On August 16, 1960, years before man had walked on the moon, Colonel Joseph Kittinger of the United States Air Force ventured higher into the atmosphere and saw the world like no human had ever before. When the Gondola (carried by a helium balloon named Excelsior) arrived at 102,800 feet Joe did something simply astonishing that day, he jumped. Plummeting for 4 minutes and 36 seconds and reaching speeds up to 614 miles per hour he fell back to earth before opening his parachute at 18,000 feet. His leap awarded him numerous (and still unbroken) United States Air Force Records, including highest ascent in a balloon, highest parachute jump and the fastest speed by a human through the atmosphere.

Fast forward some 50 years later and leave it to Red Bull to re-open the history books in search of some legendary record just waiting to break it. With the help of Joseph Kittinger, Red Bull and Felix Baumgartner have been preparing for the last 3 years to eclipse the record Joe set 50 years ago. Red Bull’s creative design strategists make the extra effort to revive the wonder and awe of man’s first fascination with space, of free fall and of the unknown by bringing Joe Kittinger on board. It appears to me that this is an attempt to re-brand Joe’s legendary leap with extreme authenticity. What are your thoughts?

Jacob Tyler is sponsoring Susan G. Komen San Diego 3 day walk for a cure to Breast Cancer…. and yes, we even did a logo for the event. Team “Booblicious” will walk for 3 days starting in Del Mar and ending in Petco Park, downtown, San diego. We are proud todo what we can to support this great event.

Jacob Tyler Creative Group will donate $500 to the cause which in turn will hopefully contribute to a cure that will be seen in our lifetime. To donate to Wendi’s three-day walk, please visit www.the3day.org

by Jonathan Marshall

We have certain expectations of products and of brands, both natural and conditioned. By breaking traditional aesthetic and behavioral boundaries challenger brands are blending the senses, creating synesthesia-type experiences to stand out and define their difference.

This is a pretty clever way to make consumers temporarily stop and think about the advertisement, whether they are shocked, intrigued or even scared. It’s about taking our expectations of brands for a ride, and showing us that they don’t want to be predictable. For some San Diego Marketing Companies that have been around longer, that might not be the safest approach, they most likely need consistency. But, for the new and undiscovered- take a chance and put some pressure on the typical consumer experience and thought process. Sophie Maxwell of Pearlfisher discusses this unique concept and advertising strategy in her blog below.

There is a moment in the Karl Lagerfeld documentary Confidential where its maker answers a “call of nature” in the House of Chanel to find the following placarded mantra: “Si tu pisses partout t’es pas Chanel du tout” (pissing everywhere isn’t very Chanel). Quite right too I think, as this is evidence of three good things: the fashion industry for once taking itself less seriously, a rare return from said overt glitzy glamor to the famously blunt form and natural style of the house’s original founder, and the fitting extension of this original trademark elegance to their lavatorial standards.

I’m referencing it here not just because it’s a funny little clip, but because it made me think about my main point this week: whether it registers or not, we expect certain behavior from certain brands. We form preconceptions and then levels of expectation (as above) through our relationship to and engagement with their products. We like them to meet our standards and ideals. And this is as it should be, especially for brands that we have come to know and trust. However this shouldn’t stop new blood from challenging the status quo, both in reinterpreting our expectations and experiences and in capturing our imaginations.

While true synesthesia is involuntary–like when people describe being “hurt by” shouts–the idea or theory of one form of sensory stimulation blending with, or suggesting, another offers exciting new creative territories. Here are some interesting examples of new approaches not all following the same principles, but all nonetheless challenging what we know and how we know it. We’re anticipating (and hoping for) more…

Scent by Sight:

Boudicca, the London-based design duo is a favorite. By launching a paint as their first perfume they stayed true to their inspiration–their namesake queen Boudicca–who with her warriors marked themselves with wode, a blue dye, before battle. The blue spray may disappear minutes after spraying (leaving a powerful scent that includes notes of juniper berry, cardamon, nutmeg and amber) but its lasting effect may be to change what we expect from a perfume by bringing sight, not just scent, into the equation. The pack structure is a hardy: a beautiful paint can, rather than the slender dispensers typically used by fragrance houses.

Tasting by Whiffing:

Scent is being used in two revolutionary and quite vice aversive ways. Le Whif is a chocolate inhaler created by Harvard professor David Edwards. Le Whif comes in four flavors and is, he explained in an interview with UK publication The Daily Telegraph, inspired by the opinion “that eating was tending toward breathing, so, with a mix of culinary art and aerosol science, we’ve helped move eating habits to their logical conclusion. We call it whiffing.” As it contains zero calories the diet market can’t be far from his thoughts.

Inhalation/Scratch-and-Sniff Cinema:

“Breathe responsibly” is the disclaimer ingenious duo Bompas and Parr greet their visitors with upon entering Alcoholic Architecture, their pop-up bar in London’s Soho. Here, they revolutionize the intake of alcohol by letting you inhale rather than drink, specifically a nice gin and tonic. Forty minutes of exposure apparently equals consumption of one cocktail.

And that wraps up today’s blog, so in the spirit of synesthesia- smell you later.

by Jonathan Marshall

Global Brands like Nike often use their enormous reach and influence to educate people about issues like cancer, AIDS, global warming, and many others. Even though the Lance Armstrong Foundation has made huge strides in the fight against cancer, they would be much less recognizable and credible if Lance was not a Nike-sponsored athlete. Smaller organizations, groups and foundations simply cannot convey the sense of urgency for a cause that a mega-brand like Nike can. Nike is very involved in many organizations and causes outside of sports today, and their involvement is crucial for those organizations and causes to gain national and even international recognition, but it also polishes the Nike brand. Not everyone plays or enjoys sports, but everyone knows and recognizes Nike, and it’s been like that for years. Nike knows this, and while supporting foundations like Lance Armstrong’s is truly admirable, the support suddenly makes Nike appealing to us in a whole new and different way. Now I’m definitely not saying that their support is not genuine, but there is no disputing the fact that it evolves the brand outside of sports and allows them to be even more influential on a truly global level. When you achieve the brand recognition that Nike has, you can pretty much do anything you want, but deciding to innovate and raise awareness is definitely a win-win situation. Below, Eugene Kan from Hypebeast goes on to talk about Lance Armstrong and Nike uniting to launch STAGES, a global art show to raise funds and awareness for the fight against cancer. Check out some of the pictures from contributing artists such as Cai Guo-Qiang, Rosson Crow, Jules De Balincourt, Dzine, Shepard Fairey and many others.

Paris, (July 16, 2009) – To heighten global awareness of the cancer burden, Lance has teamed up with Nike to present “STAGES,” an art show that benefits The Lance Armstrong Foundation.

Engaging the creative community in the fight against cancer, “STAGES” exhibits over twenty original works of art in response to the devastating disease with a distinct focus on the subject of survivorship. The show features some of the world’s most accomplished and promising international artists, including Ed Ruscha, Cai-Guo Qiang, Richard Prince, Catherine Opie, KAWS, Eric White, José Parlá, Christopher Wool, Tom Sachs, Dzine, and Rosson Crow.

The show unites the worlds of art, philanthropy and sport in a unique celebration of human potential inspired by Lance and dedicated to the fight against cancer. “It will project hope, strength and commitment to millions and carry the LIVESTRONG Global Cancer Campaign all over the world. I am humbled by the effort and energy given by so many to bring STAGES to life.“ said Lance Armstrong.

Nike continues to be a long time supporter of both Lance Armstrong and the Lance Armstrong Foundation, creating the yellow wristband in 2004, which gave global visibility to the foundation. To date there are over 70 million bands that have been worn by supporters throughout the world.

“We’re taking the LIVESTRONG message, which is already in the global lexicon, and giving it a different type of energy and voice. At the same time we’re combining the fight against cancer with sports and art to create a larger community that is aware and engaged in the fight against cancer,” said Mark Parker, CEO & President, Nike Inc.

The show opens to the public on Friday, July 17th following a preview today for invited guests at the world renowned Galerie Emmanuel Perrotin in Paris. It will also travel to the United States this fall. All work is available for purchase with proceeds directly benefiting the Lance Armstrong Foundation.

Contributing Artists:
Cai Guo-Qiang, Rosson Crow, Jules De Balincourt, Dzine, Shepard Fairey, Andreas Gursky, KAWS, Geoff McFetridge,Yoshitomo Nara, Catherine Opie, José Parlá, Raymond Pettibon, Lari Pittman, Richard Prince, Ed Ruscha, Tom Sachs, Kenny Scharf, Eric White, Christopher Wool, Aaron Young