welcome to optimism

balls to the yanks!

Leading up to historic US vs England World Cup confrontation on Saturday, Wieden + Kennedy is encouraging fans' banter in a whole new way.

Supporters on both sides of the pond will be able to have their messages to the opposition kicked over the big drink and printed on a ball that will come out on the other side.

And if you aren’t there in person (see below) you can add your message to the mix.

Here's how you can add your message:

U.S. fans can Tweet to @BallstotheBrits. People on the ground in LA (Universal CityWalk) can type a message on-site, have it printed on a soccer ball and fired from a billboard in Leicester Square, London.

England fans can Tweet messages of, er, friendly encouragement to @BallstotheYanks. People on the ground in Leicester Square can do the same thing and have their message printed on a ball and shot out  of a billboard at CityWalk.

How can you join in?

1. Join the Twitter conversation  
 
http://twitter.com/ballstothebrits
http://twitter.com/ballstotheyanks
 
2. Spread the word on Facebook

London: http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/event.php?eid=128767633807625&index=1
LA: http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/event.php?eid=133402526673815&index=1
 
3. Attend in person / invite your friends

London: Leicester Square, 5p-9p BST
LA: Universal CityWalk, 10a-2p PST

Courtesy of the wieden + kennedy portland EA team.

47m impressions for a $200K budget? Go to hell!

Great post on Adfreak detailing the full story of Wieden + Kennedy's nine month campaign for the launch of EA's Dante's Inferno. They write:

The road to hell is paved with good intentions. Take, for example, the marketing of Electronic Arts's blockbuster new video game, Dante's Inferno. Last year, the company set about trying to educate the public not only about the game but about a 14th-century literary classic and the very nature of human morality. What ensued was one of the most complex campaigns in video-game history, one that got EA burned for fakery and sexism, and then—thanks to a bold change of direction—lauded for intellect and creativity. It's also a case study in surprising frugality, with a $200,000 guerrilla budget that yielded 47 million impressions of coverage. Today, AdFreak walks you through the nine circles of hell with the man who led the innovative and controversial marketing campaign for Dante's Inferno. So, put on your asbestos gloves and get ready to descend into damnation.

Worth taking a look at the full story of the campaign here.

where creatures roam

LOVE this new campaign from our fellow humans at W+K Portland for EA's long-awaited Spore.

For loads more see wk portland studio blog.

inner peace through outer violence

Check out some new work from W+K Amsterdam for Electronic Arts - Burnout Dominator launch campaign.

The campaign is based round the global movement, Kah Ra Shin, whose guiding principle since its origination in Tibet in the late 19th century has been one of 'Inner peace through outer violence'. Exploring both its founding philosophy and its current day practices, the campaign shows the role Burnout Dominator has begun to play in practitioners' lives as the ultimate form of cathartic anger release.

Here's what they tell me: "What everyone loves about EA’s Burnout™ Dominator is its pure and unabashed celebration of destruction. The truth is, it feels good to smash into things at high speed. And after a stressful day at the office there is something even pleasantly cathartic about it. The Worldwide global phenomenon, Kah Ra Shin, and its mantra, ‘Inner Peace Through Outer Violence’ was born from this insight."

"We realized that in these angry, stressed-out times, there’s only so much that yoga, meditation or aromatherapy can do for you. What people really need is a way to release their rage, not contain it, through controlled violence against inanimate objects. Or put more simply, ‘to smash stuff’ ". You can visit the site here to upload your own screams.