“Obay…from the makers of WhyBecauseISaidSo”

Keep your eyes pealed in the next couple of weeks for some very interesting, and otherwise unorthodox advertising. If you have been browsing casually on the subway in the past few days, you may have discovered these seemingly anti-pharmaceutical ads for a product called “Obay” (a play on “obey”, in case you didn’t catch that).

You can see some examples of the different ads at the following website.

http://torontoist.com/2008/02/the_ones_that_m.php

I saw them on the subway earlier this week, and took some pictures after realizing what it was. I thought it had to be a one time thing, like someone reproduced a banner of ad-quality and posted it themselves on that particular train. Then I saw it on the side of a bus in Hamilton…and at bus stop in Waterloo. Apparently they are popping up all over Ontario and Montreal, but no one can figure out who is funding them. Information has leaked out though that within the next two weeks, a whole new campaign will be launched on the public transit sites and should bring some clarification to the issue.

In the mean time, the ads are still pretty hilarious.

UMOJA

Umoja-The Musical

Move over American Idol fabrications, this incredible (and live) experience will blow you away. Amazing singing and dancing, for an amazing price. Check it out!

I’m No Film Expert, But..

Okay, so I have been to my share of films over the past few weeks/months, and although I’m no film expert, I thought I might share my expertise, in order to save some of your hard earned dollars at the box office.

*****Across the Universe

If there is a theatre still playing this movie, GO AND SEE IT. It is phenomenal, and a definite best of 2007. Its gets a little trippy with the whole drugs/on-acid scene, but what seems to be nonsense does in fact ground the gilm in the 70’s era.

*1/2 No Country for Old Men

Um…for the most part, save your money. Woody Harrelson is the best part of this movie–and he’s in it for about 15 minutes of comic relief. Just a guess, but my feeling is that the “hidden” message is that the US is no longer a country for the gentlemen of the past (in case you couldn’t tell from the title..?) I think it was mostly an attempt to see the most amount of blood outside the horror genre.

***1/2 27 Dresses

Yes, of course, a perfect piece of chick flick–but it never really aspired to be anything more than what is seemed. Don’t dig for the deeper meaning here, just enjoy every minute of Izzy Stevens turned Plain Jane in this cute and neatly packed story of wedding nightmares.

*** Alvin and the Chipmunks

I’m sorry, but who can resist this adorable remake of their past? Sitting cross-legged on the floor in front of the tube, Saturday mornings, bowl of cereal tucked between your footy pyjamas, watching another episode with those crazy chipmunks. It is incredible that such a simple concept has lasted 50 years. My favourite part of the movie: watching the furry rodents sing their rendention of the modern “Bad Day” by Daniel Powter while they monotonously pack their nuts away in a tree for the winter. Here’s to another 50 years…

* In the Name of the King

Again, save your money. After seeing way too many ads for this movie on the subway (nicely done promotion by the way), I decided to experiment with this preview-lacking film. Along with the audience, my confusion about whether or not this was a Lord of the Rings-type spoof, or an actual serious piece came out in peals of laughter. Burt Reynolds–easy on the botox there buddy. And casting Matthew Lillard as the constantly drunk heir to the throne…a joke, right? No, seriously, right?

** The Golden Compass

For those who have read all the books, curiousity will probably bring you to the film anyway (if it hasn’t already), so I will just caution you to not expect too much. The world of Philip Pullman is far to great to be captured within the four walls of the screen. For those new to His Dark Materials series, my advice would be…read the books. The film is interesting, but in no way an accurate adaptation of the literary experience.

**** P.S. I Love You

P.S. I love this film. I *sniffle* DID NOT cry through the entire thing. Ahem… Who knew Hilary Swank could be semi-adorable and woman-ish. It was a little morbid, but it was kept light enough in parts that it wasn’t completely depressing. I’m not entirely sure I would want letters from the beyond the grave to keep me reminded of my beloved’s passing, but the love story was real enough to get away with it. Oh, and kudos to Gerrard Butler for turning his Scottish accent into a beautiful Irish voice.

Analysis of Online Magazines

Marie Claire

This magazine website has a lot of interactive web 2.0 features such as the “diary of a fashionista” which has an accessible link to add the photographic slide show directly to your myspace or to make your own slide show with different themed background for your photos. It also has a virtual model where you can try on various clothes advertised and the various new hairstyles featured in the issue, a bank of videos with all of the major names from the masthead. All of the articles (including the dating and travel blogs) on the website include links on the top and bottom of each to add to Kaboodle, Pop, Digg, Del.icio.us, facebook and RSS (in bright colours and with full explanations for how to use them and what they are).

With the articles always in the centre of the page and the interactive components like blogs, clubs and virtual activities constantly on the side, Marie Claire’s website is very user-friendly for new readers and those that come from the print version. However, they don’t seem to have any advertising, except for itself, with ads for paid subscriptions, google links and for the other magazines that Hearst owns. There is a link for potential advertisers of the online component to look at, so it is unclear why those in the print magazine have not carried over into the web version.

People

If Marie Claire is void of advertisements, People’s online magazine definitely makes up for the lack thereof. However, while the site does have links for RSS (AOL, Google, MSN, netvibes and Yahoo), it does not highlight the possible feeds in an area of the page that would help the advertisers and magazine distribute more links throughout the web—instead, it puts them in a blue, small typeface at the bottom left-hand corner of the page.

The website has podcasts (with a podcast archive), and even a video feed with celebrity interviews—a page which has the links for adding the site or specific videos to Del.icio.us, Facebook and Digg. It might benefit the website though to have the links at the top of the pages, to give more access to share the site and its articles. But the online magazine is well organized and designed in a user friendly fashion, and thus the uncluttered articles and ads do not hide the other interactive components (such as RSS and social bookmarking), even though they may not put them into the forefront of the audience’s screen.

Maclean’s

This online magazine, while extremely busy in editorial content and advertising, manages to have their RSS link at the very top of the page, on the right hand side of the panel, with the Maclean’s logo, which stays there the whole time you browse. You don’t have to search the page to find it—your eye goes there immediately. There are blogs for National Affairs, Culture and Education, that have another RSS link attached to them (in addition to the constant one at the top of the page).

The blogs are very easy to find and navigate, and so are the eight different forums they have to chat with other readers about issues such as education, world and national news etc. The advertising is mostly off to the right side of each page, so that the reader may browse through the articles and blogs undisturbed in their content, but always aware of that extra column of clearly defined advertisements. And, at the end of the articles, in a separately (and well marked) box are the links to share via social bookmarking, under the title of “Share”: Del.icio.us, Facebook, Digg, Seed Newsvine, Stumble It!, Technorati links. Both reader and advertiser, I think, would be satisfied with the strategy and organization of content, accessible sharing tools and advertising.