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My final love letter to Scott Pilgrim. I promise (maybe).

Friday, August 13th, 2010

A little over a year ago, I posted my first blog entry here—about an atypical comic book hero named Scott Pilgrim who was in the process of getting a movie. Now, today, that movie hits theaters. I feel like this is all coming full circle.

Scott Pilgrim attempting conversation with the girl of his dreams, Ramona Flowers.

During my annual pilgrimage to the West Coast, I was fortunate (let’s not kid ourselves—I was beside-myself-excited) to see a special advance screening of the movie. San Diego’s Balboa Theater was packed, every level, every seat filled with someone who was already invested in this movie, one way or another. Seeing a movie you’ve been excited about for over a year, with a theater-full of other people who have also  been that excited for the same movie? It’s unlike any other movie-going experience I’ve ever had. Especially when the director and cast are on hand to introduce and close out the experience. A surprise performance from Metric doesn’t hurt either.

Anyway, this is an advertising blog, right? I’ll bring this around, trust me. If there’s a marketing textbook out there looking for examples of fun, non-traditional approaches to marketing a movie—please pay attention to the  following…

Scott Pilgrim dominated Comic Con. Dominated. I mean look at it… Scott is literally towering over the convention center.

Scott Pilgrim VS Comic Con (Via SpacePirateQueen @ Flickr.)

The Scott Pilgrim panel closed out the first full day of Comic Con, with the infamous Hall H filling with fans. Edgar Wright moderated his own panel, introducing his cast, fielding questions from the audience and showing new clips from the movie. Nearing the end of the panel, he asked the audience to look at the buttons they were handed at the start of the talk. If they had buttons with a 1UP on them—they were to follow him to the screening. And I mean it—follow him. Edgar jumped off the stage at that point and like the Pied Piper, led the lucky 1UP-ers 6 blocks up San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter to the Balboa. Those who couldn’t get into that first screening would be given two more chances over the following two days. I kid you not, as I passed the Balboa on my way to Day Two, there were already people in line at the theater. This was at 7:30 in the morning, the screening wouldn’t be until 6 that evening.

Across from the convention center, there was Pilgrim pandemonium in the courtyard of the Gaslamp Hilton where the Scott Pilgrim Experience was being staged.

The Scott Pilgrim Experience the day before Comic Con opens (via Rkbentley @ Flickr.)

This was your one-stop for all things SP. Like anything at Comic Con, there was a line to get in (for the Fire Marshal’s sake). The first stop in the Experience?

Pick your shirt, pick your design...

Custom Scott Pilgrim t-shirts. You pick your shirt size, color and the design you want screen printed on it while you wait. This was one of the coolest promotional ideas ever. And have I mentioned that everything in the experience was free? Yeah, all free.

My Ramona doodle shirt getting the once-over with a swipe of electric blue ink.

After that, you could star in your own flipbook. Act out a little scene for a few seconds in front of a camera, the video was turned into pages and this awesome little machine printed and trimmed your own flipbook with a Scott Pilgrim cover.

Another flipbook is brought into the world.

Ka-pow!

There were faux-sets from the movie to pose in front of, a kiosk to send a greeting to your friends on Facebook, a wall to sign or doodle on, live music and places to try out the new Scott Pilgrim video game (which is a must-have for any old-school gamer. River City Ransom, anyone?).

And then there were the chances to meet the cast. Not only were there signings…

Edgar Wright, Michael Cera and a mustachioed Jason Schwartzman.

…but cast members were also out in the Experience mingling with fans, helping to make t-shirts or guest starring in filpbooks.

Brandon Routh takes a break from screenprinting to take a pic with a Superman fan.

There was also a STUFF booth outside of the experience that gave away swag bags to passers by and was also the home-base for a special iPhone/Droid app promotion. For those who had downloaded and explored the recently released Scott Pilgrim Punch Out game for their mobile devices, they might have uncovered a special Comic Con section—instructing them to show a secret image to the folks at the STUFF booth for a special prize. Those who followed the instructions were rewarded with a full set of pins, featuring all the different characters in the story.

If there’s a better way of igniting excitement for a movie, I don’t want to know about it. Wait, maybe I do.

What about the folks not at Comic Con? Well, the SP crew has been on the road, hosting screenings in other cities, getting the word out via Twitter and Facebook. In Atlanta, stars Michael Cera and Jason Schwartzman did the weather (note Cera’s SP Experience shirt)

And then there’s the interactive trailer. It’s like if a video game and VH1’s Pop Up Video had a baby made of pixels and awesome— a trailer with it’s own DVD features built into it.

And the regular trailers are everywhere.

I want this movie to do well, I feel invested in it despite having nothing to do with it—which may be some side effect of all the stuff above this paragraph . It’s fast, fun, hilarious and above all, a love story. Like it has from the start, it pays tribute to all the things I love: music, video games and comic books. It breaks the comic book movie mold, from the story to the style in which it was shot. It’s a movie shot in Toronto where the city’s playing itself and not standing in for New York or some other metropolis (my music nerdiness went into overdrive seeing Clash at Demonhead play at Lee’s Palace). The soundtrack is killer with songs from Beck, Metric, Frank Black and Broken Social Scene to name a few. The creativity behind this movie, from the source material to the film is the only thing that dwarfs the innovative approach of the marketing that has gone out into the world to support it.
Go see Scott Pilgrim.

Other awesome Scott Pilgrim things in our universe not mentioned in this post (until now):

Scott Pilgrim series by Brian Lee O’Malley

Scott Pilgrim Avatar Creator

Lucas Lee Posters

Mondo Screenprinted Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World poster for the Alamo Drafthouse

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Posted in Advertising, Comics, Cool Websites, Current Events, Innovation, Inspiration, Interactive, Media, Movies, Music, Pop Culture, Social Media, marketing | 1 Comment »

What time is it? ADVENTURE TIME!

Friday, March 26th, 2010

If there’s any justice left in this world, this’ll be the cartoon all your kids are talking about. Adventure Time with Finn and Jake.

Simply put, it’s a show about the adventures of a boy (Finn) and his dog (Jake).They just happen to exist in anything but a simple world. There are Ice Kings who steal ladies, Bubblegum Princesses with magical Rainicorns and based on the concept art that’s been posted on the show’s tumblr (fan art is mixed in there too)—an unending menagerie of other creatures.

While Adventure Time breaks some rules that drives commenters on animation blogs mad, I find its boundless creativity inspiring. I love things like this. Too often people forget that cartoons aren’t just for kids, especially when they’re made by hilarious and imaginative adults (like Craig McCracken who created The Powerpuff Girls and (my personal favorite) Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends). Like McCracken, Adventure Time mastermind, Pendelton Ward, creates a vibrant world for his hero and canine companion with apparent ease. Nothing is explained for how it’s possible or why it works, the world just is… capitalizing on a general ease of acceptance regarding the fantastic in children that many of us lose as adults.

As creatives, I think it’s important for us to reconnect with that part of our former, smaller selves. Fun can be fun, silly and wondrous fun… simply for fun’s sake. And a giant Abraham Lincoln can give us inspiring advice on Mars.

Don’t question it. Just take a peek at the 2006 Nickelodeon short that grew up into the upcoming show: Adventure Time With Finn and Jake.

The series will premiere on April 5th. Algebraic!

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Posted in Art, Inspiration, Pop Culture, Television | No Comments »

Better World Books

Wednesday, March 17th, 2010

So the last blog I wrote here, I talked about a for-profit social business named TOMS Shoes, a company that gives a pair of shoes to a child in need for every pair bought. This time, I would like to share with you all another for-profit social business that I find intriguing. The company is called Better World Books.

In Better World Books’ 8 years of existence, they have saved 32,399,827 books from landfills and have raised $7,631,442 for global literacy. The company partners with organizations to run book drives to collect the books. BWB pays the partner organization $2 for each book collected, half of which goes to the organization conducting the book drive and the other half goes towards a literacy initiative program of the partner’s choice.

I first found out about Better World Books when the RWC SIFE (Student in Free Enterprise) team partnered with them for a book drive in 2009. RWC SIFE chose to support Invisible Children, an organization focused on bringing literacy to children in war-torn northern Uganda. In the past two years, RWC SIFE has raised over $5000 – half of which has gone towards Invisible Children and the other half towards the RWC SIFE team.

Through offering fund raising opportunities, saving millions of books from landfills, and promoting literacy initiatives across the world, Better World Books is a company that has more than a financial bottom line. Their efforts promote a triple-bottom-line with social, economic and environmental benefits for all parties involved.

I find for-profit social businesses fascinating. Businesses like Better World Books and TOMS Shoes prove that business can be done not only in an ethical manner that adheres to moral principles (which would be a feat in itself for some organizations we see in the world today), but they prove that business can be done in a way that impacts the world socially, economically, and environmentally. BWB is making a profit, partner organizations are making a profit, literacy initiatives are being funded, and trees and landfill space are being saved.

Oh and if that isn’t enough, they offer free shipping anywhere in the USA.

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About Author: Liz Thrush is currently a Spring Public Relations Intern at Dixon Schwabl. “I am a senior Marketing and Spanish major at Roberts Wesleyan College. In addition to being an RA and the Vice President of our SIFE (Students in Free Enterprise) team, I love to travel, snowboard, and help others. After graduation I hope to be able to spend a year in a Spanish speaking country working in marketing or public relations.”

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Posted in Inspiration, Volunteer | No Comments »

Benefits to Working Late

Tuesday, March 9th, 2010

The other night I stayed late to finish up a project and caught this scene awaiting me in the parking lot when I came outside to leave. I’m not quite sure what caused the reddish glow in the sky, but the scene was pretty eerie and unusual. It just goes to show, staying late can really pay off—you know, aside from appeasing the AE, delivering on time to the client, attention to detail in your work… all those silly things.

Photo geek notes: Canon Digital Rebel XT, f/3.5, 18mm focal length, 1600 ISO, 2 second exposure time

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Posted in Art, Inspiration | No Comments »

Everyone Doodles

Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010

As long as I can remember, I’ve been a doodler. There’s scarcely a page of my school notes from middle school through college that doesn’t have some sort of text ornamentation, swirly lines, song lyrics, cartoon characters or other marginalia. Even now, in the real world with real responsibilities and things I need to pay attention to, I often doodle during meetings or while waiting for slow progress bars on huge files.

Doodling may carry the outside perception that I’m not listening or not soaking in the big picture, but on the contrary, it seems to help me remember what was said and what I need to glean from the meeting at hand. That client’s major competitors? They’re right here, next to this swarthy pirate guy. The soft and live launch dates for that website? Oh yeah, I wrote those down right here in the middle of this alien robot space battle.

A study performed at Plymouth University last year found that people who doodled while being fed names and places recalled 29% more information than a control group of non-doodlers. Perhaps it has something to do with people’s learning preferences, correlating the visual stimulus with the more dry or unexciting information. I tend to be in that visual learner category (as opposed to auditory or kinesthetic), so maybe that’s why it helps me out. According to Wikipedia, John Keats and Ralph Waldo Emerson were doodlers. Leonardo Da Vinci was a rampant doodler. Many US presidents were known to doodle, according to this (disappointingly photo-free) article from CBS News and this article from The Atlantic (which rectifies the situation). Other world leaders doodle as well, as shown in this recent photo of Vladimir Putin, showing him scribbling during a meeting.

So is doodling a sign of genius? A handy learning tool? Or simply an offshoot of being bored? I suppose it could be some combination of all three.

Now, if I’ve learned anything from researching doodles, I have to show some examples. So here you are, a bunch of the more significant doodles I’ve done since being hired. Yes, I have a tendency for lasers, robots, creepy skulls and blunt weapons. No, there’s nothing (seriously) wrong with me. You might notice I tried to create an ambigram logo for the company band, Job Order (as we were named before we had an identity crisis).


















Do you like to doodle? Does it help you in any cognitive sense? Would you like to share some of your doodles with me? I’m going to collect a whole bunch of doodles from people around here as well. If I get enough of them, I’ll make another blogpost and show ‘em off!

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Posted in Art, Inspiration, Logos, Research | 5 Comments »

Everything I Need to Know About Business – I Learned from Bowling

Friday, February 12th, 2010
  1. When put into perspective, business – like bowling – is simply a game we play.
  2. There are much more important matters in life – starting with the well being of the people on your team.
  3. Anyone can roll a lucky strike now and then, but it takes a real professional to consistently achieve perfection.
  4. Follow through is important on every shot you take.
  5. There is a line you can’t cross. But to give yourself the best shot at success, you have to be willing to push your limits to the edge.
  6. What worked last year, last month, last week or last frame won’t guarantee future success. The lane conditions constantly change and you have to be able to adjust.
  7. The latest and greatest equipment will not magically improve your game. You must train and learn how to use that equipment in your own individual style and to your own unique advantage.
  8. It’s okay to play in a handicap league, where bowlers with lower averages get extra pins. The best bowlers will always rise to the top and no one should fear a level playing field.
  9. Competition is good when it brings out your best.
  10. Consistency pays great dividends.
  11. A suit can make the man (or woman), but nothing makes a team like customized bowling shirts.
  12. No matter how good or bad your last shot, the ball always returns to you for another try.
  13. Finally, you have to do more than talk a good game. Your performance is on the scoreboard for everyone to see.

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Posted in Advertising, Dixon Schwabl, Inspiration | 1 Comment »

The Empire Sings Back

Wednesday, February 10th, 2010

As you no doubt have heard, a whole bunch of super-talented recording artists have remade the classic We Are The World to help the efforts in Haiti, but what you may not have heard is that a equally super-talented group of British recording artists (and a few American stars) remade R.E.M’s. Everybody Hurts to do their part. The video was released during the Super Bowl and call me a rank sentimentalist, but I think it was the best spot I saw all day. And some guy named Simon Cowell produced it.

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Posted in Current Events, Inspiration, Music, Volunteer | 2 Comments »

in a time before email, even elvis wrote a letter every now and again.

Tuesday, January 26th, 2010

I had one of those “celebrities are real people” moments the other day when I came across this blog. I don’t get many of those —mainly due to the fact that the media constantly reminds us of the flaws and foibles of contemporary stars. But older ones are another story and discovering something as mundane as letterhead stopped me in my tracks.

I mean, seriously, have you ever once thought about Elvis Presley’s stationary set?

No. Nobody does.

But thanks to Letterheady, I now know how amazingly awesome it is/was.

Elvis Presley

The site features a growing collection of the stationary stock of figures and organizations, some famous and historical.

Albert Einstein

Some others a bit more offbeat..

Robot Salesmen LTD

It’s worth checking out every now and again for new additions. You never quite know who or what will pop up next.

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson

Team CoCo forever.

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Natural Creativity

Monday, January 18th, 2010

It’s been a common belief in advertising that if you really want to grab an audience’s attention, a baby or puppy works like magic. That may very well be true, but there’s another approach that always catches my eye—I’ll call it “human-nature.”

When I was a kid leafing through my mom’s issues of Vogue, I remember seeing a remarkable series of watch ads that featured hands painted as exotic animals—a swan, zebra, flamingo, giraffe—wearing the status timepieces. While I don’t recall the brand (I think it was Omega), I’ve never forgotten the amazing artistry that showcased the products. I recently learned it was the work of Italian painter Guido Daniele.

In trying to find examples of the “vintage” watch ads, I came across a link that featured more recent campaigns (notably for AT&T in 2008 and 2009) using Daniele’s creations. I think it’s safe to say that no baby or puppy could have quite the same effect.

Another great example of humans as nature is this Toyota Prius TV commercial.

I think it’s brilliant. And it’s not just because I’m totally enthralled with my daughter’s class plays of Mother Goose rhymes and tales of the seasons. This concept took the ordinary car commercial template and made it truly unique and memorable.

Heck, even less elaborate applications, like this Jimmy Dean breakfast sandwich spot

make me stop and watch. It’s the natural creativity that gets me.

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Posted in Advertising, Brand Experience, Environment, Inspiration, Pop Culture Throw-Back | 3 Comments »

A Visit to Ground Zero

Tuesday, January 12th, 2010

I used to live and work in New York City. I was not there on 9/11 and to this day, like most Americans I shudder to think of that tragic day when ordinary people lost their lives and firefighters doing their jobs with passion, vigor and dedication lost to what I have learned from the FDNY is called “the red devil” of flames, heat and debris.

I still visit NYC for work or to visit relatives. I feel a void when I look at Manhattan and see nothing where I used to see the World Trade Center. I had two connections with people who where there that day—one survived and one did not. I have visited Ground Zero many times since 2001, but no visit more meaningful, emotional and even spiritual as the visit I made recently.

My son is dedicated to being a firefighter. We knew that at age six when he said he wanted to be a fireman, he wasn’t kidding. He has lived his seventeen years dedicated to this goal, joining the Fire Explorers at the local firehouse and actually earning the position of Chief this year. He is taking public safety courses in high school and earning his first responders certificate as well as his EMT. As he prepares to begin college in the fall of this year, the dedication and determination to work in emergency services is stronger than ever.

At Christmas we traveled to NYC to visit family and spend a day at Ground Zero. It was his first trip to the site—he was nine when disaster struck. We walked the entire parameter which is now a large construction zone. We took in the view from a lone observation deck and imagined the horror that filled that day. We toured the Tribute to the WTC 9/11 museum. Silently, and with my eyes welled up, we saw a window from one of the planes that brought the towers down. We looked at what are now artifacts, but on that day were just parts and pieces of a person’s life—menus from Windows on the World, subway tokens, a pen and the remains of a cell phone. We saw keys from a janitor’s key ring, metal numbers from the doors of elevators. We stared and paid tribute to the turnout gear of a firefighter who died in the attack. His turnout coat shredded from over one-hundred stories of rubble falling on him. His fireman’s helmet broken out from its frame and smashed in. We touched the name on the remembrance wall of the guy I went to college with, prayed for him and for my best friend who thankfully escaped the terror.

Finally, we stopped by Firehouse 10, the home of Engine 10 and Ladder 10–New York’s 10/10—this firehouse miraculously still stands directly across from where the towers once stood. On 9/11 it was blasted with rubble and as the first responding unit to the scene, lost all the firefighters working that day. The large doors to the firehouse were open displaying the new apparatus. I watched my son, standing there in his fire Explorer’s fleece, complete with an embroidered Maltese cross—the international symbol for firefighting. As I watched him looking into the truck bay and looking at the lone firefighter standing next to the ladder truck, I was struck by the gravity of that day and the life of those who called this house home. Powerfully, I was struck knowing that I was watching my son, this young man who used to run around the house with his fire trucks connecting with something bigger than the both of us. He was connecting with our nation’s past and his future. He grasped the enormity of the situation as he approached the lone fireman and extended his hand and began a conversation. I stayed back on the sidewalk–it was not mine to share. It belonged to them. It belonged to the brotherhood—past, present and future.

The two shook hands and we continued to walk around the parameter of what use to be the greatest towers in the world. We were silent for awhile and finally my son said, “Thanks for bringing me here, Dad.” I told him it was an honor, and I saw the entire tragedy in a different light—the light of a parent whose son will soon be running into buildings and hopefully being protected by the brotherhood that he is entering into and by that Maltese cross that sits upon his chest.

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