December 22, 2009 • 4:48 pm • POSTED BY lhendler
The Phillies didn’t win the world series this year. But as an avid fan, I think I speak for most people when I say, we Phillies fans are just fine with that. Why? Because we won in 2008 and no one thought we would. And one of the key players responsible for clinching the 2008 World Series for the Phightin Phils, Jimmy Rollins, decided to make another contribution to Philadelphia history yesterday — his 2008 jersey.
The Atwater Kent Museum of Philadelphia, the city’s history museum, gladly accepted along with the City, the opportunity to showcase Rollins’ jersey in their new sports gallery when the Museum reopens after major renovations through much of 2010.
160over90 is currently rebranding the Museum which will also become public in 2010, so my colleagues and I had the pleasure of attending the dedication event yesterday afternoon at the Independence Visitor Center. Originally scheduled for City Hall, a last minute venue change was necessary due to heightened interest that not even two feet of snow could derail. Speakers included Mayor Nutter, Phillies President David Montgomery, Executive Director of the Museum Viki Sand, Philadelphia politico and now filmmaker Sam Katz, and of course J Roll.
J Roll, humbly smiled and joked as many spoke of his contributions to the game, the city and community. But, besides seeing JRoll impecibly dressed with just the right amount of bling for the occasion, my favorite part of the event was the clip shown of Sam Katz’s new documentary film, Philadelphia: The Great Experiment. Rollins narrates the film, of which only a teaser is currently available for viewing. Worth checking out if you like Philly, history, baseball or any combination of the three.
Congrats Jimmy!
December 22, 2009 • 4:33 pm • POSTED BY Dan Shepelavy
I discovered Mew the day after they played a show for the ages in Philly. Argh. If the dragon on the cover of the Asia record and the aardvark tank on the cover of ELP’s Tarkus had a band they would sound like Mew. Fantasies, by Metric, was a grower. At first I thought it was hazy and unfocused, now I think it’s hazy and sexy, which is better. Lissy Trullie is the kind of rock they play at photoshoots, and by all rights I should hate it on it’s too-cool for school-ness alone. Nope. Love it. Lissy gets the flannel and leather CBGB & OMFUG merit ribbon.
LaRoux’s retro synth pop confection shuts off the noggin and cues the shimmy. There is chrome cheese all over Invisible Limits, a hopelessly obscure 80′s German dark synth band, but it rules my late night headphoning when my resolve is weak. Rheingold are also German, but sharper and smarter and can be played proudly in the sober light of morning. The Photos were supposed to be Britain’s answer to Blondie. Oh well. Clothidle is a brilliantly odd side of old french pop – Ye-Ye riding Joe Meek’s Telstar.
Silver Jews, Algebra Suicide, the Wipers, and Giant Sand - weird that we should only meet now. God Help the Girl – thanks for introducing me to the Divine Comedy of Neil Hannon. Tortoise! Tortoise! Tortoise!
Some slivers of nostalgia. The home digitized 7″ of “All Ages Show” by Dag Nasty smells of clove cigarettes, VFW halls. The Dead Kennedys mature over time as well as Iron Maiden – from my fogie vantage Frankenchrist is now a deeply arty pleasure. And a ripping hardcore record. DI’s 2007 resurgence is a bitchin‘ validation of the awesomeness of OC punk.
At this point Dan Bejar’s Destroyer dwells in some magical Baroque hotel of blissed out self indulgence, across the hall from Jimmy Webb and drunk thespian Richard Harris. “Bay of Pigs” is his “MacArthur Park” – ridiculous, sublime, and, yes, drunk.
Morrissey released this years best record, Years of Refusal.
[Download the comp, here.]
Front cover image: William Merritt Chase, The Tenth Street Studio, c. 1880
Back cover image: Wingate Paine, from Mirror of Venus, 1964-65
December 21, 2009 • 6:58 pm • POSTED BY stephen penning
De’Longhi creates products that have innovative features. Whether it is a heater that turns itself off when knocked over or a coffee machine that you can fill without having to move it. Now, more than in recent memory, people are doing more comparison shopping and looking to make quality purchases that offer them real value (imagine the last sentence with a VO from Sam Waterson). That is why our latest campaign for De’Longhi focuses on getting people to experience one of their elite lines of products – automatic espresso machines.
How? We first established a larger presence at retail with De’Longhi ambassadors who give private demonstrations of automatic espresso machines. We promote the product at the retail location in kiosks and with banners. Around retail locations where people aren’t in the direct periphery of a De’Longhi ambassador we cast a wider net with the products we promote and the mediums we use.
Online we use rich media to communicate the automatic espresso experience. People can literally test the product inside of a banner. (Here is an example of how it works – sans the banner). Once they have made themselves a virtual latte, cappuccino, macchiato or espresso they can share their beverage through Facebook using De’Longhi Sip Sender or find out where to get a private demonstration.
The early results of the campaign are positive with a huge increase in web traffic and web banner interaction out performing relevant category interaction. Data on the success of the retail demos to come. Stay tuned.
December 18, 2009 • 1:39 pm • POSTED BY mRaney
Fifteen weeks later, my internship with 160over90 is over. It really doesn’t seem
that long ago that I jumped on an airplane to go live in a city I’ve never
visited and work with a bunch of folk I’ve never met before, and it couldn’t have worked out better. I would like to thank everyone in the agency for being so patient and
helpful with me. You guys have made the whole trip worth it.
My final intern’s project is a book of illustrations that compare and
contrast my thoughts and fears coming into this office with my thoughts and
fears leaving. Special thanks to Tom Ammon for the wonderful photos of my
book and to Emily Brown for the interior photograph. MORE
December 16, 2009 • 5:20 pm • POSTED BY David Burden
Tom Ford was interviewed earlier this week by Terry Gross on NPR’s “Fresh Air”. After years as a top fashion designer, Ford has directed and co-written his first film, “A Single Man,” based on the 1964 novel by Christopher Isherwood. Ford is the former creative director of Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent, where he was known for as much for his collections as the provocative ad campaigns that helped revive both struggling houses. In 2004, he launched his own line of menswear, beauty, eyewear, and accessories, then introduced fragrances in 2006.
Whereas I am very familiar with (and a fan of) Ford’s work, as well as his image as a gay and straight style icon (he is always impeccably dressed, usually in a simple black suit, with a white pocket square, a white shirt unbuttoned down to his native Texas, and black cowboy boots; he looks like one of the most macho men on the planet), I had actually never heard him speak. He is very soft spoken and articulate, belying his structured machismo, and I found it riveting as he was able to confidently yet delicately deconstruct and defend (on public radio) his most avant-garde work by explaining the intimate and fragile connections between time, fashion, branding and advertising.
On his now infamous Gucci “G” pubic hair ad:
“First of all in fashion as in life, the right thing at the right time is the right thing. The right thing at the wrong time is the wrong thing. I wouldn’t necessarily do that ad today because we’re in a different world and we’re in a different time. And it isn’t necessarily something that needs to be said culturally at this particular moment in time. However, at that moment in time, that was meant as a bit of a tongue in cheek take on where we were with branding in our culture. And, of course, you know, I was at Gucci and branding everything, everything had a G on it.
Louis Vuitton, everything had an LV on it. And we had come to a point in our culture, you know, globalization had really kicked in with the Internet in the early ’90s. And we were at a point where all of a sudden, everyone all over the world was consuming exactly the same thing at the same time. And branding, branding, branding, everything became a brand. And you know, there was nothing left to brand. So, the idea is that this young man is branding his girlfriend. And she is wearing a brand.”
On the speed and time sensitivity of fashion:
“I studied architecture at Parson’s and I finally realized that while I loved architecture and it was very useful to me as a tool to learn how to think, that it was little too serious for me at that moment in time. And that fashion – I was better suited for fashion. I also liked the speed of fashion. You know, fashion and film-making, to me, were two very, very different things in terms of satisfying a certain kind of creative need. And I hope to be able to make films and produce fashion for the rest of my life. But they’re very, very different. Fashion is very quick. It’s very disposable. It’s immediately – it tells you exactly where we are in our culture, especially women’s fashion.
If we’re having a glitzy over-the-top moment, fashion is very glitzy and over-the-top, you know, over-the-top. If we’re having a moment where things are, you know, we’re in a recession, fashion becomes quiet. So, in terms of popular culture, fashion and especially women’s fashion is incredibly interesting, aside from satisfying just a particular need to create and arrange things in a way that one sees as beautiful. And so, in a certain way, it’s fulfilling. In another way, it’s very fleeting because it doesn’t last very long. You know, a beautiful moment in fashion goes away very quickly.”
On his complete full frontal male nude ad for Yves Saint Laurent fragrance M7. (NSFW)
“Well, why did I do it? Again, you know, I’m an equal opportunity objectifier…and Yves Saint Laurent posed nude for his first men’s fragrance. And it was groundbreaking at the time. So, I thought, all right, we’re launching a new Yves Saint Laurent men’s fragrance. What perfect way than to continue the tradition and vocabulary of the house of Yves Saint Laurent by, you know, publishing the first full frontal male nude.”
On advertising:
“So, it was really – you know, the first thing about advertising is that it needs to be arresting. It needs to make you stop and look. And sometimes challenge you and make you think.”
See/hear the full interview here.
