Boards Magazine - March 1, 2009

When "new" becomes "I know"

Boardflow Los Angeles 5/10; Toronto 5/10; New York 5/10; London 7/10

A quickie with an agency producer JWT, New York head of integrated production Clair Grupp on letting it breathe, the right creative recipe and dance.

MKS Goes UGC Lincoln helps support rising filmmakers in MKS Grammy ads

Behind the scenes with Superman NBA All-Star Dwight Howard takes fans to All-Star Weekend via social media

Playlist Kanye West "Welcome to Heartbreak"; MIMS "If You Wanna"; Beast "Mr. Hurricane"

Topspots Onitsuka "Zodiac Race"; Careerbuilder.com "Tips"; Arnet "1 Million Clients!!!"; James Boags Draft "Pure Waters"; Hulu "Alec In Huluwood"

The Natural Selection of Interestingness Fallon, London's recent Cadbury "Eyebrow Dance" has proved once again that a great idea can propagate online, reaching millions more consumers for no more spend. Yet despite early hype, viral films are still few and far between. Why? Where is viral now, how has it evolved, and what's the future for disseminating online content? Boards spoke to McCann Erickson, New York's chief technology strategist Faris Yakob; Droga5 ECD Ted Royer, who has dreamt up some of the genre's most interesting and successful iterations for Mark Ecko, Net 10 and Guitar Hero; and Matt Smith, founder of The Viral Factory, which pioneered some of the first virals, to find out where the genre is in 2009.

Object affection Raf Wathion finds emotion in the mundane

Dance Dance Revolution Saatchi and Partizan organize a fancy-footed flashmob for T-Mobile

Everywheresville TBWA and HSI go around the world in one city for Absolut

Flippin' Good Fun Flip Books get a makeover in Fox Cult idents

Out of the frying pan Motion Theory puts escapologist to the test for Discovery

Character Driven: The M&Ms BBDO's comedy troupe conveys the complex

Character Driven:Chester Cheetah Goodby reinvents Cheetos' kitschy cat for adults

Character Driven: Cont'd The stories behind eight weird, wonderful and unusual contemporary ad icons

Cute, but dead Guru Studio creative director Frank Falcone ponders the life and death of animated brand ambassadors

No Time and No Money Five Rules to Save Post-Production Money During Production

DISPATCHES FROM DIGITAL Brands and agencies are going down the rabbit hole, mastering the vast world of GPS, apps, widgets, games and more to create some of the most exciting developments in advertising. Here's a snapshot of the bleeding edge of communication...

Mobility-fueled 'Availability Culture' Understanding mobile offers brands unparalleled opportunities

Listen and Learn... or learn to listen? Whether you know it or not, you're already in social media. Listen up.

The Art of Commerce Amsterdam is a city of many faces. Its ad community is shared between local agencies that shine with ads that provoke and international agencies that reach for global ideas. But with its other face, sex and drugs, becoming an increasing nuisance, the city is also looking to rebrand itself as a creative center that isn't afraid of the almighty dollar.

Ready When You Are 180's digital arm aims to create campaigns in real time

Amsterdam Top Spots From outright religious sacrilege, subtle portrayals of sensitive subjects and unrelenting digs at the sexes, these three spots exemplify Amsterdam's gamut of witty and provocative creative.

Inventory & hookups A look at who's making the moves

SuperBowl 2009 The awesome, the bad and the ugly from Super Bowl XLIII