Updated: October 2, 2012 - Happy 143rd Birthday, Mahatma Gandhi. Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (1869 - 1948) was commonly known as Mahatma, and affectionately, also as Bapu.
Posted on Nov. 18, 2010:
Michelle & Barack Obama sign the Guest Book at
Mani Bhavan - Gandhi's home in Mumbai (Nov 6, 2010)
This actually happened... although I still had to pinch myself to believe my eyes when I saw the newsclip on Indian national TV! (see video below)
Breaking News: My Aunt, Usha Trivedi, met Michelle & Barack Obama when they visited Mani Bhavan in Mumbai, during their first visit to India (Nov 5-7, 2010) - a historic visit for the Obamas and... Trivedis!
Mani Bhavan was Mahatma Gandhi's residence in Mumbai and now belongs to a caretaker trust. Usha Bafoi (that's Indian for Aunt = Dad's sister) joined Mani Bhavan in the 1950s as an apprentice and is today, a Trustee.
If that's not amazing enough, she'd even met Martin Luther King, Jr. & his wife Coretta Scott-King during their visit to India in 1959. She has fond memories of going shopping with Coretta around Bombay city.
Martin Luther King, Jr. held Gandhi in high esteem and was so inspired by his teachings, he embraced Gandhian principles of non-violence during his Nobel Peace Prize-winning fight for Civil Rights & Equality.
Barack Obama has always considered Martin Luther King, Jr. his idol (certainly shows in his oratory skills!) and in turn, has a special place in his heart for Gandhiji - his mentor's mentor.
(-: Hey Obama... you got USA, we got USHA :-)
Both Michelle & Barack Obama were touched when they saw an entry in an old guest book written by Martin Luther King, Jr.! Quite visibly, they felt privileged to be at a place of such historic value & personal relevance.
As she said in the video, President Obama was so happy, he kept shaking her hand. (-: Now I know why Bafoi hasn't washed her hands since :-)
Here's an article in USA Today on Obamas' visit to Mani Bhavan and how they paid homage to Mahatma Gandhi when there.
Maria Sharapova - most photographed sportswoman in the world
3 times Grand Slam Winner and Grand Glam Gal Maria Sharapova is the star attraction in the ASB Classic Women's Tennis tournament being played in Auckland right now (Jan 3 - 8, 2011). But I wonder...
Shrieking at 101 decibels (= small aircraft landing), could sheeeya:) be the loudest tennis grunter ever. See the video. Judge for yourself!
Maria Sheeeayaarapova code name Supersonic Diva, Shriek Foreva ...
Epic mash-up of the game-set-&-match-winning Sharapova scream!
Here are a few press articles dedicated to grunting & screaming in women's tennis. I found them quite informative and pretty amusing:
Easily the top creative campaign of the year - from Santos, Buenos Aires.
Diesel deals a swift kick in the proverbial... to everybody!
AssLand - where people who speak through their ass get what they deserve!
Creatively speaking, you could call it Argentina's answer to the Old Spice Man. On a larger scale, it's a much-needed kick in the whole world's bum!
Butt seriously (sorry! coudn't resist it:) this campaign for Diesel Sneakers kicks ass on so many levels. Gotta love how they've come up with so many hilarious extensions of the concept.To see more of the crazy, wild, fun creative outpourings, CLICK HERE & laugh your ( o) off.
Q- What would you get if Facebook, Twitter & YouTube merged into one?
A- You-Twit-Face
Now...
Q- What would happen if LinkedIN, FourSquare & MySpace joined the race?
A- Square-Book-In-My-Face, You Space-Linked Twit-Tube
And here's some more Social Madness from the web:
And some more SM humour from the legendary Scott Adams' Dilbert.com comic strip:
Be great if you could send me your favourite SM gags/ gaffs/ guffaws via comments...
Go on... get social with it. Stay connected. And of course, keep the madness alive :-)
Yep, that's me... good ol' Social Media Evangelist me!
22nd Sep is a red letter day in Mr. Madness' calendar.
It's the day he was born!
This blog started today - a year ago!
For a wee 1 yr old, it speaks so much ;-)
Happy Birthday, @Mr_Madness!
From the bottom of his crazy heart, Mr. Madness would like to say:
Thank you all very much for the love, support and great feedback.
A huge thanks going out to my friend, Matt Shirtcliffe for suggesting I start. Always wanted to. He got me to do it! Got to meet so many people and learn so much - all thanks to blogging. All in all, it's been a fun one...
Funny ads linger way longer than they're paid to. Here are some hilarious ones that stuck in my head over the years. (Most've made me laugh in my sleep!) Advertising classics each, they're not just award-winners but heart-winners. Chuckle. Guffaw. Snort... have a good laugh!
funny ads, funny TV commercials, very funny, funniest, best ads, biggest ads
If you're reading this, clearly you're an adfreak like me. Bonus points for sticking around: Here are 3 more rib-ticklingly funny ads for you... enjoy!
Everyone knows South America is SCCER-MAD. But when Brazil play Argentina, it's more than sport. The proof is in the advertising.
An advertising classic, a case study in typography
The Before Ad: Tulipan, an Argentinian condom brand, took an ad out before a match reflecting how cocksure;-) Arg were of a win. Using simple typography, the ad is a visual pun on how Arg would penetrate the Brazilian defence on the field.
The After Ad: In one of the best comebacks ever, the Brazil Football Foundation replied with an ad. Brazil won 3-1. Look what they did to Arg.
While on football and with FIFA fever upon us right now, here's a list of some amazing footy flicks:
Escape to Victory
Looking for Eric
Offside
Soka Afrika
Bend it like Beckham
Goal! ...and of course...
'Write the Future' - Nike Football's epic 3 minute short
For sure, Escape to Victory remains my favourite football film of all time. (If you haven't seen it, kick yourself right now.) Click here to check out CNN's The Screening Room report on Soccer in the Cinema.
And if this kinda action is really up your boots, check out Kicking and Screening - the football film festival in New York which celebrates soccer cinema. See what happens when football frenzy meets cinematic magic!
View all the 2010 Cannes Lions Winners via CampaignBrief
The Cannes Lions Advertising Festival - the biggest and most significant industry event - celebrates creativity and awards the best in the world. Truly, an Advertising World Cup played every year.
This year, the Cannes Film Lions Grand Prix went to the wickedly brilliant Old Spice 'I'm on a horse' TVC. You'll fall for it the first time you watch it. Keeps you rivetted from start to the finish... with a flourish!
I'm on a horse... and a Cannes Lion!
It uses a powerful film technique where the protagonist speaks to the viewer in first person - taking full charge of the narrative by talking directly to the camera. Opens on this chiselled dude with a tude (more on him later) talking product benefit as scenarios morph seamlessly and props drop in suddenly - without digressing or diluting the humour.
Indeed, a rare ad that combines expert story-telling and crafty film-making. The true genius of this flick is in its taut, quick-paced edit. For more dope, check out this interview with Craig Allen & Eric Kallman of Wieden+Kennedy, Portland, the guys behind this gem on film.
The entire ad was shot as one continuous take... with very little CGI
I guess a huge (if not lion's) share of the success of this ad goes to the flawless timing and delivery of its main man - Isaiah Mustafa, a former NFL footballer (that explains the godly bod). Since the Old Spice ad came out (Feb 10), Isaiah's become a Twitter phenom, made it on The Ellen Show and even has his own Wikipedia profile. Indeed, he's on a horse!
Look at me. Look down. Now back to me. I'm on an elephant !!!
A bath with an elephant... al fresco and au naturel (the elephant, not me!) Who'd have ever thought? But then, Nothing is Impossible. It happened one evening in Kerala, India in a remote place called Thekkady.
While the chilled water took my breath away, the jet from Jumbo - and that's one super-forceful showerhead - beat the sleep outta me for weeks!
Mr. Madness would like to thank Dee for shooting the elephant videos
Forget horses, elephants and lions... W-T-F is she on !?!
2010 FIFA World Cup – the world's largest sporting event
Sport brings people together.
The 2010 FIFA World Cup does just that. Apart from the 32 participating nations, even non-playing nations (incl. the world's most populated: India, China, Russia, ASEAN) closely follow and enjoy every match of the event.
A not-so-quiet, very colourful SA fan
No contact with Earth
Nelson Mandela, who could not attend the Opening Ceremony
due to a sudden tragedy, seen here holding the FIFA World Cup
Packed stadiums...
die-hard fans...
the crowd roars...
Let's hear it for... Africa!
F for Football. F for Feel-good.
With all of Africa's colourful energy as seen at the Opening Ceremony... the 2010 FIFA World Cup is high on feel-good. The dances on the field (remember Roger Milla) and off the field (Diski dance); packed stadiums, crazed fans; the buzzy drone of the Vuvuzelas, the signature crowd roar...
The constant drone heard during matches is the sound of Vuvuzelas
- traditional SA horn and ancient instrument used to summon people.
Due to the loud noise (104+ db) seen as a nuisance, vuvuzelas are
'facing the music' and maybe banned from the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
More than goals, FIFA is about magical moments. On the field, it's about rare sporting encounters, mad-funny outbursts (see Maradona video below), brilliant flashes of talent, years of practice transforming into expertly timed headers, dribbles, passes... it's about golden boots and yellow cards, nail-biting shoot-outs and career-changing penalty-kicks...
Off the field, it's a whole different ballgame. It's about fans packed in pubs, worldwide kids' doodle competitions, families rooting for their national team from living rooms, record numbers calling in sick at work (see comments:), streetside parties and traffic jams, and that "goosebumps moment" as the commentator goes Gooooooooooal!
Only Maradona can fly on the field :-)
Funny Footy Moment: Argentina coach & global football icon, Maradona, not known for understatement, celebrates Arg's 2-1 win over Peru in the World Cup qualifier, by skidding along the soaking turf on his ample belly.
For New Zealand, the 2010 FIFA WC has special significance as they've qualified (defeating Bahrain in Wellington in Nov '09) and are playing on the world stage after 28 years! Surely, Ricki Herbert and his boys will give it all they've got. Go the All Whites!
In Group 'F', NZ plays Slovakia 15 June, Italy 20th & Paraguay 24th.
Update: NZ held Slovakia (1-1). Winston Reid scored an equaliser in the 93rd minute (NZ's 1st FIFA goal) of a dramatic finish.Click toReid, Reid and Ryan-Reid all about the historic match.
Gotta love the #WorldCup!
The Psychology of the 2010 FIFA World Cup
At a time when:
* the world's talking oil spills and the weather brings untimely chills,
* Europe has the Euro blues and Mid-East nuclear issues;
* Skies are polluted by volcanic ash and our very own cosmic trash, the 2010 FIFA World Cup couldn't have come at a better time.
In terms of mass psychology, it's catharsis. The world needed a powerful stimulus to purge its psyche of the ravages of recession. It takes an event of the (physical/ economical) scale of FIFA WC to generate enough positive energy so as to bring the world back from the brink of (emotional/ financial) depression, trigger economies back on track, and most importantly restore public morale/ consumer confidence worldwide.
Anything that galvanizes tourism, telecom (mobile and online) and television simultaneously, has got to be global good news. So strap on yer beer boots and catch FIFA fever - it's good for you and it's just what the doctor ordered (incl. the spin doctors on Wall Street/ Madison Ave.)
Adidas Jabulani: Official 2010 FIFA World Cup Match Ball
At the end of the day, the game of football is the greatest winner and celebration seems to be universal emotion at the heart of FIFA.
Hardly surprising then, the official FIFA WC match ball is called the “Jabulani” which means “rejoice” or “to celebrate” in Zulu. Jabulani is an African name meaning “come to bring happiness to everybody”. See the Adidas Jabulani Wikipedia profile & official Match Ball webpage.
Adidas Football's The Quest - Trailer and lead-in to Facebook
Nike Football's stunning Write the Future TVC starring sports superstars
All ads capture special moments and pack them into time-tight capsules. Here are 8 of Kevin Roberts' favourite FIFA ads from around the world.
Black Eyed Peas perform at the FIFA Kick-off Celebration Concert
Music... that other great human bonding force, when combined with sport, goes beyond beauty. Check out the Official 2010 FIFA WC Kick-Off Celebration Concert on Vevo.com feat. Shakira, Alicia Keys, Black Eyed Peas... and an amazing line-up of local SA talent.
Here are the Top 10 stars to look out for at the 2010 World Cup.
Closer to NZ, it's been Cadbury's Dancing Cow; Coruba Rum's slick Green Flash tvc; ANZ's funny as 'We live in your World" series; suave CEOs fronting up to the camera armed with signs (Rob Fyfe, Air NZ) and a fly-fishing rod (Paul Reynolds, Telecom) and even a 3D ad for BMW Mini.
This ad is fun from the get-go. Click on the image to view the ad.
But the ad that caught my fancy was the new Instant Kiwi ad where a bloke breaks into a mad jig on winning a lottery. With so much going on in the ad, it's Broadway gone Bollywood - but in a good way. A real visual feast! And the tagline It can all change in an instant has a catchy ring to it.
Read what DDB ECD, Toby Talbot has to say about it on NBR's Ad blog.
While on Instant Kiwi, here's a rewind back to classic ads from 80s & 90s.
Click for more info on the 'Bungy' ad above on the Classic Kiwi TV blog.
Aisha Hillary, Senior Marketing & New Media Specialist, SBS; me
Last week, I attended Social Media Junction - NZ's biggest event on the topic du jour. One of the keynote speakers, Aisha Hillary of SBS.com.au played a video loaded with factoids and trivia... which stuck in my mind.
Social Media is all about conversations and Socialnomics is the new economy. See the clip and you'll know what got millions of them started.
Is Social Media a fad... or a phenomenon?
For the skeptics out there, the above compilation is credited to Erik Qualman, who offers data sources in his book and website... SocialNomics.
If, like me, you enjoy UGC (user-generated content) without getting too caught up in it, you must check out the fascinating Did You Know videos. Pure brain-candy!
Mr. Madness would like to thank Geeta SK for the pic above.
Using a car as a mouse - to establish the new Toyota iQ is nimble as... make that a wicked genius of a guerilla / experiential promo idea !!!!!
Toyota iQ: techy hi-5 with ambient wi-fi
One of the sexiest ideas I've seen in NZ, I'd like to doff my hat first to the creative team, Matt Page & Carolyn Davis; and then to the geeks (with freaky iQs) at Saatchi & Saatchi - Peter Mangin and certified IT Ninja, Matthew Marsh who coded & created this to make it possible.
I've always said technology is a cool tool, but it's what you do with it that makes all the difference. Basically, the guys re-created a giant-scale computer that treats the Toyota IQ as a wireless mouse.
By mounting a webcam high atop a large screen, creating an Infra-Red motion-sensor field, fixing a green LED (see comment below) on the car that talks to the cam... and writing the software that tracks the Toyota iQ's movements as a mouse. Nimble? Yes. Simple? No way, Jose.
In case you're wondering, the mouse clicks from inside the car.
Love the flavour of football advertising? Then get ready for a season of awesome ads as the world's top brands vie off-the-field to cash in on the world's greatest sporting event. Kicking off with...
Nike Football unveils an action-packed short that brings together some of the world’s greatest players to inspire football lovers and sports fans everywhere. The epic 3-minute “Write the Future” film takes people on a journey that dramatically captures that one moment of sporting passion when headlines are written from a single pass, or one strike can bring a nation eternal happiness, while bringing others to their knees.
If netting eyeballs was their ultimate end, Nike just scored a major gooooooooal!
Some of the world’s best players, including Cristiano Ronaldo, Didier Drogba, Wayne Rooney, Fabio Cannavaro, Franck Ribery, Andres Iniesta, Cesc Fabregas, Theo Walcott, Patrice Evra, Gerard Pique, Ronaldinho, Landon Donovan, Tim Howard and Thiago Silva, are featured. Special guest cameos are made by tennis legend Roger Federer and basketball superstar Kobe Bryant. Homer Simpson completes the star-studded cast.
The short film will be aired on TV for the first time on May 22 during the European Club Final. Directed by renowned Hollywood director/ producer Alejandro G. Iñarritu (21 Grams, Babel), this epic football journey unfolds through a match of goal line clearances, game-winning tackles and lightning footwork that literally send a ripple effect across the world.
Diski is South African slang for football. Diski is the dance specially devised for 2010 FIFA World Cup by choreographer Wendy Ramokgadi.
Among the brightest ideas from around the world I've seen all year, it binds the whole nation into one big marketing team for the sporting event, boosting their tourism, talent, ticket sales and of course, morale.
All the rage in South Africa and surrounding nations, Diski Dance will soon spread to the rest of the world as it is performed in front of a global audience during the FIFA World Cup Opening Ceremony on June 11.
The South African football team have learnt the dance, cabinet ministers have learnt the dance, and every official related to the 2010 FIFA World Cup... from stadium security, cleaners and coaches have learnt the DD.
Here's an excerpt from the South African Tourism site, and I've got to say... their spirit, the song and the dance moves are infectious:
What is Diski?
In South Africa, we have a different way of playing soccer. It's rhythmic, sometimes showy, but never boring. We call it Diski and it is uniquely South African. In Diski, every move has a name and there are different names from different parts of the country. Some are in Tswana, others Zulu, Sotho and even English. The moves have names like Tsamaya", "Heel Extension Mkhari" and "Chester" to mention a few.
We've put these five moves together to create a dance that is uniquely South African.
Start learning the soccer-based moves of South Africa's Diski dance and you'll start feeling the rhythm of African football - and the energy and passion that's in store for the world at the 2010 FIFA World Cup™.
Read more about the rhythmic Diski Dance on the FIFA site here.
This one's a side-splitter. One of the most awarded viral ads of all time, this is from 2006, back when people were still figuring what a viral was.
The commercial was developed by BTS United Oslo (a WPP Company), and originally pointed to a website where people could download it and send it to their friends, as well as navigate to Berlitz Norway. The response was so large, Berlitz had to shut down the site.
Have you ever had an idea that seemed crazy — maybe crazy enough to work? Every invention starts out as an idea, and it only takes a bit of genius to make it reality. See how some of the greatest inventions were brought to life in The Stuff of Genius video podcast.
Recent episodes include:
•During World War II, William Mitchell made a discovery that led to the emergence of junk food for the masses. Learn how tapioca led to pop rocks and what powdered egg whites have to do with it.
•When Philo Farnsworth was just fourteen years old, he had an epiphany that changed his life -- and ours. Tune in and find out how this former sharecropper created the modern television.
•Norman Borlaug spent most of his life fighting world hunger and led the effort to grow more productive, disease-resistant wheat strains. Discover how Borlaug's wheat started a revolution.
I saw this article on HowStuffWorks. Liked it and instantly posted it to my blog. Owned by The Discovery Company, How Stuff Works is an awesome general knowledge website. Go there.
A few posts ago, I said "Let there be light... and lasers please!". Seems like the uber-talented French heard me and now, there's no stopping them.
Titled 'Water Poster', here's a wonderful display of laser lights projected on water (via Paris creative agency BDDP & Fils) using supersmart technology called AquaScript.
To mark the occasion of World Water Day (Mar 22, 2010), it was conceived to raise awareness of the perils of unsafe drinking water. The sheer brilliance of the concept takes one's breath away. Enjoy!
Meanwhile, in exotic India, another gifted Frenchman, Yves Pepin (Creative Director of ECA2, he was Artistic Advisor, with Steven Spielberg & Ric Birch, for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games Opening/ Closing Ceremonies) has collaborated with the good souls at the Swaminarayan Akshardham Temple in Gandhinagar (named after Mahatma Gandhi) to create a mega project called the The Water Show.
A multi-technology installation, The Water Show combines high-end pyrotechnics, powerful waterjets, laser lights and film projections on a huge 130 x 70-feet water-screen and a precision-sync'ed musical fountain - to create a spectacular display of sound n' light, a mind-blowing fusion of colour n' design or just simply, awesome outdoor entertainment.
Both the above ambients are out-and-out celebrations of creativity. Truth be told, it's ideas like these that make me glad I am a creative. Someday, I hope to come up with one such stunner... Until then, Jai Swaminarayan.
Mr. Madness would like to thank Mick/ Michael of Campaign Brief
and Jainesh/ Kalpesh/ Vipul of Akshardham for this post.
For the first time in 2010, we bring back our Love Knows No Limits series.
This time we feature a honeymooning couple heavily in love. The intimate shots from their album clearly show love is blind - so are lovers. It's true. Real love knows no limits of colour, nationality, body shape or weight.
Acc. to skeptics, the man in the pics married drop-dead gorgeous Amazon Amanda, of USA, only for a Green Card. But from the lovey-dovey poses, methinks it's purely a case of fatal attraction. What do you think?
Mr. Madness would like to thank Zubin Singh for this post. No, it's not him above!
Of all those insane videos floating on the web, there's something nakedly human about this one. What I particularly liked is the wife remains absolutely calm through the crazed man's bizarre histrionics. She must be so used to him!
When Snoop Doggy Dawg heard about the incident, he instantly recorded this protest rap on behalf of the dogs, in pure Dawg-dialect:
Bow Wow Wow yippee-yelp, yippee-yo,
Drop it like a snizzle on my drizzle,
Put a chisel to yo Shih Tzu Schnitzel,
Drop it like a Bow Wow Wow (repeat x26)
Over the past 7 months in Auckland, I've seen some very cool light projections and laser displays.
Last year, it was Telecom Night Lights - a son 'et lumiere extraordinaire.
To see more videos on the same, click here to go to my Youtube Channel.
Last month, at Urbis Design Day... it was The Dub Module (same guys did Telecom Night Lights) who transformed a static, empty corner of a wall into a simulated dynamic environment with amazing laser projections of live fish, animated whiteboard and even a ticking clock. See the video. Be amazed.
Just the other day, I saw this Graffiti Wall built by the guys at Saatchi & Saatchi IT - Matthew Marsh & Peter. A nifty installation, it featured a laser projector beaming a paint application on to a glass window screen. Then they bluetoothed a Wii remote to create a motion sensor field all around it. And the most ingenious thing, a digital spray-can - Matthew actually soldered an Infra-red laser pointer into a bottle!
Matthew Marsh spray-painting his digital canvas
@Mr_Madness... I've been GRAFFITI'd
Everytime you press the head of the digital spray-can, it emits an IR beam which is detected by the Wii remote to turn the spray-can into a wireless mouse, and lo! behold... colour on the graffiti wall. Genius!
CCER-MAD. But when Brazil play Argentina, it's more than sport. The proof is in the advertising.
