digital art science

So, a little over a year ago I sent my second “Good Apple” newsletter, cryptically mentioning a big upcoming project.

I promptly disappeared for 13 months and left my website, newsletter and blog to gather dust.

Truth is I can’t say too much about it, as the project is still ticking along without me. Also, I want to give my work its dues. It wound up being a pretty impressive piece of innovation, strategy and execution, so I’ll address it in more detail when I can in a case study or overview.

For now I want to let you know that the single most important lesson I learnt in the last 13 months is that I NEVER want to stop learning. If I ever imply to you that I know everything about a topic, kick me in the shins. Hard.

A constant desire for knowledge is what makes digital tick. New tools are nice, but slobbering lust and enthusiasm from the rest of us online is what makes or breaks a trend and changes communication, behaviour, even the world. May I always be a slobbering enthusiast… (please read that in the least unpalatable interpretation available).

I’m not ruining any surprises by saying that the past 13 months was a very experimental project in terms of what we did online and where, a true suck it and see approach. Alongside that I was tackling a client from an industry of which I had no experience; Pharmaceutical. Heck, I haven’t studied science for more than 15 years, but the last year has seen me printing scientific research and publications to devour on the train like so much fruit flavoured Mentos (or is that just me, again?)

The other thing I have learnt is that now more than ever before I have a desire to do something good with my skills and experience.

The GFC, hurricanes, tidal waves, gangland criminals, back-stabbing politicians… the world doesn’t need more people out being mercenary, selfish or pursuing aims other than the increasing of niceness… who’s with me? Drop me a line at morgwn@digitalartscience.com.au, hit me up on Twitter (@morgwn) or just generally stalk me, get in touch and together we can find new ways to be good, using this wonderful thing we call the internet.

It’s a rainy and cold Sunday afternoon. I’m at a crossroads. And whether you’re with me or not, I’m out to make a difference. Watch this space.

Two things hit me when I watch ABC’s ‘The Gruen Transfer‘.

First of all, it’s a reminder that people outside of the advertising industry don’t think about brands, advertising and marketing in the same way, or as consistently as we (and the guys on the show) do. That may not sound like much, but it’s pretty shocking for me to realise that for the last 12 years or so, I’ve been analysing and dissecting brand and marketing messages much more thoroughly than they are intended to be.  Probably explains how and why I have gravitated to this industry.

The second thing is just how old-guard and traditional they are. With the exception of Todd Sampson, the panelists are caricatures of advertising industry stereotypes.

But all this has been said before by people with more time and insight than me.

Last night was the episode where the ‘The Pitch’ segment challenged two agencies (JWT versus The Foundry) to sell Obesity to the general public. JWT stuck their tongues in their cheeks and called on fatties to up their consumption for the sake of the economy. While The Foundry decided to shock everyone into silence by drawing a parallel between massively, horrendously bigotted insults and a fat joke. Kind of off piste if you ask me.

My fingers are too cold in my breezy Elwood flat to rant coherently about it, so I’ll kick it bullet point style.

• Obesity is NOT comparable in any way shape or form to being black, gay or Jewish
• Discrimination against fat people is virtually non-existent. Was the trade in fat people for cheap/free labour abolished only last century? Were millions of fat people killed in death camps before and during WWII? Do fat people get beaten up and killed by marauding gangs of redneck teenagers? Bugger, I started to rant there.
• Being fat is a choice (with the exception of glandular problems). Being black is not a lifestyle choice, nor is being gay, or Jewish. A fat person can change their situation and actually improve pretty much every aspect of their life, they wouldn’t be giving anything up, or going against their beliefs.

In a word “grrrrrr”.  I could go on.  But that wasn’t even the most offensive and ridiculous thing about last nights programme.

Did anyone else balk at Bridget Taylors little campaign extension idea? Let’s put a fit bird and an ugly bird on the Speight boat to the UK and see if we can get the Kiwi’s mate to knob the ugly one in the ultimate test of mateship?

Now I’m not ugly, or a woman, but I can imagine that ugly women face more discrimination and have fewer avenues to change their situations, especially when they shouldn’t have to. As always, it’s society that needs education and enlightenment, and let’s face it, a little more maturity and humanity. Perhaps ‘The Pitch’ challenge should’ve been to sell ‘Ugly’, but that might’ve dragged the attitudes of the panel, and TV-land in general, a little close to the sweaty and unforgiving spotlight.

I’ve been waiting for this moment all my life (well, a few weeks),

I could feel it coming into my bank last night.

Kevin Rudd’s handful of sweaty stimulus dollars. Given so that I may go forth and invigorate the Australian economy.

Well, I got straight on the case and went out a-stimulating.

Thanks Kevin! from Morgwn Shaw on Vimeo.

I try not to blog about TV.  I have been known to run around predicting its demise, so admitting that I saw something on TV, not to mention that I am thinking about something I saw? It damages my street cred. I can’t help feeling that something has to be said about the VB/Legacy Australia, Raise a glass campaign. The Raise a glass campaign is dirty and wrong. Word.

Let me clarify. Legacy is good. And beer is good, in moderation. But putting the two together for this campaign irks me.

For those that have not been assailed with this commercial, there are a few of them, but the concept is the same. Veterans of various wars sit and tell stories about a mate they lost. The ads end with the viewer being urged to raise a glass to our fallen heroes. And then you’re driven to the website where VB try to sell you a slab with a specially printed thingo on it, with a view to raising a million bucks for Legacy.

I feel a little dirty for complaining about this, but I think it’s justified.
Do we not have a problem with binge drinking and alcohol abuse in this country?
Do we not have problems with underage drinkers? And ‘at-risk’ demographics turning to alcohol at the expense of their friends, jobs and families?
Do veterans not struggle with alcohol abuse as they come to terms with the aftermath of their involvement in a conflict?
Hasn’t anyone at VB/Legacy’s agency ever listened to Khe Sanh?

Alcohol is wrongly used as a means to dull pain. Whether it’s plain old civilian pain, or the result of mental scarring that armed combat can bring.

And along comes VB and tells us to ‘Raise a glass’ to fallen heroes. They’ve twisted a negative association into a positive action by shoe-horning in some veterans. And they’re hoping that the message is ‘cleaned-up’ by our grateful feelings towards both the fallen and the non-fallen heroes.

Can I tell you something? It didn’t work.

People drink to excess because of exactly the message you’re pushing on us. Loss, hurt, pain? Raise a glass! Raise another one! We’re giving you an excuse to keep going at it as well. And a warm, fuzzy feeling because a couple of bucks went to a charitable and decent organisation. Your carton even has a specially printed thingo on it.

Maybe the pretty printed thingo will jog your memory as to why you got annhialated on VB last night? Why your liver hates you, your mouth tastes like a pub floor and your brain feels like it was squeezed into a skull three sizes too small for it. And the warm fuzzy feeling might get you through the morning ’till the Berocca kicks in.

Hell, that would be a better campaign than Raise a frickin’ glass.