BORING EBAY

Ebay has a new logo (top of picture). I visited the site on the day of the official switchover (last Thursday) and my immediate reaction was one of disappointment and slight frustration. I was disappointed and frustrated that Ebay had decided it was necessary to tone-down their identity and make it more orderly, or, as I would describe it: soulless.

I was fond of the old logo. It was fun, lively and a bit quirky. It represented fresh thinking - an alternative way of doing things. Something different. Now Ebay appears much more conformist, with only its multi-coloured lettering to remind us of it’s past identity (although even the colours have been slightly muted).

After reading Devin Wenig’s (an Ebay Exec) reasoning behind the change, I now understand that this new logo represents a shift in direction for Ebay, away from auctions and collectibles, toward full-priced, buy-it-now merchandise. “It's eBay today: a global online marketplace that offers a cleaner, more contemporary and consistent experience," Wenig wrote.

It seems Ebay is now focusing more on new, fixed-priced items as it tries to increase competition with Amazon.com Inc. The fact that Amazon has been growing faster than Ebay recently maybe justifies this move for Ebay, but I believe it represents the loss of something special for the consumer. I mean, from a consumer's point of view: do we really need another Amazon? Where are the online alternatives? Where's the choice? 

THE POWER OF ONLINE TRANSLATION TOOLS

More and more people around the world are learning English and using online tools such as Google Translate to help express themselves. As a result, these online translation tools have the power to shape the future of the English language (and any other language).

For example, the Facebook conversation shown below, has been translated from Korean into English (using Google Translate). In the conversation, Jiyeoung and Jessica are complimenting Eun Jean on one of her Facebook photos. According to Google Translate, Eun Jean responds to these compliments, not by saying 'thank you', but 'grateful'. If a Korean (non English speaker) were to read this translation, they may assume it was correct/natural to use the word 'grateful' in this way. They, along with others, including people in the Korean media, might then start using the word 'grateful' instead of the word 'thanks', or 'thank you' (when communicating in English) and so normalize the use of the word when used in the above context.

Jiyeoung: Oh. Is gaudy Father party!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Eun Jean: /Being, or, without being anything. Sees to, is like that but without being real anything,

Jessica: Is right and a pictorial photograph and

Eun Jean: Grateful ~!!! ^^*

FOUND IN TRANSLATION

I see the white color,

That is empty to fill

…And I organize the beauty among them in my own presence in order.

Above: Extracts from a short essay, titled: ‘A Strong Form of Beauty, White interpreted as light’ which explains why the writer (a Korean Ceramic Artist) chooses to work with only pure white clay.

The writer originally wrote the essay in Korean and then translated it to English using Google Translate. It was given to me to ‘tidy-up’ the English.

When reading the translated essay for the first time I was immediately struck by its refreshing, sometimes surreal nature. The selection and order of the words were unusual and some of the statements formed by Google's online translation tool, seemed oddly profound.

The fact that the writer/translation tool had achieved this unwittingly made the writing even more exciting for me as I knew that the lines were partly formed by chance, much like a dada poem.

I think some of the statements appear 'profound' because there are gaps in them that the reader is forced to fill in order to make sense of what they are reading. As a result one is forced to think about each line and consider quite deeply what exactly the writer was trying to say. For example, I found myself considering: 'How can white be interpreted as light?' 'Is white more ‘empty’ than other colours?' 'How does she organize the beauty among them?' 'When I’m alone, am I aware of my own presence?' Great creative starting points.

SKY MOVIES COMMERCIAL

Agency: WCRS





This ad is another example of what a great source of inspiration travel can be. It was filmed in Sao Paulo where all forms of outdoor advertising (including shop fronts) have been banned by the City’s Mayor. As a result São Paulo has been left with numerous empty billboard structures, which without their signage appear ghostly and oddly beautiful.

The ad pans across the city taking in the empty billboards, whilst accompanied by Gene Wilder singing ‘Pure Imagination’ from Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory. It ends with the line “Because you like movies with no interruptions, we took away the ads”.

The slow and tranquil feel of this ad is in stark contrast to the banned high-impact advertisements which were designed to grab your attention. Although this does make for a beautiful piece of film, I don’t think it effectively promotes the idea that a world without adverts would be a better place. Instead, Sao Paulo appears dead as if the banned adverts have taken with them all the life and excitement of the city.




Above: Before the Sky ad was made, Tony de Marco, who described the banned adverts as his “visual enemies”, created a series of epic photographs of the empty billboards. Home Corp, the Production Company behind the Sky advertisement, were so impressed by De Marco’s shots that they approached him to advise them on their shoot. More of his photographs can be viewed online at: www.flickr.com/photos/tonydemarco.

SHE-BEAR LINGERIE

Agency: TBWA Hunt Lascaris, Johannesburg.

I really like this ad. It’s provocative, fresh and very current. Graphically it looks great as well, with three Muslim women fully covered in black carrying white bags of erotic lingerie.

Maybe its underlying message is: She-Bear lingerie liberates you.

I find it interesting that the ad comes from Johannesburg where maybe the culture is less ‘politically correct’ than in the UK. I wonder how effective it would be, as an ad, if it were to be used here.

MARTINI

(Shaking this ad makes the Martini logo visible.)
Agency: McCann Erickson, Geneva

This is one of the cleverest print ads I’ve seen. The optical illusion allows the viewer to physically interact with the static printed ad.

By involving the viewer in this way they are more likely to remember the advertised brand and show it to others, purely because it is so clever.

CAREER BUILDER AMBIENT

Agency: The Martin Agency, Richmond, VA

A very clever use of space: cheap and highly effective. Through using this space they are specifically targeting people in office blocks (their target market).

This advert could easily catch the viewer’s attention, as no other adverts are fully visible from this viewpoint. Also, the unusual use of space adds to the impact of the joke.

The success of this ad makes me think about other places, which could provide new advertising opportunities. When I do think about it, the potential of ambient media is limitless and I think it’s just a matter of time before the advertising industry starts feeling confident enough to use it more often and exploit that fact.