http://cargocollective.com Steve Dodds is a great copywriter. Fri, 07 Oct 2011 03:09:37 +0000 http://cargocollective.com en http://cargocollective.com/stevedodds/What-do-you-see http://cargocollective.com/stevedodds/following/stevedodds/What-do-you-see Fri, 07 Oct 2011 03:09:37 +0000 Steve Dodds is a great copywriter. 1927644 PLANNER: We want to be the intellectual Sunday paper. ME: How about this? PLANNER: Love it. But we also want to be the playful Sunday paper. ME: How about this? PLANNER: Love it. But we really want to be both intellectual and playful. In every ad. And single-minded too. ME (TO SELF): Goddam crazy planner needs his head read. (PAUSE) Hmm,.... how about this? <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/124693/1927644/TheSunHerald-blot-gaza_640.jpg" border="0" width="640" height="452" width_o="1061" height_o="750" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/124693/1927644/TheSunHerald-blot-gaza_o.jpg" align="left" /> <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/124693/1927644/TheSunHerald-Blot-Spill_640.jpg" border="0" width="640" height="452" width_o="1061" height_o="750" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/124693/1927644/TheSunHerald-Blot-Spill_o.jpg" align="left" /> <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/124693/1927644/TheSunHerald-blot-bomber_640.jpg" border="0" width="640" height="452" width_o="1061" height_o="750" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/124693/1927644/TheSunHerald-blot-bomber_o.jpg" align="left" /> <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/124693/1927644/TheSunHerald-Blot-Gang_640.jpg" border="0" width="640" height="452" width_o="1061" height_o="750" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/124693/1927644/TheSunHerald-Blot-Gang_o.jpg" align="left" /> http://cargocollective.com/stevedodds/So-what-have-you-done-lately http://cargocollective.com/stevedodds/following/stevedodds/So-what-have-you-done-lately Wed, 21 Sep 2011 09:20:30 +0000 Steve Dodds is a great copywriter. 1633869 The intent of this website is to allow you to explore me at your own pace. To discover hidden felicities without the pressure of the clock. To dip in to my soul, and leap back out if you get scared. But I have been informed through my sophisticated feedback system that some of you are a tad pushed for time and thus prefer to forego the long-winded explanations and gags which may amuse only me. If you are one of those frantic souls, here are some tidbits to feed your hunger. There is new work that needs no explanation, old faves for which I still have a soft spot, and others that have been cunningly chosen for secret reasons. Think of them as amuse bouches for the degustation menu spread over the rest of the site. But not quite as pretentious. If you are really in a hurry, nothing beats a montage. So here are 16 ads in 60 seconds. And here is some work in other media whizzing by too fast to see. <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/124693/1633869/Small Emu.jpg" border="0" width="418" height="600" width_o="418" height_o="600" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/124693/1633869/Small Emu_o.jpg" align="left" /> <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/124693/1633869/IMG_0379.jpg" border="0" width="407" height="600" width_o="407" height_o="600" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/124693/1633869/IMG_0379_o.jpg" align="left" /> <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/124693/1633869/247383_158464660886039_148045848594587_363451_575783_n.jpg" border="0" width="400" height="600" width_o="400" height_o="600" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/124693/1633869/247383_158464660886039_148045848594587_363451_575783_n_o.jpg" align="left" /> <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/124693/1633869/Piss1small.jpg" border="0" width="411" height="600" width_o="411" height_o="600" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/124693/1633869/Piss1small_o.jpg" align="left" /> <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/124693/1633869/IMG_03737.jpg" border="0" width="444" height="600" width_o="444" height_o="600" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/124693/1633869/IMG_03737_o.jpg" align="left" /> <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/124693/1633869/Small FAMILYs.jpg" border="0" width="434" height="600" width_o="434" height_o="600" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/124693/1633869/Small FAMILYs_o.jpg" align="left" /> <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/124693/1633869/Small Paddy_McGuiness.jpg" border="0" width="424" height="600" width_o="424" height_o="600" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/124693/1633869/Small Paddy_McGuiness_o.jpg" align="left" /> }<img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/124693/1633869/SMall Shirt.jpg" border="0" width="446" height="600" width_o="446" height_o="600" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/124693/1633869/SMall Shirt_o.jpg" align="left" /> <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/124693/1633869/IMG_0392.jpg" border="0" width="424" height="600" width_o="424" height_o="600" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/124693/1633869/IMG_0392_o.jpg" align="left" /> <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/124693/1633869/dw01_barking_dog small.jpg" border="0" width="390" height="600" width_o="390" height_o="600" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/124693/1633869/dw01_barking_dog small_o.jpg" align="left" /> <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/124693/1633869/GRANTSsmall.jpg" border="0" width="445" height="600" width_o="445" height_o="600" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/124693/1633869/GRANTSsmall_o.jpg" align="left" /> <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/124693/1633869/nivea-beach-shadow.jpg" border="0" width="548" height="600" width_o="548" height_o="600" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/124693/1633869/nivea-beach-shadow_o.jpg" align="left" /> Of course you are encouraged to pore over every pixel of my brilliance elsewhere on this site. http://cargocollective.com/stevedodds/Linguistic-tomfoolery http://cargocollective.com/stevedodds/following/stevedodds/Linguistic-tomfoolery Tue, 02 Aug 2011 03:42:27 +0000 Steve Dodds is a great copywriter. 1633454 I'm of the belief, old-fashioned some would say, that writers should have some skill with words, although simply attaching the proposition to the bottom of the art director's image is admittedly much easier. So whilst I admit a tendency towards the verbose (as perceptive readers will have noted), here are some examples of that rarest of breeds - ads with headlines. <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/124693/1633454/Picture7.jpg" border="0" width="482" height="650" width_o="482" height_o="650" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/124693/1633454/Picture7_o.jpg" align="left" /> I wanted to say 'some stiff Grants'. Heh heh. <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/124693/1633454/IMG_0389.jpg" border="0" width="456" height="650" width_o="456" height_o="650" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/124693/1633454/IMG_0389_o.jpg" align="left" /> <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/124693/1633454/Nissan Japs_640.jpg" border="0" width="640" height="453" width_o="1059" height_o="750" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/124693/1633454/Nissan Japs_o.jpg" align="left" /> <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/124693/1633454/Nissan blurred_640.jpg" border="0" width="640" height="453" width_o="1059" height_o="750" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/124693/1633454/Nissan blurred_o.jpg" align="left" /> <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/124693/1633454/IMG_0392.jpg" border="0" width="459" height="650" width_o="459" height_o="650" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/124693/1633454/IMG_0392_o.jpg" align="left" /> OK, it doesn't have a headline. But it does have a head. <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/124693/1633454/LY-P Cares_640.jpg" border="0" width="640" height="452" width_o="1061" height_o="750" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/124693/1633454/LY-P Cares_o.jpg" align="left" /> <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/124693/1633454/Mojo_7.jpg" border="0" width="482" height="650" width_o="482" height_o="650" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/124693/1633454/Mojo_7_o.jpg" align="left" /> <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/124693/1633454/Esther-Small.jpg" border="0" width="549" height="650" width_o="549" height_o="650" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/124693/1633454/Esther-Small_o.jpg" align="left" /> <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/124693/1633454/IMG_0379.jpg" border="0" width="441" height="650" width_o="441" height_o="650" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/124693/1633454/IMG_0379_o.jpg" align="left" /> .<img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/124693/1633454/DRINKs_640.jpg" border="0" width="640" height="434" width_o="1000" height_o="679" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/124693/1633454/DRINKs_o.jpg" align="left" /> <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/124693/1633454/Condom_640_8.jpg" border="0" width="460" height="650" width_o="460" height_o="650" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/124693/1633454/Condom_640_8_o.jpg" align="left" /> It's compulsory to have an ad with a condom in every folio. But at least I've hidden mine all the way down here. http://cargocollective.com/stevedodds/Old-Skool-Integration http://cargocollective.com/stevedodds/following/stevedodds/Old-Skool-Integration Fri, 29 Jul 2011 05:46:52 +0000 Steve Dodds is a great copywriter. 1794299 Everything new is old again. Or some such hoary chestnut. A while back, Microsoft wanted to show much you could get done using their MSN.com web portal. We suggested the cunningly named MSN Project. It was the first, or more modestly one of the first, truly integrated and participatory campaigns. We got a group of strangers, stuck them in an empty house with no cash and made them furnish it, feed themselves and live relying solely on on what they could snaffle through MSN.com. The public was kept up to date via television spots, but also by rudimentary streaming from those new-fangled webcams on MSN.com itself. They could make suggestions about what the strangers had to do (using that new-fangled electronic mail system), but, alas, couldn't vote anyone out. We did much content, of which this is one. There was a slight hitch when an actors strike came along and we had to create more content without actually showing our housemates, but masks cover a multitude of sins. http://cargocollective.com/stevedodds/Fake-bread-Fake-history http://cargocollective.com/stevedodds/following/stevedodds/Fake-bread-Fake-history Thu, 28 Jul 2011 06:27:14 +0000 Steve Dodds is a great copywriter. 1637908 Helga's was best-known for doing a very annoying campaign featuring very annoying people asking "Is the bread Helga's?" at inappropriate times. With sales dropping they asked us to highlight their European credentials. A slight problem was that they didn't have any European credentials since the bread has never been available there. But truth has never held me back. Not when you can just invent a history. So we created the 'Helga's Archive'. It was supposedly a repository of all the ads Helga's had supposedly run over the decades in Europe. Naturally, these fake ads had to fit with the real campaign people had seen in Australia, which meant they had to be as bad as possible. I think we succeeded admirably. First we surrendered to the Dolce Vita of Italy in 1961. Then we invaded neighbouring lands with this fine example of justly famous German humour, circa 1971. We continued the cliched theme in posters, and online where the entire archive could be accessed. Fortunately, these historically bad ads appear to have done wonders for their sales. http://cargocollective.com/stevedodds/Lazy-advertising http://cargocollective.com/stevedodds/following/stevedodds/Lazy-advertising Fri, 22 Jul 2011 03:24:27 +0000 Steve Dodds is a great copywriter. 1638240 There are billions of dollars of lazy money sitting around in banks doing nothing. Sounds like a pretty sweet life to me, but apparently not. Our solution was that you wouldn't accept laziness in life, so don't accept it from your savings. Many executions were done, but my favourite is this one. We took over three consecutive pages and showed what would happen if the journalists were lazy. Not that writers ever are. <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/124693/1638240/Rabo 3 page ad_640.jpg" border="0" width="640" height="311" width_o="2048" height_o="996" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/124693/1638240/Rabo 3 page ad_o.jpg" align="left" /> Then, to show we could be just as lazy digitally, we did the same thing to their website. <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/124693/1638240/RaboDirectTheAustralianLaziness_640.jpg" border="0" width="640" height="610" width_o="1003" height_o="957" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/124693/1638240/RaboDirectTheAustralianLaziness_o.jpg" align="left" /> The laziness didn't stop there of course. Radio provided some shining examples of sloth. &#9835; Rabodirect Lazy Deity Radio (Agency Version) 10_6_10.mp3 http://dl.dropbox.com/u/7567585/Rabodirect%20Lazy%20Deity%20Radio%20%28Agency%20Version%29%2010_6_10.mp3 &#9835; Rabodirect Lazy Racing.mp3 http://dl.dropbox.com/u/7567585/Rabodirect%20Lazy%20Racing.mp3 Somewhat ironically, the campaign worked its butt off, winning a Gold Effie as well as various creative awards. http://cargocollective.com/stevedodds/Ruining-the-great-outdoors http://cargocollective.com/stevedodds/following/stevedodds/Ruining-the-great-outdoors Tue, 28 Jun 2011 02:17:37 +0000 Steve Dodds is a great copywriter. 1652664 I'n not a big fan of the great outdoors, although I sometimes like to gaze at sections of it from the great indoors. Preferably from a comfy couch. With the TV humming a relaxing accompaniment. But the outdoors is a good place to hang advertising. Here are some ways I've ruined your view. <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/124693/1652664/nivea-beach-shadow 1_640.jpg" border="0" width="640" height="518" width_o="2048" height_o="1659" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/124693/1652664/nivea-beach-shadow 1_o.jpg" align="left" /> For Nivea Sunscreen, the idea was to use helicopters to fly a large banner over beaches. As the shadow passed over those giving themselves wrinkles, they look up and and read the message on the banner, providing a very simple product demonstration. <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/124693/1652664/Lovells_hard2find_640.jpg" border="0" width="640" height="404" width_o="1581" height_o="1000" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/124693/1652664/Lovells_hard2find_o.jpg" align="left" /> For Lovells Lager, we made messages that were deliberately almost impossible to find, much like the beer. <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/124693/1652664/dw01_pack_shot_1_640.jpeg" border="0" width="640" height="417" width_o="870" height_o="567" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/124693/1652664/dw01_pack_shot_1_o.jpeg" align="left" /> To demonstrate how desirable Hellman's Mustard is, we put up posters of it in bus shelters. <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/124693/1652664/dw01_pack_disappeared_640.jpeg" border="0" width="640" height="417" width_o="870" height_o="567" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/124693/1652664/dw01_pack_disappeared_o.jpeg" align="left" /> Then we smashed the glass and stole the product. <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/124693/1652664/dw01_crime_scene_tape.jpeg" border="0" width="369" height="567" width_o="369" height_o="567" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/124693/1652664/dw01_crime_scene_tape_o.jpeg" align="left" /> Then we put up security tape, but the product still went missing. <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/124693/1652664/dw01_barking_dog.jpeg" border="0" width="369" height="567" width_o="369" height_o="567" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/124693/1652664/dw01_barking_dog_o.jpeg" align="left" /> So we put up chains, and then hired security guards with vicious dogs to protect it. <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/124693/1652664/cutout1_640.jpg" border="0" width="640" height="265" width_o="2048" height_o="850" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/124693/1652664/cutout1_o.jpg" align="left" /> For ASCA, we placed a special build outdoor installation on Bondi Beach so the public could interact, like the classic ones you find on English beaches. Naturally, there have been traditional posters too. <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/124693/1652664/zfish_640.jpg" border="0" width="640" height="264" width_o="800" height_o="330" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/124693/1652664/zfish_o.jpg" align="left" /> <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/124693/1652664/Zones Garlic_640.jpg" border="0" width="640" height="263" width_o="1000" height_o="412" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/124693/1652664/Zones Garlic_o.jpg" align="left" /> <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/124693/1652664/zsock_640.jpg" border="0" width="640" height="263" width_o="800" height_o="329" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/124693/1652664/zsock_o.jpg" align="left" /> Apparently Australia isn't ready for mixed couples as this one garnered numerous complaints and was pulled by the client. <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/124693/1652664/RIC0018_duratrans_640.jpg" border="0" width="640" height="141" width_o="2048" height_o="453" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/124693/1652664/RIC0018_duratrans_o.jpg" align="left" /> http://cargocollective.com/stevedodds/How-I-ve-changed-your-life http://cargocollective.com/stevedodds/following/stevedodds/How-I-ve-changed-your-life Fri, 24 Jun 2011 10:19:24 +0000 Steve Dodds is a great copywriter. 1638647 Like most advertising types, I have posted a bunch of funny, award-winning ads. I've even posted a picture of my cat. We all like pictures of cats. The intention was to lull you into a sense of comfort. But I have a dark secret that I feel compelled to confess at long last. I have actually been manipulating you for years. Quite successfully too. In 1993 I helped create the anti-GST campaign for the Labour Party that cost John Hewson the 'unloseable' election. In 1998 I created the pro-GST campaign for the Liberal Party that resulted in John Howard being re-elected. Addicted to being a slut, I also did the campaigns that sold you on the benefits of privatising the Commonwealth Bank. And then Telstra (first two tranches). And then GIO. I also got you to agree to compulsory super. Just thought you should know. http://cargocollective.com/stevedodds/Cobras-and-Bruts http://cargocollective.com/stevedodds/following/stevedodds/Cobras-and-Bruts Fri, 24 Jun 2011 05:28:31 +0000 Steve Dodds is a great copywriter. 1638116 I find having some nice art about the place projects an air of sophistication that might otherwise be beyond me. After my black velvet 'Dogs Playing Pool' art collection was mysteriously stolen, I replaced it with prints and original posters concentrating on the Cobra and Art Brut movements. Now instead of innocent visitors to my abode thinking I am a creep, they think I am a sophisticated, intellectual creep. <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/124693/1638116/IMG_0316_640.JPG" border="0" width="640" height="515" width_o="1941" height_o="1563" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/124693/1638116/IMG_0316_o.JPG" align="left" caption="Karel Appel Print"/> <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/124693/1638116/IMG_0300_640.JPG" border="0" width="640" height="802" width_o="1467" height_o="1839" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/124693/1638116/IMG_0300_o.JPG" align="left" /> Ben Frost Stencil <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/124693/1638116/IMG_0290_640.JPG" border="0" width="640" height="1142" width_o="1187" height_o="2119" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/124693/1638116/IMG_0290_o.JPG" align="left" /> A Steve Dodds original. Worth every penny. <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/124693/1638116/IMG_0301_640.JPG" border="0" width="640" height="881" width_o="1580" height_o="2175" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/124693/1638116/IMG_0301_o.JPG" align="left" /> Original Picasso poster <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/124693/1638116/IMG_0303_640.JPG" border="0" width="640" height="823" width_o="1622" height_o="2086" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/124693/1638116/IMG_0303_o.JPG" align="left" /> Pierre Vuitton, an insane French artist. <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/124693/1638116/IMG_0294_640.JPG" border="0" width="640" height="853" width_o="1675" height_o="2235" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/124693/1638116/IMG_0294_o.JPG" align="left" /> Judith Supine Print <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/124693/1638116/IMG_0305_640.JPG" border="0" width="640" height="785" width_o="1656" height_o="2033" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/124693/1638116/IMG_0305_o.JPG" align="left" /> Karel Appel Print <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/124693/1638116/IMG_0292_640.JPG" border="0" width="640" height="756" width_o="1506" height_o="1779" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/124693/1638116/IMG_0292_o.JPG" align="left" /> Karel Appel Mai 68 Poster <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/124693/1638116/IMG_0308_640.JPG" border="0" width="640" height="831" width_o="1509" height_o="1961" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/124693/1638116/IMG_0308_o.JPG" align="left" /> Jean Dubuffet Silkeborg Museum Poster <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/124693/1638116/IMG_0309_640.JPG" border="0" width="640" height="782" width_o="1558" height_o="1905" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/124693/1638116/IMG_0309_o.JPG" align="left" /> Jean Dubuffet Galerie Pochade Poster <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/124693/1638116/IMG_0317_640.JPG" border="0" width="640" height="868" width_o="1543" height_o="2094" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/3/124693/1638116/IMG_0317_o.JPG" align="left" /> Keith Haring Tony Shafrazi Poster http://cargocollective.com/stevedodds/How-we-lost-the-mind-game http://cargocollective.com/stevedodds/following/stevedodds/How-we-lost-the-mind-game Fri, 24 Jun 2011 04:02:39 +0000 Steve Dodds is a great copywriter. 1637967 Sometimes good things happen to good people. My karma must have received a sneaky boost, because one day the agency I was working at received a brief for PowerAde, even thought it was handled by another office in the network. We created what I still think should be their ongoing campaign idea, and wrote dozens of scripts. Two were shot. All the effects were done in camera. We dragged the poor swimmer through real sand, shredding him in the process. Ah well, someone has to suffer for my art. Of course, all good things must come to and end. The original agency of note prevailed on the international client to cancel our campaign after two ads that were voted best of the year by Adweek, ran in the Superbowl, and which helped PowerAde overtake Gatorade in Australia for the first (and last) time. Grrr.