The creative team at StockLayouts posted a new business template set for an Animal Shelter & Pet Adoption Center. The business set is comprised of a brochure, postcard, newsletter, poster, stationery and flyer & ads.

StockLayouts template designs, for creating print marketing materials are available for purchase and download online and are fully customizable in a choice of file formats including QuarkXPress, Adobe InDesign, Adobe Illustrator, CorelDRAW, Microsoft Publisher, Microsoft Word and Apple iWork Pages. Created with high-quality output in mind, the template designs are easy to edit, and suitable for printing in-house on a color printer or on an offset press. The do-it-yourself marketing templates help users promote their business and look more professional with high-impact designs!

By now, most of you have probably seen the new American Express campaign, “Face”, by their long-time agency Ogilvy & Mather. If not, enjoy:

It has also lead to several print executions, such as:

What you probably have not seen is a great little blog, Faces in Places, a public forum where people can add their own pictures of “faces” that they come across in their daily life. I wonder if the folks at Ogilvy saw this in making their ad, and maybe owe some people for creative inspiration. Some of my favorites:

USB Boy

and Cracking Up

This site is a great time-burner. Check it out, or better yet, add one of your own!

The other day I was searching the Internet for some Lego sets, and I know what most of you are thinking that it was for me, no not this time, it was for my son. Anyways I came across a couple of ads for Lego that are just fantastic and very well done.

The three print ads are targeted towards adults with young kids. The ads also play off of two parental concerns (any one reading this with young kids knows exactly what I am talking about).

(1) There is too much sex, violence and drugs on TV. I actually have to watch some of my son’s cartoons to make sure that they are fine for him to watch when I am not around. Whatever happened to days where G.I. Joe would talk to the kids about these issues and what to do?

(2) That kids watch way to much TV and need to do something else that won’t rot their brains. This was a concern for my parents when I was a kid as well. The ads portray these issues and solution with imagery and the tagline “Kids shouldn’t watch too much TV” singing off with the Lego logo. But I find so very clever about these ads is that if you look closely the blurred images is actually Lego blocks.

These are very simple print ads but very effective in getting a clear message across to parents that there are other activities your kids could be doing other then watching questionable TV. This ad also makes me, a 30 year old adult (big child as I my wife likes to point out) want to go buy Lego for me.

Axe has been pushing advertising boundaries since its inception. Well, their holiday campaign for their English product, the Lynx Bullet, is no different. This portable deodorant is apparently so affective that users need to be prepared to face the consequences of a seductive aroma, no matter the locale. Definitely one way to stay warm in the cold.

Even though the news reminds us every night that more and more people are out of work, I am here to tell you that there are jobs being fill every day – in the hidden job market – it’s just a matter of knowing where to look and how to find them.

While estimates vary as to how big the hidden job market really is, most people tracking these things agree that it makes up about 75% of total employment opportunities. Yet, many job seekers have their heads stuck in the job board postings that make up about 3% to 5% of job opportunities, and really yield few results. So you see, you have a much higher chance of landing the right job when you seek out the hidden job market – there are many more jobs and there is much less competition.

How do you find the hidden job market?
• Focus on several target companies you would like to work for, rather than on specific job openings
• Research these companies, thoroughly, finding out what their challenges might be and learning about the people who can help you get in the door – look on the Internet, in general publications and trade journals
• Look for articles written by people who work at your target companies and begin building relationships with them by email, LinkedIn, Twitter or Facebook – ask them to recommend others who might talk with you
• Talk with vendors, customers and employees of your target company – they can often tell you about upcoming jobs and opportunities (these are the hidden sources in the hidden job market)
• Finally, call the target manager at each of your chosen companies – briefly explain who you are, what you know about their business, and how you might help with some of the challenges they are facing. Ask for a 12-minute meeting so you can demonstrate you ability to contribute to the bottom line – stick to 12-minutes. Be prepared to offer ideas and solutions the manager needs.

Using this approach can lead a manager to create a new job for you, once you’ve shown how talented and self-motivated you are.

Additional resources for you to use when accessing the hidden job market include:
• Networking: Reach out to family, friends, professional contacts (peers and colleagues), academic contacts, community contacts, etc. and let them know you are looking for a new opportunity. Be clear and concise about the type of position you are seeking and be prepared to send your updated resume
• Print Ads in Industry Publications: Remember to look at the career postings in the newsletters and journals you receive through memberships to professional associations
• Meta-search Job Boards: Try sites like Indeed.com or SimplyHired.com to search multiple job boards at once, based upon key words and location
• Specialty Job Boards: The idea is to identify job boards that represent your location, occupation, industry, etc. Job boards with a niche focus will likely provide a greater percentage of qualified leads. Some of these may require a monthly subscription. So what? Consider it an investment! Sign up for a few months, take a look around and cancel if you are not getting the leads you expected
• Professional Associations: Join groups that represent your industry and/or occupation. Then make the effort to attend lunch meetings, workshops and roundtable discussions. These groups offer you an opportunity to reconnect with colleagues and meet new peers, thereby expanding your network
• Alumni Associations: Remember these? Instead of throwing away the newsletters and magazines from your alma mater, check out what the alumni career services department has to offer in terms of free or low cost job search, company research and networking resources.

If you spend your time on the above activities instead of spending all your time searching job boards and hoping they will work, I know you will experience much better results, as far as getting calls for interviews.

The creative team at StockLayouts posted a new business template set for a Ski & Snowboard Instructor. The business set is comprised of a brochure, postcard, poster, stationery and flyer & ads.

StockLayouts template designs, for creating print marketing materials are available for purchase and download online and are fully customizable in a choice of file formats including QuarkXPress, Adobe InDesign, Adobe Illustrator, CorelDRAW, Microsoft Publisher, Microsoft Word and Apple iWork Pages. Created with high-quality output in mind, the template designs are easy to edit, and suitable for printing in-house on a color printer or on an offset press. The do-it-yourself marketing templates help users promote their business and look more professional with high-impact designs!

Real news with fake quotes. Tips? jvitkun at yahoo.

Virgin Mobile wants you to keep talking; “Al Bundy disaproves of this ad”

Adidas helps Children in Bangladesh; “By giving them jobs!”

Have you seen the new Pyrex cookware line? “It’s like Pampered Chef but for anti-social types”

Coca-Cola is a philanthropist, cut-throat capitalist; “People like it when you spend millions of dollars telling them how nice you are right?”

Real news with fake quotes. Tips? jvitkun at yahoo.

Thanks to @brandconsultant for the above video

What gets attention on the web -> typeface and copy; “Copywriters, feel free to print this article out when asking for a raise” [H/T @Crackmac]

Not everyone thinks print is dying; “In fact there are three people in Jersey that think it won’t” [H/T @BillBlase]

The Microsoft Store exists; “We’re leveraging the hipness of Bill Gates”

The creative team at StockLayouts posted new templates for a Holiday Toy Drive.

StockLayouts template designs, for creating print marketing materials are available for purchase and download online and are fully customizable in a choice of file formats including QuarkXPress, Adobe InDesign, Adobe Illustrator, CorelDRAW, Microsoft Publisher, Microsoft Word and Apple iWork Pages. Created with high-quality output in mind, the template designs are easy to edit, and suitable for printing in-house on a color printer or on an offset press. The do-it-yourself marketing templates help users promote their business and look more professional with high-impact designs!

One of the joys of coming home from a long trip is the deluge of junk mail. I also sort of like catching up with the various publications that get sent to me erroneously (I call them my subscriptions!).

I always pay special attention to the advertisements, especially the spots that are placed in marque positions (the last page, the front page, the page next to the table of contents, etc.)

Check out these two ads that were on the back cover of the New Yorker in the past month…

Why should a bank care about what people value? Banks are supposed to be all about numbers and interest rates and CD's right? But with 100 million customers in 85 countries and territories, HSBC Group understands that people aren't about numbers. They are about the things they work for, plan for and save for--the stuff t hat can't be measured by numbers. And now, more than ever before, people are reappraising not just how and where they manage their money, but what's really important in life. So why should a bank care what people value? Because only by understanding what people value, can we better meet their needs. (The world's local bank)

Banks are supposed to be all about numbers and interest rates and CD’s right?

YES! YES! YES! Banks are supposed to be run by tight ass accountants that don’t take weekends. They are supposed to be full of people obsessed with financial terms like the ones you’ve listed. In this way, banks make money and they pass some of that on to me in the form of interest. Then we all get rich!

…100 million customers in 85 countries…

Wow! I bet with 100 million customers you guys would REALLLY care about me and my $500 savings account. Gee willikers I think I’ll open ten checking accounts today!

…HSBC Group understands that people aren’t about numbers…

Well great job assholes! That’s what I’ve always wanted is a bank that gets PEOPLE. The last thing I would want is a bank that understands complex commodity markets . I want a bank that is like a really good waiter–or better yet a great drug dealer! I want a bank that knows what will make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside! That’s you right HSBC?

…because only by understanding what people value, can we better meet their needs.

So are you going to sell me drugs or not HSBC?

Let me give you a quick lesson on what people value in banks.

Money.

We want you to go make us some money. We don’t want to feel like our retirement, our college savings accounts and our mortgages are going to fall like a house of cards.

When you start talking about your business as if you are a financial concierge I get fucking worried. And when I’m worried I do crazy things like taking my money out of the bank to bury it in my yard (assuming you assholes haven’t repossessed that yet).

Let’s make a deal, you go make me some money, and give me a mortgage with decent terms and I promise to stop treating you like a really good waiter, or a concierge desk, or a drug dealer.

Deal? Great.

At Ally Bank, we treat your money like it's yours, not ours. So you should be able to talk to somebody about it whenever you want. Just press "0" anytime you call and you'll be conncected with a real human, 24/7. And because we value your time, we even publish current wait times on our website. Its just the right thing to do.

How to be a bank without acting like a bank.

NO NO NO NO NO NO NO! You guys aren’t listening. I want you to act like a bank!

Remember what happened the last time you stopped acting like a bank? Yea a fucking recession happened that’s what! I want you to start acting exactly like a bank. Or better yet start being a bank.

Stop getting seduced by stupid derivative assets that you don’t fully understand. Start researching your investments. Stop wasting time writing patronizing ads as if you are Calvin fucking Klein or Sandals resorts.

The way to gain my trust as a customer and investor is to pull your head out of your ass and make money.

Just press “0″ anytime you call and you’ll be conncected with a real human, 24/7.

And by the way, I’m not as dumb as I look. You assholes had 1800 numbers before the recession and you’re going to have them after the recession. Stop springing this on me like its a new invention.

And because we value your time, we even publish current wait times on our website.

That’s nice and all, but how about you just make me some money. If you do that, I won’t even call you to complain because I’ll be to busy doing all those things that I value.

You guys still care about what I value right?

Thanks.

Real news with fake quotes. Tips? jvitkun at yahoo.

BMW makes an absolutely stunning commercial; “We were hoping that a bunch of bloggers would make ball jokes and this thing could go viral”

Chris Brogan wants you to blog well; “You probably should limit your lolcat posts to a 1:15 ratio” [ed note: NO CAN DO!]

Servant of Chaos is a good person touting a good idea; “It would be pretty crass if a blogger made up a fake quote just to stick to his fake quote meme here”

Robin Goad of Hitwise touches on an interesting economic indicator: Hits to property web sites; “Unfortunately most people were just checking to see how bad things really are we believe.”

Marie-France Bodyline International print ad from Good Housekeeping magazine (Philippines) for its January to February 1999 issue.

A new print ad from Boulder agency TDA Advertising and Design for their client Hapa Sushi features a map of Denver and Boulder with 63 dots. Four dots are blue, representing the four Hapa locations (and the lunch specials they have available). The remaining 59 are red, representing medical marijuana dispensaries, some of which are conveniently located very near Hapa’s restaurants.

With the medical marijuana issue being in full debate, and dispensaries opening up left and right while the “getting is good”, this ad is receiving national attention. Even the New York Times has shown interest, with this article that appeared in the paper last week.

Congratulations to my good buddy Phil Van Buren, the copyrighter of the ad; I’m sure Georgette is proud that your munchie ad is getting national press.