The Story of Adi Dassler

Stop motion work has always amazed me. Whether it's Wallace and Grommit or the lightpainting by LICHTFAKTOR from Germany, the artistry and skill necessary are astounding. That's why I love the new site by Adidas which tells the story of Adidas and Adi Dassler. Hit the jump to watch the film and explore Adi's workshop.
What the film does not tell however is the fascinating story of the split between Adi and his older brother Rudolph Dassler. The split between these two Nazi party members apparently occurred over a misunderstanding in a bomb shelter.

"During the war, a growing rift between the pair reached breaking point, after an Allied bomb attack in 1943 when Adi and his wife climbed into a bomb shelter that Rudolf and his family were already in. 'The dirty bastards are back again,' Adi said, apparently referring to the Allied war planes, but Rudolf was convinced his brother meant him and his family. After Rudolf was later picked up by American soldiers and accused of being a member of the Waffen SS, he was convinced that his brother had turned him in."

In 1948, the brothers split their business, when Rudi left the high hill for the other side of the Aurach river: Adolf called his firm Adidas after his nick name; Rudolf started his own little shoe company... now known as Puma.

I gotta get me some SpeedLegs...

I love my Pumas. In fact, I'm wearing my white and green ones right now. I gotta say, the new SpeedLegs are sweet though. The only problem is that I'll have to wait until 2178 A.D. to score a pair.

I've posted here before about Puma's incredible ability to build community around their product and gain brand loyalty. And, this new ad campaign makes me love them even more. The visuals are ubersweet and the punchline is incredibly clever. Now if my boys in blue could just get some of these, they wouldn't be behind Man U and Arsenal. Check it out...

Is it wrong to love a shoe this much?

Sony | Music Like No Other

Last month, I posted about Sony's Bravia Play-Doh ad. And then subsequently, the Behind the Scenes look. Well, Sony has slipped out another ad... this time for the Walkman. Of course, I'm a huge Mac fan and love my iPod/iPhone so I'm not going to run out an buy a Walkman but the ad is definitely worth the look.

"It shows 128 musicians gathered in Alexandra Palace Theatre in London, with each one given just one note to play from a piece of original music composed for the ad by Peter Raeburn. Featured in the spot are 32 electric guitars and 32 drums among the many other instruments." Watching this ad, I was reminded of the Nooma short film, Rhythm.

Like the Play-Doh ad, the Behind the Scenes look gives me more appreciation for the final product (view below). The production and coordination were much more difficult the final proof suggests.

The Neverending Web Page

In promoting their unlimited service offer, UK mobile phone company, Orange, has launched a pretty ingenious website called Good Things Should Never End. The website literally never ends. You can scroll down forever and along the way there are little interactive places to stop and explore. From what I understand, they have hidden discount and freebie codes embedded in the site but that won't do any of us any good here in the States. To me the entertainment was seeing how far down I could scroll. I know... I need a life.

Apple to remake YouTube ad

The latest in consumer-generated content comes from Nick Haley, a native of Warwick, England, from the University of Leeds, where he is a “fresher,” or first-year student. An Apple fanatic, he created and uploaded a self-made iPod Touch commercial to YouTube. As of yesterday, it was viewed over 2,100 times. Well, among the viewers were marketing employees at Apple who asked staff members on the Apple account at TBWA/Chiat/Day to get in touch with Mr. Haley about producing a professional version of the commercial. Quoting the New York Times...

“I was sitting on the bus and I got this e-mail on my phone,” Mr. Haley, a native of Warwick, England, said in an interview yesterday from the University of Leeds, where he is a “fresher,” or first-year student.

The message said, ‘We represent Apple and we’ve seen what you have produced and we’d like a chat with you,’ ” Mr. Haley recalled, adding: “This seemed ridiculous and far-fetched. My initial reaction was, someone wanted to steal it.”

He was soon convinced that the message was real and came to Los Angeles this month, in his first visit to the United States, to work on a broadcast-ready version of his spot with creative executives at TBWA/Chiat/Day...

As for how faithful the professional spot is to the amateur version, Mr. Clow said, “we didn’t mess with his content” because “it has a charm to it, a youthful fun.”

The changes include more polished editing and filming the new version in high definition.

“My input was totally respected,” Mr. Haley said, adding that he considered the agency’s commercial “pretty similar” to the original. Speaking of the original... view it below.

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Building Community

It's interesting to see how marketing has changed over the years. Because of the Internet, companies are spending more time and more dollars creating community and giving customers their own voice than they used to. A perfect example is PumaTalk. This online community is a place for people to talk about the latest in Puma gear as well as a Puma Photoblog with all kinds of shots from all around the world.

I've been talking with some friends lately about this trend and how people want to be part of a community of others with the same values even if they don't always agree. To start a dialog without pretense and just see what happens. Is it possible to connect with someone about shoes and then as that relationship develops, other bigger or dare I say higher issues come about that actually have purpose.

The world is looking for places to connect. I'd encourage you to engage people. Find out what they are about... what they have to give... find a common place and start there. You never know what could come from it... even if it starts with just shoes. Cool shoes... but just shoes.

Clean Marketing...

Saw this on several sites this morning... London based Street Advertising Services is putting a new twist on guerrilla marketing. Most of the time, this type of advertising is accused of defacing public property through the posting of adverts or stencil spray painted ads. These guys are actually using stencils to pressure-wash logos, ads, and messages right into dirty sections of sidewalks and walls. They perform their magic during the night (fewer pedestrians to get in the way), using just water and steam. It’s all environmentally friendly, and no residue. And the after effects are a semi-cleaner city.

This application could be rather useful for churches or organizations that want to make a statement in a different way or for a special event... just a thought.

Nike Acquires Umbro to Battle Adidas on the Soccer Field

Nike has bought British sports brand Umbro for £285m in an attempt to strengthen its position on the football pitch (soccer field for American fans). The Telegraph reports:

Despite the relatively small size of the deal, Umbro sportswear and equipment is sold in more than 90 countries. As well as making the England kit, Umbro provides playing and training football kit for the Republic of Ireland, Sweden and Norway national teams.

It provides the kit for six Premier League teams and over 100 other professional teams globally. Umbro advertising campaigns have featured England players John Terry and Michael Owen. According to Nike the acquisition of Umbro would significantly expand its “global leadership in football.”

Maybe it would help if my boys in blue switched to Nike from Adidas... they're struggling this year.

Through the eyes of a child...

The new LEGO print ads are pretty cool. I loved LEGO blocks (the company didn't like the word "LEGOs") when I was a kid. Why is it that as we get older, we find it harder to use our imagination in the simplest ways? My son, Benaiah, inspires me everyday to see what isn't there. Who knows, you may imagine something that could change the world... or your life could just be more fun and those around you better for it.

Coke and illy

I haven't had a soda in years but I drink way too much coffee. Jim Rudolph turned me on to some of the best coffee in the world... illy. You can get it at most grocery stores but when I drink it, I get mine at Sal Platerotti's. Anyway... Coke and illy are teaming up to produce a Ready-to-Drink coffee. Sounds yummy... Here's a bite from the news release...

"The Coca-Cola Company and illycaffè SpA today announced they have signed a memorandum of understanding to form a global joint venture focused on the premium ready-to-drink (RTD) coffee segment leveraging illy's world class expertise in the art of the espresso to capture opportunities in this high growth, profitable beverage category with new brands and products.

The RTD coffee category globally is valued at just under $10 billion and has experienced several years of growth that is expected to continue. Globally (excluding Japan), the ready-to-drink coffee category has grown at an average rate of 10.1% over the past five years."

What kind of coffee do you like best?

DRM is Dying... Yay!!!

Just read a piece on Wired about the trend in the music industry away from DRM (Digital Rights Management). Just look at iTunes and how that has changed the music industry. Amazon now has DRM-free music as well. That means the songs you purchase are "unlocked" and can be put on as many devices and burned as many times as you like. Distribution no longer holds the power... or at least it's moving that way.

In case you missed Radiohead's album release last week... it rocked the music world. Quoting Influx Entertainment... "Radiohead delivered onto the world a complete surprise; they released an album when everyone was expecting to have to wait a year for. They announced it a few days before launch. There's no ad campaign, no PR campaign, no hype, no leaks, no listening parties, no preview issues sent out to critics and journalists. No experts listening ahead of time and writing reviews, just everyone sharing the same experience at the same time, without the noise or clutter of expert opinions in the air.

The band made the news for the pricing story, but cutting out the hype, the critics and going straight to the user the band has created a communal listening experience, that's just as revolutionary as its famed "name your own price" model."

I think the downloads reached 1.4 million on the first day. Welcome to another music revolution.

Bravia Ad - Behind the Scenes

I posted up a YouTube video of the new Sony Bravia ad with the Play-doh rabbits. I kind of assumed there was a good bit of CG going on. Check out the Behind the Scenes video. Click the "Watch Our Play-Do Ad" box and you'll see an option to select the Making Of video. It makes watching the commercial even cooler when you see how they pulled it off.

China is Getting Ready

In light of the upcoming Olympic Games in Beijing, Amnesty International is putting out some ads bringing attention to China's human rights issues. I don't agree with everything Amnesty International stands for but these ads are pretty in-your-face. View more ads...

Sony Bravia Ad

Saw this ad on Electro Plankton... Not a huge Sony fan but this Play-doh ad is pretty cool.