Creative Bodega

Over and out

2009-05-08T12:17:00.003+02:00

The adventure in Madrid has come to an end. That goes for this blog as well I'm afraid. I'm back in Sweden and if I set up a new blog I will post a link here.

Take care.

Pontus

A good idea

2009-04-23T12:35:00.006+02:00

The production company Alamo Films seems to have a big heart for ideas. They care so much about them that they have a competition called The Forgotten Idea. Alamo Films will simply realize the idea that maybe a client turned down for a reason or two. All you have to do is to send in a written proposal to Alamo Films. The best of all the ideas will then turn to a 30 seconds ad and will be shown to the world. Brilliant.

Don't let the forgotten idea rest in peace.

Seasick and stunned

2009-04-22T11:10:00.007+02:00

I found this interesting work at IDEO Labs. It’s WATG together with EON Reality’s immersive 3D room that show how their great technology works. This time by letting us walk through a resort before it even has been built.

If it’s possible to do this today, what will be possible to do tomorrow?

I couldn't make the film work so use this link instead: http://vimeo.com/4177769

Open doors

2009-04-21T10:25:00.010+02:00

OK, this has nothing to do with the Spanish digital scene, but it's about how The President Of The United States communicate via the internet. And therefore it fits just fine on this site.

There's nothing new that Obama and his staff likes the internet. During the election for president they used Twitter with great success and now he wants to open the doors to The White House. This time he asks the american people to submit any questions about the economy or vote for other questions. Obama himself will give his answers to some of the most frequently asked questions. It's an experiment and the interest is huge, so it will be interesting to see how it will work.

Urban casting

2009-04-20T16:30:00.010+02:00

Dove’s communication strategy has for many years been focusing on real beauty before models. To find three candidates to star in Dove’s next advertising campaign, a casting for ordinary women have been launced. The casting is open for women between 18 and 40 years and the ones that in the first step will be chosen from the web, awaits another round, live in Barcelona and Madrid. Out of the 35 participants from each city, six will be travelling to the final in Barcelona to participate in a vote online.

View the campaign here.

Starstrucked

2009-04-17T16:35:00.008+02:00

I'm a big fan of pretty much everything that concerns aviation. And I also like when things are made in a different way. But this piece of work for Air Europa is an exception.
Even if they use Barcelona's football star Leo Messi in the campaign it doesn't make it fly.

It doesn't even leave the ground.

View the campaign here.

On the shortlist

2009-04-15T15:20:00.003+02:00

After the success in AMPE, the expectations are high before the IMAN festival. This time, five campaigns, proudly made by Netthink have reached the final. It feels like it will be another golden moment for our agency.

Here are the campaigns:

http://62.151.22.210/festivales/esp/adidas/futbolexperiment/

http://62.151.22.210/festivales/eng/adidas/techfit/

http://62.151.22.210/festivales/esp/mini/clubman/roba_300x250_layer

http://62.151.22.210/festivales/eng/mini/megafono/

http://62.151.22.210/festivales/esp/imanjoven/vidas/

More Ampe

2009-04-07T16:24:00.006+02:00

McCann Erickson was the biggest winner at last week's Ampe . Their commercial "Vegetarianos" for Campofrío brought home el Gran Ampe de Oro, the finest prize of them all.

Here is their winning contribution.

Gold

2009-04-06T21:42:00.007+02:00

Last Thursday, Netthink brought home some nice awards for a campaign they did for Adidas last year. The price came from the annual prestigious Ampe, a festival for creative advertising hold here in Madrid.

Check out the campaign here:

Well done.

Zero point zero

2009-04-02T13:09:00.003+02:00

Drink and drive is a sad problem causing to many deaths around the world every year. To be able to enjoy the flavor of beer but not the effects of alcohol, San Miguel have for some years have had a perfect “drivers beer”. To promote the beer for this season they asked Tapsa to help them with the mission. Tapsa came up with the idea to focus on other safety inventions from the car industry. And one of them is from Volvo.

London calling

2009-04-01T17:28:00.003+02:00

Spring is the time when people dig deep in their pockets in hope to find some hidden money they can change for an air ticket to go somewhere. Many people are longing for a big city break and one popular city for that is London. Even for Spaniards.
Oxígeno Creative Media has created this campaign for Visit Britiain. The theme is "Choose your London".

I'm missing the umbrella in the picture ...

Crash! Boom! Bang!

2009-03-30T22:55:00.006+02:00

Today I experienced my first computer crash ever. I was going to log in and everything seemed to be normal when suddenly all the letters turned to strange symbols and I couldn't go any further. After several attempts to restart it with the same result, the gathered expertise gave up. Luckily the "real" support guy will come in tomorrow and if he is able to do a miracle, I don't know. But I would be very, very pleased.

Cause I haven't done any backup, what so ever ...

The patient.

Iron Man vs Bruce Lee

2009-03-27T12:28:00.003+01:00

More stop-motion animation.
Nice.

Via Flylyf .

A familiar face

2009-03-27T09:46:00.003+01:00

This is the last post where Iker Casillas appears. I promise. But I can’t let you miss Kotoc’s promotion of the UEFA Euro 2008 for the TV network Cuatro. It’s too good for that.

CUATROBOTS - Amanecer | Kotoc from kotoc on Vimeo.

Kotoc and Converse

2009-03-27T00:23:00.000+01:00

This is another cool production from Kotoc . It’s a commercial made with stop-motion animation for the legendary sneaker Converse.

Converse - All Star Never Dies | Kotoc from kotoc on Vimeo.

Formula 1

2009-03-26T22:46:00.002+01:00

It’s just a few days to the start of the Formula 1 season 2009. As usual, Melbourne is the host of the premiere race and the interest here in Spain is huge. Not only because they got Fernando Alonso driving one of the cars for the team Renault. All kinds of motorsport seem to be something that the Spaniards like a lot. Kotoc, from Barcelona is a production company which is specialized in animation, has made a great commercial to promote the channel laSexta, who will broadcast the Formula 1 races this year.

Enjoy.

Promo F1 Main Piece - laSexta | Kotoc from kotoc on Vimeo.

Car stories

2009-03-25T09:57:00.005+01:00

Contrapunto is trying to boost the sale for Mercedes. This time it’s for the Class B Efficiency Blue Edition. The creative concept revolves around the idea that everyday situations can become special ones. And to create interaction, the users are asked to tell their own stories, from a very special day, and share them on a microsite.

Visit the site here.

Good luck ads

2009-03-24T13:10:00.008+01:00

Seat have just like many other car brands had a tough year. They ended 2008 with 102,125 registrations, a 27% less than the previous year. In January, the number of registrations was 4158, representing a decrease of 53% over the same month last year.

Now they will do everything they can to fight the negative trend and by doing so they release their latest car Exeo. It's a salon and will compete with cars like Renault Laguna, Peugot 407, Ford Mondeo and Volkswagen Passat. The campaign will run in Europe and will be backed up by commercial and print ads. It's a tough journey and I doubt they will make it. Not with these ads anyway.

The price tag for the Exeo starts at 22.000€.

The headlines reads:

New Seat Exeo. Every trip. Something exceptional.

Nice parking.

Nice leather.

Fresh from the shop

2009-03-20T22:48:00.003+01:00

Today it's premiere for a piece of great work from my agency Netthink. Rich media banners are big here in Spain and this one is an example of how to use that format.

The client is Fiat and the car is their model 500, a classic one that I like a lot. Especially the old ones but the new ones is not bad either.

See the Fiat 500 banner here.

The classic found in Venice.

Popular guy

2009-03-17T10:56:00.006+01:00

Iker Casillas, the goalkeeper of Real Madrid never seems to be tired of participating in advertising. This is his third campaign within a short period but this time it’s for a really good cause. The campaign is created by Contrapunto for Plan whose aim is to stop child poverty and give children a decent education. And since Iker knows how to stop football players to score, he might be the right man to stop child poverty too.

Click here and support Iker and Plan.

Kick off

2009-03-16T23:42:00.014+01:00

Football is pretty serious business here in Spain. Madrid has three big clubs. Real and Atletico who plays in La Liga and Rayo Vallecano who plays in the second division. Last Sunday Atletico played against Villareal and a friend who is working for PAF, one of Atletico's sponsors could fix some free tickets. That was very nice. Especially since I had a friend visiting from Sweden and thought it would be good to show him some Spanish culture.
The game was good, the atmosphere even better but the result was the best. Atletico won 3-2, despite they had missed a penalty and had been under with 0-2.

The homeground of Atletico and their fans.

Red and white was the colors of the day.

50 000 fans can't be wrong. Atletico is the team.

Valencia on fire

2009-03-16T12:17:00.010+01:00

Each year Valencia hosts a popular festival known as Las Fallas. It's a celebration to the final days of the winter and the arrival of spring. It’s a five day of partying that ends with a crescendo where hundreds of big statues and monuments built of papier-mâché are set on fire. Since there are lots of fires and fireworks going on, the firemen of Valencia plays an important role. Mahou, a beer brand and the agency La Despensa thought about that and came up with this idea: Why not salute the stars of the Las Fellas, Los Bomberos by drinking a Mahou?

Print ad.

Visit the site.

Las Fellas.

Extra cash

2009-03-12T17:40:00.007+01:00

Iker Casillas isn’t only the goalkeeper of Real Madrid. He is also a popular personality to use in advertising campaigns. I don’t know in how many campaigns he appears in. This one for the insurance company Groupama is just one example. It’s made by Contrapunto and can be seen right now on TV, print and online.

A serie of four commercials with Iker in the lead role.

Coffee time

2009-03-12T09:35:00.004+01:00

I have been drinking lots of coffee the last six weeks. We are lucky to have a bar just outside our entrance that serve great café con leche. Coffee are big business here and I wonder how much money every single Spaniards spend on this drink every year. The coffee machine we have in the office is just used for emergency. But if we would have this machine from Coffe In, that Gap’s has created a site for, maybe it all would change.

Check out the Coffee In site here:

Derby beer

2009-03-09T19:01:00.010+01:00

Last Saturday the classic Madrid derby between Real and Atletico took place. This match has been discussed all week long in all media, not to mention by the man in the street. However, Mahou, one of the large beer brands wanted to use the opportunity of this hysteria. They produced 50.000 special designed beer bottles and used the goalkeepers of the two teams, Iker Casillas of Real and Leo Franco of Atletico in the campaign. The message was to promote Fair Play and to share the passion of football with a beer poured in a bottle, designed in the color of your favorite team.

These goalies were equally good in the match and let only in one ball each.

Karaoke

2009-03-05T12:47:00.004+01:00

It's not only Madrid and Barcelona that have interesting digital agencies. Framboise, is one example of that. Framboise is a small digital agency run by three people and are based in Málaga. One of their clients are Visit Britian. Recently they launched a site to promote the city of Liverpool.

To do so they used the famous football club Liverpool FC and their world known anthem You'll Never Walk Alone. So if you always have dreamed about to sing this song, this is your golden opportunity. It's karaoke time. So clear your throat, use the microphone and show that you are a true Pool fan. Or sing if you just want to have the chance to win a signed Liverpool jersey from Fernando Torres. Good luck.

Click here to sing You'll Never Walk Alone.

Net dogs

2009-03-04T10:17:00.004+01:00

Most people love their dogs, but unfortunately there are exceptions. Last year Spain had more than 100.000 abandoned dogs. To fight this problem, a Spanish company that develops products and accessories for pets, called Civiccan, have now launched a platform for pet adoption on their site. It is the first project of its kind, in Spain anyway, and each week they will present 30 dogs that need homes.

I wish Civiccan and the dogs all the luck there is.

Check out the site here.

Different

2009-03-03T01:11:00.008+01:00

Miravete de la Sierra was once a forgotten, tiny village with only twelve inhabitants, situated around 145 km northwest of Valencia. But after the release of the site www.elpuebloenelquenuncapasanada.com, created by the agency Shackleton, something happened. The site was made to promote the province of Teurel, which is one of the smallest provinces in Spain. El pueblo en el que nunca pasa nada, means; in the village where nothing ever happens. This insight might seem a bit odd to create a campaing around. But the village of Mirvate de la Sierra was a success. After the launch of the commercial on different TV channels, the site got 20.000 unique users within the first 48 hours. After a month the site had registered 261.719 unique users and received donations of 2.251 €.
(Source: http://www.interactivadigital.com/interactiva/noticias/23/90/1583)

The twelve inhabitants all plays a role in the campaign. If you can´t get enough of the "stars" you can also buy a replica of one and each of them for only 180€ a piece in the web shop. Here you can also download the intro theme that almost beats the Godfather theme.

ENJOY THE SITE

The sun and I

2009-02-24T12:55:00.008+01:00

It's a lot of things I like with Madrid. One of them is the weather. Sometimes it's hard to believe it's February, especially since we have been spoiled with high temperatures during the last two weeks. Thanks to the sunny days I have spent lots of quality time outdoors enjoying the Madrid way of life. And I can't get enough. I like the busy streets. I like the squares that open their arms for hungry and thirsty sun-worshippers. But I also like the parks that offer some quality peace in a nice surrounding.

I'm glad I have two more months of this lovely way of living.

Bring the big wallet if you want to eat breakfast in Plaza de Mayor.

A nice break just outside El Retiro.

Mmmm, lunch.

Before and after

2009-02-16T23:58:00.011+01:00

After two weeks in my cell look-a-like room I have finally moved to a bigger one. It's still in the same building, the same floor and in the same corridor. But the difference is gigantic. Even if it's just five more square meters I don't have to bump into everything when I turn around. And I got a view.

But the change also brought something else that I didn't have before. And this is something I don't fancy too much. It's the noise of the never silence square of Santa Ana, one of the most popular bar area in Madrid. But I can live with that. I hope. I just have to find some sound-proofing material to cover the windows, like styrofoam and blankets. Or buy some ear-plugs. And that's fast. If not I will be even more tired tomorrow than I am today. And that's a no-no.

Pretty far from sea view, eh?

The square that never sleeps.

Ver mapa más grande

The entry is at Huertas but the flat is facing the opposite side of the building.

The art of choosing

2009-02-16T23:55:00.003+01:00

If you are a street musician, painter or creative in another way and would like to earn some money from tourists, Plaza de Mayor is the place to be. I have passed the area several times and have seen various of performances. The other day I heard and saw something really good. It was classic music, performed by four men with three violins and one bass violin. These guys were no beginners and they had a big crowed watching them.

After their little show the three violinists quickly put away their violins and started to count the money. The fourth guy were struggling with his enormous bass violin and tried to get it into its case. And he was still doing it several minutes later when the count was done and the money was going to be shared. I wonder if he gets more money than the others cause he needs to pay for a truck to transport his instrument. It's not like with a violin you can grab and take the Metro home. I wonder how many times he has wished he had chosen another more easy to carry instrument.

"I should have chosen harmonica instead"

Loud and dark

2009-02-16T23:50:00.006+01:00

After the traditional Friday caña session I headed to the outskirts of Madrid. The reason for that was to watch a colleague do what he likes most. To play black metal. I have a broad taste for music but I have never really listened to black metal before, so this was a good opportunity.

The guys in Crying Blood didn't let their fans down. They played loud, hard and dark. Just what their fans demanded. I had a great time too during this decibel mania and I'm glad I went there. It's always fun to do experience new stuff with great people.

The guy to the right is also a skilful programmer.

A walk in the sun

2009-02-16T23:13:00.009+01:00

Saturday was a nice day to explore Madrid a little more. I went to the tourist information and bought a ticket for a two hour guided walking tour. We were only ten in the group and we came from all parts of the world. When we were asked by the tour guide where we came from, we said US, Canada, Austria, Sweden. And Texas.

The tour started with a walk from Plaza de Mayor to Palacio Real. From there we walked our way through central Madrid to our final stop close to Parque del Retiro. Since he weather was nice I entered the park which was packed with people. It's really a park to stroll around and relax and I'm happy that I only live ten minutes walk from there. Hopefully I will have the opportunity to run there one day. It looks so nice

A popular spot in Parque del Retiro.

Inspiration

2009-02-12T23:15:00.013+01:00

It's a well known art fair going on in Madrid at the moment. It's called Arco Madrid and is held for the 28th time. For me though, it was my first time to visit this fair and it was all a result of someone handing out free tickets in the office this morning.

We were four colleagues who found it interesting enough to take the Metro to the outskirts of Madrid and spend some hours among 250 galleries full of contemporary art. It was well worth it even if we arrived pretty late and didn´t have time to cover it all. But we saw some good, interesting, fun and weird stuff. Just what you can expect at art fairs like Arco.

Here is some pics from the day.

Three happy colleagues and a skeleton truck.

What went wrong?

This makes you think a little bit more about the picture.

If you have problem to read, here comes the answer:
If it looks like art it probably isn't.

"Letter to the mother". It was 50 of them and they all said NO.

One of all installations that made sounds and lights.

Potatoes can also feel a bit cold sometimes.

Before the digital photo revolution

2009-02-09T21:41:00.005+01:00

If there are anyone who remembers how a photo was developed back in the days, this commercial is pretty cool. The film is a couple of years old but the idea is still good. Credits to the Spanish agency SCPF.

Saturday excursion

2009-02-08T23:41:00.008+01:00

No offence to Madrid, it's a great city by all means, but one thing I really enjoy a lot is to explore the surroundings of every city I go to. Especially like now when I know I'm gonna be here for three months and during that time I will have plenty of time to do Madrid.

The goal of my first day trip was Toledo. According to my guidebook it's one of Spain's most fascinating cities and is situated only 70 kilometres south of Madrid. I jumped a bus, paid 8 € for a return ticket and was there less than 50 minutes later.

The city is on a hill and from there you will get a nice view of the surroundings. It has lots of small alleys. It's full of restaurants, bars, cafés and last but not least tonnes of small shops. These shops were offering swords, knifes, shields and all kinds of equipments that knights used to have. I didn't really get it why these things were so popular to sell here in Toledo. But what I learned was that El Greco, the famous artist lived and worked here back in the days, that the cathedral is a masterpiece and that the city was suffering really bad during the Spanish Civil War.

To sum it up, it was a good day out. And I might return when the sun is shining on the patios.

A good choice

2009-02-08T21:49:00.006+01:00

Vasava is a well respected design and communication agency from Barcelona. They have been around since 1997 and have during all these years delivered great works for great brands.

Last autumn Vasava was selected for the showcase of the global launching of Adobe Creative Suite CS4. This is what they showed the world.

The intro for Vasava's contribution to the showcase.

Smart?!

2009-02-05T22:32:00.003+01:00

Tings that makes the everyday digital life a bit easier are always welcome. If this idea is doing the job, I'm not sure ( I have to try it first), but it seems to be smart. If you are sending links now and then to friends, this can be handy. 1 link.in simply lets you put multiple links into one short link which makes it easier to share.

Check it out.

Sweet.

2009-02-05T22:25:00.006+01:00

It's soon here, the day you either hate or love. Valentine's Day. If you belong to the latter but are struggling what to give the one you love, this is for you.

Since almost everyone likes chocolate this can't go wrong. M&M has a come up with a really smart service for everyone who wants to surprise their Valentines in a personal way. Or what about a signature gift box full of M&M candies with a personal message written on them? Can it be anything but a success? Don't think so. You will be a star.

This is how you do.

We are from Barcelona. But also from Madrid.

2009-02-03T22:31:00.009+01:00

First out representing the Spanish digital scene is one of Spains most talked about agencies at the moment. Their name is DoubleYou and they have offices in Barcelona and in Madrid. One of their latest and most famous projects is called Blackville and was made for Cacique, a rum brand.

Apart from great work and interesting portfolio they also seem to be very found of numbers which they show in a special way on their site. If you would like to say hi to them you are more than welcome. How you do it, you have to find out yourself. All you have to do is to step in to their little world and take the tour.

This is how DoubleYou puts rum into the spotlight.

Four legged stars

2009-02-01T23:56:00.008+01:00

Last time I was at the Plaza Mayor the scene was completely different from this Saturday. Back then, in November 2007 the Plaza was filled with roughly 2500 singing Swedish football fans, getting ready for the match against Spain at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium. Unfortunately Sweden lost but the time at Plaza Mayor is a great memory.

This time, there were a total different crowd. The Plaza Mayor had attracted some of Madrid's most horse loving people and they could witness an impressive show, performed by eight equestrians and their horses. I was like ballet, but with horses. I think they came from Andalucia, and if it was a way to promote the region I don't know. All I know is that all the spectators were just as impressed as I was.

Free entertainment is always nice.

It is harder than it looks like. Trust me.

And the crowd goes wild.

Caña time

2009-02-01T23:54:00.001+01:00

Friday is special at Netthink. The office closes at 3 pm and for a lot of the employees it means going to the the bar that is just outside the office and have a few cañas (small beers). It is a very social and good way of getting to know who you are working with. I met so many people I hadn't seen during my first week at the office so for me it was perfect. I also learned some valuable words and phrases.

And that is always a bonus.

First week is done

2009-02-01T23:52:00.001+01:00

Friday ended a good first working week. I have had a good start with meeting a lot of great people but also have been involved in a pitch that was presented on Thursday. That went really well and the client liked it a lot. I think we will get some information this week how everything will develop.
Keep your fingers crossed, please.

The Spanish digital scene

2009-01-27T23:35:00.003+01:00

I have got a couple of good links covering the Spanish digital market from a friend at work. Unfortunately my poor Spanish makes it hard to understand everything but after some help with translation, I hope I can tell you more about it pretty soon.
So stay tuned. It 's interesting stuff.

Day one

2009-01-27T23:31:00.003+01:00

First day at the office is completed and it went really smooth. I was well taken care of and after shaking hands with my new colleagues and trying to remember their names, I was briefed on an account. That's the start I like.

During my first day I have also had a new experience. I have always have had a soft spot for long lunches so I think the Spanish way of enjoying lunch suits me just fine. Normally it runs between two o'clock and finishes at half past three. But today we headed for the restaurant just before three o'clock and was back at the office at about half past four.

It was a late lunch. And a nice one.

Sneezing in Madrid

2009-01-26T23:12:00.000+01:00

I'm glad my first day at Netthink starts tomorrow since I have been fighting a bad cold all day long. I hope a couple of good hours of sleep will do it good. I don´t want to start giving my new colleagues the same flu I have been dealing with the last days. That wouldn't be nice.

Apart from having a cold, I have had time to do a bit of sightseeing today. It was really nice. This is my third time in Madrid so I start to get hold of it pretty good, even if I know there is more to explore. But I don't have to stress. I have three months to do so and I'm looking forward to it. Just as much as I'm looking forward to start at Netthink tomorrow.

Vamos a la Netthink

2009-01-22T23:23:00.012+01:00

Pretty soon I will join the guys and girls at Netthink. To get a picture of what they are doing I took a look at their web site.

Here is one great example for Nintendo from their portfolio.

Hola hola

2009-01-22T10:43:00.008+01:00

I better get starting to practice my Spanish that have been sleeping nice and comfy in the back of my head for years. The reason for that is that my upcomming destination and the last leg of the Farfar Academy internship will bring my frostbitten body to Madrid – el capital de España. I will live there for three months before it's time to wrap it up and come back to Stockholm for a final week.

Apart from working in Madrid I will keep this blogg running and fill it with interesting stuff from the Spanish digital market. That's the goal anyway. There is not often you read about what's going on in Spain, so I will take the opportunity to bring it up while I'm there. But it will also contain some bits and parts from how it is to live and work abroad. Maybe I even make some comparison from my months in Shanghai.

If you stay tuned, you'll find out.

Viva España!