Only the brave playbook
Originally wrote this back in 2009. Still a refreshing idea.
Howies are on to something with this print campaign. In a world that’s increasingly disenfranchised by the economic struggles, bitter foreign wars and a sense that big government is part of the problem, a return to simplicity is a strong message. It’s a brand that is daring, albeit with a simple bold message of peace & tranquility.
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“BASE” is an acronym that stands for the four categories of objects from which one can jump: Building, Antenna, Span, and Earth.
The most famous BASE jumping bridge is the New River Gorge Bridge, WV. Earth refers to large natural formations – cliffs, canyons, fjords and gorges.
Standing atop Brazil’s iconic Christ the Redeemer statue in January 1999, stuntman ‘Fearless Felix’ Baumgartner braced himself for what was to be the world’s lowest BASE jump at 29 metres (95 feet).
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Black Diamond’s grassroots athlete Jesse Huey partnered with Shane Chelone for one of Yosemite’s most coveted big-wall advenutures: Half Dome and El Cap in a day. Chelone provided a trip report and photos that details the duo’s race against the clock.
via @BlackDiamond
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I’m just not too sure Gucci intended this to go this far, right? (click to skip the smoking canister)
Clearly a provocative image, likely re-released to become a viral sensation. Gucci obviously took it upon themselves to race to the bottom of the heap. But why?
Branding Brands put it concisely:
As we all know, understand, and imagine; Gucci sells sex. Since 1994 when Tom Ford took over Gucci the company had one clear message “sex!” It was the sexual revolution of women lead by Tom Ford who’s dream was who’s dream was to empower women on a sexual level.
This recent campaign follows a simple undeniable trend: Sex sells. Gucci rose out of what seemed certain bankruptcy to one of the most popular and successful luxury fashion retailers.
Although controversial the original provocative ad campaigns by the “then” creative director Tom Ford ensured his message of sexual empowerment became a series of intriguing ads.
But let us be clear about the “now” brand message under new leadership of Frida, Gucci is a beacon of luxury taste, a fashion role model with a halo of respect. The imagination runs wild on Gucci’s seductive visuals, never the explicit. Sure my own righteousness is questionable.
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Breathtaking preview of Toronto’s CN Tower, the newest attraction, EdgeWalk opened to the public in August 2011.
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World Oceans Day when Rune Hallum Sorenson sets a Danish record of 68 meters at the AIDA world free diving record in Kalamata, Greece.
HT @hallum.eu
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Tokyo Photographer ‘Levitates’
Natsumi Hayashi makes flying look easy. But the self-portraits that seem to show the Toyko photographer levitating above the ground are actually the result of a lot of hard work.
“Sometimes I need to jump more than 300 times to get the perfect shot,” Hayashi told MSNBC.com on June 8. [Photo of Hayashi levitating]
Hayashi blogs a levitating picture-of-the-day each day on her website, http://yowayowacamera.com/. Either working with an assistant or using a self-timer, she uses photography to freeze herself hanging in the air in diners, phone booths and on Tokyo sidewalks.
Hayashi makes no bones about her levitation being an illusion,
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“David, would you mind doing a commercial for BBC?”
“Non, il n’est pas possible”
“Would you please reconsider? After all, we will have a topless pianoplayer”
“Je suppose que nous pouvons faire une exception”
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Sunday morning dive film for you.
World champion free diver Guillaume Nery special dive at Dean’s Blue Hole, the deepest blue hole in the world filmed entirely on breath hold by the french champion Julie Gautier. It asks you to submit yourself to the peacefulness of the sport and be in sync with nature.
“Guillaume Nery and myself decided to use our time during a freediving competition at Dean’s Blue Hole (deepest blue hole in the world) to make a short movie. Since a long time Guillaume wanted to make the link beween freeding and base jumping. Our goal was to emphasise on esthetic images and innovative camera moves.” Julie Gautier
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Racy psychological thriller. ’Love Me Tender, Or Else’. Short film written and directed by Greg Williams as a web viral for underwear firm Agent Provocateur staring model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley.
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Amazing new multi camera streaming technology. h/t @shirowilde
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RIP Andy Irons. Legends never die.
Hawaii’s surfing community and board fans around the world were shocked to hear of the passing of three-time World Champion, Andy Irons, who died in a hotel room in Dallas, Texas while returning home to Hawaii after a surf contest in Puerto Rico, where he was reportedly too sick to complete competing.
Jodi Wilmott of Ocean Promotion said in a statement, “Irons, 32, withdrew from a professional surfing event in Puerto Rico last weekend due to illness and passed away during a layover en-route to his home in Kauai, Hawaii, were he checked into a hotel in Dallas, Texas. He had reportedly been battling with dengue fever, a viral disease.” Irons was on his way home from the Rip Curl Pro Search Puerto Rico, which he withdrew from due to illness, reportedly dengue fever, which he acquired in either Portugal or Puerto Rico.
Dengue (pronounced den” gee) is a disease caused by any one of four closely related viruses (DEN-1, DEN-2, DEN-3, or DEN-4). The viruses are transmitted to humans by the bite of an infected mosquito. In the Western Hemisphere, the Aedes aegypti mosquito is the most important transmitter or vector of dengue viruses, although a 2001 outbreak in Hawaii was transmitted by Aedes albopictus. It is estimated that there are over 100 million cases of dengue worldwide each year.
Irons reportedly flew to Miami where he spent two days on an IV drip but then insisted on going home to Hawaii to see his regular doctor, Surfing Life reports.
Irons and his younger brother Bruce are from Hanalei, Kauai’s north shore. Both the Irons’ Brothers skyrocketed to fame at early ages, showing great talent and promise in the water. They have hosted the Irons Pine Tree Classic Surf contest for the past few years, and have been seen as mentors for the grom surf community of Kauai.
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Spoke earlier about the stunning cinematography of the Atlantic coast in this new short film from Astray Films.
Gorgeous and deeply evocative portrayal of the ocean around the United Kingdom.
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It’s often said, “Always dare to fail. Always take chances, and never give yourself the comfort of not trying”. In honor of Edison who’s rare successes beat the 10,000 failures.
Failure. The mere thought can paralyze even the most heroic thinkers and keep great ideas off the drawing board. But is failing really that bad? We get an inside look at the mishaps of Honda racers, designers and engineers to learn how they draw upon failure to motivate them to succeed. From poor color choices to blown race engines, these risk-taking individuals provide an honest look at what most people fear most. Watch the film and discover the upside of failure.
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In 2002, the Smithsonian Institute’s National Air and Space Museum produced an IMAX film called “Straight Up: Helicopters in Action.” A brief clip from that film shows in extreme close-up how a high voltage cable inspection is performed by a lineman on a helicopter.
The unnamed lineman narrates his job description against the incredible aerial backdrop. No harm in touching 4.16 kV high voltage power lines once the helicopter has equalized with the power line. Hoovering high in the sky closing in on segments of line needing service observation. “Courage is not about not being scared. It’s about being scared and doing it anyway”.
There’s only 3 things I have ever been afraid of: Electricity, Heights and Women and I’m married too.
Props @MrAlanCooper
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Culture jammer rebranding London’s new bikes with some thought provoking messages about the sponsor. One of the user comments caught our attention:
“I’d like to know where they got their info from (I like quoted sources) but I generally approve of ‘this kind of thing’.
Props from @GuerrillaGardening
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Flying to London tonight to kick start a new design lab project.
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Rather nice titles for the OFFF conference. An underwater deep sea world, full of these beautiful aquatic creatures and ionosphere sounds give it a really dreamy feeling.
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The war photographer Tim Hetherington, right, spent 14 months with a platoon of United States soldiers in the Korangal Valley of Afghanistan. He, along with Sebastian Junger, left, made a documentary about the experience called “Restrepo.”
It avoids the conventions of documentary film: there is no back story, no drive-by’s with experts for context, no underlying ideology or obvious message. The viewer is dropped into war, with a hard jolt, and resides, along with 15 soldiers from Second Platoon of Battle Company of the 173rd Airborne Brigade, in a remote and raw outpost called Restrepo, so named after one member of the platoon who is killed early in their rotation. In practical terms the soldiers of Second Platoon hump up a mountain with lots of bullets and some shovels and dig in.
I’m in complete awe of these soldiers, it’s an extraordinary achievement and it shows tremendous bravery and commitment.
It’s clear watching the film that Mr. Junger and Mr. Hetherington achieved extraordinary intimacy with their subjects over time. There are noncombat moments in the film that are very much part of the military life: the men wrestle one another and in one particularly vivid scene they crank the song “Touch Me” and gang pile on one another as the lyrics “I want to feel your body” pour out of the speakers. It’s less homoerotic than a clear antidote to the physical isolation of their posting, according to the filmmakers.
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