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REVIEW – Mad Men Season 5 ‘At the Codfish Ball’ Episode 507

admin — Thu, 17 May 2012 18:25:26 +0000

Editor’s Note: Matt Hardeman is a lover of all things music, movies and TV. The following post is from the HDROOM blog and is reposted with permission.

The following review contains MAD MEN spoilers, do not read any further if you have not yet seen this episode!

If you’ve been following my recaps, you’ll know that I’ve been rather pleased with this season of Mad Men, save for some seemingly off editing and thematic issues here and there. ‘At the Codfish Ball‘ not only manages to keep the season running in high gear, but truly feels like the show again. I can’t really put a finger on what exactly it is, but something about the overall feel of the episode just feels right. If nothing else, it’s quite welcoming and refreshing to see some of the advertising work aspects come into play.

A more apt name for the episode might be ‘Dinners and Daughters,’ as these two themes connect throughout the entire episode, serving to display this season’s continued focus on cultural and generational differences. Sally, Peggy and Megan all are looking to make a path of their own, but seem hung up on others’ acceptance which only leads to being let down. Along with the focus on these three young women, nearly every scene revolves around dinner in some form or another. This provides a sort of symmetry throughout all of the episodes storylines, but also serves as a great way to feature more of the cast without spreading each storyline thin.

Peggy has a slightly tough turn this week. Starting with meeting Abe at a nearby restaurant, Peggy initially thinks he’s going to dump her. After discussing with Joan, however, Peggy gets caught up in the idea that Abe is going to propose to her, only to be visibly deflated when he merely suggests that they move in together. It is a step further in their relationship and, in all honesty, one that Peggy would seem way more apt to go after. You can’t help but see her disappointment though as soon as she realizes there is no proposal or ring. This hurt is only furthered when Abe asks if she’s ready to eat and she simply replies, “I do.”

In celebration of their decision, Peggy invites her mother over, which, from what we know of her mother, was probably not the best decision. Even before Peggy tells her their plans, Peggy’s mother is already taking jabs at Abe’s Judaism and manliness. Once she discovers they plan to live together unmarried, Peggy’s mom comes a bit unhinged, as one that knows her character would expect. Peggy claims that she didn’t want her mother’s approval; she just didn’t want to lie to her. Her mother claims to have preferred the lie.

Megan gets a chance to shine a bit this week. During her earlier meal with her parents and Don’s kids, she stumbles upon a home run of an idea to use on the Heinz project. Not only does it get the show more focused on “the work,” but it’s almost mesmerizing watching Megan and Don genuinely working together. Their power couple routine then pays off massively at their dinner with Heinz. Megan learns that Heinz is going to quit working with SCDP, and helps set Don up on a wonderful pitch of her earlier idea that leaves the Heinz people floored and basically eating out of their hands.

The troubling part comes when everyone begins celebrating the next day, but Megan seems distant and indifferent. She runs into Peggy who is overjoyed and congratulatory, reminding Megan to take in this moment, because this is as good as it gets. To me, it seems that Megan’s made the realization that this isn’t what she wants to be doing. She’s spoken in that past about how she wanted to be an actress. This sentiment is echoed by her father later on as he insinuates she is living for Don rather than for herself.

Then there’s Sally. She’s back to talking to creepy Glenn, which in all honesty seems to provide something stable for her. It’s her phone call with Glenn that inadvertently leads to Grandma Harris tripping over the phone cord and breaking her ankle, leading Sally to spend with weekend with Don, Megan and her parents.

As everyone prepares for the Awards Banquet that Don is to be honored at, Sally presents herself in go-go boots and full on makeup, neither of which Don was prepared for or is going to allow. The night is not lost, though, as Roger is quick to be Sally’s “date” for the evening, and the pair has a great evening of cracking wise and note taking.

It all comes to an abrupt end, though, when Sally stumbles into the wrong room and catches Megan’s mother going down on Roger. This upsets Sally tremendously, as one would expect. To me, though, it wasn’t the act that disturbed her the most. Over the recent seasons, we’ve seen Sally start to explore herself and spy on a nude Megan. Sally’s obviously growing up, maybe more than we’re currently aware. To me, I think she was more upset that Roger would be her “date,” yet turn his back on their fun times as soon as he could.

Some other notable moments and quotes from the episode:

- The episode’s title references a song of the same name sung by Shirley Temple, who often received pedophilic connotations to explain her stardom. A possible nod to Sally’s eagerness to grow up?

- The return of creepy Glenn. Why isn’t he wearing pants?!

- Sally referring to Grandma Francis as Bluto made me laugh.

- One of the first things Megan’s father says to Don is, “My daughter pretends to find interesting what I find interesting because she loves me.” Don sort of shrugs it off, but by episode’s end, this could be quite a telling line for Megan’s future at SCDP.

- “I see she’s convinced you she’s particular. I’m the proof she is not.” A lovely bit of self deprecation, courtesy of Megan’s father.

- Megan’s parents are almost completely dysfunctional. This serves to further why she needs everything with her and Don to be perfect, as she obviously does not want to end up like them.

- Megan’s father encouraging Bobby to refill his inkwell on the white carpet.

- “I thought you had married Jane because I had gotten old and then I realized it was because you had.” – Mona, taking a jab at Roger.

-Joan and Peggy’s mutual respect continues to grow and is a joy to watch.

- “Men don’t take the time to end things. They ignore you until you insist on a declaration of hate.” – Joan

- Roger was on point the entire episode. From his talk with Mona, to his newfound understanding thanks to LSD, to his interactions with Sally, Roger was by far the best part of this episode and, as always, the most entertaining.

- From the mouth of Roger Sterling:

“My whole life people have been telling me I don’t understand how other people think and it turns out its true.”

“For all we know Jesus was trying to get the Loaves and Fishes account.”

- Pete showing Megan’s father what “he does” was just a perfect Pete moment.

- Ray Wise showing back up as Ken’s father in law was a welcome sight. An incredible actor who did a wonderful job of letting Don know that respect does not garner business.

- That final shot of Don, Megan, her parents and Sally at the table, all of them putting on a mask of happiness in the face of disappointment.

The episode ends with Sally expressing to Glenn that the city is indeed a dirty place. Considering what she saw, one can’t really blame her. Sally, Peggy and Megan all suffered disappointments this week, and it will be interesting to see where next week and the rest of the season takes them from here.

- Matt Hardeman

Cheers:

One of the best episodes of the season with impeccable acting, writing and editing

Watching Don and Megan work together is just incredible

Roger Sterling, baby sitter of the year

Nice to see Sally back and having a fairly big part of the episode

No Betty again!

Jeers:

None

Overall:

9.0

REVIEW – Mad Men Season 5 ‘Signal 30′ Episode 505

admin — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 17:21:51 +0000

Editor’s Note: Matt Hardeman is a lover of all things music, movies and TV. The following post is from the HDROOM blog and is reposted with permission.

The following review contains MAD MEN spoilers, do not read any further if you have not yet seen this episode!

“I know cooler heads should prevail, but am I the only one that wants to see this?”

Not at all, Roger. I’m pretty sure we’ve all been waiting for this.

It’s taken five seasons to get there, but in this week’s Mad Men episode, ‘Signal 30,’ Pete Campbell finally caught the punch in the face he’s been asking for since day one. It was just as glorious as I’d always hoped it would be.

There’s not a complete satisfaction with it, though, as there is something about Pete that also makes you care about him. Under all the smarm and incessant power tripping, there is a guy that has everything, yet feels like he has nothing.

The idea of that isn’t initially easy to agree with. On the outside, his life is damn near perfect. He’s got a lovely and loving wife, a new child, a wonderful new home in the suburbs and is well beyond secure in his work and dealings for SCDP. One would be hard pressed to find a shortcoming within all that.

Yet, Pete is filled with them. He never wanted the baby in the first place, and, as indicated in this season’s premiere, having the baby has made Trudy less concerned about her appearance than she was before, which is getting to Pete. He’s always very conscious of the surface. Pete also never wanted to move away from the city, but now he has to please his wife. He basically has the perfect life, save for the fact that it’s not the life he wanted.

I’m honestly wondering if said life is one Pete wants to keep living. At every turn that he sees as a high note, he’s torn down by those around him and his own expectations. He begins taking a driver’s education class and flirting with a young girl in the class, only to be shown up by a younger, “handsome”-er guy. He invites the Draper’s and the Cosgrove’s over for a dinner party, only to get shown up by Don when the sink he “fixed” breaks again. Later he partakes of some prostitute fueled infidelity, surely thinking himself as one of the gang, only to feel shame and judgment from Don, who has surprisingly become the pillar of sainthood in the office. The final straw was insulting and demeaning Lane in front of his peers, which led to some office fisticuffs and Pete picking himself up off the floor.

It is Pete himself that actually led to his office beat down. If not for his insistence that Don, Roger and he take over for Lane when it looked like he couldn’t close the deal, the whole thing could have been avoided, at least until something else came to pass. The Jaguar man’s wife discovered his night of infidelities, not only negating any business that could have transpired, but also humiliating Lane in the process. Pete takes this opportunity to kick Lane while he’s down, and Lane realizes the monster that he has helped Pete become.

As Pete has climbed the ladder, he’s carried and kept fewer and fewer friends along the way. Yet, he’s almost always looking for someone to back him up, and never realizing why it is that no one does. When he insults Lane, he’s looking for everyone else to agree, yet gets stone faces. As they are about to fight, he looks at Don to save him, but that’s just not going to happen.

Once the day ends, Pete drags himself out of his office and shares an elevator with Don, hoping for something. He stands there, defeated inside and out and tells Don that he “has nothing”, which we all know is furthest from the truth, but Pete doesn’t see the truth. Either that or, as I’ve mentioned, it’s a truth he doesn’t want.

Either way, I’m starting to think it wasn’t mere coincidence that Pete was asking for a window in his office earlier this season. The broken man that he is now is just a few short steps away from calling it quits for good.

Other notable moments:

- The entire dinner party was wonderfully set up and paced, with just the right amount of camaraderie and awkwardness.

- Don’s jacket. It deserves its own sitcom.

- Neither Don nor Megan knowing Ken’s wife’s name was hilarious, made even more so with Don’s “Hey, you!” line and Megan blurting out “Cynthia!” once she realizes her name.

- “There are a lot of varmints. ” Oh indeed, Pete.

- Cynthia accidentally calling Charles Whitman “Widmore/Whitmore”: intentional conversation flub or LOST reference?

- Did anyone else think Pete said, “Dick!” when he walked in on the broke sink, spilling Don’s big secret? I’ve watched it over and over and I’m sure he’s saying “damnit”, but it caught me off guard initially.

- Don fixing the broke sink assuredly created some handsome plumber fantasies. He made the ladies of the party swoon and, in the process, made Pete look even more like a joke in his own home.

- Don’s doodle of the noose. Is it a callback to his murderous fever dream revealing there is something dark inside or is it simply displaying how he feels in these meetings? I’m leaning towards the latter.

- I like that Peggy and Ken still have their pact, although I don’t think they will ever need it.

- Roger showing Lane the ropes was an incredible scene and gave an excellent peek into how Roger works. Sure, we’ve seen him in action, but hearing his steps and tips showed why he’s the best or was at one time.

- If you’re ever in dire need of a high class whorehouse, Roger Sterling is your man.

- “You’re a grimy little pimp!” – Lane Pryce

- “Because he was caught with gum on his pubis!” – Also Lane. He’s giving Roger a run for his quotable money.

- Once Lane assumed old-timey boxing stance, I knew Pete was done for.

- Joan telling Lane after the fight that he’s a better man than all the others, only for him to immediately and awkwardly kiss her on the mouth.

- Ken using Pete and his depression as the inspiration for his new story. “It might have been living in the country that was making him cry. It was killing him with its silence, and loneliness. Making everything ordinary too beautiful to bear.”
- From the mouth of Roger Sterling:

“Listen, honey, I’m not going to bore you with compliments.”

“Cup of what?” (in response to Layne saying England won the World Cup)

“The last words I want to hear out of his date’s mouth is ‘Next!’”

“I don’t know about you two, but I had Lane.”

This Mad Men episode, directed by none other than John Slattery himself, was, in my opinion, the best of Season 5 to date. While it focused heavily on Pete, the story managed to include just about everybody. Even more impressive is that it managed to do so with more than half the episode taking place outside of the office itself. All of the pacing and editing, which has been a bit shaky so far, was absolutely on point this week. Vincent Kartheiser continues to turn out impeccable work as Pete Campbell, the man who has everything but, as in his mind has nothing. Alison Brie did some stand up work with her bit of screen time as Trudy. I enjoyed her assertiveness and hope she continues to get her moments throughout the season.

- Matt Hardeman

Cheers:

Top to bottom the best episode of the season (so far)

As much as one can hate him, Pete Campbell makes for some good storytelling

Excellent editing and pacing throughout the episode

No Betty or Michael! Hooray!

Jeers:

Not a single one

Overall:

9.8

REVIEW – Mad Men Season 5 ‘Mystery Date’ Episode 504

admin — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 02:25:15 +0000

Editor’s Note: Matt Hardeman is a lover of all things music, movies and TV. The following post is from the HDROOM blog and is reposted with permission.

The following review contains MAD MEN spoilers, do not read any further if you have not yet seen this episode!

Mad Men is a show that is constantly focused on where things are headed; always looking ahead to what the future may hold. This week’s episode, ‘Mystery Date,’ brought up issues of Don’s philandering past to light and, rather than bottle them up as he normally would, he forces himself to face the past head on, but in quite a dark way.

Frankly, this whole episode was quite dark. A discussion about Chicago’s student nurse murders (a real life horrific event committed by Richard Speck in 1966) pops up in the SDCP offices, much to the distaste of the newly hired and unbearably annoying Michael Ginsberg, as well as in the Francis house, leading to an incredibly bizarre scene between Sally and her Grandma Francis that starts with a scared Sally and ends with Grandma brandishing a knife and giving Sally prescription meds. Parenting!

Early on, one of Don’s past lovers, Andrea, runs into him in an elevator and is immediately in his face; a breath or two away from turning the moment into an old Aerosmith song. Unbeknownst to Andrea, he happens to be sharing said elevator with his new wife Megan. Megan rightfully is embarrassed and a bit defensive, revealing that this isn’t the first time it’s happened. Having been Don’s secretary before his wife, she’s also quite aware of his “careless appetite” and points out that he now doesn’t have Betty as a scapegoat. Megan might be much younger, but I love how well she handles herself within their relationship.

Amidst the arguing and awkwardness, Don also seems to have the onset of a pretty bad cold. He’s coughing his lungs up and seems generally out of it. After a quick meeting that Ginsberg nearly tanks thanks to his ramblings, Don calls it a day and heads home. He’s quite unprepared to hear someone at the door and discovers its Andrea.

Of course Don panics and, much to my personal happiness, immediately gets rid of Andrea via the freight elevator. He’s made it clear that he’s married and the past is over. This is not the Don Draper we’ve come to know.

After another nap, Don comes to seeing what he thinks is Megan sitting in his bed with him, but it’s actually Andrea. She claims she let herself back in and, even knowing Megan could be home any minute, insists that Don give her one for the road, and he does!

I seriously had to pause my TV. I was pacing. I may have even yelled at the TV. I seriously could not believe that this new Don Draper that I have become invested in would so casually drift back into that old familiar suit. Not to mention the tension of Megan coming home and finding him having sex with this woman that he’s been claiming was nothing all day. Why, Don, why?!

Only then, it gets worse. After some adulterous afternoon delight, Don insists that Andrea leave. She begins to insinuate that they are far from done and, when the idea of losing his new marriage crosses his mind, Don snaps. He grabs Andrea by the throat and chokes her to death, only to casually shove her under the bed. Riddled with guilt over the sex and now murdering someone, Don then just nonchalantly falls back to sleep.

What… just… happened?

Luckily, Don wakes up again to find a caring Megan and no dead body. Turns out his sickness gave him one of the most vividly horrific fever dreams of all time. I also am thinking or hoping, rather, that the dream was also metaphorical. A way of Don killing off that part of him that has no problem casually sexing up any female with a skirt and a pulse. It’s always been his one major flaw, and after the self-improvement of Season 3, it’s time to put it all into action.

Although this episode was very Don-centric (finally!), this episode also dabbled a good bit in Joan’s world. Her husband, Greg, has surprisingly returned from the war. I say surprisingly since it seemed like an easy narrative “out” to have him killed off, but the Mad Men writers rarely go for the conventional. Instead, we see a truly excited Joan about to burst at the seams anticipating his arrival and showing off “their” baby (Kevin’s actually Roger’s baby from a brief tryst the pair had in an alley after being mugged last season) only to be destroyed by his news that he’s going to return for one more year.

Although she doesn’t take the news of Greg’s return to war well, Joan puts on a happy face and decides to support him. That is until Greg’s mother reveals that he volunteered to go back. He had a choice in this and didn’t include Joan in it at all. Joan’s been willing to play the housewife role to an extent, but she’s always been a strong, self sufficient character and when she realizes this, she’s frankly had enough and sends Greg on his way, informing him to never return, but not before reminding him of how he’ll never actually be a “good” man. Maybe this time the war will get him.

Peggy also got some good screen time this week. She finds herself in a position of power when Roger has his back up against the wall with the Mohawk presentation. While working late on the Mohawk account, she discovers Dawn, Don’s new secretary, sleeping in Don’s office and offers to let her stay over at her place. They share some beers and some stories and seem to be having an all-around good time until Peggy has a moment that makes her come across a bit racist. She wakes to find Dawn already gone and having left a sweet note, which makes her feel even worse.

Other notable moments:

- “I just wanted to hear the tone of your voice so I can make sure it’s not as annoying as it is in everyday life.” I hate Michael’s voice too, Don.

- “In my heart, I’m on the verge of throwing you in front of a cab.” Don, for the love of God, please throw him in front of said cab.

- Pete Campbell showed that with maybe a whole two or three minutes he can still manage to be the smarmiest bastard on TV. His delivery of “Goodnight, everyone!” was so full of it.

- Not only do the Francis’ live in a castle-like home, they’ve also got a remote control for their TV in the mid 60′s. That’s high class living right there.

- Sassy Peggy is the best Peggy.

- “Y’all drink a lot.” -Dawn, you speak truths.

- Since we know Peggy has a problem with drinking and saying inappropriate things, I had a feeling her hangout with Dawn was going to go sour at some point. Peggy did end up making it awkward, but it wasn’t with her words. Just a single judgmental glance. Dawn’s face was heartbreaking.

- The accordion player showing up and playing right at the heat of Joan and Greg’s argument was hilarious and heartbreaking.

- Grandma Francis making Sally even more scared then she was to begin with, yet it was the closest thing to bonding the pair did throughout the episode. Seeing Sally sleeping under the couch the next morning was kind of precious.

- From the mouth of Roger Sterling:

“Hey, Trotsky, you’re in advertising!”

“Are you drunk?! Get your feet off that desk!”

- “I’m glad the Army makes you feel like a man because I’m sick of trying to do it.” You tell him, Joanie.

- Joan’s shoulder shrug at Greg’s ultimatum continues a long history Mad Men has with apathetic shoulder shrugging. I love it.
-”He Hit Me (And It Felt Like A Kiss)” by The Crystals is an incredibly haunting song that was a perfect ending to the episode.

I personally loved this episode of Mad Men. It was a nice change of pace from last week and it felt good having Don back in the forefront. What did everybody else think? What are your thoughts on the season so far?

- Matt Hardeman

Cheers:

The focus shifting back to Don was a welcome return

Peggy continues to grow more than anyone else on the show

The show continues to excel at utilizing real life events in organic and non-overbearing ways

Jeers:

How long are we going to have to deal with Michael Ginsberg?

Overall:

8.5

REVIEW – Mad Men Season 5 Premiere ‘A Little Kiss’ Episode 501-502

admin — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 21:30:02 +0000

Editor’s Note: Matt Hardeman is a lover of all things music, movies and TV. The following post is from the HDROOM blog and is reposted with permission.

The following review contains MAD MEN spoilers, do not read any further if you have not yet seen this episode!

It’s been a very long 18 months since the Season Four finale, but finally, Mad Men has returned. Cue the heavy drinking and debaucherous living.

Each season of Mad Men tends to make some sort of jump ahead in time from the season before it, and Season Five proves no different; jumping our characters from October 1965 at the end of Season Four to June of 1966 for this season’s two hour opener, ‘A Little Kiss.’

Much has happened within these eight months. Sterling Cooper Draper Price (SCDP) has managed to stabilize after the loss of Lucky Strike, but there’s a sense that it’s still a very tight ship. Pete Campbell and Joan Holloway both have their own respective bundles of joy, yet still carry a weight of emptiness. Most notably, Don went through with his whirlwind engagement of Megan and the two are newlyweds.

If ‘A Little Kiss’ is any indication as to the overall narrative arc of this season, it’s going to be varying situations of old versus new. It’s immediately evident visually in the changes in clothing and furniture that the wild and loose late Sixties are right on the doorstep. The Civil Rights movement is picking up steam and the country is on the verge of pursuing real change and, thanks to what was intended as a jab at a competitor, SCDP may be an unlikely leader in helping that change.

The old versus new theme continues through much of this episode’s various relationships and interactions. Pete Campbell continues his fervent need to have everything and feels that Roger Sterling is in his way. Campbell has always had a sense of entitlement, yet at this point it seems like that entitlement might be deserved. We also see Joan visit the office for the first time since giving birth and, in seeing all of the younger girls doing her job in her absence, makes her fear a changing of the guard.

Thanks to a surprise birthday party that Megan throws Don, much to his veiled displeasure, we see the first glimpses that their age difference could end up being their undoing. Megan is young and free-spirited, whereas Don has just hit 40 and thinks such things are not only a waste of time but also an invasion of their home life.

Other quotes, scenes and moments that stood out to me:

- Peggy’s bean ballet idea gets knocked down, but I have a feeling she’s going to come back even stronger.

- Pete tripping and smashing his nose into the column in his office is comedy gold.

- This show has always had a way of really tapping into the heart of loneliness, and they show no signs of letting up on it.

- The episode begins with a much more relaxed and, even happy, Don Draper. It’s revealed that Megan is aware of his Dick Whitman past, and not having to hide who he is seems to be working wonders.

- Joan’s baby being in the office is cause for two wonderfully played and understated scenes. The first is between Joan and Roger, who share glances that speak volumes without saying anything. The second happens when Pete runs into Peggy watching the baby, and there’s that sudden realization that this could have been their life had Peggy kept their office love child.

- Whether you find it sweet, charming, sexy, embarrassing or just plain awkward, you can’t deny that Megan’s rendition of ‘Zou Bisou Bisou’ steals the show and further accentuates her and Don’s differences in age and interests.

- Harry, complete with feather boa, eagerly applauding Megan’s performance.

- It merely takes an embarrassing surprise party for Don to revert back to the curmudgeon he’s oft prone to be.

- In a show brimming with great writing, Roger Sterling continues getting all of the best lines:

“The only thing worse than not getting what you want is someone else getting it.”

“I try to get Jane to talk to me in that accent; nothing doing. She doesn’t speak French. She doesn’t like me. ”

“Here’s fifty bucks. Why don’t you go buy a fancy hat or a mask or something.”

“Is it just me or is the lobby full of negroes?”

- There’s no Betty Draper, although Don does humorously refer to her and Henry as “Morticia and Lurch.” Due to January Jones’s pregnancy last year, I hear that her screen time this season will be much shorter than usual. Hopefully that won’t affect Sally’s screen time, as she was one of the best parts of last season.

I will say that something about the show’s mood and tone felt a bit off. It could honestly be the length of time and all the creative folks at hand getting back into the swing of things, but some scenes came off very play-like alongside some oddly timed music cues. These are very small gripes as, issues or not, I’m just ecstatic to have this cast of characters back and I can’t wait to see where the world takes them.

- Matt Hardeman

Cheers:

The return of one of the finest dramas to ever be on television

The entire party sequence

The absolutely stellar writing that is equally matched with an excellent cast

Jeers:

Some odd line deliveries and music cues seemed a bit off

Overall:

8.5

What helps businesses and their marketing campaigns succeed? Creativity.

admin — Sat, 29 May 2010 00:57:26 +0000

Art & Copy: A film about creative advertising

When Reza out of our California office suggested I watch the movie Art & Copy I was intrigued but not too sure what to expect.

The film, through fantastic interviews, superb narration and clever editing, shows you the importance of creativity in advertising and the love advertising agencies give their work.

The filmmakers explain first hand the pitfalls most business owners don’t see when running a campaign and how good creative is set up to avoid these problems by connecting to the target audience more effectively.

The film, although not a perfect snapshot of this mammoth industry, is a very compelling piece of art in itself. I can see why this was the 2009 Official Selection at Sundance.

The agencies interviewed are those whose clients can afford large campaigns, something that is not always the case with Agencies who don’t work with giants like Nike and Apple. However it does show you how if you invest in good creative and placement you will recoup your expenses and then some.

Tommy Hilfiger tells of how so very embarrassed he was when his ad agency used a campaign comparing him (a nobody at the time) to the likes of Calvin Klein and Ralph Lauren. Even so, he was able to go through with the pricey half page ads and expensive 7th Ave billboard in New York. And when he did, he soon became one of the most talked about designers in the U.S. sending his sales skyrocketing beyond his wildest dreams.

Despite the fact that the creators of the “GOT MILK?” campaign or the creators of the dancing silhouette iPod commercials talk about how they are pitting themselves against the giants in New York, they still aren’t necessarily feather weights either. In fact their facilities reminded me of something out of Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, or maybe MTV Cribs.

Wieden + Kennedy in particular houses a basketball court, and a nice little practice space for bands, among other things! All of these luxuries are to help with the creative process because they know that good creative sells products.

This film lets you see the process agencies undertake to get a campaign. Everything from ideas to approved billboards and TV ads.
Relive the impact of the first Macintosh TV commercial. Re-experience the social movement created out of the JUST DO IT campaign, and learn the startling truth about where that line came from.

The importance of clever, responsible and creative advertising campaign’s that inspire rather than numb audiences comes to the forefront of the themes presented, and while it seems one-sided, the film does not flop.

To learn more about getting creative with your advertising watch this movie, and if you decide you need more help getting good creative remember that you can call on us any time.

The First iPhone app review trickles in via Facebook!

admin — Thu, 27 May 2010 00:53:42 +0000

The Assurance Blog » review

REVIEW – Mad Men Season 5 ‘At the Codfish Ball’ Episode 507

The following review contains MAD MEN spoilers, do not read any further if you have not yet seen this episode!

REVIEW – Mad Men Season 5 ‘Signal 30′ Episode 505

The following review contains MAD MEN spoilers, do not read any further if you have not yet seen this episode!

REVIEW – Mad Men Season 5 ‘Mystery Date’ Episode 504

The following review contains MAD MEN spoilers, do not read any further if you have not yet seen this episode!

REVIEW – Mad Men Season 5 Premiere ‘A Little Kiss’ Episode 501-502

The following review contains MAD MEN spoilers, do not read any further if you have not yet seen this episode!

What helps businesses and their marketing campaigns succeed? Creativity.

Art & Copy: A film about creative advertising

The First iPhone app review trickles in via Facebook!

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