Carolyn Hadlock

Eunoia is the shortest word in the English language that contains all five vowels. It means beautiful thinking. This blog is a collection of just that, beautiful thinking from the worlds of art, advertising and culture.

[carolynhadlock]

Craft brewer promotion lets customers sample rejected ale recipes

Contagious:

With limited shelf space and a slew of PR-worthy flavours (seawater, mussels, tea?) it’s difficult to stand out. Rather than weave samey claims about quality and craft into its marketing, Matilda Bay is letting its product do the talking. Releasing the brews that didn’t quite make it to market is an intriguing and bold way to show people the kind of thought and quality control that goes into its beers. If the reject brews are good enough to drink, how good must the final product be? The Rejected Ales collection helps Matilda Bay distinguish itself from the competition, while the sales mechanism (try a Rejected Ale with a purchase of Matilda Bay Original Ale) helps boost sales of its core product.

Contagious is an insights intelligence group that uncovers hidden gems all over the world in the shape of brands and business. They are able to contextualize the success of the initiative inside a global context. They are as smart, witty and ambitious as the work they cover. 

This campaign is the perfect example of what they find. Aussies have this rare combination of optimism and boldness that often makes their work the most creative and breakthrough. Imagine anyone in the US having the gall to not only produce rejected product, but promote it! 

[carolynhadlock]

Social Media Buzz for Oreo Thins Limited Edition Camouflage Packaging

Packaging World:

Oreo produces over 40 billion cookies each year, but only 3,000 packages of Oreo Thins were made available for the “Thins Protection Program” social media sweepstakes, which was held in July. The campaign partnered with Green Giant, Ford, Hanes, and Better Homes & Gardens to create packaging that looks unlike the traditional cookie packaging and can be hidden in plain sight.

Another clever completely on brand tactic from OREO. Bravo to the creatives who got a brief for a social media sweepstakes contest and spun it into gold. Literally. A Gold Andy.

[carolynhadlock]

Kamala Harris Portrait Draws Inspiration From the Glass Ceiling She Shattered

Smithsonian:

Now, a stunning portrait of Harris is honoring the vice president’s accomplishments by referencing the metaphorical glass ceiling she broke. As Darlene Superville reports for the Associated Press (AP), Swiss artist Simon Berger created the approximately 6- by 6-foot, 350-pound artwork by strategically hammering cracks into a giant sheet of glass.

“I like creating beautiful things through destruction,” Berger tells Artnet News’ Sarah Cascone. “I am pleased and proud to be able to make a contribution in this matter.”

I’ve been a long time fan of Chief and their mission of women helping women elevate and stay in leadership positions. We’ve been reading a lot about what brands stand for lately and it’s always heartening to see brands like Chief putting actions (beautiful ones at that) behind their words. 

[carolynhadlock]

Oreo makes ‘offering’ to aliens ahead of US intelligence declassifying its UFO secrets

The Drum:

The crux of the story is the fact that on June 27, the US Senate Select Committee on Intelligence is set to declassify this potentially Earth-shattering information about some of the unknowns within our universe.

Oreo took this dramatic moment to have a bit of fun with “The Oreo Offering.” The brand says it “is sending a sign of peace and unity to any extraterrestrials out there with a playful offering of earth’s No. 1 cookie.”

OREO continues to be playful in all the ways only they can. What started with the Doomsday Oreo Vault has now evolved into the OREO offering. Makes me wonder how the intelligence community feels about it. It’s nice to see an event being politicized with a wink. 

Listen to my podcast with the Senior Director of the OREO brand, Justin Parnell.

[carolynhadlock]

Apple spells it out with new ad for app tracking privacy feature

Campaign:

Extensive tracking occurs online and in apps, with that data being collected, shared, aggregated and monetised. This app purports to give users the option to protect their personal information and privacy.

As a creative in advertising, I’ve been aware and following this news from Apple. It’s bold. And smart. It would have come for them if they hadn’t proactively taken this stance. No surprise that Facebook is against it. 

This just means we have to be more creative in how we connect with consumers.

[carolynhadlock]

Violaine et Jérémy returns with a cookbook for Molly Baz, featuring three of the studio’s much-loved typefaces

It’s Nice That:

Molly is a food editor and recipe developer, whose concoctions have been featured largely in the pages of Bon Appétit (she also has a dog named Tuna, by the way). Her creations – and writings, for that matter – are full of flavour, so it was clear her publication would be far from dull or tasteless. “We wanted to avoid this book being calm and monotonous like a traditional cookbook,” explains Jérémy. “We also wanted to use many of our own fonts, so we worked to achieve a book that would be a strong graphic object, where typography, colours and rhythm are important.”

This book feels like a seven-course meal. I want to delve into every recipe and page in this luscious graphic design project. To me, it’s the best expression of editorial design, gorgeous imagery, bold palette, hand-crafted fonts all mixed together in a jumble that is pleasing to the eye and food for the soul . 

[carolynhadlock]

See Google's Emotional Oscars Spot About the Deaf Community During Covid

Tim Nudd for Muse

"A CODA Story," which aired during the 2021 Oscars, tells the tale of Tony Lee, a lead designer at Google Brand Studio who is also a child of deaf adults (CODA). The spot is told in Google's typically evocative style, using a combination of animated Google screenshots and real-life video footage to show how Tony has been able to use Google products—including Live Caption and captioning in Google Meet—to video chat with his parents, both of whom are deaf.

Google has cracked the code on how to do emotional spots that feature employees, showcase product features and suck the viewer in. I’ll never forget watching “Dear Sophie” during a high profile telecast. This “campaign” is infinite and shows the softer side of Google. Bravo to Robert Wong, as always.

[carolynhadlock]

Burberry is ‘Singing in the Rain’ with dance-filled Christmas London spectacular

The Drum:

Megaforce said: “We found the idea for this film digging through Burberry’s history. The founder, Thomas Burberry, created innovative weatherproof clothing that was used by polar explorers, which gave us this idea of a story that saw its characters braving the elements with ease.“

I love holiday advertising season in the UK. They always tell epic stories while still showing the product in a unique way. The ice cube asteroids here hearken back to the polar explorers, which is a very cool touch (see, the UK are never random in their choices). The dance scene is remarkable. Props to the woman for doing those moves with a purse hanging across her chest, no easy feat. What separates this ad from the apple or early 2000′s GAP ads is that it starts and ends in reality and then breaks into fantasy. That’s a nice touch and makes this ad one of the strongest I’ve seen this year. 

[carolynhadlock]

Zulu Alpha Kilo Makes Lemonade Out Of Big Holding Company Lemons, Celebrates Indie Agencies

Shootonline:

In addition to being an entertaining satire about agencies and holding companies, the film is Zulu’s salute to all the other independent agencies out there. The message, “Here’s to all the independents” appears on screen at the end of the film, as Billy wins back his old clients by opening a new independent lemonade stand with his sister.

“We’ll find another Billy somewhere. We’ll make it work.” Cringeworthy. And true. Zulu Alpha Kilo has done several short films highlighting the underbelly of the advertising industry. This film tells the story of what happens to independent agencies (like Y&L) who get bought by holding companies from New York. I’ve had several friends who’ve gone through this and while there are some benefits, it’s nothing short of gut wrenching to watch. People always ask me why I’ve stayed at the same agency my (mostly) entire career. One of the biggest reasons is that we are, and always will be, stubbornly independent. It slows our growth, it means we run leaner and work harder. But it also means we call the shots and we control our destiny. Not some place out of NYC who’ll ‘make it work’ at any price. h/t Zulu Alpha Kilo. 

[carolynhadlock]

The Greatest Set of Shows That Should Have Been

Cancelled Gigs Posters

If we were in the correct timeline, at some point this year you’d be leaving a concert with a rolled-up poster under your arm, ears ringing and still singing.

Alas, 2020 happened.

But now, you can still take home that poster from the show you definitely should have been at. And 100% of your money will go to MusicCares, an organization that has helped over 16,000 music industry artists and professionals who have been impacted by the pandemic.

This pandemic has generated a lot of creativity from frustrated creatives and this is one of my favorite examples so far. These posters are brilliantly designed. I love how different the styles are. I’ve always looked to gig posters as inspiration and am happy that they’re still being designed, even if the shows aren’t happening. 

[carolynhadlock]

Bud Light Pays Tribute to Cardboard Fans in Epic 2-Minute Film

Muse:

Dude's a 5-foot-something photograph on one side—and nothing but white cardboard on the reverse. Awesome! He clomps all around town, but only his legs and feet move. Yes!

Sure, he gets swept aside by the windshield wipers of a bus and tossed in the trash. But when you root for the New York Giants, suffering goes with the territory. (Wait until next year, bud!)

Wieden continues to leverage the constraints of COVID to do memorable work. They go against the sappy nature and prideful narrative so many brands are doing right now. The touches of dark humor and humanity of this film feel fresh and new. I appreciate the craft, the hundreds of tiny choice like keeping the white outline around the cutout to show he’s always fake, the movable, but clumsy legs, the lighting changes, the way he gets “hit” by a bus. It’s familiar and novel at the same time. 

[carolynhadlock]

The Lego-Tsugi Collection Lets You Transform Broken Objects Into Beautiful Imperfections

Geek Culture:

Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder, or so the saying goes. Where some may find beauty in flawlessness, the Japanese traditional art of kintsugi seeks to celebrate imperfections by highlighting them in gold, as opposed to hiding them.

This meaningful philosophy is the driving force behind Lego’s newest project for its long-running Rebuild the World campaign. Titled the Lego-Tsugi collection, it sees brick pieces and other building elements coming together to replace a damaged part of an object

Wabi-Sabi is a philosophy we’ve always celebrated at Eunoia. In fact, it’s one of our favorite modes of beautiful thinking. This application of kintsugi to LEGOs is genius, creating modern relevancy through ancient traditions. Who knew that LEGO’s 2019 launch of the campaign “Rebuild the World” would become prescient?

[carolynhadlock]

‘Fearless Girl’ Dons a Lace Collar in Tribute to Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

AdAge:

Ginsburg’s collars were famous not for simply bringing a flourish to her dark judicial robes. According to the New York Times, they were a statement meant, to “unapologetically feminize” the traditionally “male” uniform. They also served as a “weapon” to punctuate her decisions—she wore her frilly crocheted neck wear when making majority opinions and a more spiky piece when making a dissenting one.

I’ve been on a steady diet of RBG tributes since I first heard of her passing Friday night. It’s hard to be too sad that she passed because she lived such a big life and profoundly helped so many of us—even when we didn’t know that she was the person behind it. It’s hard to fathom that she encountered such significant barriers and still flourished. She never saw a female perform in an orchestra when she was growing up. She was forced to hide her second pregnancy at her job because she was demoted the first time she told her employer she was pregnant. She graduated at the top of her law class from Harvard, and couldn’t get a job because she was told the practices didn’t want “lady lawyers”.  Being in it like that and still rising above it is astonishing. It gives me fresh perspective on my “barriers”. I’ve always prided myself that I refuse to be a victim of circumstance, but RBG not only wasn’t a victim, she was a champion against discrimination. The collar on fearless girl isn’t a testament to RBG. She IS RBG when she was a girl. May we all rise to be fearless girls and women. 

[carolynhadlock]

Yes, Patagonia's viral 'Vote The Assholes Out' tags are real. But the slogan isn't new.

Mashable:

"They were added to our 2020 Men's and Women's Regenerative Organic Stand-Up Shorts because we have been standing up to climate deniers for almost as long as we've been making those shorts," Kenna wrote.

Though the short tags may be new, Kenna explained that the slogan has been around for quite some time.

"Yvon Chouinard has been saying 'vote the assholes out' for several years and it refers to politicians from any party who deny or disregard the climate crisis and ignore science, not because they aren't aware of it, but because their pockets are lined with money from oil and gas interests," Kenna said.

The coolest thing about Patagonia is that they do things that they believe that then make them famous. Too often, we see brands leverage culture. Patagonia fights it, challenges it and changes it. 

[carolynhadlock]

Danny DeVito and Michael Douglas Have an End-of-Life Chat on Zoom in Ad by Gerry Graf

Muse

With Gerry Graf, you have to expect the unexpected. Like his new advertising project, for example—an amusing spot starring Danny DeVito and Michael Douglas, all about ... an obscure healthcare form for end-of-life care?

You know what I love the most about this commercial? That it’s not for some new cool product or startup app, but raising awareness about end of life wishes. It’s COVID messaging, without being about COVID. The friendship between these two is charming and completely buyable. Using the glitches of Zoom like one person getting muted when the other one is talking, or the delays in video are brilliant touches. H/T Gerry Graf. 

[carolynhadlock]

Spike Lee Gives a Rare Look Inside His Creative Filmmaking Process

Paper Mag:

According to Montblanc, the campaign highlights the power of achieving goals, even through unconventional methods. "It expresses a new aspiration to live a life where the professional and personal don't compete with each other, but enrich one another," Vincent Montalescot, Montblanc's EVP of marketing, said in a statement.

72 and Sunny Amsterdam is killing it right now. This spot is one of a series in the campaign “Mark Makers” for Mont Blanc. It’s a lovely testament to the craft of writing by hand. The storytelling unfolds organically and eloquently. The 3 dancing ladies in pastel primary colors are a beautiful device of hope and optimism that weave throughout the grainy black and white narrative of his upbringing. 

“What Moves You, Makes You”. is a poignant punctuation of the story.

[carolynhadlock]

Open Like Never Before: Coca-Cola and George the Poet Unite to Send Message in Current Time of Change

Coca-Cola Great Britain

This is the message of Coca-Cola’s new campaign, Open Like Never Before, which is encouraging all people to live those exact words, be ‘open, like never before’, think differently, embrace change, and better appreciate what was perhaps previously taken for granted.

Coca-Cola took a 7-month hiatus from advertising and donated the space and dollars to charity. While that certainly created ripple effects for the ad industry, they’re back stronger than ever with this ad from 72 and Sunny Amsterdam. 

This ad coalesces all the fragmented thoughts I’ve had during this pandemic and packages them in a way that doesn’t lecture but lift. 

“What if the new normal ain’t the normal we knew. And we can’t do what we’d formally do.”

Amazing pacing and synthesis of spoken word, film and music.