last year?) drew gasps for his collection of dresses covered in elaborate hand-painted landscapes and embellishments and varnished latex.

Balmain explored fine chain-mail – that looked almost like lamé – and Fendi even developed a technique for applying gold to fur, by heating 24-carat gold and spraying it on to surface tips. And that’s not counting Christopher Bailey at Burberry Prorsum, who created whole skirts from miniature suede sequins.

Can the newfound focus on quality, craftsmanship, and uniqueness in textile save the high end fashion industry?

Financial Times: Cut from a Different Cloth

Facebook is trying out a new interactive ad format, and is launching it by beta testing the concept with a few advertisers like Adidas, Betty Crocker and Paramount, before it goes live. They call it an ‘engagement ad’. From Brand Republic: