Focus on What Matters

Focus on What Matterspost layoff message

i want to connect

note: this is a rant that i'm hoping to steer into some helpful insight. Here's my beef: rushing jobs thru and treating the creative brief as a "check-the-box" thing to do vs. having thoughful discussion and understanding around what is it that we're trying to solve for, is NOT how it should done . if you treat the work as if we were machines cranking the shit out, i might as well be working in a factory stamping out cogs.

in my years as an account guy juggling multiple clients and jobs, it seemed like all i was doing was making sure deadlines were met, projects w/n budget, clients happy, herding cats. that was my job and i did it with focus and determination. However, it sometimes bothered me when i sensed that other people on the team, didn't put their heart into the work. we all have our drivers and motivations in our roles, however, ultimately we ALL have a part in the creative process and the finished product. and, for me, i believe it starts with the client briefing. and as the result of that client discussion, we should be able to produce a well-crafted creative brief. we should sweat it out from the beginning to get the brief right, where everyone is in alignment vs. "just write something up for me and we'll send it over to the creatives." it should be a collaborative and living process, and most importantly, the brief writing process should be fun and have passion behind it. it should'nt be a mechanical, fill-in box #4 with this target audience info, and box #7 with this brand tonality. the brief should be a well written story that will lead and inspire.

so if our jobs as planners is to tell that story, what is the physical manifestation of that story? is it a word document where we fill in the boxes? is it a visual brief, one with images and copy? or is it a video brief, moving images that move us? or perhaps, is it taking the creatives out of the agency surroundings, go offsite, have a beer and a chat about ? think about the people who really connect with you whenever they have something to share. are they reading off a document? probably not. they share with you what they know, what they believe in, what they have heart for.

the brief is more than just carefully crafted words on a document, that only a handful of people can understand. it should be written in plain, everyday english, and be shareable, relateable, no matter what function you have in an agency. it should connect.

and if the brief is able to connect, then it'll stick and it can be shared. tracking w/this? if the story sticks, you don't have to be a planner to tell it. the creative team should be able to re-tell that story to the client when they present the ideas. the client should be able to re-tell that story at their national sales mtgs when the shiny new tv spots are shown.

the brief should be a labor of love, not some process where we're just cranking shit out. if it isn't, you might as well be working at Spacely's Sprockets. one more thing. i'm a fan of friction. it worries me when i present a brief for the 1st time to the team and no one has any questions or challenges to it. bend it, flip it, tweak it, it's helps create a better brief that everyone has a part in developing.

peace out.


"hey Nguyen, what's your beef (noodle soup) about?"

etnies pours some PBR holiday cheer for adidas

this is such a punk idea. i love it. there hasn't been much cool shit that i've been stoked on lately, especially from the surf/skate/snow industry. most of the time, the ideas are pretty weak, with the exception of this. my neighbor works for etnies, will have to find out more from her on what response they've gotten so far from adidas. read more about it here.

leave the talent, take the idea

this idea is not new to some of us in the promotional world. there have been plenty of meet 'n greet, driver ride-a-long, experience of a lifetime claims before. like most of these promotions, they blow their wad on securing the talent that they don't have any dough left to produce a quality idea. or perhaps they settle on the notion that just having the big name alone will get us to take notice? it's a self-gratifying, ejaculatory ad filled with big logos and contrived studio shots, just for yourself, and no one else. and if you are going to use a big name athlete, do it in a way that stays true to that talent and what they're all about. find synergies between what you're trying to say with how that talent would interpret that message. if there isn't any...next time, leave out the talent, and take the better idea.

the future of the workplace

I really need to get a proper home office going. Although i'm very fortunate to work only 5 miles from garage to the office car park, it's nice to have the option of working from home once in awhile. i find myself able to collect my shower time thinking and roll right into work mode. i've recently come from a mandatory, almost militant "butts in seats" culture, that it is presumed that you can only be working if you're in the office at a prescribed time. and then you'll have those superstars, "oh look at me in the office 30 minutes early" or "i was the last one to leave." no one cares when or how long you were chained to your desk. We care about the thinking, the contribution, the work that you do. in our line of work, thinking, inspiration, creativity, can take place anytime, anywhere. my best thinking is in the shower at 6am. and even as we set our heads onto the fluffy white pillow, we're probably checking one last look at the handheld. that's a bad habit i have, and my wife is gonna chuck that iphone out the window soon. point is, we're always on. hopefully, not too much though. enjoy life. I'm off to throw back a few with the girls. peace.

via Daily Joey

get over it

i felt inspired tonight to post a thought after going for a couple rounds discussing the observation over at Deceptive Cadence regarding the lack of originality in the ad biz. we ad folks need to get over ourselves sometimes. it's just advertising. i never talk about advertising when i'm w/my friends and family. well. maybe just only 1 time out of the year, and that' when we're drinking heavily, enjoying chips 'n salsa, and watching some dudes bash each other's heads in over some pigskin.

we can certainly take pride in our creative work, discuss, analyze, critique, praise, hate, whatever. we're talking to ourselves. i've been hearing a lot of discussion around changing up what we do as an industry. rather than creating ads for the sake of increasing transactions, why not create "ads" that create relationships and conversations? and even better, why not create ads, or conversations that DO GOOD. there are a lot of brilliant thinkers and agencies out there, that are on this tip right now. when we do get to that place, maybe my wife would want to have a chat about ads over dinner and drinks w/me instead of talking about the scandalous wedding that we're going to next weekend. yes, i'm using the same image again from a few posts ago, but, hey, i like it and it's still relevant.

yeah, it's kinda like that...

like giving birth to a baby. slightly amusing spoof on what it's like to "give birth" to an idea and take it thru the developmental process at an agency and with clients. i'm giggling a bit inside. This one had me more in stitches tho. now onto more pressing matters concerning tacos and bubbly sugar water.

via Brand Central Station

Monster

Screw those "stick and ball" jocks that get paid millions of dollars. Big wave surfers get all the mad props from me. How can you not see something like this and feel dwarfed by the sheer power and mind-blowing enormity of an ocean ready to swallow you up? This is gonna be a contender for the Billabong XXL Big Waves Awards next year for sure. BTW, if Kerby wins, he gets a $1,000 for every foot of wave surfed, doing the quick math on this, remember to carry the one, and he's got about $40K in the pocket between him the photographer. Pennies compared to any rookie baller in the MLB or NBA. But he's not doing it for the money , right?

More pictures and the story behind Kerby Brown's experience here.

KISS

Keep It Simple Stupid. Nothing worse sitting thru long prezos with eye-charts. I've always found the short, succinct, visually stimulating ones much more compelling. kinda like a great campfire sit-around or sharing a few cold ones with friends at the bar swapping stories. This is a great reminder of that.

thanks Peter for sharing this with me. more examples here if this video isn't working.

Barack Rock'n Beats

Obama Beats
Originally uploaded by LookingThruTheLens

to humanize a brand

Cluetrain Review

View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. (tags: web 2.0 cluetrain)

via Only Dead Fish

thru conversation. a must read for anyone in business, large or small. basic message. if brands want a relationship w/their customers, talk to us like...ummm, we're people, and not like some marketing robot reciting a positioning statement. i'd like to kick this over to some brand managers i know w/their shiny MBAs and CYA briefs.

my first tweet

Find your first tweet here

theater of the mind

Working offsite, remotely in la la land, 3000 miles away from my agency counterparts and clients, I find myself having to sit in a lot of conference calls. most of the time these calls occur at a 6am local time. nice huh? anyways, been doing it for over 5 years now and i think i've gotten pretty good at communicating effectively...over the phone.

where i think this skill has to be tight is when ideas are being presented. presenting concepts to clients in person, at a meeting, you've got the ability to read the room, calibrate the presentation and most importantly present in a much more dynamic and sometimes even expressive ways. presenting in person allows for creating that "theater of the mind" before you ever set a concept or layout in front of the client. it's certainly helped me in the past. i'm able to get clients seated, in the theater, lights down and curtain drawn. the show's about to begin.

when you're on the phone you're at a handicap, as a presenter. and then add in the challenge of having to send layouts before the conference call, you're doubly screwed. honestly, will anyone heed the warning "hey, don't look at these concepts until we've taken you thru it on the call." Presenting ideas on conference calls blow. sure, there's tools out there like webinars and videoconferencing, however with the turn/burn and high frequency of client presentations, it's a pain in the ass to set-up for the tech-challenged. yesterday i had a someone ask me how to copy and past a slide in powerpoint. o_O

my tip is this: watch, listen to how other people present their ideas, be it in person or on the phone. watch the good ones, listen to the bad ones. take mental note and create your own style. most importantly when you're presenting the idea, create that theater of the mind, and you've got yourself a captivated audience.

photo cred to

thru the eyes of a newbie

okay, it's been awhile since i've been on here. been tweeting and commenting more. work has been busy good. i had the opportunity to help out on a couple juicy projects that normally don't fall into my scope of work, which is me being a brief writing machine. the first project was going out on shop-a-longs with bottled tea drinking women to get an understanding of their purchase behavior. this week i moderated a focus group to get feedback on some fantasy football promotion concepts. both these exercises were a rush, but i especially enjoyed the focus group. i've been on the other side of the glass before, but to be in the chair, at the head of the table with a camera to my back, there was a different tingly feeling. i certainly had some butterflies at first, (maybe cuz i don't know a thing about fantasy football?) but after a couple minutes, i started to get into my groove and felt really at ease. i realized that i didn't have to be the expert. the experts were in the room with me. i just need to look thru the lens of a rookie player, and get them to open up and share what FF meant to them...let them do all the talking. yeah, i kinda like that. being a planner is not about being the trendynista, or the iphone carrying smart ass know-it-all. for me, it's about always being curious and looking at everything thru the eyes of a newbie with excitement and inspiration.

one more thing, go check out this flick, FUEL. If you're local theater doesn't have it, ask for it. thanks.

why should i care?

one of the most basic questions that has to be addressed in any brief, right? i wonder if they got the brief right for this job? if this video was meant to connect with the young people of america, i'm not sure if it's giving them a reason(s) to care? when these actors go into listing out all the issues you (the youth of America) should care about, it just doesn't seem relevant. listen in at 1:40 "...if you care about welfare, minimum wage, social security, gay marriage, the economy...you should vote." most of the kids i've spoken to, can care less.

looking in all the wrong places

i think sometimes i've been trying to hard to find that data point to bring out an insight...a truth. if i'm working on a job that has the luxury of time, i'll get so caught up in scouring thru decks over decks digging, looking for that gem of an opportunity. lately though, the turn 'n burn 1-day projects that i've been working on doesn't really afford the time to get really smart. so, in my immersion into planning, i've had to think quick on my feet, be observant, be resourceful and be insightful w/o the benefit of research. so far, i've lucked out. is it dumb luck or is it that the clients don't really care or don't understand? or i'm i not looking in the right places? most of the time, i feel that i'm just putting a new shade of lipstick on the same pig. does it have to have a data point or some quantifiable research to tell the most compelling story possible for your brand? or is it more about having a simple and honest understanding of the brand and being able to communicate that in the most relevant and interesting way that no one else has done before you? to me this Levi's spot is honest. did the insight and truth come from research? or did it come from a basic understanding of the brand, the consumer and the culture? i admit, i've been busted once, maybe twice for looking... and observing. is it wrong? or is it part of my job to look in all the right places...to observe (thru all the nooks and crannies), understand and help communicate in the most compelling way possible? i'm so busted.

create for a cause

growing up here in california, water conservation was part of the day's learning. 30 years later, it's still part of the curriculum. however, we didn't have anything this cool to have us think about water conservation. all we had was the ricky the rambunctious raindrop coloring books and maybe a few stickers. now this is cool. the contest: submit a powerpoint preso, video or photo of what water conservation means to you.

the grand prize: a trip for the winner and their parents to the Tavarua Resort in Fiji for a surf vacation. Other prizes include “hang out” sessions with pro surfers Rob Machado and Rochelle Ballard, and skaters Danny Way, Bob Burnquist and Geoff Rowley.

the kids have so much more tools for creativity these days. if they're fortunate enough to have their own digital camera, a macbook, it's super easy to bang out a quick video and share it w/the world. this type of contest would never have been available to us back in the day. i all had to work with was construction paper, scissors and glue. i would've been stoked to have just built a california mission out of sugar cubes. this creative contest for a cause, sure beats a crummy coloring book.


via shop-eat-surf

killing time

while waiting for a conference call to start, the on-hold muzak started to get really annoying. so i started to drift off and play around with this little distraction. make your own here




via twitter update by the herdmeister

CanStruction

CanStruction
Originally uploaded by LookingThruTheLens

Design/Build competition using cans of food, to help the Orange County
Food Bank. This one's called "Paint away the hunger". Not feeling
it? Maybe a $500 pair of Zegna shoes might do it for ya?

@ South Coast Plaza

Nguyen Duong
Sent from my "1st generation but just as fast as the new 3G iPhone"

why i won't miss being an account guy: herding cats

i don't find myself doing much of this these days. i really am enjoying it. it used to frustrate the hell out of me and i'm sure with the rest of the people in the agency, to have to be the pain in the ass, on your shit 24/7, account guy, following up after every meeting with the call report, emails, phone calls to ensure that "we're all on the same page", and impromptu swing by your office chat again about the next steps.

Valentino Rossi Wins MotoGP Indy

i'm back from a weekend of motorbikes, racing, booze and lots of meat 'n potatos. gonna have to get on a detox program this week. it was really nice to see a huge turnout for the event. motorcycle racing is alive and well here in the states. hopefully the bike sales are as well.

kelly wins the 2008 boost mobile pro

took the day off from worky today to go catch a few waves and watch the finals of the boost finals between kelly slater and taj burrow. too bad the waves weren't as good as they were earlier in the week.

fake or real?

if it was real, just imagine the battles with the legal dept in making sure no one cut themselves on the busted glass.

via three billion from urban prankster

i don't get it?

is this suppose to make me dig for more? was it trying to make me feel that microsoft has as much of a sense of humor as apple? maybe i don't have the "magnum-jupiter brains" needed to get it?

via perez-fox

opportunity in truth

truth: fernando alonso and lewis hamilton had a very publicized team feud last year. opportunity: create a fantastic spot that recognized that truth and gives the fans something to smile about. the behind-the-scenes making of part of this vid is interesting as well. i wonder if the two really enjoyed themselves while shooting this? is certainly looks like they do. who knows, maybe they were still "acting" even "off-camera?"

gattica meets trading spaces

is it me, but the dude in this video looks like joe francis and the girl looks like heidi klum.

via digestion

connect and motivate

when the new client showed up in town, he used to always send the link to the Paul Pott's video to his marketing team. his hope was to connect with, and motivate his new team to "think outside the bun." tmobile doing the very same thing, except for the "TOTB" part.

via in my atmosphere

ea's got balls

while other brands would've ignored "the glitch," these guys embraced it and created an entertaining spot that is honest to themselves and to the consumer.

via in my atmosphere

Live Statue

Live Statue
Originally uploaded by LookingThruTheLens

Chi Chang Cheng, also known as Jarry has been doing live statue
performance art in Taiwan for over 10 years. He's here at the terra
cotta warriors show at the Bowers thru October.

Nguyen Duong
Sent from my "1st generation but just as fast as the new 3G iPhone"

Ego vs Skills

after reading this post today on the gender inequality in the kitchen restaurants on punk planning and then going for a few rounds on battle mode in brand tags it had me thinking about who wins out in battle between male vs female chefs, when it comes to celebrity chefdome? i just asked my wife to quickly name some celebrity chefs, right off the bat, she busted out w/bobby flay, mario batali, todd english, morimoto, emeril....and so on. all male chefs. not even a mention of julia childs or rachel ray, both of whom have been in the news lately. so, back to the battle of the chefs...let's take a chef like gordon ramsey vs giada de laurentiis, who wins in celebrity and awareness? i would say gordo edges giada out by a wedge of gouda. he's got a shitload of restaurants, and his shows like kitchen nightmares and hell's kitchen seem to be doing pretty well. however, giada probably has to try a lot harder to attract viewers, and it can't be just on her pedigree alone. lucky for her she's got great looks and killer blade skills. yes, this sucks to point out, but it's why food network has her on every afternoon and into the weekend.

then watch any of episode of iron chef america, when a female chef goes up against an iron chef. do any of the women pick cat cora? no, they pick one of the male chefs. two recent episodes that that i watched. one was bobby flay vs gabrielle hamilton and the other michael symon vs april bloomfield. these women pick the guys, cuz they wanna show 'em that they can compete with 'em on the same playing ground, unlike in other professions. anyone recall michelle wie trying to make the cut on the pga tour? anyways, back to food...in both ica challenges, these women prevailed over their "more dominant" male counterparts. both of these accomplished female chefs probably not as popular or "celebrity" as giada or the male iron chefs challenges, but they are very skilled and deserving of their success, nevertheless. maybe they don't have the ego found in their male counterparts? the ego that's need to catapult themselves to the "celebrity chefdome" status? maybe they just let their cooking do all the talking. hopefully, we get to see and taste more greatness from women chefs based on their skills and not on how much big talk they can make? btw, if you're ever in nyc, check out prune and the spotted pig these are headed up by ms. hamilton and bloomfield, respectively. cheers! i'm off to have some food and drink. it's the weekend, baby! btw, this is a video of stud male celebrity chef, tv guy, and author anthony bourdain talking about food and chefs. it's a long video, worth a watch if you're into the AB. towards the end, at about 53:00, he takes a dig a cat cora. "who is cat cora? was she grown in a petri dish?." more male chef ego talking?

cuprock

reminds me of the lite brite that i played with as a kid. i wonder where he gets all his cups from? maybe the folks from the red plastic party cup company should jump in on this? more here at cuprocking.com


via three billion

the kids over at lucas have been busy, no?

despite what i've been reading, i'm still planning to go out to see the new clone wars flick.


via okee dorkee

quiksilver dynamite surfing - the whole shebang!

i had the original dynamite surfing vid sent to me last year from my cuz in sydney. it's still one of my all-time faves. after seeing the skate vid below, dynamite surfing came up again for me. this one blows out all the other cool stuff that supported the idea. so fuck'n cool campaign. i wish the quik usa guys did this kinda cool shit stateside.

not another skate video?

skate - shot on red - 120 fps from opus magnum prod. on Vimeo.

so refreshing to see skate vids thru a different lens. was getting really, really tired of the constant fisheye treatment on every single vid. and damn, i wish i could boost an ollie like these cats.


via punk planning

go backwards

My day in brands

Sony
Originally uploaded by LookingThruTheLens

a photo journal of my day consuming brands

this is part 2 of the original post for my brand timeline

people. machines. socialization.

a week has gone by, and i'm still thinking about it. a very insightful observation on last friday's opening ceremonies.

kevin kelly says:

The most alien, shocking and awesome portion of the Opening were the mass routines. Part of this is cultural. The Koreans are good at these mass effects, and the Japanese too. It's somewhat an East Asian thing. Historically these mass dances are designed to resemble machines. The wave rippler in the Opening Ceremonies appeared to be a cool mechanical effect until the disguised boys inside them were revealed. The mass fou drummers beat so rapidly and in synchrony that when their lights started blinking it seemed as if we were watching a computer chip, or the innards of a drum machine. See the pic above. We are a machine! Machine are us! That is our first reaction but I think it goes further than that. The 2008 fou drummers represent the We -- the power of the collective. The West and particularly Americans have traditionally emphasized the Me -- the individual. China is a culture more comfortable with the We than the Me, and here they were showing both the power of the We and its modern face -- blinking LED drums. We once thought computers were about individuation, but these days we see they are about socialization as well. More importantly, the social aspects of web 2.0 have shifted the center of gravity from Me to We.



via ct2 thru good experience

lost:firewire

heard news today that lost surfboards will enter an exclusive partnership with firewire. for those of you who don't follow surfing, this would be something close to scion partnering with the tesla motors to develop a scion-inspired tesla roadster. take the young, progressive cache of lost and inject that attitude into an innovative new surfboard technology and we may have ourselves something really exciting to drive down the line, across a ripable blue face.


via shop eat surf

i'm feeling like i'm in "red" today

i often felt the pain of creative types having to explain and rationalize their color choices to clients. maybe this new color/word association tool at cymbolism will help designers?

cymbolism says:
Colors are believed to have very specific meanings, but these meanings vary over time, place and culture. For years designers have been using colors to communicate feeling and mood, to trigger memories to make us act a certain way.

Cymbolism is an attempts to quantify the association between colors and words, making it simple for designers to choose the best colors for the desired emotional effect. Cymbolism tracks these associations over time (and in future versions by user demographics) to help designers to better create designs for the desired effects.

via smashing apps

wish i had mad design skills

damn, this is cool.

via perez fox

pepsi ads that connect to me

ads that make my eyes smile by looking at things in a different way



ads that excites my curiosity by having me actively engage





via hemmy

us versus japan

they're happier...


they get right to the point...


they're romantic...



via hemmy

you twitter?

How Do You Use Twitter? from biz stone on Vimeo.

via adam crowe

get'n crafty at the office

digg'n these restickable vinyl wall graphics of your favorite games as a kid. i'm bummed that dig dug isn't available. oh well, for $75 the gorilla and the lil' italian plumber is yours at think geek.

via wonderland

habanero

our little yard out back has been cranking out some serious heat this summer. we grow all sorts of peppers, thai, tabasco, cayenne, and the muy fuego habanero. in years past, we'll blend the peppers into a paste, like a sambal and give them as holiday gifts. this packaging for frieda's habanero gives me a nice idea. good thing we only give a few of these a year. don't think my blade skills are what they used to be.

via the dieline

sad...but true

more graph humor and song chart memes

well at least for a few people i know.

through the lens of a beginner

i've been complaining a lot about the conditions this summer. the wind may blow the wrong way, or the conditions may get sloppy, or just having the wrong crowds in the line-up, and my attitude turns to shit and i'll stop having a good time. as a kid, i'd go out in any condition...onshore, side shore, blown out, rain and hail, freezing conditions, whatever it was, i was still out there. that was when i was always learning and most importantly...having a great time. recall reading about a japanese belief that if you approached any activity, with the same curiosity and enthusiasm that a novice would have, then you'll always have a rewarding experience. i think i need to get myself back looking through a beginner's eyes. there's definitely no shortage of 'em in the water this summer. ::blink: ::blink::

so whatcha learn today?

been really busy the past couple days immersing myself into dubai for a project, so i haven't had the time to post. i think this makes up for it. up until today, he was only taking tiny, 3 to 5 steps at a time. he made us smile, laugh and cry today when he busted out with the moonwalk. damn, i wish i can make this type of progress. btw, i wasn't his stylist today. that was all his auntie's doing. although, he does look like he's knocked back a few.

another scary...youth preso?

Building Lasting Youth Brands

view presentation (tags: marketing youth digital advertising)

i've become slightly cynical of youth marketing prezos. having attended a few conferences and client mtgs that paid top dollar for trendspotters and youth marketing gurus, it seems like they're always pretty formulaic, nothing really new that one couldn't discover on their own by watching some MTV, going out to the anti-mall, or hitting up an all-ages show?

says, threebillion.com:

Good presentations on youth culture are hard to find. They normally fall into one of the following categories:

1. Repetitions of everything you've heard before ("we've found that teenagers love social networking and mobile phones")

2. Written by research geeks ("and here's another graph which means nothing")

3. Sponsored by a corporate ("kids love us and so should you")

4. Pretty pictures and cool logos ("have you any idea how long this put together!")

i couldn't agree more. i enjoyed this share today. check it out for yourself. does it give you some insight that you couldn't come up on your own from watching another episode of made? cya, i'm off to 7-11 for a slurpee.

via threebillion.com

Kampai!

Kampai!
Originally uploaded by LookingThruTheLens

If you find this, buy it. It is really good. I keep pics of the sake
labels that i can't read, so it makes it idiot proof for me to find
the same one. Hopefully they'll have this at the Mitsuwa.

Nguyen Duong
Sent from my "not as cool as the new 3G iPhone"

shaking it up

we just had a pretty good kick-in-ass, jolt about an hour ago. looks like it was a 5.4 magnitude rumbler 20 miles east of my oficina. maybe this'll shake up a few ideas out me today?

market to people that care

This was something I always struggled with at the Bell. The client always aspired to be relevant to the core, 24yr old male, that was into gaming, action sports, music, etc. However at the the end of the day, client and customer would CRUMBLE and SETTLE for safe, be all things to all people, cast the widest net, general market idea that would try to try to make my 64-year old knitting and gardening mom AND my 18-year old trendinista niece to...CARE.

This video is an oldie but a goodie. Skip pass to the “otaku*” section of the video at time code 9:37 to hear what Seth Godin proposes to us marketing types...

“MARKET TO PEOPLE THAT CARE.”

How? Why? Watch this video to find out.

*otaku refers to a Japanese term used to describe people that have obsessive interests. whether you’ve been obsessive lately about yelp.com, Pita Grill, Tap Tap Revenge, or Facebook, you more likely to be a better brand advocate for these brands than any other “general market” consumer that probably gives two shits about.


"hey you hoser, stop watering it down!"

monday morning inspiration

this is one of 3 winners in a recent youtube competition for a scholarship to the vancouver film school. candidates were asked to submit a video on the theme of "what matters to you." to see the rest of the winners and entries, click here.

Didn't know El Segundo, CA was NASCAR country?

Didn't know El Segundo, CA was NASCAR country
Originally uploaded by LookingThruTheLens

Saw this stock car inspired limo today. I would expect to see this
in the deep south, but never in the South Bay.

Nguyen Duong
Sent from my "not as cool as the new 3G iPhone"

putting lipstick on a pig

the homeless meter program in laguna beach, ca...by the numbers:

# of meters: 5
est. # of homeless: 65
est. revenue from meters: $40/month


via the oc register

the process

the situation: "we're seeing reports that people don't know what to do at an intersection. some are slowing, others are excelerating, a small percentage are backing up..."

the assignment: "so we're looking for signage that brings people to a stop, before they continue..."

the result: watch the vid and see how you to can produce creative with stopping power

red chair

red chair
Originally uploaded by LookingThruTheLens

a friend of mine took a photo of a red chair alone in the room. i really liked it's simplicity and calmness. here's my attempt to capture that quiet feeling. not sure my photo is there yet. will have to work on it w/different angles and lighting.

The power of play

The power of play, originally uploaded by LookingThruTheLens.

We should have signs like this around the office.

@ Target, Foothill Ranch, CA

Nguyen Duong
Sent from my "not as cool as the new 3G iPhone"

So long stale cereal

Archer Farm's bag-free, reclosable cereal container.

Neat packaging, takes up less space, and keeps my cereal fresh. And
it's made partially from recycled paper...the canister, not the cereal.

idiot-proof my crib

i've been baby-proofing the house for the past few weeks now. cover the electrical sockets, lock-down the cupboards, putting away sharp objects. however, since downloading the latest iphone 2.0 software i've been a tad bit preoccupied with besting my high scores on tap tap revenge and not paying attention...being an idiot around the house. maybe i need to install some of these?

via engadget

better portraits

picked up this book yesterday at arcana books in santa monica. it's a photo book featuring portraits taken 14 years ago, of some of the regulars at a popular bar in reykjavik. each barfly was taken in one shot, under the same light, against the same background, with the one hasselblad, fixed in the same position for each shot. i'm putting the 50mm back on my rig.

find out more about the book or buy it here.

Arteries

The Miramar Family Fig Tree at the Fairmont, originally uploaded by LookingThruTheLens.

The Miramar family fig tree at the Fairmont Hotel in Santa Monica. Magnificent.

found it

here's the spot that had that beautiful music bed.

gamer 101

"Wen"

"Wen", originally uploaded by LookingThruTheLens.

I usually give an easy to spell name like "Leo" or "Lou" whenever I'm
at the Starbucks. Since I haven't been going as lately I thought I
give "Nguyen" a try. I guess it's not as bad as those crappy IVRs
when you call your credit card company..."I said Big Boy!"

Nguyen Duong
Sent from my "not as cool as the new 3G iPhone"

wii music vs. rock band vs. guitar hero vs. real musical talent

who wins this battle?

i'm liking the wii music simply because it appears that it'll take up less space vs the rock band set-up. i'm already struggling to find space for the logitech steering wheel when gt5 releases. for me it's a matter of less is more, that is, less wires, less accessories, less clutter around our "gaming room." for others, i suspect it's about the ease and simplicity of play, which i can appreciate. too many buttons and combo moves gets confusing for this casual gamer.

also, back in the day, anyone w/the guitar (or even the piano) at a party, would be the life of the party. seems like today, it's the kid who can hit all the colors/beats on DDR Max, GH or RB? what happened to real musical talent?

simply chilling

i recently stumbled across a spot with this dustin o'halloran music, it's called opus 28. i can't find the spot, so here's a video some fan put together using the same beautifully haunting music.

Fendi Bears

Fendi Bears, originally uploaded by LookingThruTheLens.

@ South Coast Plaza

Nguyen Duong
Sent from my "not as cool as the new 3G iPhone"

Mildly en fuego hoy

should've seen this coming

i really wish i had read this before trying to update my iphone. now i'm holding onto a glorified paper weight. damn it to hell all you trying to activate your fancy new 3G phones.

gripping

this gave me chills. i agree with punk planning's charles firth's notion of ditching the traditional pitch tools like charts and data for a more compelling way to tell the story. i'd like to see these more often in our meetings.

via punk planning

more mash-ups please

i'm a fan of brand collaborations. i can't recall the last time i saw one that i didn't like. when i came across news about the, timbuk2 and threadless mashup, i wondered what took 'em so long? the content was always there either online or at their retail store. but, how about new canvases that the content could live on? ipod skins? grip tape for skateboard decks? recyclable grocery bags? or how about seeing the threadless designs on a twist 'n go cup at your favorite QSR? okay, maybe that one would be the one that i wouldn't really like.



via john winsor cultural radar

work hard, play even harder

i hear this phrase a lot. especially about companies that talk about their culture and their people. however, i rarely ever see it. maybe they're all working in the er? just read a really inspiring (or maybe deep down inside i'm really envious) interview about a ER doctor by night, world-traveling surfer by day. faye lee, the er doc in this interview goes full-tilt cramming in a month's worth of work into 2 weeks, and then takes a couple weeks off to travel the globe in search of waves. now that's my idea of work hard, play even harder!



via theme magazine

my brand timeline

inspired by dear jane sample's brand timeline portrait, i finally got around to creating one of my own. this is a portrait from last saturday. i'll probably get around to making one of my typical work day, perhaps it'll be interesting to see a monday vs. friday?