Hasta La Ideas

Dabbling in nostalgia can be a risky advertising strategy, as this new spot for Yell from Rapier proves…

The ad aims to update the Yellow Pages J R Hartley ad, which first aired in 1983, for the modern era. For those of a certain age, this classic ad (shown below) will be fondly remembered: it starred an elderly gentleman (actor Norman Lumsden) seeking out a book on fly fishing from a number of second-hand bookshops. After he returns home empty-handed, his daughter suggests searching via the Yellow Pages. He finds the book, and the final scene then reveals that it is in fact written by him. The spot struck a chord with popular culture and was spoofed in a number of sketches in the 80s by comedians including Harry Enfield and Fry & Laurie.

When it came to advertising Yell.com, Rapier has decided to reinvent the J R Hartley spot, this time with a retired DJ searching for an old trance track he’d made. The narrative follows the same line as the earlier ad, with the ageing raver searching second-hand record stores before returning home to then be guided to a Yell app by his daughter, where he finds a store that stocks it.

The strategy here seems simple: remind the audience how much they loved the earlier ad, and in turn how helpful Yell.com – or Yell’s app – still is. And on the plus side, the ad is very nicely shot (by Chris Palmer) with good performances from the characters, and the staff in the real-life record stores, who play themselves. Yet, despite these merits, the new ad falls flat: largely because it studiously ignores the modern world it is supposed to be reflecting. Its Hartley figure – who is awkwardly named Day V Lately – looks to be in his 40s. If he wanted to find the record, surely he’d know to just Google it? By pretending that Google and other search engines, never mind eBay, don’t exist, and that a middle-aged man would need his teenage daughter to direct him online just feels uncomfortable and hammy.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, this kind of self-referential advertising also relies on its audience being in on the joke. Will the J R Hartley reference really mean anything to those under 35, unless they work in advertising?

Credits:
Agency: Rapier
Executive creative director: Ed Morris
Production company: Gorgeous Enterprises
Director: Chris Palmer

CR in print

Thanks for reading the CR Blog, but if you’re not reading us in print too, you’re missing out on a richer, deeper view of your world. Our Type Annual issue has 100 pages of great content, featuring the best typefaces of the year and great writing from Rick Poynor, Jeremy Leslie, Eliza Williams and Gavin Lucas. It’s printed on four different, beautiful heavyweight paper stocks and offers a totally different experience to the Blog. You can buy it today by calling +44(0)207 292 3703 or go here to buy online. Better yet, subscribe to CR, save yourself almost a third and get Monograph for free plus a host of special deals from the CR Shop. Go on, treat yourself.

Designer and artist Michael Stolworthy puts the “industrial” in industrial design, and when it comes to being a multicreative, he’s got one of the more interesting backgrounds we’ve seen:

[Stolworthy] has studied advanced organic modeling techniques, dynamically driven surfaces, 3-d animation, media arts, arboriculture & horticultural science. He interned with a stereolithography lab catering to the medical industry that specializes in growing 3-d models of human skeletal structures with rapid prototyping technology for pre-surgical diagnosis.

Stolworthy’s also got a Bachelor of Science degree and a certificate in “Ornamental Horticulture.” It is the only explanation for the beautiful steel objects he produces, ranging from flatware to speakers to bar furniture to retail systems. Hit the jump to see larger shots, or check him out here.

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Typefaces for schools, tattooists, magazines and museums all feature in our first Type Annual, with winning designs from as far afield as Chile, New Zealand, Argentina and Israel. Congratulations to all

The current issue of CR features the winning work in our Type Annual in a special section all printed on beautiful 160gsm Conqueror paper, with full details on each typeface, links to the designers’ sites and so on.

The work is split into four categories: Display, Bespoke, Non-Latin and Text while the best of the best feature in our Best in Book section.

Highlights in Best in Book include Kris Sowersby’s geometric sans serif Karbon, and Park House, a typeface designed by NB with Jeremy Tankard for a London property development

Plus we have the beautiful Retiro from Jean-François Prochez for Madriz magazine, “an imaginary Castilian and Andalusian vernacular Didot”

and Rubal Stencil, by Atelier Télescopique for a secondary school in Lille, France

Display features two faces by Alexander McCracken  – Aperture and Estrella (shown top) plus Stempel Elan from Frank Grießhammer (below) and Alejandro Paul’s Piel Script for tattooists

Non-Latin features Armenian, Hebrew (by Oded Ezer) and Arabic faces

While in Bespoke we have faces for magazines, exhibitions and the iPad

And in Text we have House Industries’ tribute to the Eames and more

If you can’t track down a copy at your local newsagent, simply call +44(0)207 292 3703 to buy direct from us. Or fill out the form here. Issues cost £5.90 including P&P for the UK.

Better yet, subscribe to CR for a year here and save yourself almost 30% on the printed magazine. Online only subs are also available, for just £40.

Current online subscribers can see all the winners here.

Une très belle réalisation de l’artiste Nabil, pour le nouveau clip-vidéo du groupe Distant Relatives : l’album studio du rappeur Nas et du chanteur de reggae Damian Marley. Produit par Black Dog / Lil Minx sur des artworks de Gustavo & Clara. A découvrir en images dans la suite.

Previously on Fubiz

• Jiri Geller
• Happy Camper Project
• Haru and Mina

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Basements and garages are places where tools and hobby supplies can easily become overwhelming if proper storage doesn’t exist. My husband loves woodworking (he makes stringed instruments and large furniture), and his tools are starting to outgrow his current storage system. I’ve been searching for solutions that can best suit his needs, and I’ve fallen in love with the Gerstner GI-R530 Hobby Roller Cabinet:

From the GI-R530′s product description:

• Removable locking bar on drawers
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• Collapsible side work table
• Polished chrome plated hardware
• Felt lined drawers for cushioned storage

The cabinet retails for $569, so I haven’t yet ordered the unit. I feel that this cabinet is certainly worth its price, I just need to decide if it’s right for my budget. Valentine’s Day is on the horizon …

For smaller and larger storage chests, some rolling and some fixed location, check out Gerstner’s full inventory.

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