Who's Yours?

So don't be shy everyone has one... or least would like to have one. And while mine my never come true. In the spirit of New Years I will share mine with you. Mine is...... drum roll please... Brad Pitt. While I would like to think he would, I'm not sure if he would have the time.  I of course am talking about designated drivers. What were you thinking? 

Everyone loves to celebrate the New Year but I hope all of you will remember to do so responsibly. And incase I wasn't persuasive enough, and you feel it's not "cool", even the celebrities are doing it. 

Happy New Years. See you in 2010.

Best of the Decade

Christmas is over and soon it will be time to ring in a new year. But this New Years Eve marks the end of the first decade in the new millennium. There were some highs and yes some major lows in all aspects of advertising and media culture. I ran across in article in Advertising Age magazine naming their top ten favorite magazine covers. I thought it was interesting being that each year there are more than 7000 magazines printed in the US alone. Here are just some of the magazine covers that made it into the top ten.


Texas Monthly: January 2007

Rolling Stone: July 2008

New York: March 2008

The Economist: July 2006

The New Yorker: September 2001


And although Nat Ives from Ad Age did not put this last magazine cover in to his top ten best of the decade I felt it needed to be shown and definitely should have made the cut.

New York: March 2009

Christmas Confusion

With all of the holiday cheer that is jammed into one month its no wonder that people can feel overwhelmed by commercials and songs dictating to us on what we should buy and how we should feel when it comes to the holiday season. Now don't get me wrong I do love Christmas and this time of year in general. But I do believe some companies use this "Christmas Spirit" we are suppose to hold as an excuse to shove their product down our throats. This is the reason I decided to post some of the most negative holiday commercials I've seen this holiday season. Aren't the holidays suppose to be about giving not receiving? Isn't Christmas about spending more on others because it makes you feel better? The commercials posted range from brattishness to frugal all the way to disturbing . This is not the message we should be sending this time of year. Stop the confusion. Christmas is a time of selflessness, lets not forget that.

Merry Christmas from 44 North!

GAP- Talk to the Moose
Explosive holiday cheer mixed in with children who are bratty and spoiled.



Target- Not There Yet
Letting someone you care about think that you have spent a lot of money on them because they mean a lot to you but realistically you are frugal and selfish. Holiday spirit?



Boost Mobile- Naught Mrs. Clause
Since when is adultery funny? This is not only disturbing but it makes me want to not purchase the product.

Best Holiday Commericials

Christmas will be here in four short days. To get you in the Christmas spirit 44 North would like to share some great holiday commercials with you. Some of them are new and some of them are old but all bring in the Christmas spirit. Now sit back and take in some holiday spirit!

Merry Christmas!


Verizon: Misfit toys



Wii: Holiday



M&M's: Meeting with Santa



Coca Cola: Polar bear holiday series



Oreo: 1987 Santa



McDonald's: Runaway



Campbell's Soup: 1995 Winter

Social Media With a Bit of Holiday Sparkle

This holiday retailers are jumping on the social media bandwagon. With Facebook topping 300 million users and Twitter climbing to over 13 million users in a little less than two years, it's no wonder that these retailers are beginning to invest so much time and money this holiday season into social media sites.

Retailers have used this season to not only persuade users to visit their site but to visit their store. Retailers have enticed users with promotional coupons, interactive games, gift finders, as well as fun holiday cheer. Not only are these sites fun and helpful but the are also charitable. Sites such as Toys 'R' Us and Sears are getting in the spirit by helping families in need of gifts this time of year. You can also make a wish to Santa as well as help the Make A Wish foundation at Macys.

So spread some holiday cheer, find a gift for a loved one, save some money doing it so you can buy one for yourself, and help others in need. Check out some of my favorite Facebook social media retailers to explore the festivities.

• Best Buy

Hint Dropper: Have you been wanting that special something but that special someone is maybe not the most perceptive person? well Hint Dropper can you help your loved one finally get the hint!

• Walmart

List Creator: Create that special list so that you get everything you want this holiday

• Macy's

Santa's Post Office: Send a letter to Santa with the special Macy's holiday stationary. For each letter sent through Macy's will donate $1 to the Make A Wish Foundation.

• Sears

Heroes At Home: Help to give a gift to military families this holiday season. Pick out items online or send gift cards online to families helping to serve and protect.

• GAP

Cheer Factory: Send cheers and custom greeting to friends and family members all while receiving a nice promotional offer for doing so.

Happy Holidays from 44 Degrees North!

Tired of Snow and Cold Already?

After waking up this morning to temperatures below zero I couldn't help but dream of somewhere tropical. While I do love the festivities of the holiday season, I could do without the cold temperatures. And just when I didn't think it was possible to have one without the other I ran across an ad campaign from Orange (a french telecom company) that made me want to call up a travel agent and leave Wisconsin for good. 

Enjoy the snow... and if you can't, you can join Orange and I in dreaming...

"What if Christmas lasted all year?"

Orange Campaign Ads from Ads of the World

The Best a Man Can Get?

Gillette may be in for some hard times as their three main spokesmen all have found themselves the center of media controversy in the last couple of months. Rodger Federer's embarrassing temper tantrum at the U.S. Open finals this past September could mark the beginning of the "Champions" downfall. Two months later an illegal hand-ball from Thierry Henry in the World Cup qualifying match would send fans over the edge. So much perhaps that Gillette decided to change an add featuring Thierry holding a soccer ball in the previous running Gillette ads, post hand-ball incident the advertisement is ball free. And if Gillette wasn't feeling enough pressure from their failing "Champions" Tiger Woods makes his good boy behavior go sour with a public display of adultery.

While it is probably safe to say that Tiger or the rest of the gang won't be getting the boot anytime soon, you have to wonder will there be consequences for Gillette? If anything this may work as just the opposite. People will still love these three men. These three men are and may always be the best their sport has to offer. So soon after the dust settles these tribulations may just be forgotten to the public and Gillette could perhaps use the events as leverage to gain a cheaper endorsement price. David Schwab, VP for the athlete representation for Octagon says, "For the entire celebrity area, when issues like this happen,brands and their legal counsel tighten a lot of legal language- termination, morals and yes, pricing"

Although we place these celebrities on pedestals we have to remember at the end of the day everyone is human and everyone makes mistakes. Hopefully these public human mistakes don't cost these men too much in financial or personal ways.

Where do design ideas come from?

It seems as though an idea can come from out of no where. But if you look back far enough the idea was sparked from something. So what does make a good design idea pop out of no where. Here are a couple of thoughts...

A) Client input- its important that the designer not only keeps their style on the project but keeps in mind what the client is looking for

B) Brainstorming as a group- if two heads are better than one, well you may have hit a gold mine with a group

C) Other things we see in the market place- Sometimes a spark comes from improvement not invention

D) Things in nature- Seek beauty and inspiration from that which is around you

E) Research- Its important that your "creative" idea is one that was "borrowed" from another. Make sure your idea is truly YOUR idea