Kool-Aid Man Gets A Makeover

So just as my last post showed, even the Kool-Aid Man has undergone a makeover. The new advertisements show the 59 year old pitcher lifting weights and changing his "clothes". He has lost weight and is able to say a few more words than just his catch phrase "Oh Yeah!!!".

 The development of past brand mascots is a trend that has been around since mascots were created. Thankfully for creative individuals like myself this means there will always be work as far as developing and evolving the personality and character of some of these beloved characters.


Here is a look at the new and improved Kool-Aid Man in this fresh campaign created by Saatchi & Saatchi Agency in New York City.

There is also a 30 second spot which is a better representation of the transition of the character. That video can be seen by clicking the link below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eV7BaurdQQ0&feature=endscreen&NR=1

Another Moving Campaign

Dove is once again playing on the heartstrings of everyone who owns a mirror. This is an incredibly inventive execution of delivering a common message.

Self image is something that can be very hard to deal with. We are our own worst critics and Dove has highlighted this fact in a beautifully done campaign. A police sketch artist has each individual describe themselves to him and while he produces a sketch based on the details given. He then does a sketch of that same person using the descriptions given to him by a third party. The difference of course is a much friendly positive image than the one produced by the personal description.

The music combined with the emotion given by those in the video makes for a really strong emotional connection. You wouldn't even remember it was for Dove products until they flash a logo in your face.


The Ogilvy Agency hits an emotional homerun with this campaign, plain and simple. Not to say that there won't be those who feel this just further solidifies the standard of caring this much about how we look but as an advertising campaign this attains more success than short comings.

Watch the video below:

Love yourself, you deserve it.

Some Advertising Work

These are a couple examples of the creative executions I've come up with for various assignments/campaigns during my time in the Advertising Program at Sheridan College.

These train wraps were done for GO Transit.

The "GO Green" campaign was designed to communicate the earth friendly alternative to driving a motor vehicle in high volume traffic every day.

The idea behind these wraps is that now when someone sees a GO Train they don't just see at as a train they actually see a cleaner more beautiful planet.

The contrast of the nature images against a busy urban background really drives the message of a "greener way to travel".

I will locate the rest of the out of home executions and share them but for now...


The following images were created in Photoshop by Donald M. Love

All the image used for the wrap were chosen specifically because they played with the depth of the image. I wanted people to get caught looking at the train and feel like they are actually in that space.



You'll notice it says "osoloco" in the corner of the images, that is the name i put on all of my creative work. Call it a brand if you will, it is essentially my digital signature.

With the first two images I used images of places that could relate those living in the southern Ontario region. I wasn't going to use a picture of a vast dessert because people wouldn't relate. I felt i kind of pushed that boundary on this one.  Don't get me wrong I know hamilton has the most waterfalls in a single city in the world, but they don't look like this!


Thanks for taking a look at what is I do when I sit at a computer for hours at a time.

Its harder than the finished product makes it seem.

Dancin' With Myse-helf

I have a confession to make.

I spend countless hours in a week dancing by myself. I do this because something about certain music just forces my body to move. It can't be explained really. I'm the furthest thing from a choreographer but I do recognize what good dance looks like.

Being someone who enjoys the arts overall, I find that this video and this group of dancers, The Jabawockeez, encompass visual, physical and musical art forms in such a way that even to those who don't particularly appreciate the arts they see that this something special and all-in-all impressive.

I highly suggest watching this more than once to take in all the intricacies of the dance. Isolation hand movements, head movements, see what people in the back row are doing as well as those out front. All the smallest details contributed by each individual are what make the look and feel of this number so incredible.

Enjoy!

*I'm the one wearing the white mask...on the left...*

In 2012 The Jabawockeez were awarded with the Living Legends of Hip Hop award for their work and became the first dance crew to ever achieve this honour. The core group is made up of 8 individuals who collaborate on all the choreography, musical composition and any other aspect of their performances. Just another example of how minds working together can create and achieve much greater things than the mind of one individual alone.

Collaboration is the key to progress and progress leads to success.

Celebrating A Milestone: Part Two

Part Two: Putty In Their Hands

   My first job ever had me working at a tiny meat shop in a plaza that featured a 7/11 and a Thiara Market. The owner was a man half my size and I was only 14. I learned a lot from the people I worked with. My foul language at this point was pretty limited and extremely unoriginal but I was willing to work on it. I knew swearing was for me the minute my parents told me it was wrong and that I shouldn't do it. When I showed up for my first shift and met the man I'd call boss, I didn't know that I was about to meet the man who would open my ears to a whole new world of disrespectful language never to be used in front of my parents. What some would call verbal abuse I called language arts. I learned that taking a common swear word and joining it with everyday words or objects gave them new life.

    He was particularly good at put-downs. There was one individual at the workplace who essentially acted as a pin cushion...for samurai swords and battle axes being thrown at him by our boss. Everyday this kid would come in to work and everyday he would spend the whole shift getting dumped on. He was the longest standing employee aside from the owner, and that meant something. I learned from this young man that sometimes it's acceptable to be somebody elses toilet, as long as that person pays you better than everyone else and gives you better hours. Noted.

      When my loudmouth boss wasn't cussing out his beloved employees or out buying discounted meat from local grocery stores and selling it as luxury meat at his shop, he was a very friendly and extremely helpful person. He would help load heavy products into the cars of customers and even offer their children lollipops. I was astonished when I first saw him acting this way. It was such a drastic change in such little time, but how? Two-facing. A life changing ability and one that I've since realized everyone possesses. Again this man was showing me what it meant to be a part of the "real world". It meant being one thing to some people and another thing to others. Yes, sometimes it takes being who they need you to be in order to be who you want to be. So for the lesson in Language Arts and Deception 101, I sincerely thank the boys down at the butcher shop.

   I was putty in their hands and all they did was roll me into a ball and whip me at the wall to see if I would stick... I didn't. I very quickly peeled back and fell to the floor. Next job please!


For a personal online Language Arts Lesson watch this video:

My Past and My Future

The Waynes World movies played a major role in my childhood. Garth Algar was one of my first impressions and he also had an interest in playing the drums. Wandering through Youtube as I do so often, I was reminded of a scene from Waynes World which combines both of my academic ventures. I didnèt know it at the time but this was some serious foreshadowing going on here.

Comedy and advertising, it's a killer combination!

For your viewing pleasure, my two Post Secondary Diplomas at work:

Celebrating a Milestone: Part One

Part One: The Award Goes To...


I got fired two days ago for the... no way! I just realized that I have reached a Milestone in my working life. I have officially been employed and deployed 10 times! Never in my wildest dreams did I think this day would come. Okay, maybe I did but certainly not so soon. I'm speechless.

Who am I kidding? I have plenty to say.

   I know there is no trophy to raise, banner to hang, ribbon to pin or medal to be worn but damnit I feel like a winner! So, as the winner of any lifetime achievement award would do, I begin my giving of thanks. I should mention before I start that I can be extremely sarcastic at times and I know that doesn't always translate well in the written word. I wish all readers the best of luck in digging out the trace amounts of sincerity scattered amongst this dense mass of literary feces.

10 jobs...

   I'd like to start off by thanking myself. Without you none of this would have been possible. You were always there for me. I always had a choice of shoulder to cry on. I couldn't picture my life without you. Thank you so much, you incredibly intelligent and fiercely attractive man.

My plan now is to rifle through every job I have ever held and thank those who helped me on my way to achieving this impressive statistic in such a short period of time. This will be done in chronological order of course.

Now, for legal reasons I can't use the names of the people who pissed me off- I mean worked alongside me. (I always get those mixed up) That works out though because I wasn't going to use their names anyway, they don't deserve the credit.


In my next entry I discuss the first 3 jobs and a few of the characters who helped mold me.