Think of Cuba’s most famous product, and cigars immediately come to mind. Think again. That’s what Young & Rubicam Milan wanted people to do that when they created this “From Tourist to Traveller” advertising campaign for Azonzo Travel Agency in Italy. Visitors arrive in Cuba with stereotypical views of what the country is like and discover that there’s more delights to experience on the tropical island than Cuban cigars.
Drink plenty of water and get lots of exercise is the message behind this video by Contrex, a metabolism-boosting French mineral water owned by Nestle. Made by Paris-based agency Marcel, the Contrex ad posted on YouTube and Facebook features a row of hot pink stationary bikes connected to power a 3D projection map. A number of attractive young women step out of the crowd and hop on the bikes. Their peddling is what sets the neon-lit male stripper in motion. Finally, he takes it all off, except for a sign reading “Congratulations! You’ve just burned 2,000 calories.” The tagline says “Slimming down shouldn’t have to be boring.”
At the Expo 2012 in Korea, Hyundai Motor Group staged a mind-blowing display using a controller area network (CAN) called mechatronic. This is a message-based protocol originally designed for automotive applications and now also used in areas such as industrial automation and medical equipment. Hyundai’s Hyper-Matrix installation was designed by Seoul media arts firm Jonpasang. In just two months, the team built a mammoth three-sided display out of thousands of Styrofoam blocks that could be manipulated like pixels.The 11-inch cubes were driven by 3,375 customized actuators and stepping motors that moved the blocks back and forth according to a specially prescribed program. The high-speed data transfer program constantly reconfigured the cubes to create a mesmerizing show.
Preferred by über rich and famous men, E. Marinella neckties have been worn by aristocrats, global leaders, titans of industry and movie heart throbs. Founded in Naples in 1914, Marinella began as a tiny shop that catered to men with elegant taste and deep pockets. Throughout the 20th century, the family-owned business let its clientele from around the world beat a path to its Naples store, without spending a lira on advertising. Marinella himself (now the grandson) would advise customers on colors, patterns and measurements, and then have his artisans custom-make each necktie to each customer’s specifications. Only in the past decade has E. Marinella established boutique shops in a few fashion capitals outside of Italy. This has led to the launch of an advertising campaign telling elite clientele where its shops can be found. Playing off of the brand’s tagline “Since 1914, the taste of elegance,” the ads created by Footbite agency in Monza, Italy, feature neckties folded like an iconic food for which each location is known – Lugano chocolate, London tea, Tokyo sushi, Italian (Milan and Naples) espresso, and Parisian croissant. The campaign was art directed by Paolo Guidobono and Michele Sartori.
Herself Magazine is a bi-annual, all-illustrated fashion publication produced in the UK. Virtually every image shows celebrity “models” (living, dead and animated) wearing high fashion apparel and jewelry by the likes of Valentino, Yves Saint Laurent, Prada, Gucci, Chanel, Boucheron and Faberge. The models’ poses and background settings all look like they were copied from high-end fashion photographs – and maybe they were. Every illustration is drawn by a person named Lula, who identifies herself as editor in chief and creative director, with art direction by Annual. No other staff credits are given.
A very text-light publication, Herself includes fictitious Q-A interviews between Herself and stars including Marilyn Monroe, Coco Chanel, Frida Kahlo, and Susan Sontag. Another article in Issue 2 features Disney fairy tale princesses, including Pocahontas, Cinderella, Belle, and Snow White, modeling contemporary fashions. As concepts go, Herself is intriguing, unique, and surreal.