Oli + Alex

Straight off the bat, this is brilliant: Oli+Alex

I don't know enough about this to be able to say if it's PR or just a bit of fun, but I can only begin to imagine the good it does for the image of Weiden + Kennedy. Here we have a fine blend of humour, professionalism, creativity, technical savvy and, in all honesty, entertainment value. It is so often stressed how important blogs can be for the creative industry — in fact, I would go so far to say it is almost a saturated point of discussion — and this blog should certainly be at the forefront of that argument; it is a creation of brand genius.

I first came across it when an associate of mine tweeted one of Oli + Alex's advertising campaigns believing it to be real. It got me perusing the website and I found myself enraptured in it. They have taken the same line as some monumental campaigns such as Compare the Meerkat and T-Mobile's 'Life is for Sharing' flashmobs, by creating 'the making of' videos of some very notable adverts. But, they have done one up on both of the aforementioned companies in that they talk us through it as people; they are not corporate PRs or press-releases, they are not suspiciously good-looking and well-spoken 'directors', they come across as these creative enigmas whose lives are presented as vastly more interesting than I would wager they actually are.

I don't mean to suggest that either T-Mobile or Compare the Market have done anything wrong, that is not the focus of this blog, my suggestion is simply that, if we're going to think about the effect blogs can have, this should be one of the first names down on the drawing board. I feel, and please tell me if you disagree, that this blog is a glimpse into the life of these two advertising professionals. Whether it is or not will remain a mystery; especially as there is a sense in which advertising agencies presenting themselves so astutely seems suspicious to say the least, after all, presenting things in favourable lights is what they are paid to do. But who am I to question it? In the end, whether this is a genuine blog of interest or not, if it is the former then bravo for honesty and the power of the web, and if it is the latter then I tip my (proverbial) hat for such a stroke of brand image genius, the result is still of appreciation.

As the conclusion of this thought process continues to float around above me riding on the various up-drafts of my intuitions and thoughts as it threatens to drop on either side of the fence, I know exactly how I can while away the hours until the conclusion finally lands...

If you need me, I'll be with Oli + Alex.