GSP Tweets, Late Adoption Better Than Thoughtless Adoption

There is a lot of pressure for Advertising Agencies to keep up with emerging media, technology and whatever is the latest and greatest that many times the adoption of new trendy media is rushed into without much thought as to how it can be BEST used for a brand, company or campaign. I have seen brands demand to join Facebook without any idea of how they want to connect with their fans or what content will live on the page. I am not saying that there isn't a benefit to being the first to integrate with foursquare or the first to reach a million fans on twitter, I am saying that there should be smart thinking (if any thinking at all) behind the adoption of new media.

I bring this up is because one of my longtime favorite ad agencies Goodby, Silverstein & Partners joined twitter last week--somewhat late for an agency as innovative and creative as GSP--with the handle @GSP (not to be confused with @GeorgesStPierre the Canadian MMA fighter). GSP debuted their Twitter with a The Office-style documentaryesque video that captures the universal challenge of figuring out "How the hell do we use Twitter?!" while demonstrating the unique thinking the agency puts into their work. Great job GSP!  

"What if we posted something really artful like a semi-colon..." - Rich Silverstein

My Just Dance Obsession is Now on National TV

I received a text at 8:40 pm from my friend Alicia saying: Ummm just saw you in a commercial... A just dance 2 commercial.

Well SURPRISE friends and America, my slightly embarrassing obsession with the dancing Wii game is now made public in a new national TV commerical for the Just Dance Your Way to Katy Perry contest!! Me and my younger siblings Zadrian and Zoe are in the first few seconds of the commercial dancing to Katy Perry's Firework and Zoe has a pretty awesome close up towards the end (upper left corner in the image above). Beyond what this commercial could mean for my blossoming dance career (I kid.) or my professional status (there's no escaping the "nerd" title now), this clip means a lot to me because it reminds me of how special and fun spending time with my family and siblings is. I spent a good two weeks playing Just Dance "Firework"with them over Christmas vacation and to share this coincidental moment of commercial fame is pretty awesome.

All of this happened in the last two weeks, when the production company for Ubisoft commercial asked if they could use our YouTube video that I posted in December in a national TV commercial for Just Dance. Naturally, I consented. The commercial premiered today during the Billboard Music Awards, you can also watch it on YouTube, see below:

I video-chatted with Zadrian and Zoe today to talk about the commercial and seeing their smiles makes me really happy and at the sametime sad to be over 3,000 miles away from them.

Congrats to Zadrian and Zoe, you two surprise and inspire me with your talent everyday. Keep being the awesomely crazy, energetic kids we Huang children somehow turn out to be.

Love, Jiejie

How I Spent Judgement Day

As I expected, the world didn't end this Saturday. As a matter of fact, Saturday was pretty awesome. I watched the sun set over a foggy Manhattan from my rooftop in Brooklyn with 15 close friends and reflected on all the people, experiences and opportunities I am thankful for. Plus, I ate fancy shmancy spam musubis:

And ended the sans-apocalypse night with a pretty intense watermelon eating contest, which I lost.

Judd Apatow Can Thank Me For Bridesmaids

Two years ago when The Hangover came out, I had written a post ("Why Can't Girls Get Hangovers Too", 6/15/09) about the differences in male- and female-centric comedies and the ditzy, valley girl stereotype of female comedians. In my post, I challenged Judd Apatow or Todd Phillips to create a Hangover for women, and guest what?! Two years later we have BRIDESMAIDS produced by Judd Apatow himself! I'm really excited to see the movie, despite my dislike for the title and awful pink bridesmaids dresses, but PLUS SIDE, the manliest man alive Jon Hamm is in the film and he has great things to say about his female costars and the comparisons to The Hangover:

"I think funny is funny. It doesn't have a gender assigned to it." - Jon Hamm

B-Boys Be Ready! 5 Ptz Opening Party This Saturday

Remember that awesome B-boy battle I stumbled upon last year? Well it's happening again at one of the greatest Graffiti spots in the world--5 Pointz in Long Island City. I'll be in attendance, so tweet/msg/call me if you want to meet up! For more info, click here.

Will History Be Made or Will Amazing Happen? The Battle of Playoff Commericals

The "History will be made" campaign, a collaborative effort between NHL, NBC Sports, Versus and ad agency Y&R, perfectly captures the intensity and excitement of the playoffs. The 2011 NHL playoffs began with a bang--reigniting my love for the sport--as four out of the eight round one match ups were decided in Game 7 and three highly anticipated teams (Canucks, Bruins & Sharks) won their series in sudden death OT. Through a powerful montage, the TV spots relive pivotal playoff moments, capturing images and sounds of victory beautifully in sync with heart-tugging instrumental music. Every day until the Stanley Cup final, NHL will be releasing a new version of the "History will be made" commercials featuring a hockey highlight from the night before, demonstrating NHL's marketing sophistication in creating real-time content. My favorite has to be Nathan Horton's double OT goal against the Canadiens in Game 7 that advanced the Bruins to the second round:

There are obvious similarities between NHL's "History will be made" campaign and the NBA playoffs "Where amazing happens" campaign created by Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, like the layer of crowd noise, reliving old sports moments and fading to black. You can see the similarities in the spot above and the one below: 

However, the sentiment of "History" is different than "Amazing." Amazing speaks to a surprise, a moment that is temporary and quick, while History is forever. History has the ability to uplift Detroit, the Hockey Town of America, in one of its worst recessions. History has the ability to bring pride back to the Blackhawks in Chicago after almost a half century of not winning the Stanley Cup. There is only one trophy passed down from champion to champion, and the NHL successfully reminds its fans of the unique legacy that is winning the Lord Stanley's Cup.

Who Wore It Best--Princess Kate or Mommy Kathy?

Not to steal Sarah Burton's thunder for designing the wedding dress of the century for Kate Middleton, but I think my mom wore that dress about a quarter of a century ago. Long sleeve lace, tight waist, A-line skirt, tiara--in this battle of who wore it best, Princess Catherine or my Mommy Katherine (yes they have the same name!), I think I'm going to have to give my mom's awesome 80s feathered blow out the win! My admiration for the late McQueen is great but my love for my mom is unmeasurable, but for you unbiased folks out there, who do you think wore it best--Kate or Kathy?