The Walk
From Portugal: animal welfare charity Animalife finds a powerful way to highlight the problem of pet abandonment.
Posts
Let’s Talk of Body Hair
That’s the idea behind a new spot for women’s shave and body care brand Billie- continuing a conversation it first started four years ago.
Pickle Art
To quote from a news report:
Oftentimes, in art galleries, the question of whether an object is an artwork leaves onlookers in a pickle. In the case of one show in New Zealand, the object in question actually is a pickle.
For the exhibition, Australian artist Matthew Griffin plucked a pickle from a McDonald’s cheeseburger and slapped it to the ceiling of the gallery. The piece is just the size of a quarter but comes with a price tag worth much more: NZ$10,000 ($6,200).
The artwork, simply called Pickle, is on view now at Auckland’s Michael Lett Gallery in group show presented by Griffin’s dealers, Fine Arts Sydney.
Furthermore:
The lucky buyer of Griffin’s artwork won’t be given the exact pickle, but rather instructions for how to recreate the artwork in their own space—a gesture that elevates the object beyond those that could be found on any McDonald’s ceiling.
For the Love of Blood
If the enthusiasm of watching blood spilled in horror films could be matched with a fervency to donate blood. That’s the unusual pitch at the heart of a new Red Cross PSA that stars Neve Campbell, probably best known for her work in the Scream movie franchise.
Pigs and Music
From a Reuters news report out of Belgium:
Scientists in Belgium are investigating a farmer’s claim that different styles of music affect the behaviour of his pigs.
Piet Paesmans first noticed the phenomenon when his son started singing a tune in the barn during a sluggish insemination session his sows seemed excited and started wagging their tails.
“I thought this is too good to pass up, we should try that with the other pigs too,” Paesmans told Reuters from his farm halfway between Brussels and the Dutch border.
He has since created a playlist to coincide with different parts of the day, playing energetic music when he wants the pigs to be active and lullabies at the end of the day.
“Jolly dance songs are the biggest hits. They really start wagging their tails and when it’s really dynamic they even start dancing around and frolicking. Rock music is too strong, they don’t like it,” Paesmans said.
The farmer tipped off a team of researchers who have secured 75,000 euros ($76,770) of financing from an EU fund and the Belgian region of Flanders to investigate the claims.
Chief Candy Officer
That’s an open position announced by Canada-based online candy store Candy Funhouse. It’s serious enough to be posted on LinkedIn and carry a promised pay of up to $100,000 annually. Listed job responsibilities include leading the “candy strategy”, being the head taster, and having to test taste over 3,500 products each month. On the other hand, no previous experience is said to be necessary and anyone above 5 years of age can apply. And I’m not sure if it just to spread the net wide or a reflection of the target demographic that the firm has put out colourful postings on YouTube and Instagram as well.
Quirkiness is Welcome
From Australia: a delightful series of spots for mycar Tyre & Auto to reaffirm its commitment to serve all kinds of customers.
A Body to Drink to
The latest spot for canned water brand Liquid Death is fronted by comedian Bert Kreischer and I’m tempted to call it a barrel of laughs.
Piggy History
A new spot for insurance comparison website Confused.com proposes an amusing explanation for the origin of piggy banks.
KFC’s Horror Foray
From Spain: KFC has a new product called Pollizza- a pizza without a base- and as part of promoting it, it released a 14 minute horror film that features- hold your breath- murderous pizza crusts. One of the creative people behind the movie has been quoted as saying this:
Everyone loves pizza, but not everybody loves the crust, and that is the only ingredient that Pollizza doesn’t have. We took that fact and decided to create a 14-minute B horror short film in which several diabolical crusts attack a group of friends who were enjoying a weekend at a lakeside house. It was the most sensible thing to do.
The movie, titled ‘The Massacre’, is crafted as a tribute to directors such as Sam Raimi and shows a clear affection for the horror genre.
Prisoner’s Dilemma
To quote from a news report:
A transgender prisoner who impregnated two fellow inmates was moved to a different New Jersey prison with only male youth inmates.
Demi Minor, 27, who is behind bars for stabbing her former foster father to death, was transferred from Edna Mahan Correctional Facility to the Garden State Youth Correctional Facility in June.
Minor took to her Justice 4 Demi blog to share the “psychological damage” she has experienced, claiming she was mocked and strip-searched by prison guards, and spat at by fellow inmates.
She also alleged she was beaten during the prison transfer and misgendered multiple times.
Desktop on a Tee
Probably the most notable item for me, from Microsoft’s foray into designer capsule clothing called ‘Hardwear’, is the ‘Blue Sky Green Hill Tee’ (sold out).
Dog Interpreter Chatbot
To quote from a report:
Cheil Wordwide and pet company Woorien has launched PetTalk, a chatbot that lets dog-owners to ‘talk ’to their dogs. The app interprets a dog’s body signal and provides advice to pet-owners on how they should respond. The owners can then receive advice from pet behaviour specialists by typing in a query on PetTalk.
For example, if one were to ask ‘Why do you keep yawning?’ after seeing their dog yawn often, one might get a reply from an animated dog avatar saying ‘I’m anxious and nervous right now’. At this point, specialists might even advice one to yawn back at the dog in order convey a message to the dog to say ‘it’s fine here’ or ‘take it easy’.
Airport helpline shut down because of verbal abuse
To quote from a BBC report:
Edinburgh Airport has suspended its customer helpline to “protect staff” from verbal abuse from passengers whose luggage is missing.
The airport said removing the phone line would allow teams to work through a backlog of queries.
I wonder if that means that there is no dedicated helpline staff, and that the ones answering the helpline are the same ones clearing the backlog. But then, the report also says this:
Edinburgh Airport said responsibility for passenger baggage falls to airlines and their handling agents.
Herd Immunity
A wonderfully visualised 2 minute short that has something to say about fact-checking.
Fired for not using Smiley Emojis
To quote from a report out of Australia:
A Gold Coast cafe worker was fired after her boss claimed she was being “unfriendly” by not including smiley face emojis in a text message.
Kristen Gordon has now won an unfair dismissal case in the Fair Work Commission against her former employer Sens Catering Group, which has been ordered to pay her compensation.
Gordon was employed casually at the company’s Sens cafe in Southport as a supervisor when Phoebe Wang started as manager in late 2021.
The details:
In a managerial group text message, Gordon wrote that Sens cafe needed another staff member.
She claimed Wang became “very irate and shut the conversation down”.
Gordon’s immediate boss was told by Wang to “fire her right now. Hire another supervisor. I don’t care about the cost, do it now”, the commission was told.
When Gordon asked her manager why Wang was so upset, she was told it was because she “didn’t add any smiley faces” to the messages and Wang had perceived the texts as being “unfriendly”.
Car Contradicting
Another commercial for a used cars service- this time, from Thailand. It’s wacky, witty, and very effective in making its point.
‘Conceived out of Resentment’
Excerpt from a speech given by Kevin Anarna, recently elected mayor of Silang in Cavite province of the Philippines, as reported by The Guardian (quoting a local news website):
First of all, it should be: when you go to the municipal hall today, all the employees are smiling. Frowning is prohibited. Some of our employees, I don’t know if they were conceived out of resentment.
Used Car Nightmares
From Australia: a couple of spots for online used cars platform Cars24 that fantastically amplify the perils of buying from other dealers or someone you don’t know.
Links to videos:
Name Changer
From Spain: brand communications agency Shackleton finds a delightful way to announce its credentials– and, yes, its new name too.
RIP James Caan
From Thief (1981), which I regard as the definitive James Caan movie:
-The negotiation
-The adoption rejection
PS: I can’t forget this scene from The Gambler (1974)- it’s rare to see a Caan character so speechless and bewildered
Ball Dogs
Another campaign in the form of an open letter, or rather, that was just the start. It was from pet insurance brand ManyPets (formerly, Bought by Many) to the organisers of Wimbledon, making the case for ‘ball dogs’ instead of ball girls and ball boys. An excerpt:
Consider this. They are fast and they are fit, on the sidelines they will sit. They have four legs which are better than two, they will live to serve Emma Raducanu. Because there has never been any human with more passion than they, whose whole world revolves around tennis balls and a purpose to play.
It’s time for the Labrador to retrieve and the Boxer to show what he has up his sleeve. The Sheepdog will leap and the Collie will shine, the dogs will be champions, because now is their time. They will be the best ball girls and ball boys that the world has ever seen. They will be focused and dedicated, they will be tennis ball machines. We ask that you consider our plea, to give our furry friends a try as your official Ball Boys and Ball Girls in 2023.
This was then followed with a trial at a local tennis club that got quite a bit of media coverage. In an interview to the BBC, one of the people behind the initiative, had this to say about the results:
…the results varied from spectacular on one end of the spectrum to something varying towards chaos on the other end. I think it's fair to say that we kind of have some work in progress and we've got a long way to go before we'll be ready for next year but we're optimistic…
Nonetheless, the social media campaign continued, with some creative punning:
Fruit Forgiveness
A tongue-in-cheek campaign in the form of an open letter to “whom it may concern” (read: the Pope) that was put out, no less, in the Pope’s preferred newspaper.
Some excerpts:
To Whom It May Concern
At Dole Sunshine Company, International Fruit Day is a time for solemn reflection. This has prompted something of a revelation. That is why, with the greatest respect to your hallowed office, we think the time has finally come to address the elephant that’s been in the room for thousands of years. The most catastrophic PR disaster that fruit has ever faced: the calamity of Original Sin. As one of the largest fruit providers in the world, we hope to redeem its reputation in the eyes of your 1.2 billion discerning followers. For too long, fruit has been made the scapegoat for humanity’s most heinous crime, from the pulpit to the playground. For too long, fruit has been vilified and demonised; it has been maligned in art and literature, symbolising lust, temptation and depravity, in all its vile and wicked forms. This is a travesty of justice, that only you have the power, wisdom and authority to finally rectify.
Far from being the source of Original Sin and the root of all evil in the world, we prefer to think of fruit as the Original Snack, offering pleasure, nutrition and sustenance to the world at large. In an age of more sinful high-cal, low-fibre indulgences, like doughnuts, nachos, curly fries and other aberrations, we think it's time to celebrate the humble apple, the noble banana, the majestic kumquat. Let us not forget that fruit was the only thing on the menu in the Garden of Eden, so Our Lord and Maker must surely have been a fruitarian Himself.
We humbly ask for the absolution that only you can offer. A tiny change that can change the world. Would you consider amending the Bible? Just a tiny word. Replacing ‘fruit’ for any other unhealthy food, for instance? Just an idea. If that request sounds a bit too ambitious, no worries. We get it. Maybe then a message of support would go a long way to restoring the world’s faith in our beloved fruits. Today, more than ever, no fruit should be forbidden.
‘Snicker-snack’ Confession
Former British MP Neil Parish, who quit after he was found watching porn in Parliament, gave a television interview yesterday in which he made this revelation about his wife and, presumably, how she has felt about him watching porn:
She knows I’m no angel… in fact, you know, she chases me around the kitchen with the scissors going snicker-snack, knowing full well what part of my anatomy she’s after.
‘Snip for Shake’
To quote from a news report out of Tennessee, USA:
A Nashville gourmet hot dog spot, Daddy's Dogs, is offering customers a unique incentive for a form of birth control: get a vasectomy; earn a free milkshake.
The deal is called “Snip for Shake,” and it's been inspired by the recent Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.
Any man who provides a doctor's note confirming the procedure can get in on the offer, according to owner Big Daddy.
“The world is a pretty crazy place right now. We just think giving a free milkshake to men who’ve gotten their balls snipped is the right thing to do,” said Big Daddy.
‘Unwanted Residential Paving Incident’
That’s from a report out of Canada, about an investigation by the Ontario Provincial Police. To quote:
Wellington County OPP are trying to identify a man who they say was involved in an “unwanted residential paving incident” in Puslinch, Ont.
As for the ‘incident’:
Tammie Corrigan told CTV News in June that her driveway was paved without her permission.
She said a man knocked on her door and offered a discounted rate to do the work. They discussed the matter, but ultimately, Corrigan declined to go ahead with the repaving.
“At the end of the conversation [he said]: ‘I’ll call you next week when we're ready to do this,’” she told CTV News. “My words were: ‘We’ll call you if we decide to do this.’”
Corrigan said the next morning she returned home to find a crew working on her driveway.
Since it was half-paved at that point, she said the man offered to complete the work and give her $500 off the $7,500 bill.
‘Bespoke’ Bacon Perfume
To quote from the press release:
Wright® Brand Celebrates Centennial Anniversary with Bespoke Bacon-Inspired Fragrance - Wright N°100
Wright® Brand knows the only thing more distinctive than the taste of bacon is the smell of bacon. That's why the brand is celebrating 100 years of Bacon the Wright Way® with Wright N°100, bottling up its signature real wood-smoked bacon flavor to create a fragrance that's as addicting as its bacon.