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Microsoft has announced a new web based interactive video format called Silverlight

“Aimed at delivering rich interactive applications (RIA) for the web, Silverlight appears to be a part of Microsoft’s increasing foray into the graphics market traditionally held by companies like Adobe and Apple. And with the the transfer of Macromedia and their Flash software technology to Adobe, this will only raise the stakes in the battle for the hearts and minds of both web users and interactive graphic designers.” -DesignTalkBoard.com

(more…)

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www.AdsoftheWorld.com is and advertising archive and discussion forum for great creative works worldwide. The majority of the campaigns they have available are highly conceptual, like the Pantene (shampoo) ads showing a silky brown/gold background with models, apparently dressed in fashionable dinner dresses. Upon taking a second look, you’ll notice that the dinner dresses are made entirely of what appears to be ankle-length hair.

(more…)

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There are several companies that use an asterisk as a part of their logo so who does it best? Here’s a look at some of the players in the asterisk game:

E*TRADE – A
The asterisk in E*TRADE’s logo cleverly displays two arrows pointing in opposite directions, each in its own color. This immediately conveys activity that goes back and forth. Fitting for a company that empowers investors to buy and sell stocks. Integrating the icon into the name makes it easy to associate both individually and as a group. Great job E*TRADE!

FedEx Kinko’s – B
Although FedEx Kinko’s asterisk icon cleverly associates their products its not as easily recognizeable to the consumer. Since Kinko’s prints material from their computers using RGB colors they use an asterisk with Red Green and Blue, coming together to form purple. The purple is a little unexplained but the logo seems to breakup an otherwise unremarkable logo. Points for cleverness but doesn’t hit the mark like E*TRADE.

Cogneto – C
Cogneto provides “person-present authentication” to help boost security. Without any knowledge of what that means their logo is supposed to cleverly display the dynamic between “uniquely personal thoughts come together to form a complete memory or passthought™, with the spaces in between each asterisk representing the user’s identity”. I still don’t know what that means but it’s clear someone put some thought into their logo. Who knows what they do but at least their being smart about it… I think.

Asterisk – D
Using the word as the product name apparently didn’t inspire any creativity. This bland, flat and awkwardly placed asterisk shouts too obvious. Of course, it’s hard to get too mad at an open source company which is what this “most popular and extensible open source telephone system in the world” is. Still, hire someone to help out with a logo for crying out loud.

Asterisk (Extreme sports equipment) – C
Appealing to a younger generation this company added a little creativity to the asterisk. However, since they are trying to represent the extreme sports crowd it’s hard to imagine that the word “asterisk” is cool. So you can twist, blend, outline and ultimately punish the icon but will still be called a dorky name like “asterisk”. And what exactly does an asterisk have to do with extreme sports equipment and safety? You’d never be able to tell from the logo.

Red Hot Chili Peppers – D
Nobody expects much from a band and thank goodness. This asterisk logo is flat, boring and looks like the red cross, twice. Thanks for having an icon for a logo but stick to your day jobs. Because I don’t ever want to feeeeeel, like I did that day. Take me to the place I love, take me all the way…. No asterisk please.

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In business since 1889, The Michelin Tire Company began by manufacturing tires for farming equipment. Over the last century, Michelin has been at the forefront in the tire industry, patenting the Radial tire in the early ’40s, developing a new tire manufacturing process in the ’90s, and still today they strive to stay contemporary and fresh. (more…)

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Hyundai Hires Goodby, Silverstein & Partners
Can the agency that created ”Got Milk” convince American consumers to buy a Hyundai? Well, the polished brass at Hyundai Motors seem to think so, betting an incredible $600 million! This week, Goodby, Silverstein & Partners was awarded creative chores on Hyundai’s account. The agency bested Arnold Worldwide, Siltanen & Partners, Strawberry Frog and Kirshenbaum Bond & Partners for the win.

The last Hyundai campaign I can even recall is the “Hyundai, Yes, Hyundai” effort of the early 1990s when Hyundai’s hottest offering was the Scoupe. After sales stalled in the late 80s following consumer reports that Hyundais were “poorly built, slow to accelerate and hard to resell,” the company switched gears on their ad agency – hand-picking a handful of creatives from FCB-Irvine (who at the time, had the $250 million Mazda account) and launched the “Hyundai, Yes Hyundai” campaign. But, unfortunately sales were more like “Hyundai? No thanks! Really!” and continued to sputter. For Hyundai, perception is reality. And with the amount of money they’ve spent trying to “turn this horse around,” reality bites.

So what have they been doing for the past 15 years? Sitting idle? Hardly. How about trying to unravel consumers’ negative perceptions using various agencies. However, as Hyundai struggled to improve their image, Toyota, Nissan, Honda and Mazda all continued to build their brands and increase market share. Even Kia and Mitsubishi improved, albeit at a much slower pace. Now add in some very aggressive marketing efforts from Volkswagen, and it’s easy to see that Hyundai has a long road ahead of it. Yet, if any agency can rev up Hyundai sales, Goodby can!

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Great news for printers, brand managers, and graphic designers. Pantone,the authority on color and provider of color systems, has come out with an additional set of 56 new colors based on their annual forecast for the home furnishings industry. The eight new color palettes, each containing seven colors, are Simply Elegant, Classic Chic, Lumens, Mélange, Aux Naturale, Grass Roots, Fresh Air and Light Touch.

(more…)

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Match.com, an online dating service, has recently run into some competition from True.com. Serving as the premier website for online dating services, Match.com has done a lot of things right but has still seen their website traffic significantly decrease recently. First, let”s take a look at what they do right!

Most notable about their offering is the “Make Love Happen Guarantee”. They boast that if you don”t find love within six months of being a member you will get the next six months free of charge. As a member you have to do a few things to hold up your end of the bargain but then again if you”re actually trying to meet someone it shouldn”t be a problem.

Next, they have a partnership with Dr. Phil and offer a “MindBindFind” program that will help give you relationship insights on looking for your perfect partner. This is offered at a upgraded price, and like the normal membership option provides a cheaper option the longer you are a member. Only the six month membership includes the guarantee. The membership benefits included in each of the packages (which includes a free login account for anyone who wants to sign up)

Finding a partner is made easy through some very creative methods. Most of us are used to some sort of search function and Match.com really makes it easy for the user in a rush or someone willing to enter information into multiple fields to limit the results to something more accurate. Match.com also uses social networking tools like emailing people that you find interesting and a unique “Wink”ing ability that allows you to digitally break the ice. No personal information is transfered.

So what”s got Match.com worried? True.com has found their niche advertising provocative looking women in skin-tight mini-clothes. Since True.com has increased it”s traffic dramatically in the last six months Match.com has tried it out themselves. Unfortunately, either their lack of dedication or improper execution hasn”t helped their steady decline in traffic over the last six months.

Match.com”s innovation and creativity lead it to the top but will they be able to sustain that push or get rolled over by the new kid on the block. Today, April 15th, Match.com is ranked 242nd by Alexa.com and True.com is ranked 1,551th a significant distance away. Let”s let time tell who is doing it right!

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