Mandylives!com

Charlie Brooker debunks and decodes the evening news

British journalist and satirist Charlie Brooker has long enjoyed fame in his own country for his wry observations and comic exposés, but the man’s take on “How to report the news” will surely catapult him to mega web fame. His funny, frank lampooning of the standard formula that news organisations use, cleverly uncovers the Pavlovian conditioning of content. The piece  is rapidly grabbing global attention, with views screaming up at Youtube as it makes appearance on The Huffington Post and scores of other intelligent news sources and blogs. Brooker – who calls himself a “miserable writerist” – is a Guardian columnist, and presents Screenwipe and Newswipe for the BBC, which expose the guts and other inner workings of the television and news media.

Thanks to Rob Beschizza (BoingBoing), John Biggs, and Sally Hunt for bringing this little beauty to light.  And smart commentary from Beschizza on coverage of SA during the apartheid regime: “It’s remarkable how it differs in small but insignificant ways from the U.S.’s own ‘model.’ It also gave me weird flashbacks of 1980s’ BBC news reports concerning South Africa, every single one of which concluded with stock footage of dancing Zulus, to illustrate whatever Mangosuthu Buthelezi of the Inkatha Freedom Party thought about the matter at hand.”

Renowned for ruthlessness when it comes to culling human resources, Naspers gave journalists and other workers at Media24 and Fin24 a rude awakening by telling them they may just have to start looking for other jobs. A communication from Fin24.com Chief Executive Officer, Tim Spira, invited staffers to participate in ‘voluntary retrenchments’. But not before wishing everyone a really good new year.

‘Self elective’ cuts will affect senior editorial staff at Rapport, Beeld, Volksblad and Die Burger. Senior editorial staff from City Press. Editorial staff within FinMedia24 and staff within McGregor BFA are also invited to hand in their notice.

What’s interesting about the cull is its focus on senior staff. This is in line with Koos Bekker’s thinking that young talent will drive digital ’success’ for Naspers. Bekker apparently doesn’t have a fondness for mature talent. Inside sources at Naspers reveal he recently said that people over 35 don’t  understand the internet and can’t embrace the digital age.

“Hello everyone and all the best for a happy and healthy 2010. I hope you have had some quality time out and are returning ready and eager to tackle the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead.
Unfortunately, my first communication to you this year is dominated by some sobering news. As you are all well aware, the media industry – both in South Africa and internationally – is going through one of the toughest periods in living memory. Media24 and FinMedia24 have not been spared. While I am confident that this year will be a turning point in our division’s financial fortunes, performance to date necessitates that we review our cost structures to ensure that we are able to navigate the difficult months ahead and emerge from the current downturn a leaner and more streamlined organisation. This imperative extends beyond FinMedia24 to the broader Media24 Group.

Consequently, a decision has been taken by Media24 management to offer voluntary severance packages to qualifying staff within the following designated groups:
• Senior editorial staff in all the Afrikaans titles (Rapport, Beeld, Volksblad and Die Burger)
• Senior editorial staff from City Press;
• Editorial staff within FinMedia24; and
• All staff within McGregor BFA

Wilson Rooy shall be sending out a communication tomorrow outlining the details of this offer and how the process will work. However, in the meantime, I would like to highlight the following:

• This is strictly a voluntary severance offer: it is entirely up to you whether you want to apply for a package (it should nevertheless be noted that there is no guarantee there will not be mandatory layoffs in the future – possibly on less favourable terms – should financial performance not improve)

• Should applications be received from outside the groups designated above they will be assessed on a case-by-case basis

• The decision as to whether an application is accepted will be at the sole discretion of management (including the applicant’s direct manager, the CEO of Media24 newspapers and myself)

Wilson’s email will include details of whom to contact with queries, but please feel free to contact your line manager or myself with any questions.

I must emphasis that this decision is motivated not by any lack of confidence in the long-term prospects of FinMedia24 or any of its operating divisions, but is rather part of an ongoing effort to improve our operating efficiencies and enhance our competitive position as a forward-looking, integrated media business.

Kind regards

Tim“

Set to celebrate it’s twelfth year later in October 2010, VISI has achieved what few other magazines have been able to. VISI consistently delivers editorial excellence showcased by award winning design. Year after year VISI has won awards and innovated to becoming the industry benchmark that sets the standard other consumer magazines in general – and design magazines in particular – seek to emulate. MandyLives!com caught up with VISI editor Johan van Zyl to find out how excellence becomes habit.

What challenges face print media at this time?
Competition  is on many levels: Firstly for advertising revenue in tough economic conditions; secondly for the attention of readers in a media environment where they have so many forms of entertainment and sources of information to choose from; and, for a niche title such as VISI, a highly competitive publishing industry in which more and more general mass-market titles are incorporating “lifestyle” into their editorial mix.

How has VISI built its brand reputation?
By strengthening the editorial focus on three pillars that have driven our content over the past eleven years: design, décor and architecture – with a strong South African focus. Unlike most of our competitors, we don’t buy syndicated copy or photos. When we do feature international homes, it is always because there is a South African connection and we visit and photograph them ourselves. In addition, when reporting on international shows and expos, we interpret the trends for a local audience.

At VISI, we also know that people’s aspirations don’t change in an economic downturn. Often they want more glamour, beauty, creativity and escapism, but backed up with affordable options and practical information. We have adapted content to reflect this balance between aspirational and practical.

What lessons learned?
Traditional brands will survive if they stick to what they are good at. For VISI this means an even stronger focus on our editorial pillars – especially as we know that (according to our 2009 Reader Survey) readers regard us as an authoritative voice on these subjects. They trust our opinion, therefore whatever we feature implies a subtle endorsement: if it is good enough for VISI, it is good enough for us.

We know that, even in tough economic times, it pays to spend time, money and creative energy on generating superb visual productions. VISI has always been celebrated for our cutting-edge design, photos and covers, and this is something we would never compromise on.

We have also learnt that, when it comes to printing a magazine in both English and Afrikaans, certain subtle differences between these markets must be considered. Although the content is 100% identical, slightly different coverlines might be necessary, for example.

What is VISI’s design philosophy?
We are aware that readers regard each issue as a “collector’s item” and we try to come up with something new and different for each issue, particularly regarding cover finishes such as de-embossing and special varnishes. Each issue is approached as a design object in itself and content tends to revolve around the theme of the issue, be it Holiday, Urban or Rural. We aim to constantly interpret our subject matter in a fresh way in order to consolidate VISI’s position as an inspirational benchmark magazine.

How do you guard against complacency?
One cannot afford to be complacent in the current climate. Readers are spoilt for choice and advertisers are guarding their wallets carefully. Ultimately, we are aware of our position as a market shaper rather than follower: Our name always comes up when people talk about the pushing boundaries in the South African magazine industry – whether they’re referring to design, covers, décor trends or architecture. This means we can never rest on our laurels and brand extensions are essential: for example we publish several annual supplements (our 2008 Kitchen and Bathroom Report has just won a Pica Award), and we host our annual Designer of the Year Award, which recognizes top design talent in South Africa.

How are you growing your online community?
Interestingly, our Reader Survey revealed that the magazine’s readers identify primarily with VISI as a printed object – they want something to pick up, touch and engage with. They also keep each copy for reference purposes. The challenge is to encourage these loyal readers to extend their contact with us onto our website, as well as on Facebook and Twitter, by offering them ‘extra’ content and behind-the-scenes photos, a staff blog, and so on. It remains a challenge to transfer the DNA of the brand to the web but the recent appointment of a dedicated online editor to oversee the VISI site and social media presence will have a positive effect. It must also be said that the majority of people who visit our website are not regular readers of the magazine, thus creating a potential new audience for the printed product. It is currently difficult, however, to gauge how the website helps /could help to drive visitors back to the magazine.

What influences VISI’s content?
VISI prides itself on retaining a Proudly South African position with a global sensibility. We have an award-winning, design and decor team who are all recognized as experts in their fields. The team has regular planning meetings in which we discuss local and global trends (long and short-term), and how we can best present or adapt these for our readers. We also actively seek out and recognise South African design talent.

We believe the economic crisis has inspired most people to relook their values. According to international trends guru Li Edelkoort, what most people want (and need) now is to slow down and renew the value placed on old-fashioned quality and craftsmanship, rather than on fleeting trends. Dion Chang also shares this view and it is certainly always at the forefront of our minds when planning each issue.

What’s on your must-read media list?
Vanity Fair, Monocle, the British GQ and the British Esquire (for excellent writing), and Surface, Mark, Plaza, Wallpaper, World of Interiors and Apartamento (for design and trends inspiration). Local magazines: I read absolutely everything I can lay my hands on – from Huisgenoot to Wanted to Finweek and Leadership, as well as SA decor titles. Websites: News24, The Times, Mail&Guardian, Litnet, Kalahari.

Jackie Scala’s smart. A freelance graphic designer, Scala calls herself an artist and not without good cause. Her work screams intelligence.  MandyLives!com caught up with the clever creative to talk simplicity, freedom, inspiration and the trends you’ll be seeing in 2010.

Creativity is about…
…Problem solving. Combining functionality and simplicity to get the message across.
…Inspiration.  It is innate.  I see things that inspire, I then get compelled to mix those ideas and build beautiful things, from illustrations through to motion graphics.
…Feeling. One needs a deep feeling inside to create. But you have to make mistakes to mould and evolve your talent.

The fundamentals of good design are…
… Simplicity , functionality and a great concept. Experimenting with new techniques and pushing a design beyond where it started

The designers that inspire me are…
… Stefan Sagmeister and Marian Bantjes. He is disciplined and acknowledges the importance of taking time out from the mainstream to research proactive work. Then Marian Bantjes is amazing – I am so inspired by her work. It has so much detail yet still the message is meaningful and well thought out with a somewhat simple idea behind it.

My top up and coming designers …
Louis Minnaar (Creative Visual Design)
Whimsy
Green Grass Design

My advice to budding graphic designers…
Take advantage of the freedom to develop your own style. If there is something inside you that gets excited at the idea or thought of design or creating, nurture it, take photos collect resources, experiment a LOT. It takes time to be able to decide to specialize in what you are deeply passionate about.

Before specialising be broad in your thinking and ideas. Try avoid linear thinking. Remember there is something to learn from each experience.  These lessons are priceless and will shape you as a designer and build your confidence.

Design trends for 2010…
Minimalism, using grid based techniques is something I think will be taken to another interesting level. Bright colours borrowed from the 80’s with a style of combining photographic and illustrated elements.

I think for most designers, trying new styles or stepping out of your comfort zone would most likely always reveal something new and exciting and maybe become a new trend in years to come, which may be a step ahead of simply following an existing trend.

SHOWcase – Jackie Scala’s work:

Ad spoof courtesy those fine folks at AdBusters.

Alcohol beverage company, Brandhouse was just looking for a hiding when they threw a legal hissy fit about the Dumisani ad spoof created by Stii. Users on local social media networks almost unanimously took Brandhouse to task telling them to get real, grow a funny bone and to see the satire as a compliment that shows the Windhoek Lager brand’s been adopted by an adoring public.

The next salvo to test Brandhouse’s sense of humour (or lack of it) comes from none other than local legend Zapiro. Highlighting the public spat between Malema and Cronin, Zapiro uses the Windhoek Lager “Keep it real” slogan to tell Julius to get a grip in his latest cartoon on TimesLive.

MandyLives!com waits to see if Brandhouse’s legal eagles will be ordered to unsheath their talons.

(Thanks to ITWeb’s Nicola Mawson for the heads up on the cartoon.)

The idea seems awesome. People from around the world uniting in song to raise awareness and funds for an ostensibly important cause. Others drawing and meditating on love and sending benevolent wishes to a continent in need. Too bad it is such a flawed and badly misguided branding mission that perpetuates an abhorrent myth.

Africa with the begging bowl. Africa the continent where flies collect in the corners of kids eyes.  The continent Bob Geldof desperately tried to save. Unfortunately despite his valiant efforts Geldof didn’t end poverty in Africa (or anywhere else in the world), but did manage to recreate his impoverished career as a pop star. Following BandAid and LiveAid which firmly positioned Ethiopia as the kwashiorkor capital of the world, Geldof became adviser to Bono’s DATA and the ONE Campaign, was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, and granted an honorary knighthood by Queen Elizabeth II. That paved the way for a tsunami of celebrity ‘do gooders’ like Bono, Oprah, and oh God help us Madonna and Brangelina to make Africa their pet cause project.

But not even that was as terrible as the 2007 celebrity face painting fest which was the Conde Naste “I Am African” campaign.” [A news flash Mischa Barton, Richard Gere, Lucy Liu, Gwyneth Paltrow, Sarah Jessica Parker, David Bowie, Alicia Keys, Lenny Kravitz et al, being born in Africa makes you African, not badly placed paint, curio shop beads and celebrating your celebrity in an insulting advertising campaign.]

Inspired by Geldof&Bono Inc’s sincere efforts to position Africa as the most blighted, hapless continent on the planet, StarBucks has launched the equally appalling “StarBucks Love Project“. In this branding extravaganza StarBucks is the hero that gets the whole world to sing-along to that Beatles classic “all you need is love” in order to save an Africa from dying of Aids. That’s aside from the cutesy social media fun stuff like drawing hearts and other Hallmarkish icons to show how much you care for the aids infested landmass.

Not since Duran Duran, Spandau Ballet, Paul Young, Culture Club, George Michael, Kool and the Gang, Sting, Phil Collins and Bananarama got together to sing Do They Know It’s Christmas, has a moist eyed world so earnestly sung (and drawn) their collective hearts out for our ailing continent.

MandyLives!com’s message to StarBucks? Next time you want a cause to resurrect your brand keep your idealistic, patronising, condescending, indulgent paws off Africa.

Uzodinma Iweala said it best in an oped in The Washington Post:

“Such campaigns, however well intentioned, promote the stereotype of Africa as a black hole of disease and death. News reports constantly focus on the continent’s corrupt leaders, warlords, “tribal” conflicts, child laborers, and women disfigured by abuse and genital mutilation. These descriptions run under headlines like “Can Bono Save Africa?” or “Will Brangelina Save Africa?” The relationship between the West and Africa is no longer based on openly racist beliefs, but such articles are reminiscent of reports from the heyday of European colonialism, when missionaries were sent to Africa to introduce us to education, Jesus Christ and “civilization.”

“There is no African, myself included, who does not appreciate the help of the wider world, but we do question whether aid is genuine or given in the spirit of affirming one’s cultural superiority. My mood is dampened every time I attend a benefit whose host runs through a litany of African disasters before presenting a (usually) wealthy, white person, who often proceeds to list the things he or she has done for the poor, starving Africans. Every time a well-meaning college student speaks of villagers dancing because they were so grateful for her help, I cringe. Every time a Hollywood director shoots a film about Africa that features a Western protagonist, I shake my head — because Africans, real people though we may be, are used as props in the West’s fantasy of itself. And not only do such depictions tend to ignore the West’s prominent role in creating many of the unfortunate situations on the continent, they also ignore the incredible work Africans have done and continue to do to fix those problems.”

Signature works from emerging local artists make up the final show of 2009 at Cape Town’s Whatiftheworld / Gallery. Titled Holiday, the exhibition explores the problematic issues of nationalism, belonging, hierarchy and consumerism.

Participating artists include: Cameron Platter, Georgina Gratrix, Renee Holleman, Athi-Patra Ruga, Rowan Smith, Peter Eastman, Julia Rosa Clark, Dan Halter, Stuart Bird, and Ed Young. The exhibition runs until Saturday the 23rd of January 2010.

Advertising Agency: Lowe Mena, Dubai, UAE
Creative Director: Mark Lewis
Art Director: Sherif Mokbel
Photographer: Graham Tooby
Copywriter: Wilton Ackeer

“Pantogar revitalizer. Is your hair getting thinner?”

Advertising Agency: JWT, Hong Kong
Executive Creative Director: Steven Lee
Creative Directors: Kwong Chi Kit, Barbara Fu
Art Directors: Kwong Chi Kit, Arthur Tse
Copywriters: Barbara Fu, Daat Lai

Bad PR practitioners are a bit like zombies or mosquitoes. What you need to deal with them is a cricket bat and good aim.

If you don’t understand what I’m on about, hire a DVD called Sean of the Dead.

“Just look at the face: it’s vacant, with a hint of sadness. Like a drunk who’s lost a bet.” – Sean of the Dead.

Unfortunately, just like zombies, bad Pee-Ahrs have a bad habit of proliferating. One bite from a client budget and the little fuckers are everywhere.

Spewing out spam mails faster than you can say “media release”, inventing expensive shindigs with speeches of mass distraction where their clients can announce that they’ve launched a new blag or wob site.

They phone you on deadline to ask whether you’ve received their latest missive on leading BlahBlahInc. with the attached 6.5mb head and shoulders shot of their schmarmy client Mr Potato Head which has just burned up the last of your monthly bandwidth.

Somewhere between those awful life insurance salesmen, mobile call centre agents and the people who make Verimark ads, there’s got to be a special place in hell received for pathetic PRs.

Thank God for the professionals.

They’re clever enough not to say things to journalists like: “You know if you were in PR you’d earn a hell of a lot more money.” They understand that spin doctors have a bad reputation because of spin, message manipulation and other devious means of massaging the truth to make it look more palatable than something served in an Eskom canteen.

Good reputation managers still take the money from the client, but add a necessary tension. At best they help businesses become more aware of the crucial role the media plays as a watchdog that protects against the abuse of power and corporate greed. At worst they open the paths of communication between the press and people in power instead of obfuscating them.

MandyLives!com caught up with reputation management professional Sarah Rice of Sentient Communications to talk about why PR has such a bad rap and how you should fire your agency if you need to, which is a lot less messy than going the cricket bat route.

MandyLives!com: Why has public relations earned such a bad reputation?
Sarah Rice: ‘PR people just don’t get it!’ is a common refrain from the media. “My ex-PR agency just didn’t get it, never had any proactive ideas and got us into Entrepreneur Magazine when we wanted to be in Business Day,” is the disgruntled client response. So lets look at why this is – why are PR people perceived as just not getting it.

I think there are five reasons:

1. We serve two (very demanding) masters: when it comes to media relations we have two clients. The one who pays us (client), and the one that uses our information (media). Each has a diametrically opposed agenda and we walk that line between the two – and as we know – you can’t please everyone.

2. Low barrier to entry or there are lots of kak PR people out there: Anyone can set himself or herself up as a PR consultant – a laptop, a cell phone and off you go. I read somewhere that there are more barriers to becoming an estate agent than a PR person.

3. Clients who don’t know what PR is: Inexperienced buyers get shafted and then think it’s the industry rather than their bad decision to hire a kak PR consultant or agency.

4. Education? Our institutions are churning out new PR entrants at an alarming rate. More alarming is the lack of even the most rudimentary understanding of how to write a grammatically correct sentence. There is also no realization that reading the media is critical to our profession or (my personal favourites) why if you just love events you should probably be working for an events company rather than a PR agency.

5. No regulation: Who does a client complain to when they get ripped off by an agency? No one. There are not consequences for bad/ non delivery in PR.

What is the difference between public relations and reputation management?
I can’t answer this on behalf of the industry. To do this, I would need an absolutely agreed upon definition of PR. The industry doesn’t have one – there is some bland drivel from PRISA about a brand and its publics or something but it is too filled with mission-style-weasel words to really define the purpose of PR.  I can, however answer it for myself and for Sentient. For us, its the same thing. Prevention is better than cure and if PR is being done well the reputation doesn’t need to be managed, just guided. If there is a crisis then the hard-core management kicks in but that doesn’t mean a simple interview or press release isn’t also part of the reputation process.

Why is there an antagonism between PR people and the better journalists?
I would like to change this question to ‘why is there antagonism between kak PR people and the better journalists?’  The better the PR consultant, the better the relationship with any journalist, regardless of whether he or she is bad, average, or awesome.

The best and most extreme example of a better journalist losing the plot because of a kak PR consultant can be found here at TechCrunch.  The essential issue raised in the article is one that South African media get frustrated with too – PR people not spending enough time working out what the particular journalist’s needs are in terms of the basics of what publication they work for, what kind of material this publication likes to carry, what they don’t carry and their deadlines.

These are the basics. Well… one would think…

How do you hire and manage a PR agency?
There are no right or wrong ways to hire. Some people do it on referral, others trawl biz-community and fire out a million emails to see what sticks while some hire pitch consultants and go through a three-month process. My only advice is  – don’t over think it. Chemistry is vital to PR.  If the client/ agency relationship isn’t a good one with lots of trust, honesty and a good dose of humour nothing really special will ever come out of it. And remember, its just PR – its not like you are choosing a CEO – if you don’t like the agency you can always fire them.

When and how should you fire your PR agency?
When: talk to your agency before you fire them. Given them a chance with an honest ‘this is just not working for me’ chat and see what happens. If it doesn’t improve then move on.  There are a lot of great PR agencies out there just waiting for your business.

How: Call them up or have a meeting and tell them how it is.  Most clients seem to take the email route.  Its okay, but I prefer face to face. It helps me figure out what the root cause is. So I guess the question is – how honest can you be?

How can you measure the return on investment on PR?
The awful truth is that there is no satisfactory model. There are a few different options kicking about but we’ve not found one that really answers the ROI question.  The most popular way when I started in the industry in 2000 was based on the Advertising Value Equivalent (AVE) of each piece of coverage. Editorial was valued against how much it would cost to place an advert of the same size. This number was then multiplied by the ‘credibility quotient’, which was anything from three to seven times. The concept is that editorial is more credible than advertising and is therefore worth more. This model worked well for a while but with the advent of web, it got a bit complicated to work out and the numbers became a lot less impressive. Also – there are fewer publications now so media coverage is no longer the be-all and end-all of PR. Less coverage, less AVE, less ROI.

Sometimes ROI is explained by measuring whether articles are positive, negative or neutral, which is vital when dealing with brands like MXit, The Springboks or Apple where articles appear without any engagement or knowledge of the PR team.  But it’s not useful with a brand where all stories are proactively driven by the agency. If the agency is the source of most of the articles, the coverage will naturally be mostly positive.

Perception is a great way to measure impact of PR. Its also hugely expensive if its done right.  Most clients aren’t that keen to spend on research to tell them what they hope is true.

So what am I saying? I am saying that right now, there is no globally accepted measure that will make PR safe. PR is not logical – it’s built on relationships and people. The only way for clients and PR companies to protect themselves from disappointment is to determine the measurement and benchmarks upfront and to keep the conversation open about how the tactics are shaping up.  The benchmarks need to be based on what the business needs. There is no point in putting coverage targets as a benchmark if the most critical business need is staff communication.

Should PR be handled in house or through a specialist agency?
The two models of delivery have different advantages and limitations. I run an agency so am biased towards the agency model so readers can read the rest of this answer with that in mind. A (good) agency offers industry knowledge across its niche, objectivity about the company, a range of media relationships, and access to many people who can meet the needs of the client as well as the knowledge that the working relationship can always be terminated. The downside is that PR consultants are seldom dedicated to one account and this means they may not be there when you need them.

In house PR teams are dedicated to the company, always available and understand the minute details of the company. Best of all they don’t just do PR, but work across the whole marketing spectrum from end of year functions to customer newsletters to secretaries day lunch arrangements.  Some clients believe their in-house staff can be trusted with information they would be uncomfortable sharing outside the company. The downside is that an internal team may lack the market knowledge and objectivity to communicate to external audiences such as the media.

My gut feel is that agencies are great for strategy and messaging development and external communications – media relations, website content structuring and copywriting etc.  In-house PR is good at internal audience communication. It all depends on what the business needs.

Who’s your PR champion and why?
I really admire Todd Defren of Shift Communications in the States. He has an excellent blog called PR Squared, which is where I learn a lot about how to integrate social media into PR. I like him because he pushes the boundaries of PR without forgetting what PR is meant to do and through his work my team and I learn about what is possible. It’s so easy to let lack of confidence about the space prevent PR people from tackling the social media and web world and Todd is continually proving that we have a place here.

Nigerian born artist and designer Lemi Ghariokwu is fast becoming a global sensation for his album cover art which has earned his work a place in the permanent collection of the New York Museum of Modern Art. A self taught artist, Ghariokwu has designed more than 2000 album covers, including covers for the likes of Bob Marley, Fela Kuti, E. T. Mensah and Gilles Peterson.

Speaking about his art and the cultural colonisation of Africa Ghariokwu says : “The Black man and woman is still colonised today. Look all around you and see what I mean. Most of the women in Africa and the Diaspora have their hair permed permanently. We wear Western clothes in Africa. We speak English to our children as the first and major language. Our culture and tradition is rapidly disappearing. With Christianity and Islam in total dominance as religions of Black people, tell me how Black art cannot and still continue to be colonised today? We’ve got to first emancipate ourselves from mental slavery before our minds and art can release itself from being colonised.”

Firefox celebrates its fifth year with a poster competition. The challenge is to create a poster to promote and rabble rouse Firefox’s 5th birthday. The winning design will be featured on Mozilla websites and merchandise, as well as the Creative Collective homepage and the Mozilla Blog.

The deadline for entries? December 9, 2009 at 11:59:59 PM PST (GMT -8 hours). Ladies and gentlemen… start your engines.

Almost Zen in its simplicity, the 2009 print campaign for fertility company Nurture demands revisiting because it is so clean, striking and singularly focused.

If you’ve ever wanted a child but can’t conceive, every curve looks like the blooming belly of a pregnant woman. Founded by the formerly infertile über blogger Tertia Albertyn and egg donor Melany Bartok, Nurture’s message is simply: “We’ve been there. We know your pain.” The net effect is a clever campaign that speaks volumes.

Fortunately Albertyn’s story has a happy ending as chronicled in her blog So Close and her recently published book of the same title.

Advertising Agency: At Pace, Cape Town, South Africa
Creative Director: John Pace
Art Director: Frederick Peens
Copywriter: Jonathan Bain
Photographer: Russell Smith