NYC based ideas and solutions shop Project 2050 announced Bobbito Garcia, world-renowned curator of underground culture, as Chief Creative.
I'm elated to join the Project 2050 family," says Garcia. "The shop has always been focused on being genuine and I've always held a high regard for their creative process. Their work ethic and forward thinking attracted me to the opportunity the most. For those who know me well, I have always been passionate about exposing cultural movements that begin on the street level and eventually influence the globe. I look forward to working with my friends at W+K, TBWA, Nike, EA SPORTS, New Era Caps, Gatorade, and many more in my new capacity. We will continue to work with agencies, brands and people we admire and trust."    

After 10+ years with them, we recently made the switch from Sprint to Verizon for no reason other than better phone selection and service. We still follow the company and from a creative standpoint, we're not really big fans of the spots featuring Sprint CEO Dan Hesse. This morning we came across this spot co-directed by Superfad for Goodby, Silverstein & Partners. What a great spot! This is the direction that Sprint should be going in. If only they can get better phones!

[ via: fubiz ]

There is currently a casting taking place for two Caucasian males in their late 30's to mid 40's who can swim, wind-surf and play some golf. Must have a valid passport and be available and willing to travel between February 15th and the 22nd to shoot in New York City and Dominican Republic. If selected, this commercial will pay $1000/wk plus expenses. Non-union.

E-mail your headshots and resume to Fidel Vicioso at  vfilms.inc@gmail.com.

Leica recently announced the introduction of the first camera in its new S-System line, the weather-proof S2. In essence, the S2 is a medium format camera in a 35mm DSLR body. The S2 camera has a specially designed 30 x 45 mm CCD sensor specially desiged by Kodak for Leica complete with a  37.5 mega-pixel resolution. Leica claims that the S2’s metal body is smaller and easier to carry than similar models from other camera brands and that it's nearly twice as fast thanks to Fujitsu's ultra modern processor technology.
According to Leica, "this camera is a must for every professional photographer who is looking to upgrade from a standard 35mm SLR systems."

At 20,000 Euros for the body alone, this camera is obviously aimed at the high-end photographer.

By Juleyka  Lantigua
Some of my friends have looked sideways at me, or burst out laughing when I’ve declared someone on TV looks “ambiguously ethnic.” At first, my friends looked at me like I’d been possessed by the spirit of a closeted racist or one of the devout self-haters among us. Thankfully, I have been allowed to explain…

When I say that someone—usually in a TV commercial, billboard, magazine ad or any other type of mass media—looks ambiguously ethnic I mean that they have certain physical attributes that in this society have come to be associated with someone who belongs to an ethnic group—Latino, Black, Asian, Native American and so on. Or, in many case, like they are of mixed heritage.

So maybe they have curly dark hair. Or almond-shaped eyes. Or nice caramel or olive complexion. (Gotta love the food analogies related to looking ethnic.) Maybe they have naturally full lips or well-set noses. Maybe their faces are just a tad flat or oblong or round or hexagonal. You get the idea: they definitely do not look white.

The kicker is that you cannot readily shove them into any of the ethnic groups you pride yourself in a) belonging to, b) being aware of, or c) being down with. Hence, the person looks ambiguously ethnic.

You know they belong somewhere, but can’t use your advanced cultural GPS to designate their exact ethnic geography. What’s more, a part of you wants to claim them for your own tribe. (I’ve decided that since Dominicans run the gamut when it comes to looks, ANYONE could be Dominican. So almost always, any ambiguously ethnic looking person gets nationalized on the spot.)

Let’s be clear that I have no issues with people being/looking/claiming/acting/fronting like they’re ambiguously ethnic. I stopped thinking about it over a decade ago.

What irks me is how cleverly marketers and advertisers are getting hip to this “trend.” McDonald’s, Bank of America, CoverGirl, and a bunch of other national brands have advertising campaigns that feature folks who fit this description.

On an economic level, it makes sense to use models/actors who look ethnically ambiguous: saves on the production cost if they were to make different versions of the same commercial featuring people from several groups. On a visual level, it’s a win-win, since no one can feel excluded from a national campaign if the actors/models look like no one and anyone at the same time.

I’m not trying to find deeper meaning in this at the moment. Just wanted to put it out there for open discussion.

"Juleyka Lantigua is a journalist and editor whose work appears in national newspapers and magazines. For more info visit: www.juleykalantigua.com."

Adidas is really looking to put it on Nike by selecting the forthcoming Beijing 2008 Olympic Games as a platform to launch its salvo against rival Nike for global brand domination.  The trefoiled sports apparel maker is using this global stage to conduct a multi-pronged attack that includes: a) the opening of the world’s largest Adidas store b) announcing their plans to open 6300 stores in China by 2010 and c) by dropping these four beautiful, people/athlete inspired TV spots. They were produced for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games by TBWA/Chiat Day and directed by Psyop's Marie Hyon and Marco Spier. As of this posting, Adidas is only planning to air these TV spots in the Chinese market.

For more info on the 2008 games in Beijing, visit: en.beijing2008.cn

Directed by Dominican Director Taba Blanchard, here's JLG's newest music video for his song "La Travesía," right out the oven.  The premise is going around the world looking for some woman's love and it's made with home video footage provided to the director from friends across the globe.  Visually stunning.  We should be sitting down with Taba for 5 Q's in the next few days.

Well, it has been a long honeymoon for Apple since the days of that infamous hammer throw by the Big Blue slayer.  On that day Apple embarked on a quest to create a sub-culture of brand evangelists from all walks of life who were ready to break out of the non-conformist movement and into a space they can call their own.  Since those early days Apple has had some product hits and misses, but through it all, the brand loyalists have remain steadfast and proud of the brand they called their own. Many have even grown accustomed to paying a premium for product emblazoned with the Apple logo. It was a badge of honor that stated clearly to everyone “ I am different”…”I think different”…”I am who I am”.

Now, I am not a dramatist by any stretch of the imagination…(well..I guess it depends on who you ask;-), but in my heart of hearts, within my marketing gut, my chakra of branding instincts can’t help to think that Apple’s recent iPhone debacle has done more to damage brand loyalty than anyone would admit.   Last week’s price drop was the culmination of a series of missteps of the iPhone that was on a collision course toward the mundane from the very beginning.

Let’s start with the initial pricing scheme (and I do mean scheme).   I, as so many other early adopters, felt the price was far too aggressive for a phone that did not have 3G technology, no video capability, no email search functionality, etc. (just to name a few), but as the true loyalist I “was” who might I mention have been part of the brand since the days of the Apple 2C, I bought it because it was Apple and of course it looked so damn good.  So I along with hundreds of others, waited on line for hours and forked over my hard earned cash, agreed to sign up with ahhhh ATT Wireless (that’s a whole other story) just so that I could get my hands on a revolutionary phone that many others could not get or, quite frankly, afford.  Of course, I was content with that because I did not want everyone to have one… I wanted to relish in the glow of exclusivity.   So there I was with so many other cult followers looking at my shiny bright phone as the chrome sparkled in the sunlit Soho skies of NYC.  I felt like a Cesar Milan (Dog Whisperer) pack leader!

Fast forward to day 3 of the release, I went into the Apple store to get a $30 case for my chic $600 phone I just brought and noticed from the corner of my eye iPhones stacked as if they were cans of spam behind the cash counters and suddenly I did not feel all that special anymore.  For something that was suppose to be exclusive and hard to find all of the sudden it was stocked into a pyramid for all to see, touch, feel and buy!  Then I said to myself “well those boxes must be merely for decoration purposes, there can’t be in product in them..that would be stupid to do that…I mean this is Apple right?”  So I walked over to a teenager with a badge and an Apple tee and asked “Are those boxes for show?”…as she answered it almost felt like she was speaking in slow motion….”no sir..those are 8G iPhones available for sale…are you interested in purchasing one?  At that point I looked at my girlfriend Angela who was with me and I said to her…This is not good!   How could Apple get exclusivity marketing 101 so wrong?  Hmmmm let me see..does Nike stack their new limited edition dunks in the store front of the local Kicks Spot for all to see and buy?  Does Mercedes Benz park a truckload of S600’s in front of their dealerships for all to see and purchase?  Does Bose stack their Quiet Comfort Noise Canceling Headsets at the local Brookstone like it was a sample sale?  In fact, has Bose ever dropped the price of any of their premium products?  Ahh people….have your ever stood in line for the opening of the latest NYC hot spot…sometimes the door person has to say it’s  too crowded and we cannot let anyone else in…when in fact there is plenty of space inside. It was at that point when I knew the iPhone was in for a bumpy ride.

Fast forward again….well really only a few weeks after the debut….we read an announcement that Apple is dropping the price of the iPhone a whopping $200!!!! Wow!  Just when you thought the brand could do no more wrong…they followed insult with injury!!! All those great commercials, all the teasing, all the poor product demos on Morning Shows all across the Nation…and then….a resounding thump.

So rewind to that day (not too long ago I might mention) when I was in line anxious to get my hands on that sleek iPhone that no one else could get, afford, comprehend…etc, etc. Today that feeling of enthusiasm, glee, joy, exclusivity is official gone and with it a bit of that Apple wonder that I had grown to admire and respect.

Then came the sorry $100 credit to buy yet another Apple product.  Sorry Mr. Jobs….I’m not in a hurry to buy right now.  In fact, I’m not sure when I will be in a hurry to buy again…because I don’t like getting burned…do you?...good luck in rejuvenating your loyal crew of early adopters….I don’t think they will be early adopting anytime soon since you have made it clear that you will not hesitate to cut prices weeks after any new major product debut.

Hmmm Steve…I wonder why you sold some of your Apple share days before the announcement of the price drop.  I wonder why you were so quick to offer a store credit instead of the $200 rebate that you really should be offering us.  (which would be okay if Amex accepts $100 Apple store credits in lieu of payment) it almost seems like this was all premeditated…hey…don’t get me wrong…I am no conspiracy theorists…well, I guess it depends on who you ask.

Phil Colon
Founder
Project 2050 Inc
www.p2050.com

Leading boutique fashion/lifestyle PR, marketing, and event production agency is seeking an Account Manager with minimum 4 years experience in fashion/lifestyle PR. This person is as an integral part of the account service team, acting as the day-to-day contact on several leading footwear accounts, while managing an Account Executive or Account Coordinator. 

Candidate must have extremely strong media contacts with market editors, television producers, and new media. A proven track record of working with media across all platforms, excellent writing skills, and ability to multi-task in a fast paced, team-oriented environment are mandatory.

The Account Manager will be responsible for producing primarily year-long public relations and marketing plans, budget creation for opportunistic events, and tradeshow support; as well as take part in new business development.

Agency experience a must. Degree in PR/Communications mandatory.  Salary commensurate with experience/excellent benefits.

SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE
Do you like to do events, talk fashion all day, and work with great people!?  If so, our agency is seeking a senior account executive with minimum of 2-3 years agency experience to work on events, fashion, and footwear accounts.  Candidate must have strong media contacts, excellent writing skills and ability to multi-task in fast paced, team-oriented environment.  Fashion related agency experience a must.  Salary commensurate with experience.

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE
Fast-paced fashion boutique pr agency seeks an ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE with 1 to 2 years experience.  Qualified candidates must have established contacts with the fashion press, strong computer skills and must be self-motivated, organized and creative.

Account Executive responsibilities include:  pitching the media story ideas, developing and organizing press events, writing press releases, working under deadlines, creating and supervising the execution of innovative mailings, handling several accounts simultaneously, day-today interaction with clients and participating in brainstorming meetings. Candidates must be able to multi-task in fast paced, team-oriented environment. Salary commensurate with experience/excellent benefits.

Contact: Sarah Lawrence, sarahl@bromley-group.com

In Japan, they have come up with a new form of street advertising called Monitor Men. They walk the streets wearing a helmet with a television monitor attached to it. The screen shows TV commercials to anyone who wants to stop and take a look.