Where the hell is Doug?

You can also interact with him through the Doug Hub on Absolute Radio's site. They finally gave into his demands for his own page and blog.

Is it just a Kiwi thing?

From today's Metro

This week our new work for Air New Zealand breaks online, outdoor and in print. We think we have captured the Kiwi spirit that sets them apart in the airline industry. What really struck us was the huge support we received from not only the marketing team, but people across the business that are still smiling and hugely enthusiastic despite trying times.

One of these people is  B747 Captain, Peter Clulow. He's flown for Air New Zealand for 35 years. When we went looking for someone to hand paint a headline on the largest portrait poster (12.22m wide x 20m high) in London, he was in. However once he arrived from New Zealand and saw the site he had to admit that he though it was 'not that big'. Peter is spending Tuesday and Wednesday (7th & 8th October) on  the end of a rope with a paintbrush and a can of green paint demonstrating a bit of Kiwi can do.

Thanks Peter. Rather more elegant than Jason, Nick or Keith on the end of a rope.

Goodbye Camille

Camille was our 8th full time Albionite, joining as a fresh-faced graduate from St.Martins. She brought a box of tricks and a sharp wit and also made tea that was acceptable for a Frenchy. Camille worked as a designer across all of our clients and could bring a sparkle to just about anything with her illustrative flair. We also liked the way she could put down anyone and get away with it; her parting email “Oh and if we're not friends on The Book yet, let's sort it out. Jason, I'll accept your request this time.” Nice.

As part of Goodbye Camille Week we did a bunch of things including a little party with way too many artificial colors and flavorings. The piñata was also a hit when she eventually hit it.

Good luck Camille. Enjoy your travels. We will miss you greatly.

You can see Camille’s work here. She is available for freelance assignments of the illustrative or design variety. Expensive, but you're worth it.

Phew!

Agency familiarisations the Kiwi way

Over the last 10 days the Albion Air New Zealand team have met people across the business from the deputy CEO to operations, PR and local marketing teams. And we have been lucky enough to have been taken on a whistle-stop tour across the country. It was a military operation prepared especially for Albion and two US agencies. At times it was hard to believe that it was work. Helicopters, bungy jumping and jet boats aren't a usual feature of a normal working day.

But by the end of our trip we really felt immersed in the Kiwi spirit and there is nothing like seeing the product you are selling with your own eyes. We'd like to thank the team at Air New Zealand for being the ultimate hosts. We really felt spoilt and privileged. We have our heads down now!

Style
Jason  8
Keith   9.5
Nick    3

Look of fear
Jason  2.5
Keith 1
Nick     10

Facebook app gets the World waving

We’re delighted to announce the launch of our Facebook application, Battle of The Fans.

Battle of the Fans is part of the World’s Biggest Mexican Wave, an online campaign we launched in March to drive awareness of the partnership between BT and pioneering Spanish wi-fi company FON.

BT FON is a community product, marketed through a community campaign, so it made complete sense to take the idea into a community based media.

And it’s hard to find a more passionate community than football fans, so we chose aim the Facebook application at this particular group, to drive the viral nature of the application.

A Mexican Wave on your own isn’t a Mexican Wave, so the application on Facebook is an easy way for communities to get involved and show their support.

You can show your support too by joining theBattle of The Fans.

The search for a star (aka hot tottie)

Albion are on the lookout for a hot bod to star in an upcoming viral campaign. If you, or someone you know, has a buff body, dance moves to die for and doesn’t mind getting down to their man pants in front of the camera then let us know!

We need a man who is between the ages 25-35, can act a little, has a cheeky smile, sense of humour and feels at home in front of the camera.

Our man will be rewarded with admiration, fame and a little cold hard cash.

To be in with a chance of landing yourself a starring role send us two photos.  One head shot and one full body shot in shorts and you personal statistics.

All photographs to be submitted by Wed 11th June to
hot_totty@live.com

You will be required mid June for a casting and should you be selected early July (2nd July approx) for the shoot.

Spread the word!

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/group.php?gid=28948473208

(Thanks for the above entry)

Albion appointed to Virgin Radio rebrand

We think this is probably one of the most exciting briefs on the planet at the moment. We are already busy getting stuck in working with some real entrepreneurial thinkers.

See the story on Brand Republic.

Spikey Potatoes

There's a stretch of road between my house and work which is possibly the filthiest patch of tarmac on the planet. But I like it because there's always something going on: Hackney council inventing a new way to deter fly posting, a new organic, free range, hahal butcher and today - spikey potatoes. Usually I traverse the stretch on foot, but when I'm running late like today, I brave the bus. Sitting on the upper deck you get to see the tops of bus shelters. How many media men must have pondered the merits of selling this grubby canvas? They are mostly a dedicated gallery space for cigarette buts and pigeon poo, but today it's spikey potatoes. Someone, somewhere in East London has the time and inclination to adorn potatoes with wooden spikes and coloured paint and then place them atop bus shelters for commuter's delight. They are beautiful objects - little tubers of happiness. And on a journey down Kingsland Rd at 8am in the morning, they give you hope that the world really is OK. A big achievement for a potato. A quick Google reveals chatter about these objects that have apparently been appearing now for a couple of summers along the 55 and  242 bus routes. And the best part is that no one knows who is behind them or why. And I kind of hope I never find out. Because their real beauty is in their generosity.

Photo from Flickr

Steve "Copy Head" Heath

Steve was recently promoted to Head of Copy at Albion. He brings a wealth of experience from many agencies including Saatchis and Joshua and has won awards above-the-line, below-the-line... hey there is no line for us, but suffice to say Steve can do words for anything.

Anyway, a while back Natalie gave everyone a lump of clay to make something with. Surprisingly Jason is one of the few people to make something - a nice Albion mug. But this week Teddy made this homage to Steve. We're not exactly sure what it is, but we like it.