To die for

Living in Israel is great in many ways. It's mostly sunny and there are beautiful beaches, there is amazing food everywhere, incredible nightlife and life style in general, but still there is something really twisted inherited into our way of life. It seems that we are a society that sanctifies death. I know we have our reasons, we did build this country through a bloody history and endless wars and battles. But still, it seems a bit to much to swallow.

Take the past week for example... It started with missiles being launched from the Gaza strip making our kids run to shelter every few minutes, then came the Holocaust day with its residue and right after the remembrance day for the victims of violence. Then and only then we celebrate our independence day. Talk about mixed messages.

A few months ago there was a sports day at my kid's school and it started with a short memorial to the ones from school who died in terror attacks.
I know, I may sound a bit emotionless but I do not start every Saturday dinner with 5 minutes of remembering my dad.
I sat there listening to the kids reading out one by one and thought to myself "what the hell are we doing to our kids" an 8 years old doesn't need to read a text saying: "there is a darkness and no future since you were gone". We need to teach them the opposite, that there is a better and brighter future, there is a different way and they are the ones who can make it happen.

P.S

I believe it is time for a change. It's time to stop having white cloths symbolizes everything that is good and being used in memorial days and holidays and black symbolizes bad and being used for funerals and evil characters.

Just a thought.

"Story" telling

Today all days, on the Holocaust memorial day, I have learned the true power of story telling.
Like every year on this day we hear music, watch movies and listen to stories about one of humanity's darkest hour. This year a new way of story telling come to life (pun intended) on instagram.
We all know what stories on instagram are. But never before as it been used this way.
"eva.stories", a diary of a young Jewish girl's life during the Holocaust turned vividly into instagram stories which were uploaded as they would have in real time.
Now watching these kind of stories is always difficult and sad but seeing it on one of today's form of media while being a dad to a 14 year old girl, made it the hardest of all. The "eva.stories" production on instagram was to me, the most genius, important, accurately targeted and hardest to watch, but most of all extremely important.
I hope it will be the first of many ways in which we can continue telling stories (especially as important as this one) but also keep changing and adapting the way we tell them.

https://www.instagram.com/eva.stories/

When the other shoe drops

Some may call it a disease (especially my significant other), some may call it a fetish, but I choose to call it advertising. A means to an end if you like. When building a brand one must think of all aspects that can contribute to its visual language. In my brand's case, Theredadman, it's feet and shoes, and of course as colorful as possible. It all started with my legs being shot all over the world and continued to my feet with or without shoes, but mostly with.
So... Keeping with appearance as they say I must keep my brand "going" and keep sharing photos of my legs with as may new shoes as possible.
It's a hard and demanding job I know, but thank "god" I am the one who has to do it :-)

The right cast, what else?

Sometimes you don't need the best creative or the best visual effects, you just need the right characters to tell your story...

Great minds...

Life of a brand

Cuts like a blade

I guess there is always a marketing hidden agenda, or is there?
But still, one must appreciate and respect the last Gillette campaign. Like Nike and a few other  brands before, Gillette is taking a social stand.
It's not always easy and not always safe but I think that in the long run it will pay off. First for all, for us as a society and then for the brand itself (like in Nike's case).

So I believe we can embrace the good messages and ignore the hidden agendas (if there are any) and start using advertising to educate for future good ratter than blind consumption.