Lego, lego, lego. I honestly think most of design skills came from years of playing with the LEGO blocks. The little blocks will always have a special place in my heart. In fact, my otherhalf even bought me 2 little figurines last week! it’s the little things, you see. Speaking of little things, if you happen to walk around central London, be sure to keep an eye out for these miniature billboards placed around the city by LEGO to promote the LEGOLAND Windsor Resort. The billboards are about a foot tall and made completely out of lego, most likely stuck together using super glue otherwise I’m sure every other drunken yob would attempt to smash into pieces. More on the reverse.

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If you do happen to spot one of the billboards, you can tweet a picture of it with the hashtag #legolandminibreaks to enter a competition. Here’s where the blocks are hidden around the city: click here.

All this drama you’re about to watch is the result of a well-executed campaign in support of a new channel in Belgium, TNT. The ad supposedly takes place in the middle of a ‘little town in Belgium, in a little square where nothing ever happens’- a big red button clearly labelled ‘push to add drama’ is placed in the square awaiting an inquisitive passerby to press it. When someone finally pushes the button, all hell breaks loose as an ambulance unit dropping a man on a stretcher leads to a bicycle accident which then leads to a full on brawl and then some! It’s just brilliant, a really amusing ad/pr stunt that if done in London probably would have lead to all sorts of problems. It only launched last week and has already achieved an impressive 23million hits on youtube and it’s now the 2nd most shared ad ever; watch it after the break.

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Would you push the button?

Coca Cola have given consumers an oppurtunity to win a ‘starring role‘ in their upcoming advertising campaign by simply uploading their audition video onto the Coke Zero Make It Possible site throughout October. I think this is a pretty clever audience participation prize, the incentive/prize is must be pretty damn appealing to a dancer. Imagine all the exposure you would get from it. All consumers have to do is upload their own version off the dance shown on the site, if you’re interested hop on after the cut.

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YES you read that title right, this isn’t a Victoria’s Secret/D&G/Film-related post but about British retailer M&S‘s latest campaign. They’ve certainly changed their target audience with this campaign to a much more younger audience from the usual 30/40+ types. I wonder how they feel about Rosie taking the spotlight away from the more ‘real’ women such as Lisa Snowden, Twiggy and Danni Minogue. I’m not complaining though, Rosie looks incredible as always. The model turned actress joins actor Ryan Reynolds as the new faces of M&S, the lookbook is shot by BAFTA award winning photographer Greg Williams outside St Pancras Station in London. If this doesn’t make the public think twice about Marks and Sparks, I don’t know what will. It’s an interesting marketing shift though – I wonder what else they have in store.

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Did I mention they’ve also bagged David Gandy for the sub-brand Collezione range for A/W 2011. View all the imagery below. Anyone off to shop at M&S? Surprisingly it’s my Dad’s favourite store – he loves the quality and doesn’t really care for the fashion.

Oh Rosie. I’m not sure about Ryan as a model, he looks constipated.

After taking a quite the financial blow, French Connection were able to turn things around when they launched the ‘this is the man, this is the woman’ campaign. The campaign almost rebranded the company because of its traditional French cultural input. For Autumn/Winter 2011, it looks like French Connection are dragging this one on again… if it ain’t broke eh! But don’t get me wrong it’s a good look. The preview for the new collection has manifested in the form of a teaser video directed by Leila and Damien de Blinkk and it’s actually very good; there are great elements of cinema in here however it struck me more as a trailer for a drama television series.  More after the break

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This is the first of nine short films, each of the films will drop throughout the season and will be displayed in store windows, cinemas, TV and of course print.. which the brand is known to use excessively. I like how they have chosen to stick with the traditional French theme and by the looks of the video the collection boasts a similar feel to last season. My eye caught some tailoring, large round neck knits, equestrian themed checkered shirts and Englishman inspired blazers (in terms of menswear). Watch the first film below, how do you like this concept?

Yang posted the latest Wrangler campaign posters here a few weeks back. Now the video for the campaign has surfaced and just like the posters, it certainly will WOW you. The campaign is all about ‘stunts’. It’s full of stunt men and women who are natural daredevils and willing to do almost anything leap frogging off through windows to being lit up. Madness I say but hats off to these people, the only time I jump out of window is if theres a real fire in my bedroom. Even then I’d probably throw my mattress through the window first, a cushioned landing for me thanks. Check out the video on the reverse.

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I’ve waited for the weekend since Tuesday, this week has been crazy and hectic. Some parts were extremely productive but in terms of university work = nothing done whatsoever. I took the week off university work to do my freelance/Y&Y related stuff but come Monday it’s all university till May. No interviews, no reviews, no big projects from Yin. Anyway, I’m KO’d on the couch atm, watching some TV with my sister and this advert popped up during the breaks. I’m not sure what to make of it, it’s all about bromantic man hugs. I remember the first time I walked into my old all boys 6th form from my ghetto secondary school, seeing dudes hug each other was an incredibly disturbing experience for me back then. This Guiness advert helps the British male get over the  uneasy befriending other males. St Patrick’s Day is apparently the friendliest day of the year. Video on the reverse.

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Anyone a fan of the drink? It’s so filling, like drinking a whole meal. A few years ago I wanted to dye my hair blonde, my friend advised me not to ‘you’d look like a walking pint of Guiness >.<’

EPIC. Diesel are continuously #winning with their advertising campaigns and this latest one is no exception. The photography, styling, post processing, the genuine ‘raw‘ feel to this lookbook is absolutely dope. The stance of the guy above reminds of Dragonball Z, don’t you think so? like when the Sayans powered up. This guy obviously powered up a little too much and all that blood is a result of it. Seriously though, major props to the stylist and make-up artist on this shoot, they’ve pulled it off brilliantly. The whole Spartan masculinity vibe can certainly be seen within these testosterone-filled advertisements. The collection features fashion photographers, architects, casting director and more. One thing all these men have in common = a pair of Diesel jeans. Have a gander at the imagery on the reverse.

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This campaign is probably one for the ladies though. I wish I was part of the shoot, could have done with a new Facebook profile picture.

Who remembers the Va Va Voom advert from the early 00′s? Ever since watching that advert I have been using and abusing my favourite French phrase from it ‘je ne sais quoi’. Actually it’s probably the only Français phrase I know as I studied German in school. Yes Ich kann ein bisschen Deutsch sprechen. I don’t honestly remember any of the other Renault Clio adverts apart from the ones that featured living Arsenal legend & God-like footballer, Thierry Henry. Can you tell he’s my favourite footballer of all time from that sentence? If not I can go crazy with the superlatives. They’ve brought him back for this new campaign featuring Va Va Voom queens, Dita Von Teese and Rihanna. More on the reverse.

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World renowned burlesqure dancer Dita sure knows how to use her sexiness, definitely adds the ‘va va voom’ to this advert. Sex sells. Rihanna knows all too much about this, just go watch her S&M video for proof. This new commercial showcases a little too much skin, you have to snap back to reality to remember that it’s about a car. The advert features montages from Audrey Hepburn, Marlon Brando & David Bowie. You do see King Thierry drooling over Dita and playing poker. It’s meant to be a contemporary Art exhibition, I see it but does it really make me want go buy the car? The classic va va voom had the ‘cool’ factor because of Thierry. I am afraid he’s kinda passed it now to be honest. Let’s see if Dita can sell the cars. Peep the advert below and extended version featuring interviews with the stars.

Hmm, I can definitely appreciate the artistic side of the advert. Love the typography and I love the music. It’s perfect, I will replay the advert just to hear the song by Claire Maguire again. Major props to CK Golding for the heads up on this advert!

In less than 3 weeks time I’ll be attending a wedding, ya’ll probably thinking what’s so special about you attending a wedding? well this time I’m attending a wedding of a friend’s, I’m clearly getting old. 23 and my friends are already getting married. I’ve already got my suit prepared for the day and surprisingly my look is very similar to that of the guy featured in this dope Heineken advert but I highly doubt I’ll manage to make a similar entrance to him. I haven’t seen most of my friends in around 3 years so this wedding will be a good way to catch up, I’ve changed a lot since then haha. This new Heineken campaign is all about making the perfect entrance…in style – it’s a cinematic masterpiece. More after the cut.

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The 90-second advert sees the well styled hero make the grandest appearance at a party by charming his way past a gun-wielding oilman, a Russian canary, a kung-fu assassin and all this before taking to the stage to play the flute with the lead singer of Danish band Asteroids Galaxy Tour. The song isn’t usually my cup of tea but by the end of the advert, I was singing along *clicks replay*. I’m pretty sure there won’t be a singer like that at my friends wedding alas, I’ll still be the life of the party. I have 2 weeks to memorise the following entrance:

Prior to the release of the advert, Heineken released 12 additional teaser films which reveal the secret back-stories of many of the characters the hero encounters. Peep some of them here: Kung Fu Comeback, Heineken Duet and the classic, Big in Wonderland. Right time to go practice my three pointers. Ciao.