the world beyond recruiting

You’ve gotta give it up to GEICO and The Martin Agency.  They keep bringing simple, memorable, humorous spots to TV/Internet.  Between the Cavemen, the gecko, and these new animal-inspired ads, they know what they are doing when it comes to building a brand name and building up brand equity.

If you haven’t seen them, here are a few of these ads. Enjoy these while on break…

Woodchucks

Little Piggy

Octopus

California lawmakers are considering putting flashing ads on license plates, doctors are urging the Coliseum not to hold another rave, and the Los Angeles Dodgers of Los Angeles beat the San Francisco Giants last night.

That’s what’s going on around Los Angeles, home of recruiting/staffing agency Eleventh Hour. Here’s what’s going on around the “creative world”:

• Toy Story 3 won the weekend box office for the second consecutive weekend (by the way, THR dubs this second consecutive weekend a “sophomore session,” just in case you need an unnecessary way of saying it).
• The Hollywood Reporter: B.O. trading venture won’t launch despite OK
• You’ve probably heard that Steve Carell is leaving The Office. This completely sucks, but, he has not changed his mind.
• AdAge: Why TV Advertisers Are Spending More for Less This Season
• Branded entertainment is set to increase, according to ADWEEK. I guess it’s better than advertisements on license plates.
• FIFA actually feels bad about some of the horrible mistakes made by referees during the 2010 World Cup. They are going to consider using video technology. (Technology: 1 – Stubbornness: 0)
• Mashable: iMovie Hacked to Work on iPhone 3GS
• The Rundown (USA): iBad: Admit you’re wrong with iPology
• CrunchGear: Barnes & Noble financials: e-book store blowing up like what
• And, in closing, yes, it was a tough loss for the U.S. weekend. But, let’s, at least, remember the good times.

Brian Laesch is an independent blogger posting on behalf of Marina del Rey-based boutique recruiting/staffing agency Eleventh Hour.

The L.A. City Council has voted overwhelmingly to boycott the state of Arizona. Ironically, the Lakers take on the Phoenix Suns in LA on Monday. And, inmates play tennis at San Quentin.

That’s what’s going on in and around Los Angeles, home of entertainment staffing/recruiting firm Eleventh Hour, but here’s what’s going on around the “creative world.”

• Not surprisingly, Iron Man 2 dominated the box office this week. You could say it “cast the iron mold” that shaped this week’s returns. Or not.
• Betty White is blowing up at age 88. Take note, young, aspiring Hollywood types, but also have a plan for the other 87 years.
• TV Upfront 2010
• ADWEEK: Brands Suit Up for ‘Iron Man 2′
• AdFreak: Skol beer won’t turn you into a bloated idiot
• Have I mentioned that Eleventh Hour is located in Marina del Rey, California? There’s a beach nearby, usually sun, and a bunch of boats. It’s cool.
• AdFreak: VWs not intended for pathetic hipster sheep
• That theatrical Johnnie Walker walking monologue commercial is still creating buzz…and making me want to buy Johnnie Walker.

• Creativity’s spot of the day: BBC: World Cup
• Now you can get an Apple iPad made of gold for only $189,000! (If a “hipster” bought this would they be revoked of their “hipster” status?)
• Anyway, if you are in the market for a career in Los Angeles (or, potentially, elsewhere), check out boutique recruiting/staffing firm Eleventh Hour. Located in sunny, beachy, boaty, Marina del Rey, California. You’ll be glad you did.

Brian Laesch is an independent blogger writting for Eleventh Hour’s “the world beyond recruiting” blog.

Welcome to another edition of the world-renowned “Around the Creative World.” Presented by Eleventh Hour, the boutique recruiting and staffing agency based in Marina del Rey, California. Written by Brian Laesch.

I’m sure you are all over the Kansas game by now. I’m not, but let’s begin…

• Alice in Wonderland dominated the weekend Box Office again.
• James Cameron wants to debate Glenn Beck. (Pay-Per-View?)
• Nuru International is holding “Be Hope to Her” events all across the country next month (including one at the SoCal City Center) to raise awareness and funds to help build water wells in Kuria, Kenya.
• The 13 most annoying ad characters of all-time
• AdAge: Google’s Newest Search Ad Format, Loved and Hated by Brands
• Lamar Kardashian catching Kobe in endorsement deals?
• American Airlines does not like the expression “win-win.”
• Lady Gaga became the first artist to reach one billion video views online. I guess you could say, the fans are following her until she loves them. Pa-pa. Pa-pa-razzi. (Yes, that was lame.)

Brian Laesch signs his name to this blog, regardless of the horrible Lady Gaga joke at the end.

Happy Post-Valentine’s Day, readers of this blog. Hope everyone out there had a great date night/singles’ night out on the town. I know I didn’t. (Hey-oh!)

Anyway, here are some great links from the worlds of entertainment, marketing, advertising, technology and more.

• Speaking of Valentine’s Day, Warner Bros.’ “Valentine’s Day” won this weekend’s box office title. Awww….. That’s so, so, so, so, sweet. Looks like Warner Bros. found a good way to fill in the gap usually left in the moviegoing experience during the month leading up to the Academy Awards. Look for “Valentine’s Day” sequels for the next twenty years.
• Which Winter Olympic athlete will become this year’s marketing icon? I have no idea, but Advertising Age offers up a few candidates.
• The new Lost opening title sequences were leaked. (Hint: This is not real. It’s The Hollywood Reporter being…funny…I guess?)
• AdAge: My Life as H.J. Heinz: Confessions of a Real-Life Twitter Squatter
• General Mills is releasing limited-edition vintage cereal boxes for five cereals, including Lucky Charms.
• Rapper Drake had somewhat of a mainstream coming out party this NBA All-Star weekend, including this Sprite commercial in which it was revealed that he is, in fact, a musical robot.
• Creativity-Online: Nike: Human Chain
• Adweek: Beefing Up Banner Ads
• The TED vs. Sarah Silverman feud, as described by TechCrunch. I’d say, “get your popcorn ready,” but it won’t keep you entertained long enough to need a snack.

Brian Laesch is an independent blogger who compiled these links for the boutique recruitment agency Eleventh Hour.

According to an article on AdvertisingAge today, Coca-Cola’s memorable sleepwalking spot that aired during Super Bowl XLIV may have been a complete rip-off of an Israeli dairy commercial from eight years ago. In fact, if you watch the video, it looks like they used the same script. It’s pretty unbelievable:

According to AdAge:

The ad in question, dubbed “Sleepwalker,” was one of two created by Coke’s longtime agency, Wieden & Kennedy, Portland, Ore., for the Super Bowl broadcast on CBS last weekend. In it, a young man sleepwalks for miles through the African savanna, narrowly missing deadly encounters with herds of elephants and hippos before finally quenching his subconscious thirst with a cold Coke he finds in a tribal village.

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Within 24 hours of the spot airing on the Super Bowl, the video below — a split-screen comparison of the Coke ad and a 2002 spot for Yotvata by Shalmor Avnon Amichay/Young & Rubicam, Tel Aviv, both with similar storylines and set to the music of Ravel’s “Bolero” — had been loaded onto YouTube. Subsequently the video was covered by news outlets in Israel and circulated on Twitter and e-mails among the international and U.S. creative community.

Yotvata Dairy, which markets milk, yogurts and flavored-milk drinks, doesn’t appear to have officially complained to anyone, though.

If this truly is a coincidence, as Coke claims, it’s by far the craziest coincidence I haver ever seen (in terms of intellectual property). It looks like someone found the script for the Yotvata Dairy ad online and made some minor tweaks. You know, like a college student, in a hurry, doing a project last minute, the night  before it’s due? Even the shots and music and acting are the same. Wow.

Or, maybe, the writer of this spot simply saw the ad 8 years ago, memorized it, and was sleepwalking when they were writing it. Yeah, that’s it. They had no idea…

Happy Super Bowl Week. Can’t wait for football to resume after a weekend off… What’s that? They played the Pro Bowl yesterday? Seriously? Oh…

Anyway, get your popcorn ready…and your burgers, hot dogs, beef brisket, Doritos, Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Coca-Cola, Beer, and anything else you consume on Super Bowl Sunday. The match-up between the Colts and Saints should be a good one.

Here are this week’s links:

• Here is Adweek’s official Super Bowl ad coverage.
• Ever wonder how the “Punch Bug” or “Slug Bug” game started? Volkswagen answers.
• A really bad Charles Barkley Taco Bell campaign launched…
• Here is Ad Age’s Super Bowl coverage.
• BrandFreak: Naming experts split on whether ‘iPad’ is a terrible name or not
• Beyonce took home a record-breaking six Grammy’s last night. (Or so I’m told.)
• By the way, Avatar won the box office, again, for a seventh-consecutive session. No big deal.
• NBC has renewed “Parks and Recreation” for a third season. I, for one, am glad. This show is extremely underrated and has only improved since it’s first season.
• Netflix has added about 300 indie films for on-demand streaming.
• And, in case you haven’t heard, “Jersey Shore” is returning for a second season with it’s original cast members. Our country is going down the tubes, because of the tube, but it’s never been so much fun.

Brian Laesch compiled these links for Eleventh Hour’s “beyond the world of recruiting” blog.

Last night marked the end of Conan O’Brien’s 7 month run as host of NBC’s long-running franchise “The Tonight Show.” His successor, obviously, will be the same person he succeeded: Jay Leno. The chin returns. (Which I say with the utmost respect. I just like calling Jay Leno “the chin.”)

What will happen? Where will Conan O’Brien end up? Fox?

How will Jay Leno fare in his return? Huge ratings spike (beyond the initial guaranteed spike due to curiosity, of course)?

Who cares. Well, besides NBC. I mean, the cool thing to do is say that you don’t care…but deep down, everybody has an opinion on the feud that took place the last few weeks–unless they don’t care about either host, or television in general. I’ve already prepared myself for a world without Conan when he was originally on hiatus, waiting for The Tonight Show to begin. But that doesn’t mean I want it to be that way. The return to Jay Leno doesn’t seem “progressive” enough for the NBC. Oh well.

In case you missed Conan’s final show last night (weird to be typing that already), here it is, in it’s entirety, on Hulu.com. It’s good that NBC realized that no matter how much Conan badmouthed them these last two weeks, it was good for ratings, including online. Adios, Conando. (Too sentimental?) Here it is:

Brian Laesch will be awaiting the return of Conan O’Brien.

I thought about calling this week’s edition of links “Around the Creative World (Holiday Purgatory)”…but figured that might be a bit depressing. You know the time of year though: in between Christmas, Hanukkah and New Year’s Eve. It’s a blah time of year. If you are lucky enough to be off work, you might still be enjoying yourself. If not, you are counting down the days until the new year so you can move on. At least, I know I am.

But there is one good thing about this time of year. Almost every single media outlet, in every medium, is releasing lists of the “Best of the Year.” And in this case, “Best of the Decade.”

• Avatar has just barley been release, and already AFI is singling it out as one of it’s eight significant moments of 2009.
• In case you were wondering, yes, Virginia, Facebook was the most visited site on Christmas. (Oh…your name isn’t Virginia?)
• Here are the 10 most-read AdFreak posts of the year.
• Do you want to know where digital marketing is going in 2010? Advertising Age thinks they know…
• And, Mashable has five things you need to know about mobile advertising for 2010.
• AdvertisingAge: Looking for a Second Career? Consider Being a Community Manager
• Do you have what it takes to apply for the position of “Twitter Genius“? I think I do…but I’m not sure that I want that title.
• In closing, here is Jack Bauer interrogating Santa Claus. (Also featured in The Rundown.)

Brian Laesch wishes you and yours a Happy 2010.

Welcome back to Around the Creative World. “We’re like fire and ice, taking over the whole world.” Today is Tuesday, December 8th, 2009.

I kind of feel like Conan O’Brien doing a monologue right now. Why? Because, unlike some past “shows,” I know today’s list of links is good. Not that others have been bad…but, I’m especially excited about today’s crop of URLs.

As Diddy always says, annoyingly, on Twitter, “LET’S GO PEOPLE!!!!”

• Let’s start this morning off right with a little Rhianna featuring Shy Ronnie. (I can’t believe how sick this track is, bro.)
• That’s not doing it for you? OK, watch this new UPS White Board ad while I find a better link.
• Oh. Here it is… Complete episodes of Mystery Science Theater 3000 are now streaming on Hulu. Merry Christmas.
• The United States government has deployed Lil Wayne to Mexico to battle Mexican drug cartels. Operation “Weezy F. Baby” is in full effect. Nancy Reagan must be so proud.
• NBC Universal’s Jeff Zucker praises the Comcast deal. (I didn’t really read this article. I just wanted to namedrop Jeff Zucker.)
• Twilight’s rein at the top over? Somewhere a fake vampire teen is crying…but The Blind Side has taken over the top spot at the box office. Yes! Jocks win again!
• AdvertisingAge: Google Goes After Social-Network Search With Facebook, MySpace
• JetBlue releases a holiday gift guide “for those times when you’re not on JetBlue.” I need one of those “knee jockeys”…for real.
• Quenton Tarantino is featured in a random commercial for Japan’s Softbank here.
• American kids love Paraguay’s Pulp Cola! (Even though I think this actor is 33.)
• North American Breweries is planning to display the world’s largest beers at their headquarters in Rochester, NY. (Is Tuesday morning too early to be thinking about beer?)
• Anybody else notice the cool Popeye logo on Google today? For that matter, does anyone in the world have a day where they don’t use Google?
• Russell Simmons and Global Grind have acquired CelebrityTweet. I’m guessing that the name Russell Simmons is what makes this acquisition a story.
• On that note,  I leave you with the latest effort from the newly-signed Def Jam artist (not really) Shy Ronnie. (Yes, again.)

Brian Laesch will someday retire from the link-compiling game. But until that day, he’s known as the “Best Link Compiler Alive.”