Far and Wide - USA: 2014-10-19

viernes, 24 de octubre de 2014

The best of Advertising this year

We have watched thousands of ads throughout the year in the press, TV, posters,.. I think is a good moment to recover some of the best ads and camapigns of the year. Do you like the idea? Let's read!

#1 All Doritos commercials

Doritos has had a really good year both in campaigns and in seeing results from them. I have brought you a commercial done by the boys of Goodbye Silverstein & Partners.

The Doritos brand, wanted to reach the young audience but also to the "olders" (who are the ones that put the money and also eat Doritos!).

Here is one of the ads made for young people:

Doritos Cowboy. Source: Doritos, by Goodbye Silverstein & Partners

And the one for adults:

Doritos Fashionista Daddy. Source: Doritos, by Goodbye Silverstein & Partners

#2 Audi

This is more funny than other thing because the idea is too rare... well. Let's watch the ad that Audi did for their Audi A3:

Doberman - Chihuahua. Source: Audi [Youtube]

#3 Volkswagen

Volkswagen is known (apart from their cars, obviously) is for their commercials. In this case, they came with this ad. I like it because it shows a proactive man animating his workmates.

Volkswagen ad. Source: Youtube

Iñigo Taibo

Advertising and PR

Sports brushstrokes in 2014

2014, a year of joy and pain for the United States of America, in relation to sport. During this year, a wide range of events have taken place. It's not over yet, but the moments lived have been unforgettable, for better and for worse.

First of all, the main soccer event, apart from the MLS annual championship, has been the World Cup in Brazil. It's widely known that, wether USA National Team is the best in generations, they can't compete with the first-level selections, such as Spain, Germany, Brazil... But the truth is that an american hero has emerged; Tim Howard.

Howard in the World Cup. Source: Creative Commons Search

The soccer team was kind of a roost, due to the fact that Landon Donovan, the best american player in history, wasn't selected in the 23 players that were going to Brazil. In the first knockout serie, against Belgium, they were quite inferior. USA managed to eliminate the Portugal of Cristiano Ronaldo, but they weren't able to defeat the sensation of the tournament.
Even though they lost, their goalkeeper, Tim Howard, had an incredible performance, with 16 saves, setting the record of the World Cup.

Changing ball, in basketball USA has smiled this year. The three main events were: the NBA Finals, the World Cup in Spain, and the women's World Cup. The american teams of basketball managed to win both tournaments, without almost no problems. However, the expected final against Spain couldn't be carried out because of our prompt elimination.

Khawi Leonard during the NBA Finals. Source: Creative Commons Search

In the national tournament, the NBA, San Antonio Spurs won against Miami Heat comfortably. It wasn't Lebron James, Tim Duncan or Tony Parker but Khawi Leonard won the MVP of the Finals with three incredible performances that gave the Spurs another ring.

Last but not least, as every year, the most important event was the Superbowl. New Jersey was the scenery of the XLVIII edition of the NFL final, that faced the Broncos of Denver and the Seattle Seahawks. The team of Seattle won, achieving their first Superbowl in their history.

NFL Superbowl. Source: Creative Commons Search

The duel against Russel Wilson and Peyton Manning was decided, with the win of the hawks player. However, the hawks quarterback wasn't the MVP, delivered to Malcolmm Smith for his decisive touchdown.

Tomás Orihuela
Journalism

jueves, 23 de octubre de 2014

The best of 2014: Grease once again

35 years after its successful premier, “Grease” main characters, Olivia Newton John and John Travolta, had reunited to once again bring us back memories of that popular musical film which made a generational change among people. Alcohol, peer pressure, pregnancy, sex and smoking were some issues presented in this film, what made people develop on a more open minded society. This film which was released in 1978, but set in the 50s, is considered by many as one of the best films of the decade, and even now it stills being considerer like that, as nowadays is one of the most played “last-century film", and its soundtrack has been qualified as one of the most successful soundtracks in hollywoods history.

Olivia and John on the final movie scene, singing "You are the one that i want". Source: www.allposters.es

The success was so widespread that Rotten Tomatoes, a website launched in 1998 and devoted to film reviews and news about films, wrote years after its premier "Grease is a pleasing, energetic musical with infectiously catchy songs and an ode to young love that never gets old.”

In this unexpected (Being precise, both actors coincided on a festival, and without anything planned they show up together on the stage) meeting, John and Olivia, the teen principal characters of the film, and idols of one hole generation, put their voices together and sang the popularly known song “You're the One That I Want”, making their fans, full of surprise, remind what that music meant for all of them. Even though lot of time has passed, both actors demonstrated that their voices still sound as good as they did on the film, film which as i've told before, obtained fame not only for its interpretations but also for its soundtrack, selling thousands of CD’s all over the world.

John and Olivia’s voices were heard in every disco, shop and house 35 years ago, and now (last march twenty-seventh) they gave us the opportunity to hear them live, to revive once again those years of the 70’s, 80’s… those years of high school and the confusion of teen romances with infectious exuberance and humor.

Paula Ezcurra
Audiovisual Communication

A catwalk for the change

One of the most polemic and unexpected catwalks took place last 30th of september in Paris on the hands of Karl Lagerfeld. Head designer and creative director of the fashion house Chanel, as well as the Italian house Fendi and his own label fashion house.

On the presentation of the spring/summer collection 2015 on Paris Fashion Week, an unusual show took place. Karl transformed the insides of The Grand Palais into a urban city landscape, decorated with grey buildings with old style balconies, a street with an uneven pavement, real sidewalks and puddles.

The show started normally. Models walked alone or by partners, wearing pieces of different shapes and colours and from dresses, to the typical Chanel suits. All of them wearing flat-shoes and simple accessories. Models from all over the world. A huge variety of nationalities and beauties. Cara Delevingne, Giselle Bünchen and the young Kendall Jenner are some of the famous models that participated in this amazing show.

When all the pieces of the collection had been shown, from the far, a large crowd appeared. Leaded by Karl and his right hand Cara Delevingne by his side with a megaphone, and a large crowd of models following them. All of them holding banners with feminist slogans written on them and saying loudly and in unison: “What do we want? Free! When do we want it? Now!”.

A call for the rights of women and for the right to be different and stand out. Karl Lagerfeld once again, transformed his catwalk on a show full of glamour and a demonstration claiming the rights and equality of women to men nowadays. A real revolutionary in the eyes of fashion and society.

Carmen Salaverri

Advertising and PR

lunes, 20 de octubre de 2014

Social media, a must in fashion

What is the hottest trend in fashion right now? Social media. It refers to how brands in the named sector connect with their target market via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and so on. Becoming a part of the social media network, allows companies in the fashion industry to capture a large audience. Fashion brands most often utilize social media for advertising. Other uses include reporting news, updates, announcements, events, promotions, and customer service. For example Facebook, to explain events and explain their newest stories and news. Twitter, to make shorts announcements and advertise their products and publish their show dates.

However, nowadays, I would say that Instagram is the most important source for fashion designers to publish their collections and to have others advertise them. A huge number of brands nowadays, use “Instagram stars”. This means that they give pieces of clothing to girls or boys who are famous on Instagram, so that others see that they wear their clothes and notice it. And also, brands even have their own accounts to show their newest collections and to publish their newest campaigns.

“Ignoring the Internet [and social media] is madness” Diane von Furstenberg.

The blogesphere is getting access. Important blogs are opening their way through fashion world. Bloggers publish their latest acquisitions and where they have bought them so that their followers can buy those products if they are interested.

Teen Vogue published by Jason Wgenheim and Ring mybell by Ashley Madekwe as Ashley Davenpor are some of these world´s famous fashion blogs.

Fashion is a must in our society and social media, plays an essencial world in the communication of this art.

Source: Twitter

Carmen Salaverri