EuroTalk

After the famous movie festival in May, the 56^th international advertising festival is underway in Cannes from 21-27 June, the largest gathering of worldwide advertising professionals and advertisers.

Thousands of ads are showcased and judged and winning companies receive a Lion trophy honouring the most creative campaigns in 11 categories - film, media, press, outdoor, cyber, sales promotion, direct, design, radio, PR and Titanium and Integrated.

The Titanium and Integrated is the best integrated campaign using several types of media. This year, the president of the jury is David Droga, the founder and chairman of Droga5 agency.

Other awards include network of the year and the media person of the year.

Last year, 12,000 visitors attended this event to celebrate the best of creativity across all media disciplines, discuss industry issues and network with one another.

This year, 22,652 entries from 86 countries are competing, including numerous entries from Australia.

Obviously enough, during this twinter time, we have already remarked the twitter seminar.

Embracing social media and with a nod to the industry’s future, the festival has included a twitter seminar and partnered with Youtube to set up a creative competition for young people under 30 about a huge humanitarian cause. It has been an opportunity for the winners, Samgoh and YTClimate thermometer, to attend the Young Lions Film competition in which each team is briefed by a client to create and execute a campaign within 48 hours.

There are 3 other divisions in the young Competition: print, cyber and media.

On Friday attention will be turned to the presence of Bob Geldof, founder of Live Aid, who has joined Kofi Annan’s panel to present a global campaign on climate change as part of the launch of the UN Climate change conference in Copenhagen in December 09.

So, we look forward to following the creative communication industry’s awards season on the Croisette until Sunday!

For more information on the festival, visit the website www.canneslions.com

BREAKING NEWS: Mumbrella reports on Aussie success at Cannes

Best Job In The World is best PR campaign in the world

Cummins Nitro this morning did the double with Tourism Queensland’s Best Job In The World promotion winning an almost unprecendented two grand prix at the Cannes Lions.

The agency picked up the top prize in the first ever PR Lions, and also won the Direct Lions grand prix.

The PR category received 431 entries and the jury awarded 17 Lions.

The second grand prix of the night for Cummins Nitro came after the agency beat 1365 other entries from around the globe in a category that saw 11 golds, 12 silvers and 26 bronzes trophies given out.

The agency’s founder Sean Cummins told Mumbrella: “This is pretty humbling. Apparently two grand prix for the same campaign has only been done once before. It’s Olympian in terms of its scale.

The best job promotion launched at the beginning of this year. It featured a global hunt for a caretaker for the Islands of the Great Barrier Reef which generated huge publicity for Queensland and Australian tourism globally.

June 23rd, 2009
Categories: Advertising, France, Media, Public Relations . Author: admin . Comments: No Comments

100% Norway 2009 media release

100% Norway 2009 will showcase the best new works of both established and up-and-coming designers from Norway, and feature a number of the country’s leading manufacturers during this year’s London Design Festival.

Now in its sixth year, the annual 100% Norway exhibition returns to the London Design Festival with a mission to bring the best of the country’s furniture manufacturing to an international audience.

StokkeAustad, one of Norway’s most talented young design duos whose new dining table from Nora of Norway will be on display, has also designed the stand this year. Taking inspiration from the ‘hjeller’, a scaffold structure that for centuries has been use to dry fish across Norway, they have constructed the simple A-frame architecture over the entire exhibition space.

The hjeller is a traditional Norwegian structure, found all along the coastline of a country known to boast some of the most beautiful landscapes in the world. The stand is built from Kebony, a revolutionary new wood which has been treated using biowaste from the sugar industry, making it not only aesthetically wonderful, but also as hardwearing as teak, maintenance free, and environmentally sound.

Inside the hjeller, many of the best and most prominent contemporary Norwegian manufacturers such as LK Hjelle, Fora Form, Varier, Håg and Fjordfiesta will exhibit new designs for furniture and home accessories by home-grown designers, including Norway Says and Tveit&Tornøe.

New exhibitors for 2009 include Biri Tapet, whose beautiful contemporary take on traditional straw wall coverings are already much loved by Scandinavian architects. Returning toLondon with new wallpaper designs is the all female design team Scandinavian Surface whose products are inspired by their local surroundings in Bergen.

The homely, down to earth feel is one found in many of the products throughout the exhibition, but perhaps nowhere more so than in the Aksel chairs by Aksel Hansson, a traditional seat seen in many Norwegian homes for decades, and now available to see in the UK for the first time.

One off pieces by young glassware stars Tanja Sæter, Kjersti Johannessen and Anne Haavind will also be on display, as will new porcelain collections to rival Scandinavian’s oldest and finest from up coming duo Wik & Walsøe, and first time exhibitor Sara Skotte.

A host of launches from lamp manufacturer Northern Lighting are also expected to be a big draw at 100% Norway this year, while gorgeous new polar-bear inspired rug designs from Permafrost are sure to make an impact on the ground.

Although most of this year’s exhibition features items already in production, prototypes from one of Norway’s most exciting new designers, Petter Skogstad, will also travel to theUK for the first time.

It all amounts to what is unequivocally the best collection ever seen at 100% Norway so far according to curator Henrietta Thompson; “Over the last few years an exciting contemporary design scene has emerged in this part of the world, and despite that the design industry in the country is relatively young compared to that of its Scandinavian neighbours, it is fast proving itself to be both world class in standard and very firmly rooted in Nordic culture.”

100% Norway will occupy stand G30 at 100% Design, Earls Court, from 24 – 27 September, so if you are in London at this time, Carpe Diem recommends you this on your “not to be missed” list!

For more information visit www.norway.org.uk/100percent

June 19th, 2009
Categories: Design, Norway . Author: admin . Comments: No Comments

A bag of “candy” all the way from Denmark floated around the office today and has split the Carpe Diem team into two camps: lovers and haters. The controversial candy, called salt lakrid, tastes as good as it sounds (clearly I’m in the latter camp).

The salt lakrid is basically black licorice, but salty. Very salty. This probably explains why the bag warns that it is not suitable for children. That said, the fans in the office seem to have grown up on the stuff, which makes sense because I’m guessing it would have taken a lot of training to acquire a taste for it!

Apparently it has a small but strong following, especially in Scandinavia. Perhaps this is because their Viking blood has toughened their tastebuds beyond taste.

In any case, it reminded me of vegemite. Generally speaking, Australians love it and foreigners don’t. So perhaps the salt lakrid is to Scandinavians, what vegemite is to Australians – black gold.

To give you an idea of the taste, I took one small bite and it bit back! Looking at the Haribo packaging now, the best way to describe the taste is to describe the packaging. So basically, it tasted like a little sailor, smoking a pipe and cheekily winking at you.

In other words, it shocks the senses with a salty smack to the mouth, and then heads to the nostrils with a karate kick of volatile fumes. The winking part is the bitter taste of humiliating defeat. I may not like the things, but I respect those who can handle it and like it!

I’m more a Haribo, Chamallow marshmallow person myself, but if you think you’ve found a kindred spirit in the little sailor I just mentioned, check out the Haribo website at www.haribo.com. You’ll also find all your usual favourites like cola bottles, juicy strawberries, fruity chews and gummi bears.

June 12th, 2009
Categories: Denmark, Food, Scandinavia . Author: admin . Comments: No Comments

Thank God it’s Friday! Right? Wrong. According to Friday’s Project, a Spanish fashion chain store, the Friday philosophy should be set free and extended to every day, “Until now, the good things started on Fridays, but enough of reserving positive energy. Good things start here and now.”

In the spirit of Friday, we thought we would share Friday’s Project and their philosophy with everyone, because who couldn’t use a little Friday fairy dust to clear away a classic case of Monday-itis?

Friday’s Project opened its first store on Barcelona’s Paseo de Gracia in 2000 and now has stores dotted all around Spain and Europe, including Italy, France and Portugal. Generally speaking their style is cool and urban, however they often flirt with feminine and romantic. Aside from Friday’s Project, they also stock delicious designs from Double Agent, Star System, Melody Maker and Made in Ibiza.

Spanish celebrities are huge fans and even Russian beauty Anna Kournikova has been known to don Friday’s threads.

Unfortunately Friday’s Project is not available in Australia but perhaps if we make a big enough fuss about it here then we’ll get some Spanish styling down under too. In the meantime make sure to make a pit stop at one of their stores if you happen to be in the neighbourhood and tell them we sent you.

Otherwise check out their quirky website www.fridaysproject.com for a fashion fix, games and more. Try the “The Game” and shoot the days of the week. Keep clicking the mouse or risk turning into an electric mixer with wings. Confused? Check out the website.

Happy Friday (Monday, Tuesday…) everyone!

June 5th, 2009
Categories: Fashion, Spain . Author: admin . Comments: No Comments

There is an air of silent longing in the Carpe Diem Office today as one of the team stumbles over the H&M summer collection. Firstly, because we’re basking in the sunshine of artificial heaters and secondly, because Australia seems to be sadly out of the loop of a not-so-secret, secret.

Swedish fashion retailer H&M is a household name throughout Europe and even has stores in the US, Canada, the Middle East and Asia. In fact they have around 1,800 stores in 34 countries.

H&M has even caught the eye of Australia’s Pop Princess Kylie Minogue. In 2007 H&M declared their love for our pop royalty with their limited edition swimwear line “H&M loves Kylie”. Madonna and other celebrity heavy weights have also collaborated with the retailer, so H&M must know what they are doing.

Besides their star appeal, their commitment to quality fashion speaks for itself. They have their finger on the pulse when it comes to the latest fashions and the other finger on your recessionista woes. H&M has always produced quality fashion at the best price. They are not short of choice either, with different concept designs for women, men, teens and children – shopping can become a family affair.

The Carpe Diem family on the other hand is still holding its breath for a piece of the H&M cake. To appease our cravings we check out the latest collections at www.hm.com. But if you’re lucky enough to be trekking the world at the moment, pencil in H&M on your to-do list and tell them we said hi!

June 5th, 2009
Categories: Fashion, Sweden . Author: admin . Comments: 2 Comments

Aside from having the cutest marketing collateral ever, the 56th Sydney Film Festival opens tomorrow boasting three of its 12 competition films direct from the Cannes Film Festival, Europe’s premier film event.

Altiplano (Belgium, Germany, Netherlands), Face (France, Taiwan) and the opening night’s Looking for Eric (Belgium, France, Italy, United Kingdom) will all be in the mix for the Festival’s $60,000 prize money.

Carpe Diem will be at the Sydney Film Festival opening night at the State Theatre and, having been a long-time admirer of his on-field skills, is looking forward to seeing French legend Eric Cantona on the silver screen in Ken Loach’s comedy Looking for Eric.

The Australian movies in contention are Steve Jacobs’ film, ‘Disgrace’, based on J.M. Coetzee’s book and filmed in South Africa; Khoa Do’s ‘Missing Water,’ based on the stories of Vietnamese refugees who poured into Australia in the late 70s and early 80s; and Rachel Ward’s directorial debut, ‘Beautiful Kate.’

For more information on the Sydney Film Festival or to view the schedule visit www.sydneyfilmfestival.org

The Sydney Film Festival runs from 3-14 June.

June 2nd, 2009
Categories: Film . Author: admin . Comments: 2 Comments

21^st century Berlin is the flipside of its near past. In the just under 20 years since the fall of the wall, Berlin has managed to transform its cityscapes and architecture dramatically during the last decades.

Having lived in Germany’s vibrant capital, no day is like another, every morning a new breathtaking architectural design surprises you around the corner. Wow!

The mix of avant-garde design and historical sites is increasingly attracting top architects from all around the world.

This exhibition, put together by Philipp Meuser and Fried Nielsen, focuses on 40 different architecture projects in Berlin, namely hotels, apartments, shopping centres and their interior design.

So, let’s put it to the test and see if this special exhibition can live up to the admittedly high standards. I certainly cannot wait to see what the 40 different 21^st century architecture projects will be about.

One thing is certain; Berlin’s cutting edge architecture mastered the combination of tradition and history with modern design and further sets itself apart from other European giants such as London or Paris.

So hop on the train to Canberra, between the 22 May and 20 June 2009, and we might see you there.

For more info check out http://www.goethe.de/ins/au/lp/enindex.htm

May 25th, 2009
Categories: Architecture, Germany . Author: admin . Comments: No Comments

Why is it that brands from the old continent always come up with these new innovative ways to enhance our life, both personally and professionally?

This time, Swedish office design furniture brand Kinnarps sheds some light on the place we spend most of our time - work!

I was equally scared and excited to found out that we will spend 5.7 years of your working life in meetings. Crazy! Would you believe you will spend 600 hours of your working life gazing at your colleagues? Or that office workers who spend 12 hours or more sitting are at higher risk of fatal blood clots than passengers on long-haul flights?

So, according to this research data, you will be gazed at by your work colleagues for many, many hours over your working life. So, look around and that gorgeous guy/girl is probably looking at you too…according to the stats. Charming way of looking at it, isn’t it? J

With work obviously such a big part of all our lives, the one fact from the research we should not miss is that well-designed furniture can increase efficiency and productivity in an office environment by 30 per cent.

Considering that you can reduce office-related risks simply by “energising” your office with new furniture, it might be a thing to consider.

With that in mind, Kinnarps has compiled a video series of interesting facts and figures about the Australian work environment and sheds some revealing light on your time in the office at www.did-you-know.com.au.

May 25th, 2009
Categories: Design, Sweden . Author: admin . Comments: No Comments

Swedish bicycle manufacturer, Skeppshult, yet another Scandinavian brand making its mark in Australia, is auctioning four limited edition PINK V BIKES signed by some of Australia’s favourite celebrities and produced exclusively for the National Breast Cancer Foundation, to raise money for breast cancer research.

As a keen biker, I am quite excited about this funky bike. Great for both men and women, it is a standout and is all for a good cause!  The V Bike is the latest model from Skeppshult, a stylish, designer, fun and zippy bicycle, featuring unique attachment points that can hold a lockable pod, front and rear racks and basket which can be added or removed.

Perfect for that short commute to work, running various errands or just riding for fun! Ideal for the office too, given all the storage space, it will easily carry lunch for the whole team.

Up for grabs are the four limited edition bikes, personally signed by four generous Aussie celebs:

Fifi Box, Network Seven’s Sunrise weather presenter, 2Day FM presenter

Deborah Hutton, iconic television presenter, magazine editor and designer

Lizzy Lovette, television and radio personality

Adam Spencer, ABC 702 presenter

Get online and join the auction commencing Tuesday the 25^th of May. Until Tuesday 2 June 2009, with all profits being donated to the Foundation.

Check out www.vbike.com.au

May 25th, 2009
Categories: Sweden . Author: admin . Comments: No Comments

As a dedicated scooterist and life-long wearer of the work of Adi Dassler (both on and off the field) I was excited to hear about the recent brand partnership between adidas Originals and Vespa – two of my favourite European brands!

As licensing.biz reports: “The Adidas Originals Vespa collection features men’s footwear and apparel which ‘celebrates and reflects’ decades of both brands’ heritage and authentic lifestyle credentials.

The collection was officially launched with a ‘house party’ presentation during Milan Fashion week last month and will be available from the beginning of January 2009 in select retailers around the world and Adidas Originals stores.

The range will include various footwear, such as the 1950s inspired sneaker Vespa Gran Lusso, featuring the classic Vespa moped details.A broad range of classic polo shirts, t-shirts and jackets also complement the collection.

“Referencing the last 60 years and Adidas’ rich heritage, the Vespa collection offers pieces that take their inspiration from different decades and appeal to the preppy casual consumer who is looking for both historic and modern shapes,” said Hermann Deininger, CMO at Adidas Sport Style.

Ciarán Coyle, MD of international operations at The Beanstalk Group, added: “I am extremely thrilled at this groundbreaking partnership, which represents the first strategic step towards developing Vespa into a leading global lifestyle brand.”

With scooter brand Lambretta already having established their own branded clothing range, it will be intereting to see how far Vespa take their range and whether they stick with adidas Originals or not. This partnership of course is another step into the field of mainstream fashion for adidas Originals after their partnership with Diesel to produce their denim range.

For mine, I think adidas Originals and Vespa are a bit of a of a strange fit. The Originals brand is really something I would associate with the classic or mod culture many Vespa riders are immersed in. That said, it hasn’t stopped me filling my closet with a new adidas Originals Vespa jacket and trainers! Nor, it seems, other fan-boys, with most of the range now only available on auction sites like eBay as the stock in stores has pretty much all been snapped up.

May 11th, 2009
Categories: Fashion, Germany, Italy, Motoring . Author: admin . Comments: No Comments