Every creative genius knows that a boost of  brilliance can come at any time. It could be the wee hours of the night or at the early glimpses of sunrise. But let’s be real – the rest of the world just doesn’t seem to get it.

So what’s a hot shot, slim bot like yourself supposed to do when you feel yourself turn into the grim reaper around the office water cooler at 2 p.m.? Pick your poison – sugar or caffeine. Let’s run the stats on your energy boost options…

The Energy Drink:

These high-sugar, acid filled, cans of sugar are your worst option for an afternoon pick me up. Brands like Red Bull and Monster will hype you up with the excess caffeine for a few hours, but you’ll pay the price with a killer crash. Unless your looking to take a snooze on the copy machine – skip it! Continue reading →

“The difference between the forgettable and the enduring is artistry.” The infamous words of Bill Bernbach, Advertising pioneer who made a name for himself in the late depression era in New York City. Above is Bernbach’s most famous ad for Volkswagen.

Almost thirty years after his passing (He would have celebrated his 100th birthday this month), Bernbach’s innovative advertising techniques are still used today. An out-of-the-box way of thinking and an extreme devotion to creativity are what garnered respect from the industries top ad executives of his time.  Bernbach’s most notable contribution to the industry was combining copy writers and art directors into one cohesive team of equals- a system that remains a part of today’s ever expanding ad market.

“Advertising is not a science, it is persuasion, and persuasion is an art, it is intuition that leads to discovery, to inspiration, it is the artist who is capable of making the consumer feel desire.”

Bernbach was ahead of his times back in the 1960′s and probably never even foresaw how true his theory would prove to be.  In a world of lightening fast digital media, Bernbach’s  notion to create beautiful, artistic ads to lure the customer in is the only way any company has a chance these days.

Check out this video short of Bernbach as he explains his thinking behind some of his best ads. Grab your ipad, you might learn a thing or two!

With the onset of mobile technology, social media marketing, and all things app related, now is the time to do a little revamping to your web persona and assure your place in fan base all-stardom. Use our checklist to make sure you’ve got the power, the staying power that is.

1. Mobilize

With the creation of the ipad, the nook, and all those other smart devices making our book bags a little lighter, surfing the web on anything else is like voluntarily putting yourself  back in the Zach Attack Era of technology. Mobile sites give us all exactly what we’re looking for within a fraction of the time it takes on those older sites, ones crafted way back in 2009.  If you are one of those Saved By the Bell supporters who hasn’t bothered to update your old interface to a simplified cell compatible version, you need to get a grip! Times are a changin’, and fast. If you want to continue to satisfy your online users you need to build a mobile site plain and simple.

2. Liquify Your Assets

Once you make the change to a mobile site, you have got to make that solid piece of web a little more liquid. Standard websites utilize so many nuances that involve mouse hovering, drop down menus, keyboard short cuts, etc. – all of which cannot be accessed through touchscreen technology. If you want anyone to stay on your website for longer than six seconds, you have to make it easy enough for a four year old to use. Liquid layers takes all of that into consideration by cutting out any type of menu or navigation system that requires more than a pointer finger.

3. Social Media Manifesto

You may think this seems a little too obvious, but it’s not – we promise. We all know how important it is to incorporate social media into your business plan and make it a daily part of your marketing efforts, but beyond that you need to see how all of your efforts are paying off. You wouldn’t go to the gym and run around for an hour without tracking how far you went, would you? If you would, then you must not care about your body at all – same goes for measuring social media marketing impact. Companies are rolling out new programs dedicated to measuring your impact through every single character in your 140 word long whipper snapper. Hootsuite, Spredfast and Google Analytics, are some of our favorites.

4. Local Yocals

Maybe you’re a national company and you think your little town of  Nonexistent, Pennsylvania has no interest in what you’re selling – ya wrong! They do, they really do! Localizing your brand, no matter where you are, ultimately aids with brand recognition and your level of comfort with all of your users/customers. You’ll pop-up more frequently on Google Maps, search engines, and every kind of app that your business might be included in. Watch as your fan base starts to revel Gaga’s loyal little monsters.

5. Live it Live!

With constant feed updates from Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, everyone wants their news and they want it now! We’ll all seen the live Twitter feeds that make their way onto blog pages, but if you want to stay on top of your game, you’ll need to incorporate all of your news into some sweet sidebar action. Video blogging? Filming your own TV show? Blast it live! The more tidbits you give your followers, the more likely they are to come back on a frequent basis.

Now stop reading this blog and go fix your own!

Here is a story that couldn’t possibly be passed up. A four-year old Australian girl named Aelita Andre is being dubbed the next “Picasso.” Ever since she was little, she would draw and paint like any child. But her ordinary childhood scribbles were not so common. Both her parents are artists and could see that her drawings are more complex and have more depth for someone that is so young. The following video shows her unique abilities that make her the prodigy of color.

“The Prodigy of Color is Aelita’s first solo show in New York City. It opens on June 4, 2011 and continues until June 25, 2011. The opening reception will take place on June 4, 2011, the same day that the exhibition opens, and as always entrance is free and we encourage all art-lovers who can make it to come and experience this genuinely remarkable event.” –Agora Art Blog

What we can all take away from this story is that no matter how old, experienced or aware you are, you must start out small to make something big and worthwhile. It’s easy to be impulsive but it’s more rewarding to really nourish something to its greatest potential. Whether it’s inborn or learned, mediocre or excellent, it’s yours. That’s unique in its very own.

Talk about sugar coating! Five more sugar companies have joined the lawsuit to halt the corn industry from marketing HFCS (high fructose corn syrup) as a natural sugar. You may have seen their commercial, where a father and his young daughter are walking through a cornfield stating that whether it’s corn sugar or cane sugar, our body cannot tell the difference. “Sugar is sugar.”

The research has come to a fork in the road. There are so many different sides to the story. One research study suggested that people who consume corn sugar have a higher disposition to have high cholesterol, triglycerides and become obese. Other research suggested that corn sugar and cane sugar have similar nutritional values and with any sweetener, moderation is key.

If you’d like more information on the great 21st century debate of corn sugar versus cane sugar, check out this website.

Are you Team Corn Sugar or Team Cane Sugar?

Meet Max. MOS Creative President & CEO

Meet Max’s TOP 10 IDEAS for making your company stand out:

1. Have a clear message.
2. Grab attention with comical and witty advertising.
3. Be unique – be that purple cow, nothing will get faster word of mouth.
4. Use social media – no, seriously… Use it!
5. The company must have a positive and open personality.
6. Be creative. Be Original.
7. Have good customer service – nothing is more important and basic.
8. Know the demographic you’re selling to – introduce a service or product to the innovators of that niche and market.
9. The usefulness of your product and its ability to truly help clients.
10. Some may never think of this but some really good products go unnoticed because of improper placement. Make sure your placement is seen in the appropriate location (outside, internet, mobile)!

IKEA has been named advertiser of the year, again!

The Advertiser of the Year trophy was presented to Noel Wijsmans, global retail manager and VP of Ikea Group. The 58th Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity has awarded IKEA for inspiring innovative products and distinguishing themselves from other companies with their witty, creative and humorous ads.

IKEA first won a Lion in 1991 for the Ünboring Lamp and since then has been collecting over 50 Lions and millions of fans across the globe. Known for their fun, quirky, and memorable advertising, IKEA has been the foundation to humor-induced marketing and tactics for quite some time.

“Ikea’s approach to its marketing and communications, with its decentralized structure and strong relationships with many different kinds of agencies, has been hugely successful over many years,” said Philip Thomas, Cannes Lions CEO. “The company’s superb track record at Cannes reveals a clarity of vision and an enviable willingness to allow its agencies to truly flex their creative muscles.”  – Ad Age

Here are a few examples of IKEA’s work:
1. Using Facebook to promote products

2. Releasing 100 cats and kittens at an IKEA in the UK and watch them settle into the various comfortable nooks and crannies. OMG! Soooooooooooo CUTE!

3. They also released updated lullabies by famous musicians.

CONGRATULATIONS IKEA! Here’s to many more!

Guerilla Marketing is one of the coolest ideas that have come up within the 20th century. Jay Levinson coined the term “guerilla marketing” and it has taken off since then. Large companies, small companies and even non-profit organizations use guerilla tactics to increase revenue and even awareness. It relies heavily on unconventional methods and relies even more heavily on creative imagination.

Some non-traditional methods include reverse graffiti (clean pavement adverts), undercover (hidden messages) and experiential (interaction with the product).

Here are  some examples:

UNICEF Foundation for Water Awareness: Buying Dirty Water to Help Others Receive Clean Water

Real Hip Hop

Supermarket Carts Depicting Hungry Children, Hunger Awareness Program

Stick On Anti Smoking Stickers for Exhausts

Anti Cellulite cream from Nivea

Bus Grips Depicting Advertised Watches

Mr. Clean Magic Eraser on The Street

Awareness for Homelessness

Kit Kat Break Bench

Which one was your favorite?

If you would like to see more photos such as these, please visit this great blog.

So, a week has passed since the last quiz. Here’s your chance to redeem yourself if you got a low score.

Slogan & Company Quiz