Industry Tuesdays: The Shit People Say Phenomena

So we weren’t going to cover this because we thought oh, maybe the shit people trend is kind of over (which is maybe shit people in advertising say) but then today, “Shit People Say in LA” came out and it was pretty funny (for those of us who live in LA… In-N-Out! No Parking! Coachella!!!)

Shit People Say in LA

So we thought this Industry we’d talk about the Shit People Say phenomena. And give a little lali best of the shit people say videos.

A month or so ago, “Shit Girls Say” strikes the internet. 10 million YouTube views. Every girl on Facebook shares the link – saying “I’m guilty,” and “That’s totally me” and “I’ve said all of those things.” And then shortly afterwards, “Shit Black Girls Say” hits the internet. And it may be even funnier than the original.

And then, more and more shit people say video hit the internet. It had that elusive quality that so many of our brands are looking for – the “make it go viral” quality.

What Shit Girls (and black girls and white girls to black girls and guys and black guys and gay guys and black gay guys and guys in LA and sorority girls and vegan girls and Pilipino mothers) Say did was say to girls everywhere: you’re part of a group. You belong to us. To the shit girls say club. And being in that club is funny.

And then everyone else wanted to say the shit that they say. It was like every race, gender, stereotype, location and subculture wanted to tell the world what made them (humorously) them. Get a video camera and some pretty good actors and a bit of clever editing, and you can be amused for hours. (I was!)

So this Industry Tuesday takes a look at the meme, the phenomena, the craze of… shit people say.

Shit Girls Say
Here’s the obligatory original. You’ve got to give originators Graydon Sheppard and Kyle Humphrey some credit. The formula was easily spoofable (and therefore super funny). The tone, mood and editing were very well done. And the replications have kept the repeated scene editing, the cross-dressing (sometimes, or at least costume-dressing), the flutter cuts and comedic timing.

And here’s where it went.
Shit Black Girls Say

Shit White Girls Say to Black Girls

Shit Black Guys Say

Shit Gay Guys Say

And as the phenomena keeps going, the iterations have to be more specific.
Shit Skiers Say

Shit Liza Minelli Says

Shit Girls Say to Gay Guys

Shit Asian Dads Say (I don’t know if it’s just my Asian grandfather, but this one was super hilarious)

It even got to a place where it wasn’t shit people say, but what they DON’T say!

Shit Nobody Says

Shit Guys Don’t Say

Shit Girls Don’t Say

We’ve even gotten to things like “Shit Gay Guys Say To Their Cats” and “Shit Girls Say To Their Personal Trainers” and “Stuff Black Church Girls Say” and “Shit People Say About Shit People Say Videos.” Wonder if the more specific they get, the more the charm will wear off? But for now, it’s going strong. Maybe we’ll make a “shit ze lalis say,” filmed by Antoine Bardot-Jacquet… Or maybe we’ll hold off on that one.

xo,
la

PS What’s your favorite shit people say video?

Industry Tuesdays: a salute to a real adman, and a look at what ads have become…

I don’t know much about Leo Burnett as an ad agency, then or now, but I do know a thing or two about Don Draper. And watching this tribute video — an animation to a speech evidently given by Leo Burnett himself — really makes you think about the passion that advertising creatives have shared over the last 75 or so years. Sure, back then, late nights were spent picking a spokesman or writing a simple jingle, and yes by today’s standards that’s taking the easy way out. But it’s still endearing to hear the sentiments we have in common across the generations.

Leo Burnett “When to take my name off the door” from Lobo on Vimeo.

But as we all know, there is so much settling in advertising today. So many numbers to hit, and so many boring people who think these numbers can only be achieved by employing some tried and true formula. Even though this next video is beautiful, the narration is super entertaining, and the heroine’s hairstyles are to die for, this parody of the modern ad concept (if it can be called that) hits really close to home when so many of us are trying to live up to the ambition of our forefathers (and mothers!)

Une Fille Comme Les Autres from Jalouse blog on Vimeo.

Ok, now that we’ve explored what the ad formula should NOT be, I want to see 5 facebook ideas, 10 homepage takeovers, and 20 media arts stunts by 10am!

jk,
li

Happy Birthday To Li!

It’s Friday the 13th!

It’s also li’s 30th birthday! O M G !

We got pizza from li’s mom! (thanks!)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lscribbly/6692156619

And a cake from the crew on our print shoot!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lscribbly/6692156943/in/photostream/

And a card (shot by our wonderful photographer Sue Tallon)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lscribbly/6692161799/in/photostream

So, in honor of her birthday, I thought we could all celebrate li, and thank her for being born so we get to enjoy all the fun things about her!

That includes lots of singing:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lscribbly/6130179899/in/photostream

And dancing:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lscribbly/4954798618/

And dressing up:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lscribbly/6300076321

Working hard:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lscribbly/6050608203/in/photostream

And working late:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lscribbly/5372428162/

Cheering people on:

(and cheering people up!):
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lscribbly/4646995300/

Having fun:

And making other people have fun:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lscribbly/5353219230/

By always unabashedly being herself!

And since it’s not just me (la!) who gets the benefits of li’s wonderful personality, here are a couple notes from the people closest to her about the things they love about li!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lscribbly/6692112859/in/photostream

“I appreciate her generous and genuine spirit, her energy and enthusiasm!”
-Laura Riley, Lady Battery

“I appreciate Lindsey’s loving, warm heart, her loyalty, generosity, outgoingness, creativity, tenacity, honesty, intelligence and above everything else: her friendship.”
-Kim Argetsinger, Lady Battery

“Easily one of the sweetest girls I’ve ever met.”
-Dave Estrada, Art Director

“LL (the nickname I gave my little teeny tiny friend years ago) is one of the brightest most beautiful lights I’ve had the pleasure of soaking in. Her kindness, creativity and tenderness run eternal. She shares her love with everyone she knows, without holding back even an ounce. I love this amazing creature and appreciate her for helping me back on the path. Happy Birthday, LL.”
-Simone DeBlasio, Best Blog Commenter Ever

“I love Lindsey’s contagious energy and constant smile. You can hear it in her voice, and even in her e-mails. When things are pretty gloomy, she’ll be the one cheering for everybody to look on the bright side.
The number of gal pals she has and length of her friendships is a true testament to what a great friend she is.”
-Elizabeth Van Blargen, Li’s Former Partner & Copywriter

“Within about 20 minutes of meeting Lindsey I knew we would be lifelong friends, and selfishly I was determined to make sure she moved to LA just so I could have her in my life more. Not that that’s unusual – anywhere we go Lindsey seems to make new friends. Her smile and enthusiasm are infectious, and her spirit is supportive and giving. We’ve laughed together (within 20 minutes of disrobing on our first group venture to the Korean Spa, Lindsey had us all in stitches as she made us all check our inhibitions at the door with her glorious nude cheerleading routine. Yes, it’s true. And it was ah-mazing), we’ve cried together (I’ll always remember our plane ride to NYC for my 20-something birthday when we somehow ended up in tears just listening to song lyrics), and she’s always, always been there with a shoulder to lean on. I feel eternally blessed and fortunate to have a friend like Lindsey. There’s no one else quite like her; Lindsey is unabashedly.. well, Lindsey, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
-Lisa Jay, Wonderful Friend

“I’ve been best friends with Lindsey for a quarter of a century! She’s the girl you want on your corner, especially if you have to make up a song or a cheerleader-inspired dance, or if you need someone to cheer you on in a torrential downpour while you run a marathon!”
-Sasha Wexler, Best Friend, Opposite Twin, Stacy to her Diana

“I love Lindsey because the word “no” is not in her vocabulary. She is passionate and goes after what she wants in life and I admire that.”
Marcella Simmons, Friend & New Mom!

“Lindsey is always smiling, and she smells nice even when she’s not wearing perfume.”
-Nick Ciffone, Baby Copywriter

And the most lovely message from li’s mom!
“I really, really, really wanted a girl this time.
Lindsey was a really, really fussy girl but I didn’t care because it gave me an excuse to spend hours each day doing nothing but rocking her and humming “hush little baby, don’t say a word” in her ear.
She was born in a snow storm on the day the Air Florida plane crashed into the bridge over the Potomac River and the first fatalities happened on the DC Metro which made us cuddle even closer
She hated baby sitters and was only happy when riding on my hip which always made me feel special and loved
She loved school and was always the most organized and ambitious, yet caring and fair student in her class
Once someone earned her trust, she was willing to ski downhill and be a cheerleader for the 110 pound football team at three years of age
She let me drag her to piano lessons, a sport per season (swim team, soccer, little league, basketball, junior golf, tennis, lacrosse, gymnastics) , art lessons, ballet, tap, Girl Scouts, Indian Princesses, horse back riding, and most importantly: AWANA, children’s choir at church, drama productions and musicals at big church, bible study, and Sunday school.
She has the gift of encouragement and uses it freely
She allows her mom to routinely embarrass her on facebook
And most importantly, she loves the Lord and lives to honor Him with her life and cares deeply about those around her.”
-Leslie Montague, li’s Mom!!

li, thanks for being born 30 years ago! And we hope we have you in our lives for another 30 and more!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lscribbly/6692143807/in/photostream

xo,
la

Industry Tuesdays: “Crash Corsage”

Want to fiesta for free? And watch people ages 50 and up dance the funky chicken? Have a one night stand? Or maybe meet your one life stand? Nope, it’s not an audition for Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson’s parts in Wedding Crashers. It’s from R/GA Creative Eric Schlakman and it’s a new app.

The app collects data from the open directories of personal wedding site providers and filters for nearby weddings, time, what to wear, how the couple met, etc. It even offers a social aspect, and challenges for users to compete against other crashers, upload photos and cross off items on checklists.

If lali didn’t have a very important birthday coming up this weekend, we might be crashing a wedding instead! Blog knows we like to dress up :)

xo,
la

F*cking Creatives & Douchey Account Guys

It’s the new year. And we’re back to work.

And since we’re back to work, what better way to celebrate than by making fun of people at work.

A couple months ago, li shared a link on Peter Estermann‘s Facebook wall. It was a link to doucheyaccountguys.tumblr.com. And Peter just happens to be one of our FAVORITE douchey account guys.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lscribbly/6644021805

And then today, we found a link (retaliation from enraged account teams everywhere?) called fuckingcreatives.tumblr.com.

A few samples below.

Douchey Account Guy
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lscribbly/6643974339

Fucking Creatives
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lscribbly/6643974237

Needless to say, it was the source of much mirth on our shoot day today. Many of the quotes are surprisingly accurate and therefore funny. And what’s particularly funny about them is that they follow a theme… notedly, account people trying to get creatives to do more work, do it on time, and do it in a way client’s will buy it. And creatives trying to get out of work, extend the deadline, do work exactly the way THEY want and not the client wants, or only do things if there is free food involved.

So, fellow madmen and girls, what are your favorite advertising catch phrases? Go to the tumblr blogs and submit one of your own!

xo,
la

PS Where am I supposed to be at 2p?

Another holly jolly holiday for lali! …a photo essay

Before we get on our respective planes headed toward our respective home states, la and I wanted to WISH YOU ALL AN AMAZING 2011 FINALE by sharing with you the fun memories of the holiday season we’ve accumulated so far…

This time of year, you can’t get away from the office for every holiday party, so we chose to kick off the season with a yum holiday brunch thanks to an invitation from Ashley Ford, followed by a sunny walk through the Marina (which we should TOTALLY do more often, la)

After that, la and I happily scored two tickets to the AICP party at the Roosevelt, complete with synchronized swimmers, He’s My Brother She’s My Sister, and Santa’s Lap

La and I baked some holiday cookies with our girlfriends — not surprisingly, wearing matching aprons :)

THEN, it was FINALLY time for the much-awaited Chiat Holiday Party!! We played dress-up:

And swooned over our hot dates:

Adorably, Nick gave Lisa a corsage:

So Lisa gave Nick a kiss:

All in all, lali had a super fun time!

After that shindig wrapped up, this past week at Chiat was practically a ghost town, so la and I took the liberty of actually leaving the office for lunch (truthfully, some Christmas shopping and a couple Wetzels Pretzels). As always, we found an excuse to sing about something. In this case, scrubs:

And for the grand finale, we showed up at the office on Tuesday to discover our Chiat Christmas Bonuses had arrived!!! Pirate Hoodies!!!!! Word.

As much as we (what’s the word? oh yeah) …loved… 2011, we can’t WAIT to see what 2012 holds for lali and all the people lali holds dear.

So grab someone you care about and give them a big kiss!! You know, in case the Mayans were right and we only have a few months left.

XO until the new year!!!
li

PS Creative Directors, please accept our sincerest apologies that we did not get around to making your gifts this year. I promise we did have a good idea, involving buttons. Though, let’s just be honest, we could never top last years Holly Jolly Holiday Hot Toddies, Love lali

Creative Outlets Outside the Office (part deux)

last week, we learned about la’s secret side skill, photography. now it’s my turn to discuss my extra-curricular creativity, but i’m having a hard time deciding what to share with you lovely people. my high school french teacher used to call me a dilettante, and a friend recently called me the same, and i think it’s probably actually kind of true.

when i was little, it was all about dancing, acting, and singing. i was even on TV a couple times:

in high school, i started drawing a lot:

and even made a few ad campaigns to help get my friends elected to school office. i can’t find the image ANYWHERE but one favorite poster idea went something like this:
POSTER 1: “Hi I’m Troy McLure. Vote for Scott Weckstein for President”
POSTER 2: “Hi I’m Troy McLure. You may remember me from such campaign posters as ‘the one over there’ and ‘this one!’ Vote for Scott Weckstein for President”
(i was really into the simpsons back then. sorry if it’s not funny to anyone now.)

in college, i was a competitive cheerleader, and making up stunts and routines was definitely the most fun way to be creative! (i’m the one in red):

i started my own dictionary when i was in 5th grade, i went through a phase where i was passionate about fat-free cooking, then interior design, and i made my own line of tshirts using spray paint. and i’ve always ALWAYS been making up really dumb songs (about the redskins, the bulls, my dogs, my friends, and things that strike me as fun or interesting in any way… and, as my mom reminded me in a comment, recycling, fibbonacci numbers…)

but as a dilettante, you’re not SUPER good at any one thing. luckily my grandparents suggested i “go into advertising” or else who knows what i would have done to make a living :)

lately, my most fun extra-curricular creative activity has been my tumbr, lindseyfindsthisfunny.tumblr.com — here, you’ll find things that i make (or shoot) that i find funny!

for example, “social media in the seven kingdoms”

rob-dude=rex

when chipping nail polish resembles geography (click here to see what else my nail polish resembles!)

or my dog penny trying to get me out of a ticket:

i hope you find what i find funny funny too! and please check back… you just never know what i might find funny next time!!!

laughing,
li

Creative Outlets Outside The Office

Our job titles are “creatives.” We work in a “creative field.” And we work at an office where “creativity” is King with a capital K.

One of the best things about TBWA\Chiat\Day is that they not only support creativity in advertising, but creativity in everything. This place understands that in order to do inspired work, you’ve gotta be inspired. And while a basketball court in the office, cool DJs at lunch, concerts in the parking lot & “creative black tie” holiday parties sure do make for inspiration inside the office, Chiat also supports inspiration outside the office.

They will supplement classes that we take to continue to augment our creative skills. I took them up on that offer.

And just finished my travel photography class at Otis College of Art & Design.

Travel Photography
What makes a great travel photograph? Location, subject, time of day, light, shadow, and color, all play a role in creating a terrific, engaging and memorable image. This course combines location shooting, printing, written documentation, and class critique while covering topics ranging from color to black and white, digital or film, lens focal lengths, composition, and depth of field.

I shot a lot, shared a lot, learned a lot, and was creative outside the office!

Here’s a sampling of work from the class!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lscribbly/6478399951

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lscribbly/6478403457

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lscribbly/6478404193

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lscribbly/6478404451

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lscribbly/6478404617

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lscribbly/6478407311

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lscribbly/6478407163/in/set-72157628336805429

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lscribbly/6478408265/in/set-72157628336805429

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lscribbly/6478408787/in/set-72157628336805429

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lscribbly/6478409641/in/set-72157628336805429

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lscribbly/6478409399/in/set-72157628336805429

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lscribbly/6478412753/in/set-72157628336805429

And I included a page in my portfolio of Instagram photos (responsible for most of the photos on the lali blog!) because it’s the camera that’s always with me.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lscribbly/6479330711

xo from la the photog :)

PS Stay tuned for li’s post re: what SHE does creatively outside the office! Besides make up songs for her dogs, of course.

lali supports prostates this Movember!

So… I wasn’t toooootally sure what a prostate was, and I was kind of afraid to google it at work in case something NSFW came up. But I know it has something to do with man parts, and I know Movember has something to do with growing mustaches to help keep prostates healthy. And lali cares about the health of all the awesome men in our lives.

Ergo… we wanted to show our Movember support for mustaches, men, and man parts!!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lscribbly/6421747857/in/photostream

What do mustaches have to do with prostates, you ask? According to the Movember website:

During November each year, Movember is responsible for the sprouting of moustaches on thousands of men’s faces, in the US and around the world. With their Mo’s, these men raise vital funds and awareness for men’s health, specifically prostate cancer and other cancers that affect men.

Hopefully the cute finger staches la has donated to the cause raise much awareness and many donations!!

Click here to see our previous contributions to the movement. Preview: la looks a little dirty and I look like a weird old man.

xo to all our favorite men out there… may your prostates remain healthy and vital!
li

A Spoonful of Music Makes the Work Day Go Down!

In the most delightful way!

So we blog a lot about work perks. And that’s because we’re lucky enough to get them. And yeah, we work hard and all. But the past two days have been a reminder of how lucky we are to work in advertising. And how lucky we are to work at TBWA\Chiat\Day.

Reminder 1

We had a concert on the basketball court on Tuesday. Yup, that’s right. First of all, there’s a basketball court at the office. Second, we had a concert there. Woot woot!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lscribbly/6356047015

When walking down to the basketball court, you could hear her haunting voice floating up to the third floor stacks. She was quite ethereal, at times operatic, and reminded me of a wood nymph. And her upright bass player wasn’t too shabby either!

That’s her. And here’s her own self description:
“I am a Flower Alchemist with a minor in music.
Born in New York City, raised in Motherland Russia, spent teenage years sequestered in an Italian monastery.

Following a prophecy, arrived in the U.S. incognito and studied opera. The rest is history.

I seek to sing in a manner which would create within your chest a safe, magical, truthful place of power beyond the slow burn of stars.”

Reminder 2:

And then last night, Shane at Hum was kind enough to invite us to a Blitzen Trapper performance.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lscribbly/6356040333
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lscribbly/6356044367

This is pretty exciting to us already, as the last time I saw them was at the Hollywood Bowl. And the time before that at Coachella. And we’re getting to see them with 50 other people in a garage. Seriously, pretty sweet. And I really really love this band.

This song we’ve tried to put in many a commercial… Maybe it’ll still happen! (please ignore my atrocious singing, my goodness, I totally didn’t consider that my voice would get recorded as well, whoops!)

And after the show, li had the awesome idea to get them to sign the set list. Which we did.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lscribbly/6354048165

But more importantly, we had a really awesome time getting to know the band. They’re all from Oregon (except for Marty, he’s from Washington). Topics discussed included: the soft harem, attempting to sign girl’s boobs with a bic pen, Indiana Jones, the word “hapa,” alcoholism recovery and country music.

We also got lessons in air drumming.

All in all, it’s been a pretty work perky kinda week. And we’re not complaining!

Thanks Elizaveta & Thanks Blitzen Trapper!

xo,
la

PS Listening to their new album now, and it’s like 70’s trucker bar in the lali cube!
PPS Also, Ashley Ford came to visit and brought us some cool necklaces from Savage, their new production company! Keep bringing on the work perks! Good thing we took our bribery training class… (!!!)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lscribbly/6352769230