STOLEN GATES?

More likely than not you have seen the AT&T commercial that drapes the nation's major landmarks with saffron colored bolts of fabric. The thirty second commercial (below) produced by BBDO drew immediate attention from viewers that recalled the "Gates project" by Christo, exhibited in New York's Central Park in February 2005.

Inspiration is a good thing. But give credit where credit is due.

The initial airings of the AT&T commercial did not credit Christo and wife Jeanne-Claude as artists for the "Gates" project. Someone must have complained.

In Stuart Elliott's New York Times column on May 19th, a reader posed the question to him. Elliott, in turn, contacted BBDO and received a response from Fleishman-Hilliard, AT&T's public relations agency to wit: “The artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude have had and have no direct or indirect affiliation or involvement with the creation of AT&T’s advertising.”

The commercial, currently airing, now has a disclaimer that reads: "The artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude have no direct or indirect affiliation or involvement with AT&T"

Is this inspiration or a stolen vision ? In either case it appears AT&T is not giving the artists credit. Watch the video and vote below.



Now vote!

LO DIGAS COMO LO DIGAS

The phrase translates to "you say it like you say it" and is part and parcel of the launch for a campaign that accepts a change in the pronunciation of PEPSI to PESI.

The campaign, launched in Spain, recognizes the cultural nuances that often pop up with global brands. The second "P" in Pepsi is difficult to pronounce in Spanish. Developed by Contrapunto BBDO, a television spot cast Spanish soccer star Fernando Torres to carry the campaign. His difficulty pronouncing Pepsi becomes the focus of the spot (below).

The approach is an extension of Pepsi's sensitivity to the fact that Pepsi is pronounced in different ways by different cultures. In Argentina, for example, Pepsi is pronounced Pecsi, replacing the "P" with a "C".

Translating that sensitivity to a neighborhood level in the US becomes more complex, but can nonetheless go a long way to bring the consumer much closer to a brand. Pepsi took the campaign one step further to create website encouraging visitors to contribute to a "Pecsipedia" of Argentine slang.

And it all started back in 1937 when George Gershwin wrote "you say tomato, I say tomato" as part of the lyrics in "Let's Call The Whole Thing Off".