Kookmeyer Institute

**ATTENTION ALL SHOPPERS**
Do not – repeat – do not buy the new Apple iShuffle. The earphones and controls are appallingly flimsy and you will have to pay $59 for new ones when they inevitably fall apart (even though the iShuffle itself retails for only $90!).

His Royal Highness, the Burger King, is finally winging his way to NZ! And it’s about time. Y&R has murdered that account for a decade or more, shooting TV ads about monkeys testing burgers and rugby girls on horseback. Meanwhile BK in the US has been doing a lot of good work, including branded Xbox games featuring the King for only $3.99. And now Colenso looks set to go down the same route. The TVC leaked so far looks pretty slick and leaves me wanting more. The only thing I found a little lame was the ‘reality video’ on Facebook (the one where the King arrives at the airport). Posting such faux user content is just treating punters like mugs. It’s an AD CAMPAIGN guys – treat it that way! Let’s hope BK uses this fresh start to improve its actual in-store experience – some of the stores are pretty grubby. (What’s with that 50s theme anyway?)

Well that’s it! I’m off to find my riches writing keitai (or cellphone) novels for the Japanese teen market – just like this 15 year old, Bunny (an alias, not her real name). Quoting the LA Times: “The size of the keitai novel market is unclear, but Maho i-Land Co., one of the largest keitai novel content providers, boasts 1 million online book titles and 6 million users.” I actually find the whole spirit of cooperation within the keitai movement quite amazing. Quoting again: “Most writers upload the content as they finish so they get instant feedback from the readers, who access the stories on the website and click through the pages. Authors respond to readers by correcting errors and, in some cases, altering story lines.” Critics with their noses turned strictly upwards are unlikely to nominate Bunny any time soon for a Booker Prize but who really cares when she’s creaming it to the tune of $611,000 (I take that to be US dollars) for one three-volume novel?

Oh who to believe! AKQA is shouting about results for its VW iPhone application – 4 million downloads plus an ‘80% increase in leads, test drive and quote requests without a print ad, banner or broadcast spot in sight’. But compared to what exactly? One Facebook fan, Paul Bartlett, makes some interesting points in a post on the agency’s wall. Personally, I hope the stats are as flattering as they sound – I’m trying to get my own app across the line at the moment.

I know what you’re thinking – how can I sneak off to the football on Valentine’s Day without getting red carded from the bedroom? Well fear not, for the lads at Puma have brainstormed a truly romantic gesture to keep you onside with your better half. Simply dedicate this charming love song via Facebook or email and prepare for the red carpet treatment when you get home. The Puma ‘HardChorus’ ad, ‘featuring’ a motley collection of Tottenham supporters, will air during TV coverage of the Bolton v Tottenham FA Cup tie.

Introducing an exquisitely crafted website for French lingerie company, Aubade. The sophisticated and feminine tone, right down to the music box, is spot on for the brand. And the content has been carefully considered, with tips on topics such as the perfect French lover’s playlist, the fantasy wake-up call and the etiquette of the ear. Wouldn’t it be nice if more sites were this conceptual and visually interesting? I’m not saying everything has to have Flash animation but it is a bit of a downer when designers leave you to work with little more than a grid pattern (circa 1995).

Chainsaw, the agency that created the site, get more brownie points for extending the concept to include this piece of theatre, in which it reinvented the girl next door fantasy. I wonder how many people apart from agency staff actually saw it. (I’ll always remember the large billboard outside our office at Y&R that scammers would use between skinning to erect an idea, take a photo then pull it down five minutes later!)

Did you know more people in the US have iPhones than Twitter accounts? I digress because this mobile application for Lynx was actually created in London by BBH London. It’s the unexpected twist at the end that made it my favourite (see also, ‘Spin the Bottle‘ and ‘Perfect Man Revealed‘). I just wonder if the agency could have gone a little more raw than ‘addy’ in the execution, given it is meant to be viral.

Puma has come up with a series of clips to demonstrate its commitment to motorsport, golf, running and fitness. I would have been tempted to highlight their new range a little more (as you’ll see it’s quite subtle apart from the giant Puma sign). Plus I don’t know if a retro feel is the way to go for a brand in desperate need of modernising (IMO). But the soundtrack is very catchy and the clever stage set-ups make me smile. They’d make good idents for Puma-sponsored events and sports coverage.

Hand on heart I can honestly say I’m not one for train wrecks – in fact I turn away when cringe TV comes on – but I can’t resist this lesson in how not to do Facebook, courtesy of Waiwera Water. Check out the response from the company when an unsuspecting (?) customer raises doubts about the quality of its bottled water. On top of this, many of the posts elsewhere seem little more than brand boasting, a tactic that hardly lends itself to genuine two-way dialogue with followers. Does anyone else feel there are way too many brands on Facebook and Twitter for no great reason, or am I the only one? (I’m thinking brands that represent low involvement purchases in particular.)

$129 for a new power adapter is, in the words of Bill Lawry, ludicrous, ridiculous and completely lacking in logic. The guy at Ubertec tried to tow the corporate line, telling me it was ”good value considering the technology in it”. Whatever mate – better to tell it how it is like they do at Magnum Mac and still get the sale.