More Words of Muhammad Ali, by Louis Vuitton and Yasiin Bey

Part 3 of Louis Vuitton’s beautifully realized Core Values campaign. Words of Muhammad Ali: Float

 

Parts 1 and 2 here

Frank Budgen. D&AD’s (Joint) Most Awarded Director

This week, in London, D&AD celebrated their 50th birthday. As part of the evening Frank Budgen was recognised as the most awarded director (joint with Tony Kaye). Here’s his brilliant 2001 Nike Tag TV spot

The Greatest Words of Muhammad Ali, by Louis Vuitton and Yasiin Bey

Hip-hop emcee, Yasiin Bey (formerly Mos Def), and calligrapher, Niels Shoe Meulman, pay homage to The Greatest, and sport’s greatest showman, Muhammad Ali, in this video for Louis Vuitton’s Core Values campaign. Drawing on Ali’s most famous quotes, Bey adopts the role of storyteller, bard and (literal) ringmaster to glorify the heavyweight champ. The results, directed by Stuart McIntyre, are beautiful. Both visually and lyrically dazzling.

Suntory Whisky – Sammy Davis Jr.

Forget through-the-line, interactive, in-game, real-time, socially-enabled, immersive digital experiences. This is how to advertise whisky…

What Brands Can Learn from a Reformed Warmonger

Ashoka the Great was emperor of the Maurya Dynasty, on the Indian subcontinent, from 269 BC to 232 BC. And for the first eight years of his reign he was, to put it mildly, a bit of a bastard. Bastardry comes in many forms, but Ashoka’s preferred brand was extreme violence.  And vast, blood-soaked quantities of it.

When a few of his harem insulted him he burned all 500 of them. He murdered 500 ministers in a test of loyalty. He killed 99 of his brothers, sparing only one. And he built a series of elaborate and hellish torture chambers…because he enjoyed torturing people in elaborate and hellish chambers.

It’s safe to say that when things didn’t go his way, Ashoka had a bit of a temper. Much like Elton John. But more so. He reigned by fear and bullying and killing people. All of which made him rather unpopular. He had all the power, but no respect. In marketing terms, his brand was toxic. Like Goldman Sachs, say. Or Gary Glitter.

Rory Sutherland: Perspective is Everything

“The circumstances of our lives actually matter less to our happiness than the sense of control we feel over our lives.”

Another indispensable and hugely entertaining TED lecture from Ogilvy’s Rory Sutherland (Athens, 2011.)

Rory Sutherland: Perspective is Everything (TED Athens, 2011)

An Open Letter to All of Advertising & Marketing. From Brian.

Old. But still brilliant.