The Stackpile

Yesterday was Super Tuesday, and though it looks like Hillary has nudged slightly ahead of her Democratic competition, Obama still takes the cake when it comes to a branding campaign. Sure, Hills has figured out how to adjust the flow on her tear-duct nozzles, but Barak wins the prize for hardest working logo. The key is its simplicity: rising sun, “field” of red stripes, and blue sky. But the amazing thing is how flexible this setup is—how it can be adapted for so many different purposes. For example, the logo can be tweaked to represent dozens of different groups—from Pacific Islanders to Americans Abroad.

Plus, the design team has also cleverly figured out how to work the logo into every state name.

I don’t know what it is about Obama that inspires this kind of creativity, and though I’m sure the designers of his official logo were well compensated, it’s interesting to take note of some of the “unofficial” t-shirts and posters that have been showing up all over the place as well.

Cool stuff. And it makes me wonder if we’ll be seeing some kind of groundswell of political art featuring the other candidates. Maybe some cool Romney stickers will start popping up in high-school lockers? Perhaps the kids will start tagging billboards with McCain graffiti? Mmmm, I won’t be holding my breath.

Posted by Simon on February 6th, 2008
Filed under Branding, Design, Marketing, Media, Miscellaneous | No Comments »

January is normally considered a graveyard month for movies—it’s where bad films go to be buried. But there is one movie that has me excited this winter: Cloverfield.

The weird thing is, I have no idea what Cloverfield is about.  But then again, neither does anybody else.  That’s what’s got us all charged up.

Other than a brief, extremely shaky and confusing trailer, Paramount Pictures has released very little information on the film.  Instead, they’ve opted for a risky marketing campaign whose central driving force is secrecy and speculation.  The trailer was released months ago, but it’s hard to glean any facts from it.  New York appears to be under attack, but by who, or what?  And Cloverfield—what does that mean?  As cryptic a title as it is, the original trailer actually aired without a title of any kind—only the numbers 11808 (the release date). In fact, the film was reportedly shrouded in secrecy from the beginning. During auditions, for example, actors were not allowed to see the full script.  Some were given decoy lines written specifically for audition purposes.

Of course, the film’s producer, J.J. Abrams, is no stranger to hype.  He is the creator of two TV series founded on the interplay between mystery and revelation: Alias and Lost.  But it will be interesting to see if his bet pays off this time.  This sort of gimmick has been pulled before in the movie world—similar internet-heavy, uber-secretive campaigns were launched for the Blair Witch Project and Snakes on a Plane.  But pre-release hype does not always translate into cash flow. Blair Witch was a huge hit, but Snakes…well, all I remember from that is Samuel L. Jackson screaming, “I have had it with these [expletive deleted] snakes on the [expletive deleted] plane!” And that I got for free, from YouTube.

I guess we’ll see this Friday if Cloverfield goes the way of the witch or the way of the snake (on a plane).

Posted by Simon on January 16th, 2008
Filed under Miscellaneous | No Comments »

Well, the holidays are upon us, but it’s not too late to do some last minute online shopping! So, to aid you in your efforts, here is the Non-Official, First Annual (As Far As I Know) Stackpole Gift Guide.

First up on the list, a gift with a truly excellent name: MomSpit. What is MomSpit, you ask? Apparently some kind of skin-cleaning product—but other than that I have no idea. I mainly just liked the name. In the spirit of diligent journalism, however, I went to the website looking for answers, but came back instead with one of the most mystifying product descriptions I’ve ever read: “It contains no alcohol, mousses brilliantly, moisturizes gently, absorbs quickly and feels great. It’s not gel. It’s not sanitizer. It’s MomSpit.” Huh. MomSpit. Yeah, I get it!

Next up, for the child in your life with an appreciation for austere Scandinavian furniture, check out the new Svan Scooter—a child’s scooter designed with Gropius-like minimalism. This “toy” consists of three black wheels and a single curving length of plywood. According to the product description on Amazon, “Parents will love the sleek lines and style; kids will love the fun!” Indeed. Just wait till your child exclaims on Christmas morning, “Thank you, mother- and father-unit. I will enjoy this quietly in my room now, remaining mindful of the bamboo flooring.”

But what to do about that Significant Other who has everything? You may be interested to know that the Dalai Lama’s 1966 Land Rover was recently auctioned on eBay for a mere $82 thousand. This is not a joke—you can’t make this stuff up. I know this doesn’t make for a very good gift recommendation, since the Rover has already been sold (after 11 bids, to someone named “vodder”). But I think it’s still worth checking out the eBay page, which includes a video of Sharon Stone doing her best impression of a car salesman, as well as various fun facts about the Rover itself (e.g. “the vehicle is registered in California and has personalized plates that say ‘HHDL XIV’ with the Yosemite mountains in the background.”). And who knows—maybe you’ll get lucky and come across a used Pope-mobile on deep discount!

By the way, HHDL XIV stands for “His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama.” But you knew that, didn’t you?

Posted by Simon on December 12th, 2007
Filed under Design, Fun, Miscellaneous | No Comments »

If you’re a fan of NBC’s hospital sitcom Scrubs (and, really, who isn’t?), you may have noticed an unusual cameo recently. The scene involved two lawyers. The first lawyer was the resident attorney Ted, whose wimpy antics are a recurring source of laughs on the show. And the other lawyer? None other than Jim Sokolove—the famous real-life personal injury lawyer who’s been starring in his own television commercials since the 1970s.

Now, product placement isn’t exactly a new concept, I know. We’ve all seen plenty of examples in television and film. (My personal favorite is the tongue-in-cheek montage in Wayne’s World that plays on Pizza Hut, Doritos, Reebok, Pepsi, and Nuprin in quick succession.) But this Sokolove plug is a new one on me. For one thing, Sokolove isn’t selling a product like pizza or sneakers—he’s selling a service. That’s unusual to begin with. But there’s something else going on. He’s also local—complete with a thick Boston accent—and his ads are typically low-budget and embarrassingly self-serious. He’s an expert at doing the Concerned Adult shtick. He’s so good, in fact, that over the years he’s practically become a parody of himself. And now he’s on Scrubs, parodying the parody?

Despite the weirdness, the cameo was actually a shrewd move on Jim’s part, in this blogger’s opinion. Sokolove’s bread and butter is personal injury—everything from auto accidents to mesothelioma. With that breadth of service, it pays for him to reach a lot of people. And Sokolove’s success owes a lot to his willingness to go where potential clients will see him—on TV. His approach may be more Bernie & Phyl than Bear Stearns, but it’s proven enormously effective over the years (I know who I’m calling if I find asbestos in my workplace!).

So, what’s next? Cy Sperling on The Simpsons? Ernie Boch on 30Rock? Stranger things have happened…

Posted by Simon on November 6th, 2007
Filed under Advertising, Fun, Legal, Marketing | No Comments »