brandflakesforbreakfast

Monday, December 01, 2008

all of your holiday shopping belongs to us.

For the third year in a row, we've devoted ourselves to helping make your holiday brighter. And easier. And more fun. Of course, we're talking about the Brand Flakes For Breakfast Gift Guide.

Call it a blog, call it a link to gifting goodness, or call it the salvation for all humankind. We just like to think of it as a sweet list of cool stuff we've found while being productive on the internet.

Have a creative person in your life you need to shop for? Not sure where to send your mom so that she won't buy you a silly Christmas sweater? The Brand Flakes Gift Guide is your answer.

The guide launched this weekend - and will feature regular posts (almost daily!) of new, cool fun gifts for the creative people on your list. Even better - we've kept all of the 2007 and 2008 posts live, so that you can start browsing immediately. Be merry.

Labels: plaid, self promotion

posted by darryl ohrt @ 8:59 AM 0 comments

john roland is a paid spokesperson

Lost City points to some hilarious badvertising.

John Roland, a spokesperson for some law firm, is clearly titled as "compensated spokesperson" in the ad.

Why not take this full tilt? Let's add titles over the faces of every actor in every commercial, indicating that they're paid spokespeople. Let's also tell the world what they were paid. That would be interesting.

Labels: ads, newyork

posted by darryl ohrt @ 8:12 AM 0 comments

stop stepping all over my email

Ringo is a sweet new interface design concept by Ivan Tihienko.

We hope that by now, someone with a load of cash has paid mcmillions to Ivan, and he's developing this. Because I really, really, really want an arrow to follow me around wherever I go, like a personal GPS. And I'd like to setup my entire desktop in the parking lot of a big retail store, and call it my office. C'mon let's get going on this.

Labels: design, productdesign, technology, webdev

posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:49 AM 0 comments

bringing whoppers to the world's whopper virgins

The work that Crispin Porter Bogusky has produced for Burger King has been nothing short of astounding. They're about to unleash yet another promotional feat - Whopper Virgins.

Equally impressive is to see that Stacy Peralta is involved. Here's a guy who was a legend in the skateboard industry, and has now reinvented himself with career number two: film producer.

So get a nice, warm Whopper in your hand and curl up in front of your monitor. Only a few days until Whopper Virgins is released.

Labels: video, viral, yummyfood

posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:36 AM 1 comments

what do you wish would happen by the end of the day?

There are less than 30 work days left in 2008. What will you do with them? Today's a great day to to look at what's left in the year, and figure out how to use it best.

This inspiring video found on Thought Gadgets may help get you started.

Labels: creativeinspiration, inspiration, workplace

posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:26 AM 0 comments

Friday, November 28, 2008

happy black friday

Overslept and missed the 3AM shopping bonanza this morning? No worries.

This excellent series of spots from BestBuy should get you into the holiday shopping spirit. Enjoy. Thanks, Todd!

Labels: ads, holiday, retail

posted by darryl ohrt @ 8:09 AM 0 comments

Thursday, November 27, 2008

rick astley wishes you a happy turkey day

The biggest rick roll in television history?

Labels: holiday

posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:52 PM 1 comments

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

don we now, our coke bomb bottles...

Since many people associate Coke with popularizing Santa's brand image, it's only appropriate that they release a special holiday package design of the world's most popular sugary brown juice.

These Coke ornaments/CokeBalls are holidalicious.

I really hope that Coke took full advantage here, and produced the obvious point of purchase device - trees adorned with Coke "ornaments." What would be totally awesome would be a giant fridge, next to the register - with a rotating tree INSIDE, adorned with perfectly chilled Coke bombs. And of course, there should be a site where people could decorate their entire homes with empty CokeBall bottles, and upload pics for all to see...oh, the possibilities.

Labels: beverage, holiday, package design, pointofpurchase, retail, yummyfood

posted by darryl ohrt @ 8:02 AM 2 comments

color on the walls

Here's a nice project for your house. A project that's not done when the wallpaper is hung. A project that your friends and guests can enjoy every time they visit.

Wallpaper that you color in yourself could be a load of fun in the right room. Of course, when it's all colored in, you're kind of stuck with it. Or maybe you could just add another layer...

Labels: creativeinspiration, interior design

posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:47 AM 0 comments

the hottest girls on the internet

Like everyone's totally buzzing all over the internet about the I'm Just Saying Show. It's like totally like awesome and amazing like.

Hipster girls talking about whatever, like. This will keep you entertained for hours. Or annoyed. You decide. (If the F word isn't welcome in your workplace, you might want to watch it at home, or with headphones.)

Labels: podcasting, trends, video, viral

posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:41 AM 2 comments

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

put video in the surfaces within your video.

Ummm...this is just utterly amazing. Insert ads - or any kind of content that you want - into any surface in any existing video. The possibilities are beyond ridiculously exciting.

Watch the clip above to be blown away by the technology as well as the dude's cool accent where he says 'advertisments' in a totally awesome way.

Labels: adindustry, technology, video, web2.0

posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:26 AM 2 comments

stop checking your email. right now.

You've read all of the productivity books, and subscribed to the work efficiency theories. So you know it's a bad idea to let your inbox control your every moment of every day. And yet it's got a hold of you, like heroin. Or a good chocolate chip cookie.

Thankfully, you can let go. Because Jared and his team of super geniuses have created a wonderful new tool. AwayFind. The video above explains exactly how it works better than I could ever write in a sentence here.

We met Jared at SXSW last year, and were immediately impressed. We just hope that he remembers us when Google buys his new product for 86 katrillion dollars.

Labels: productivity, web2.0, workplace

posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:18 AM 1 comments

the paper in that billboard is jammed again.

Here's a fun concept for Canon that expertly captures the moment of frustration where you want to smash your stupid printer with a baseball bat and then light it on fire and throw it out the window so that you can run it over with your car.

What...you've never had that feeling before?

Labels: ads, design, outdoor

posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:08 AM 0 comments

Monday, November 24, 2008

will we all get free cars if the bailout goes through?

If you've been buried in news or opinions or stress over the automaker bailout, here's a perspective from the other side. Social media rock star Scott Monty, who came in from outside of the auto industry - and from Boston - now works at Ford Motors. He's a one man social media department at an age old automotive brand.

He's posted a really insightful piece reflecting his perspective, some advice and some great links related to the bailout that everyone's talking about.

(And when they begin handing out free cars to the citizens that support the bailout, I'll be driving a Ford Flex - pictured above. Or maybe a Ford Airstream. That would rock.)

Labels: automotive, economy, politics

posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:39 AM 1 comments

what will happen to the big boxes when people don't shop there for xmas?

Sure, the economy has you worried. Worried about whether or not the big box retailers are going to have a good fourth quarter. And worried what would happen if they don't.

Ever wonder what an empty big box retailer could be used for? Coudal points to a nice post that shows what some communities have done with abandoned super massive retail stores.

The photo above is a library, made from an old Kmart. Yeah, a library. Ironic, isn't it?

Labels: architecture, retail

posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:22 AM 1 comments

behind that famous O

Ok, even the Obama fans are tired of Obama news. But here's a nice piece on the team that created the most famous "O" in history. A great look back on a now iconic identity design, and how they put the "oh" into "O". Thanks, Eliza!

Labels: design, identity, politics

posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:12 AM 0 comments

college students: we don't need your lame .edu address

Boston College has realized that students don't even want a school email address anymore. They've already had an email since they day they were born, and have no need to switch to a college email address.

Instead, Boston college students will get their communications forwarded to an address of their choice. That they probably won't check too often. ;)

Labels: education, trends, youthmarketing

posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:06 AM 0 comments

Friday, November 21, 2008

this week at Plaid

Here's what happened this week at the greatest agency in all of the land:

We started the week in Orlando, where Plaidsters from the CT office met to discuss our plans for 2009. Loads and loads of really great ideas and schemes to change the world.

While engrossed in a meeting at a park in Orlando, (no, really - we did work there), we were absolutely totally punk'd by none other than JetPacks Dave. Keep in mind that while we've worked with Dave, and read his blog religiously, we had no idea what he looked like. He got us good. See the entire episode unfold in the video above. Hilarious.

Later in the same day we made way to the Magic Kingdom, where we met up with long time internet friend Casey Paquet and his girlie girl Summer. After showing us all of the Disney secrets and treating us to the best fireworks show from the roof of the Contemporary hotel, Casey introduced us to a super fun brain game (he'll be launching a site soon that explains it all). A game so good that it completely kills all conversation. Here's a video clip of Plaidsters trying their best to think hard.

We jumped into the week with loads of work, a couple of photo shoots, a couple of video shoots, and plenty of creative goodness.

This weekend will bring some long sleeping nights and loads of rest as Plaid employees prepare for the hellacious project finishing 2.5 work day week ahead. (It's too cold here to do anything else.)

Labels: plaid, thisweekatPlaid

posted by darryl ohrt @ 8:54 PM 0 comments

let's reinvent television, ok?

Super nice guy/boy genius - Brian Shaler has been working on a pretty awesome project.

BitGravity just released the killerest video application that allows up to six different synchronized high definition video streams at once. Viewers can switch between views, and the audio is synchronized.

Ohhhhh, the possibilities. We could produce magnificently creative wonder productions that will make you look at your tv and laugh out loud, saying "one screen?? Puhleeze."

Watch a demo here. We're chomping at the bit to produce for this, and can't wait to see it in action.

Labels: technology, television, trends, video, web2.0

posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:47 AM 2 comments

where does a wallet go, in tights?

I thought that the king wore tights. And everyone knows that tights don't have pockets. But apparently the King does have a wallet. And he's been lurking around various cities, dropping it on the ground.

All in good, flame broiled fun, for Burger King.

Labels: outdoor, stunts, yummyfood

posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:44 AM 3 comments