Des Temps

Author: MHB

  • Like A Virgin

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    Richard Branson’s Virgin America airline has come out of the gate as THE plane for Generation Y & Z. Not only does it have crucial features like Plugs and USB, it also has fun features like interseat IM. But what struck me most were the drawings in their Safety Instructions. Note the scruffy gent and white belted, midriffing lady. Note the baggy pants. With these images, Virgin welcomes the 18-34 set and their zillions of dollars. And it even reaches future customers, 14 year-olds traveling with Mom and Dad can now see themselves in this heretofore ignored document. belt.jpgpants.jpg

  • Elle Mac Stops You in Yer Tracks

    A strong litmus test for streetscape advertising is if it can engage one of the more harried members of our species, Homo Manhattanus. They are a quick moving lot, prone to wearing blinders. It’s not that they’re brusque, but that they must filter out a constant barrage of chaos and stimuli. Breaking through this wall is difficult for advertisers, but Free Set’s new work for Elle MacPherson Intimates is successful. It not only surprises the man on the street, it allows him/her to control the media flow of information, a rare opportunity in the NYC.

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    HT @ Scott Goodson at Strawberry Frog.

  • I Want Your Sex.

    Sex sells, especially if you saw this headline via your RSS feed and opted to click on in. Hello Nurse! Been thinking about a recent post from Agency Tart in which she explained that fashion advertising is an aspirational market. True true – few women are a size 2 and few men have 6 packs – but this is what we see – people whom we aspire to be or to be with. But now the lingerie line Agent Provocateur has taken a different course by casting Maggie Gyllenhaal for their fall campaign.

    In this perilously thin world, Mags does not fit the model of a size 2 lingerie gal. Serena Rees of Agent Provocateur said: “Maggie is not an obvious sex symbol. She is interesting looking, confident and beautiful in a way that is non-threatening, which makes her appealing to men and women alike.” That, and she is known for her whips & chains role in “Secretary”. And it is this hot kink that drives the new campaign. So Provocateur becomes the naughty cousin of Victoria and Frederick. One whom many shoppers secretly may want to be, or to be with. And AP corners mindshare and a unique space in the lingerie drawer. Well played, AP, well played.

    September 6, 2007

  • Dick Cheney is on your Facebook

    I See Yall

    A friend of ours keeps his online info to a minimum. If you watch this clip, you’ll learn about the powers that helped finance Facebook and might think twice before whiling by profiling. Also a tip of the cap to our NYC cabbies if they strike instead of getting GPS’d, tagged and bagged.

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    Learned about the black-ops from WAS

  • Purple is In The Air Tonight

    l like chocolates.

    Cadbury wanted to make the viewer smile.
    Juan Cabral wrote and directed.
    Note the color scheme.
    The nostril flare.
    The neck crack.
    And the sheer release of tension.
    I’d pay good money to see the agency pitch on this:
    Gorilla + Phil Collins + Chocolate = Happy Viral.

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  • stay hungry

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    Getting fat and sassy won’t last ye. Our friend Demondoctor now uses the word “Grustle”, a mashup of Grind and Hustle. Reason being that those two words had grown soft standing solo. This new voltron will reign supreme. And some enterpising lads have already snapped up the URL.
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  • Shoes Melt.

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    While summertime fashion is go time for the dames, it’s rough on us here menfolk. But our saving grace is the kick game. With both bursts of color or a muted monochrome, the right shoes will ease you through the dog day afternoons. Soon come Bryant Park and the tents. We’ll be seeing lots of flannel, tweed and clunky boots this fall, as the designers who were teens during Nirvana now get some say in the game. Out the corner of my eye, I spied something that looked like a Hypercolor t-shirt. And Hammer Pants. Also brace yourself for your GFs rocking hi-rise jeans. On the dapper elephants, you’ll see some bursts of color via pocket squares and colored socks – thanks to our fearless leader the Sartorialist. rebok1.jpgarmynavy1.jpgrebok2.jpg
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    UPDATE: But of course, leaders buy more sneakers

    Hmm I was a year ahead of Hypercolor.