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Text Wraps in Adobe Illustrator
Users coming from InDesign will see much different behavior when using text wraps in Illustrator. Jeff Witchel goes through the wrap options, including how to first create a wrap, explaining what the invert wrap option does, and showing users how important stacking order is when working with wraps.
Chinese activists complain of Apple Store light pollution
Environmental activist group, Friends of the Earth HK, claims Apple's Causeway flagship store in Hong Kong is a major contributor to light pollution in the area. Apple reportedly runs about 500 lamps and spotlights over night, and the light spills outside of the store into the Hong Kong streets. According to a report in M.I.C. Gadget, Friends of the Earth HK says light from the store can be seen as far as 700 meters away.
Hong Kong is known for its colorful and illuminated skyline, but all these lights may be having a negative effect on residents. A recent study suggests that parts of Hong Kong have light levels that are 1,200 times higher than international standards. This nighttime brightness is affecting the sleep patterns of residents who can't escape the blinking neon. A government task force is looking at ways of curbing light pollution from restaurants, retail outlets and other buildings in the area. Though Apple isn't being targeted by the government, M.I.C. Gadget claims the council has received several complaints about the amount of light pouring out of Apple's retail stores at night.
Chinese activists complain of Apple Store light pollution originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 21 May 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Since Some Say We Don’t Cover GSD&M Enough, Let’s Just Finish Off Tuesday with This
Soooo, a friend forwarded a memo sent to staff from Duff Stewart, CEO at Austin-based, Omnicom-owned GSD&M (the Idea City part, by the way, was dropped like third-period French in early 2011; the sign on the building, though, is another story). Anyhow, changes are now afoot specifically in GSD&M’s communications department, mainly that SVP of said division John McGrath, who’s been with the agency for well over six years, and senior manager, comms Adele Hazan, are striking out on their own. As a result, eight-year GSD&M vet Melanie Mahaffey is moving up the ranks. Why spoil it all, though, read on for Stewart’s explanation, verbatim:
Over the past few years, our GSD&M Communications team has been at the center of some of the most innovative and entrepreneurial activities at the agency. From expanding our digital properties to live-event production including regular music showcases, the SXSW Industry Party and other major events, they have consistently created and championed new ways to build our agency brand, business and culture.
That entrepreneurial spirit is now leading to some big changes on the team. John McGrath and Adele Hazan are creating an independent communications agency called Brand Community Strategies and Autumn Rich is leaving to start Autumn Rich Consulting with a focus on live events. We wish them good luck with their new endeavors.
While John, Adele and Autumn are off to pursue new adventures the agency remains committed to music, integrated digital solutions and innovation across all platforms. “GSD&M Presents” and our music showcases will continue.
So what’s next for Communications?
I’m happy to announce that Melanie Mahaffey will become our new head of Communications with a well-deserved promotion to vice president. Over the past eight years, nobody has done more than Melanie to ensure the GSD&M reputation is strong. Her many contributions have touched every part of GSD&M and we’re fortunate to have her step up and lead Communications.
David Rockwood will continue to guide our community-relations function as well as our PGA TOUR and PGA TOUR SUPERSTORE accounts. We look forward to more of his many contributions across the agency.
Please join me in congratulating all of our Communications team members on their next chapters. And note that you’ll still be seeing John and Adele around the agency for a while longer. We’ve asked them to continue to support some of our communications functions for the balance of the year.
Duff
New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.
Apple's first store in South Australia to open on Saturday
Apple has announced that its next Apple store will open at Rundle Place Centre in Adelaide, South Australia this Saturday. It will be the first Apple Store in South Australia. This will bring the number of Apple's retail stores in Australia up to 20.
Rundle Place Centre is a four-story shopping center with over 70 retail outlets. The store is set to open at 10 AM local time this Saturday. However, interested customers can already set up Genius Bar appointments on the store's web page.
Apple's first store in South Australia to open on Saturday originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 21 May 2013 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Tuesday Odds and Ends
-Detroit-based design firm Skidmore Studio has hired former Y&R Chicago exec Michael Hill as its VP/director of business development.
-Deadspin has an ongoing rundown of the mass layoffs today at ESPN. link
-BBDO Atlanta and Tool teach “babysitting basics” for the American Red Cross (above). link
-Motion design/production studio Royale has appointed a trio of Superfad alums including EP Chris Volckmann, head of digital production Beck Henderer-Peña, and senior art director Loren Judah to head up its new Seattle office.
-The American Advertising Federation has announced its 2013 Advertising Hall of of Achievement inductees including Twitter president/global revenue Adam Bain, Mondelez VP/global media and consumer engagement, B. Bonin Bough and Tara Walpert Levy, managing director/ads marketing for Google/YouTube. link
-Director Albert Kodagolian has joined bi-coastal prodco Interrogate for U.S. representation.
-So, did Dove lie to women in its latest “Real Beauty” campaign? link
-Houston advertising/PR firm Design at Work added two new clients in Portland-based HealthCo Information Systems and Texas-based State Service Company.
New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.
AT&T waiving overage charges for Oklahoma customers affected by tornadoes
This morning, AT&T sent out a message to Oklahoma customers affected by yesterday's tornado devastation noting that those in the affected areas will have all voice, data and text overages waived through June 30.
The company also reminded AT&T Wireless customers across the country that they can support disaster relief efforts by texting the word REDCROSS to 90999. That text message sends a donation of $10 to the American Red Cross and is charged on the customer's monthly bill.
Bryan Gonterman, State President for AT&T Oklahoma, said in a statement that "Our thoughts and prayers are with those affected by the tornado that hit the Oklahoma City area Monday.
We are coordinating with local authorities and bringing in additional resources. We recommend text messaging for communications with family, friends and loved ones given heavy call volumes."
AT&T waiving overage charges for Oklahoma customers affected by tornadoes originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 21 May 2013 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Livestream of Tim Cook and Peter Oppenheimer at today's congressional hearing
Catch up on all of Apple's tax controversy here as both CEO Tim Cook and CFO Peter Oppenheimer gear up to testify in front of Congress to address Apple's billions in foreign-stored cash.
Livestream of Tim Cook and Peter Oppenheimer at today's congressional hearing originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 21 May 2013 10:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Sky Sports for iPad lets you choose your own replay camera angles
Football fans rejoice (that's soccer for you in America)! Sky Sports has released an update to its popular iPad app that offers a new feature called Sky Sports 360. It lets you switch between over 20 camera angles during a replay. The app also allows you to choose to view the replays at normal speed or in slow motion. Announcing the new feature, David Gibbs, Director of Sky Sports Digital Media, told Sky Sports:
"This is great news for the Sky Sports for iPad app, which keeps getting better and better. This is about putting the technology into the hands of the viewer and allowing them to recapture the big moments in the final. It's the first time we've offered this through our app and it's another example of our investment in the Sky Sports viewer's experience."
Though the feature is built into the iPad app now, it won't go live for the first time until this Saturday, May 25th during the Champions League final between Borussia Dortmund and FC Bayern Munich. Sky Sports 360 will also be available throughout the 213-2014 season.
Sky Sports for iPad is a free download from the UK App Store. It's free to use for all customers who subscribe to the Sky Sports 1 and Sky Sports 2 channels. Non-subscribers can access content in the app for £4.99 a month via in-app purchase.
Sky Sports for iPad lets you choose your own replay camera angles originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 21 May 2013 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Preorder Madden 25 on Amazon, get a deal for NFL app streaming
This is an excellent deal for any iOS owners who are fans of football and video games. EA is releasing the 25th iteration of the Madden football games this year, called Madden 25. And in that box, which costs a standard $60, there will be a deal with DirecTV and the NFL to set up streaming to your television, your PC and consoles, or any mobile devices you have. The NFL has been stepping up on streaming game coverage to iOS over the last year or so, and usually services like that can cost a couple of hundred dollars.
To get the deal, you'll have to preorder the Anniversary Edition of Madden 25 (which costs $100) over on Amazon. The biggest hitch is that you'll need to actually have a DirecTV subscription to stream the games to your television. But even without a DirecTV sub, you can still get a code for the streaming, which will still allow you to see the games on your mobile device. Note also that this is for a "17-week free trial," which basically means that when the season is over, so's your service (so no playoff games, for example).
Still, if you were thinking of picking up Madden 25 anyway, that's a solid deal, and it could mean hours of streaming games on your mobile device for essentially free.
[via 9to5Mac]
Preorder Madden 25 on Amazon, get a deal for NFL app streaming originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 21 May 2013 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Poser 10 and Poser Pro 2014 available, bringing new characters, physics and more
Poser has come a long way from the last time I used it, right around version 4. We're now at 10 for the basic edition (retail US$299.99) and Poser Pro 2014 (retail $499.99) has become a powerful animation tool in its own right. I got to look at some of the new features rolling out today and they are impressive, putting Poser on par with many animation and modeling suites costing much more.
A problem with any humanoid character is how the "skin" folds when you bend it. Poser now offers Pixar's OpenSubdiv libraries, which means subdivision surfaces anywhere you need them. I was impressed with the accuracy and speed at which Poser created subdivisions, which add greatly to the realism already available in Poser. There are also some new characters, both realistic and cartoonish, to help get you started. For basic work the stock characters will keep you busy for quite a while, but there's also a great third party market for Poser models should you need more.
One pain point for many digital artists are the hair and clothes for models. Getting those to "fit" properly can take a long time. Poser Pro now offers a "fitting room" which speeds up this process. Poser already has a cottage industry of third-party models and props, including clothes and hair. Now with the fitting room you can quickly fit those accessories to your basic models faster. Sure, you've still got the morph targets you've come to know and love, but Poser Pro now offers five specialized tools for interactively loosening, tightening clothes while retaining their physics properties (rigid or soft body deformations).
Both the Pro and basic editions now offer Bullet Physics, which simulates rigid body and soft body dynamics. Applying regions of soft body dynamics is as easy as painting on your character, and the results are truly impressive with very little learning curve for newbies.
That's the power of Poser, really. Many of the trickier elements of 3D modeling and animation are done for you (if you've ever rigged a biped using IK you know how tedious it can be!), leaving you to "play" with the models, lighting and accessories to get just the right look. With models already rigged, and now with Bullet Time, it has become easier than ever to get realistic animation out of the box with very little effort.
Poser has become a powerful tool for graphic novelists as well, allowing artists to quickly pose and render characters. The latest addition offers a Comic Book Preview mode which allows artists to dial in the correct amount of lines and shading throughout a scene, even animated. Doing this in your 3D tool counts for a lot, and the examples I saw were impressive and fast. If you've ever set up a scene, added a cartoon render and discovered lines going funky when you animate, you'll be pleasantly surprised by Poser's ability to lock down lines and shaders in Comic Book mode.
In addition to all this, there's a more capable Morph Brush for enhancing models, and a Live Simulation preview which allows you to quickly render ray traced models or preview animation using Bullet Time. Poser has become more capable and faster -- exactly what you want in a 3D modeling and animation tool.
While the cost isn't cheap, Smith Micro is offering a deal through June 20. Poser 10 will be available for $239.99 and Poser Pro 2014 will be $399.99. If you're upgrading, check the Poser site for more details. Compared to 3ds max and other tools, Poser is a steal at those prices. If you find yourself needing character models (for medical illustrations, graphic novels, stock photos, etc.) I think the basic version will make you very happy. If you need animated characters with lifelike skin, hair and clothes, Pro is simply brilliant and priced very competitively for what it delivers. No, these are not hobbyist tools exactly, but they are accessible to anyone and powerful enough to be used in professional situations. Check out Poser if you need a reliable solution to character animation or modeling needs.
Show full PR text New Poser 10 and Poser PRO 2014 Animation Software Now Available· New 3D characters
· Subdivision Surfaces
· Bullet Physics with soft body dynamics
· Interactive Raytrace Preview
· Comic Book Preview Mode
ALISO VIEJO, CA - May 21, 2013 - Smith Micro Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: SMSI) Productivity and Graphics Group today announced the newest version of its 3D animation software program, Poser(R) 10 and Poser(R) Pro 2014. Perfect for artists, illustrators, animators and graphic designers, Poser enables users to easily create full 3D scenes with digital humans, animals and props. In addition to an extensive library of pre-loaded characters and content, Poser 10 and Poser Pro 2014 come equipped with new features such as Subdivision Surfaces for improved bending fidelity, Bullet Physics for adding increased realism to animation and Live Simulation mode for previewing dynamics in real-time.
Watch a video teaser for Poser 10 and Poser Pro 2014 here.
"It's our goal to provide illustrators, graphic designers, animators and 3D artists as well as novice users and hobbyists with a resource for telling their stories in 3D, via images and video," said Steve Cooper, senior product manager of productivity and graphics at Smith Micro. "Poser not only provides professional users with powerful tools for creating 3D character content and scenes, but also offers a variety of easy-to-use features and pre-loaded figures and props that allow beginners to get into 3D art without forcing them to master figure modeling, texturing and rigging."
Poser comes with pre-built, ready to use 3D characters that enable users to begin posing and animating right out of the box. Supported by a multitude of tutorial videos as well as by an experienced team of content creators, developers, QA testers and customer service and support teams, the full featured software is reliable, well documented and easy-to-learn.
"With each new version that is released, Poser continues to raise the bar for 3D illustrators and artists," said Brian Haberlin, co-artist and co-writer of the multimedia sci-fi adventure saga Anomaly. "Poser gives users the ability to create exceedingly realistic animations and illustrations and has emerged as the digital artist's secret little helper."
Poser 10 and Poser Pro 2014 provide new professional level features, even at the base version of the software. The integration of Pixar's OpenSubdiv library enables artists to define subdivision levels by prop, figure or even individual body part with ease. This feature, known as Subdivision Surfaces, improves bending accuracy, smoothens polygonal surfaces and boosts overall performance by enabling lighter poly-count content. Poser's new Bullet Physics tool simulates rigid body dynamics, soft body dynamics and even dynamic strand-based hair. Poser artists can now add jiggle and bounce to any prop or character, paint soft body constraint weights to animate and more. Users can even preview their animations in real-time with the Live Simulation feature.
"Poser offers a variety of features that help everyone from beginners to professional animators alike," said Monty Oum, director of animation at Rooster Teeth Productions. "Whether you are just jumping into 3D animation or are a skilled digital artist, Poser has tools that will help bring your art to life, while cutting down production time and cost."
Comic Book Preview Mode and new Fitting Room:
Poser's new Comic Book Preview Mode enables illustrators to create color or black and white comic art with improved line control and outlines with persistent shading, even when rotating or animating their point of view. Users can also interactively fit existing clothing and props to any Poser figure with Poser Pro's Fitting Room, which provides five intelligent methods that interactively loosen, tighten, smooth and preserve soft and rigid features. With the click of a single button, designers can generate a new conforming clothing item, using the original figure's rig, complete with full morph transfer.
For a full feature-listing visit here.
Pricing and Availability:
From now until June 20, 2013 Poser 10 is available for $239.99 and Poser 2014 for $399.99. After this time, Poser 10 will be available for $299.99 and Poser 2014 for $499.99. For more detailed product, pricing and tiered upgrade pricing information, please visit the Poser website.
About Smith Micro Software, Inc. - Productivity and Graphics Group:
Based in Santa Cruz, Calif., the Smith Micro Software Productivity and Graphics Group produces award-winning software that inspires consumer creativity and enables efficiency. The group's creative suite of programs provides artists of all skill levels - from novice to professional - with the tools to illustrate, animate and create 2D and 3D art. Some of the Productivity and Graphics Group's award-winning creative and utilities products include Poser, Anime Studio, Manga Studio and StuffIt. For more information, please visit: www.smithmicro.com. (NASDAQ: SMSI)
Safe Harbor Statement:
This release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, including without limitation, forward-looking statements relating to the company's financial prospects and other projections of its performance, the existence of new market opportunities and interest in the company's products and solutions, and the company's ability to increase its revenue and regain profitability by capitalizing on these new market opportunities and interest and introducing new products and solutions. Among the important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements are changes in demand for the company's products from its customers and their end-users, customer concentration given that the majority of our sales depend on a few large client relationships, including Sprint, new and changing technologies, customer acceptance and timing of deployment of those technologies, new and continuing adverse economic conditions, and the company's ability to compete effectively with other software companies. These and other factors discussed in the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its filings on Forms 10-K and 10-Q, could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in any forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements contained in this release are made on the basis of the views and assumptions of management regarding future events and business performance as of the date of this release, and the company does not undertake any obligation to update these statements to reflect events or circumstances occurring after the date of this release.
Smith Micro, the Smith Micro logo and Poser are trademarks or registered trademarks of Smith Micro Software, Inc. All other trademarks and product names are the property of their respective companies.
Poser 10 and Poser Pro 2014 available, bringing new characters, physics and more originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 21 May 2013 09:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Quick way to get artwork from currently playing iTunes track
Emma
EVE Online creator CCP revving up for mobile release
Touch Arcade recently had a chat with CCP, the Icelandic developer behind the popular MMO EVE Online, and while there aren't any announcements yet, it certainly sounds like they're gearing up for some iOS apps, or even maybe a client for the game itself. EVE's been on the Mac for a while now, and there have been some third-party attempts at bringing parts of the game to iOS. But CCP has just released a companion game called Dust 514 on the PS3, and that means it's probably time they start thinking about tying in iOS and other popular mobile platforms as well.
There's an app called Neocom coming from CCP to the PS Vita, and executive producer John Lander calls that app a "tracer bullet" to see if the community's interested in more mobile offerings. Neocom allows players to customize their weapons and buy and sell virtual goods for the game, and that seems like an excellent set of functionality to bring over to iOS as well.
Lander says that there are lots and lots of possibilities, and that CCP is planning on stepping up development this year, hopefully moving towards lots of little projects with quicker turnarounds. At any rate, there's something coming from CCP for sure. "This time next year, you will have EVE Mobile in your hand," Lander told assembled fans at a recent company gathering.
EVE Online creator CCP revving up for mobile release originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 21 May 2013 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Rumor Roundup: The definition of insanity
Have you ever heard the saying, "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results?" Apparently none of the rumor blogs have, because they keep publishing the same sketchy rumors from the same terrible sources. Many of these sources (*coughDigitimes* *coughPeterMisekcoughcough*) have proven to be wrong so often that they've been publicly lambasted by numerous actual news outlets... but for some reason, "sources from the Far East" and "analysts" still account for two out of the three legs on the rumor blogs' increasingly shaky table.
Despite 'mounting' pressure, Apple not seen releasing 'iPhablet' until middle of next year (BGR)
This is a perfect example of a rumor with a truly terrible source. Here's your homework assignment, BGR: tell us the last time "analyst" Peter Misek made a prediction about Apple that actually turned out to be true. Go ahead, we'll wait.
In the meantime, the rumor itself doesn't make any sense. Apple is apparently feeling "pressure" from phablet sales. Apple. The company that sold 37 million iPhones in three months. The company running away with most of the profits in the smartphone industry. That Apple. "Pressure."
Rumor: Apple to feature sapphire crystal touch home button on 'iPhone 5S' (AppleInsider)
It seems like every year since 2008 we've had rumors trotted out claiming that Apple will be ditching the physical Home button on iOS devices. One year we hear they're ditching the Home button entirely; the next year we hear they're switching to a capacitive sensor. Year after year, the Home button is one of the few aspects of the iPhone that's remained essentially unchanged since day one. One starts to see a pattern...
iPhone 5S could be the first 'S' to feature a major hardware revision (BGR)
BGR falls into a classic trap: because "S"-type iPhones look externally identical to their immediate predecessors, that means they don't have major hardware changes. Ask anyone who used an iPhone 3G and switched to an iPhone 3GS what they think of that line of thinking. As for the rumor, some analyst claims the next iPhone will have a fingerprint sensor under the Home button. If that sounds familiar, it's because the rumor blogs were "reporting" exactly the same thing last year, from exactly the same analyst. Guess how many iPhone 5 handsets have fingerprint sensors? I'll give you a hint: it's an integer between -1 and 1.
iPhone 5S fingerprint sensor seemingly confirmed (BGR)
BGR continues the tradition of playing fast and loose with the word "confirmed." You'd think they would have learned by now that nothing is confirmed until it shows up in an Apple keynote, but apparently when some guy at PayPal (who reads the same stupid rumors as the rest of us) makes an oblique reference to Apple, that counts as "confirming" something.
Here's the actual quote from the guy at PayPal: "It's widely rumored that a large technology provider in Cupertino, Calif., will come out with a phone later this year that has a fingerprint reader on it." Maybe I'm the one who's slow on the uptake, but I'm not seeing any confirmation here. At all.
Retina iPad mini leak points to upgraded processor and cameras (BGR)
This rumor was so sketchy that no one else touched it. But BGR was on the case, re-blogging a story from MobiLeaks. A "tipster" sent MobiLeaks a "detailed render" and a laundry list of stats about the supposed next-gen iPad mini. It's the kind of "tip" we used to get at TUAW all the time, and it's something we've long since learned to avoid (or, occasionally, make fun of).
Not just another pretty face: Apple's iPhone 5S to see big internal overhaul (BGR)
If it seems like I'm picking on BGR this week, well... I am, a little. But only because they made it so easy this week. This story in particular is just plain ridiculous. BGR takes a bunch of high-resolution shots of ribbon cables and SIM card trays, paints it as some kind of exciting exclusive, and extrapolates that the next iPhone will have "a big internal overhaul."
This is, in principle, not much different from publishing a post comparing a spark plug from a 2014 BMW to a 2013 BMW and speculating that the 2014 model will have an all-new engine design.
I've said it before, but it's worth repeating: if these are the kinds of parts leaks we can look forward to from now on, then Tim Cook's statement about "doubling down on secrecy" starts to look a whole lot more believable.
Rumor: LG, Sharp & AUO gearing up to build displays for Apple's next iPad mini (AppleInsider)
"The rumor was reported on Friday by hit-or-miss DigiTimes" -- but let's re-blog it anyway, because hey, journalism! *jazz hands*
Guess how many times Corning's original press release mentions Apple?
Difficult Negotiations May Prevent 'iRadio' Launch at WWDC (MacRumors)
Shocker: widely-rumored streaming music service may not launch after all. Again. It's the same story every year:
- 10 Apple will be launching a streaming music service later this year
- 20 Negotiations with record labels have stalled
- 30 GOTO 10
MacBook Air inventory begins dwindling ahead of Apple's WWDC (AppleInsider)
A delightfully old-school rumor here: one with actual research behind it. Instead of just lazily re-reporting the latest ravings from some "analyst," AppleInsider actually went to the effort of (gasp) verifying something. This puts the likelihood of this rumor being true head and shoulders above the typical nonsense from "analysts" and the like.
Rumor: Production of Apple's 33% lighter fifth-gen iPad to begin in July (AppleInsider)
Awww... and then AppleInsider blows that brief credibility gain almost immediately by re-reporting yet another B.S. story from "hit-or-miss" Digitimes.
Apple Reportedly Testing 1.5-Inch OLED Displays for Smart Watch (MacRumors)
MacRumors re-blogs Macotakara, which itself is re-blogging a Taiwanese newspaper, which cites a display maker source in Asia. Let's play Apple Rumor Telephone, the game where everyone loses!
New details on redesigned next-gen iPad emerge (BGR)
Here, "details" means "more nonsense from Digitimes, re-blogged without pausing even momentarily to evaluate the source critically."
Apple Raising Notebook Orders Ahead of Likely Launch at WWDC (MacRumors)
"Digitimes reports that Godzilla attacks are on the rise, with casualties in Asian factories estimated to rise 75 percent year-over-year." I think that's what the article said. I can't be sure, though, because as usual I stopped reading when I saw who the source was for this rumor.
Rumor Roundup: The definition of insanity originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 21 May 2013 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
We Hear: Shelhamer Leaving Saatchi X?
Well, who knows where our relationship with Saatchi & Saatchi X fell apart as we went from being an industry mate to a Siberian exile in a matter of months. Whatever, rather than going all Blue Valentine on you, we’re just going first instinct on this one. According to multiple sources, Saatchi’s shopper marketing agency division is losing its Chicago SVP of business development/managing director Kevin Shelhamer, who we hear is leaving X for a gig at Ogilvy. When we inquired, we were met with the usual “he’s in a meeting” and the comms side, as mentioned, has been giving us the unusually cold shoulder thus far. Ogilvy has yet to respond to the matter as well.
Shelhamer has had two stints at Saatchi & Saatchi X, first joining 10 years ago to serve as SVP, client development and in his next turn, he assumed the role three years ago as SVP/MD of its Chicago branch.
New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.
Cigarettes and Bodily Waste: The Ugly Truth
Lately, there’s a lot of content to cover on the bathroom humor beat. Yesterday, we reviewed some poop comedy for the new Clorox campaign. Today, we have a 30-second spot titled “Poop vs. Pee” from Arnold Worldwide and truth, the anti-smoking organization. This ad takes a radical shift in tone from meaningless poop jokes. There may be some uncomfortable chuckling here, but the point is to make the viewer aware of two facts: methane, a chemical in dog poop, can be found in cigarette smoke; urea, a chemical in cat pee, is also used in cigarettes. As you’ll see in the clip, there are some silly sound effects and visual representations to make it obvious that bodily excrement is gross, and in turn, chemicals found in our waste shouldn’t be voluntarily inhaled.
On truth’s website, you can read about their strategy for raising awareness, which is echoed in the commercial. They don’t tell people to stop smoking, because that sort of pitch doesn’t work on little children, let alone addicted smokers. So, to get the point across, they appeal to their target audience with alternative methods, such as disgusting facts. Stripping away moralistic lecturing in favor of poop jokes might just be bizarre enough to catch someone’s attention. Credits after the jump.
New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.
SF-Based Heat Gets New Logo, Website, Goes a Little Overboard With it
San Francisco shop Heat, who you may know best for their high-profile work on a bevy of EA Sports video game franchises, just launched a brand new agency website that reveals a new logo, in which the “e” in “Heat” is backwards because that’s how you know someone is hip to 2013, yo. But, you gotta keep dat ish lowercase, because you don’t want to end up like KoRn with a backwards capital “R” or you’ll look super 90s. You don’t want that.
Having worked in an agency during a full site redesign, I know the hard work and excitement that goes into the endeavor. Many times, almost every creative in the agency contributes to the finished product, which you’ll talk about at length to your friends in the weeks leading up to the launch. “Just wait until our new site launches,” you’ll say, eyes wide with excitement and wonder. “It looks amazing.” It’s hard to blame you for being so giddy, as it feels as though your employer’s site is representative of your own job. The cooler it looks, the more it validates you. “I work at ‘x’ agency,” you imagine saying to a hot young thing at a bar. Oh, what’s that? Bam, show them that sexy new site on your phone (it better be responsive), and explain how cool your job is.
Of course, the problem is, no one outside of your agency gives the slightest shit what your site looks like. Now, this SHOULD NOT make you feel you bad about being emotionally invested in a redesign. After all, even though your friends don’t care, it doesn’t mean that potential new business won’t. So go ahead, be like Heat. Hire a weird second-line style band confused if they should be from New Orleans or Germany to dance around your office for a little while. Film yourself looking at your new sign, backwards “e” and all. Get stoked and know that, for the record, I think your new (responsive!) site looks pretty frickin’ cool. So cool, in fact, that I’m going to link it again right here. Congrats!
New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.
P&G is Over the Moon
Tuesday Morning Stir
-Suffice it to say that it’s been a busy week for Yahoo as the company follows up its Tumblr acquisition by giving Flickr a makeover. link
-Well well, after months of being “under construction,” Naked has finally launched its new site (promo clip above). link
-It sure didn’t take long after our post for Gene Liebel, founding partner/chief strategy officer at Huge, to divulge what he’s doing next. link
-Here are your 2013 Bees Awards nominees. link
-YouEarnedIt, the employee rewards/engagement platform launched in beta six months ago by WPP Digital agency Rockfish Labs, has appointed former Demand Media execSteve Semelsberger as its new CEO.
-U.K. housing/homelessness charity Shelter has appointed London-based digital shop Chameleon as strategic partner to work across its online giving platforms.
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And Now, It’s Over: C-K Retains Porsche
Well, the decision came a tad quicker than we expected but according to reports from you know who, Chicago-based Cramer-Krasselt’s relationship with Porsche continues as the automaker has retained said agency’s services after a pitch that dragged on for six months. You’ve probably read Porsche’s perspective, now here’s a quick note from C-K president/CEO Peter Krivkovich:
“During the past five and a half years, C-K has enjoyed a great relationship with Porsche and we look forward to continued success together.
After the client’s best sales year ever in 2012, the best Q1 in their history to kick off 2013, and all of the industry recognition for smart strategic and creative thinking, we know we’re onto something good as PCNA’s agency partner.
When reviews like this happen – and this was a long and thorough one – it’s a good reminder for everyone that we are prepared for the challenge to work just as hard for our clients now as we were the day we were invited to their first pitch.
In the end, the proof is in the results. And Porsche has them.”
Peter Krivkovich”
As we mentioned last week, sources in the know were telling us that Porsche narrowed down its creative review to incumbent C-K, which has handled the account since 2007, and Minneapolis-based Olson.
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