Shameless Disclaimer: I’m really proud of this new project developed by our team at Fullsix for Compal, an iconic beverage company from Portugal.

Abductions of plums? Yes, that’s right: António and Maria defend their properties from theses attacks and keep the plums safe so we now could all have the fresh new juice, Compal Ameixa.

The site features the quirky advertising set in the rural landscape of Alentejo, Portugal but is also a great opportunity to win awards, with the final challenge being awarded a Vespa scooter. From the intro movie to checking which of your Facebook friends are supporting each farm there’s lot to explore (register for the full experience), on this fresh idea for digital inspiration.

the only farm i care about on Facebook

Kudos for the team:
Art Direction: Sonia Frazão
Flash Programming: Manuel Barbosa
Server side: Nuno Costa
Marketing: Inês Marques
Copywriting: Margarida Guerreiro
Strategy: Armando Alves

Film by Y&R Portugal and Krypton Films
Product: Compal Ameixa

First, the disclaimer: LG and CTT are Fullsix Portugal clients. But i really feel you’ll appreciate these projects.

PedeAoBarbas.com

In most countries, Santa Claus is depicted with a beard, which in Portuguese translates to “barba”. LG Electronics and MediaMarket (an electronics store) took the term literally and gave a chance for everyone to ask the bearded man their gifts for this season. But a humourous twist: the bearded men is actually named “Barbas” and is one of the most popular Benfica supporters, the football club with most fans in our country.

At PedeAoBarbas.com (ask barbas), “Barbas” and his sexy assistant are watching the videos consumers recorded at MediaMarkt stores, asking “Barbas” for their Christmas LG presents. The videos will be published online during the next 3 weekends, and all you have to do is gather your friends to convince the new Santa “Barbas” Claus.

This was one of the most fun projects i’ve worked in a while, with a charismatic football figure known by at least 6 million people. Just shows how brands focus too much on celebrity players and forget about the true fans. I’ll be attending the match tomorrow against Académica and perhaps once again have a chat with “O Barbas”.

Meu Postal De Natal 3D

Yep, it’s Augmented Reality. I know, i know, it’s hype and all that, but forget the gimmicks and just appreciate the lovely illustrations. And if you have the time and want to surprise with a different Christmas card (at least for those not on the AR hype), print it and send it by mail to your dear ones, as long as they have an webcam available.

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No, i won’t post a screenshot of the AR experience. Go try it yourself

What’s so exciting about this? The client is CTT, the national post service in Portugal and one of the oldest public companies in Portugal but that isn’t what stops them to embrace new technologies and experiment.

So, i hope you enjoy these ones early because tradition says that in the next few weeks you will be fed up with Xmas cards.

To celebrate this escape from the smaller mobile and laptop screens, the Image Freedom movement was launched a few days ago.

You can find lots of video testimonials of people playing around this idea, with channels on Vimeo and YouTube feeding the large video experience on the website.

And just a few minutes ago, LG launched the product website at liberteaimagem.com, a full 3D experience, showcasing the borderless concept of the LG SL9000 model, the new high contrast LED with ultra slim design.

Go ahead, give the site a spin (literally) and check the gallery for some nice product footage. And maybe, just maybe, you’re free to choose LG when getting the new TV model for your living room.

So, if sometimes i don’t update this blog that often, then perhaps it’s because I’m actually working on stuff like this. Enjoy.

Credits:
Agency: Fulllsix Portugal
Creative Director: Rui Vieira
Interactive Design: Daniel Teixeira, Victor Afonso
Copywriter: Claudia Ribeiro
Web Strategy: Armando Alves
Account Management: Ricardo Costa, Sofia Delfim
Guerrilla marketing : Torke

Rui Vieira played a pivotal role on my decision to change from Draftfcb, as i’ve always admired his creative passion and hard work, both as creative Director at Fullsix and lead OFFF organizer. Also, the chance to join a team known by their excellence in interactive advertising and work with some of the largest brands in Portugal helping them plan their long term web strategy, was something i couldn’t resist.

Expect me to be a lot more active from now on, discussing social media and emerging trends and technologies, but rest assured i’ll keep doing it on my own terms on this blog.
I count on you to help me build a better understanding of digital marketing, expecting feedback from readers on my professional work as well as my social media presence. Don’t let me turn into an arrogant prick, OK ?

I’m almost over with my shameless-self-promotion. Just one more thing to share:

Fullsix Portugal Reel 2008 (Extended Version)

I’m proud of working on a team that does such great work. If you’d like to work with us to help you build your online strategy, you can reach me at armando(dot)alves[at]fullsix(dot)com

While i try to keep this blog mostly personal, it’s great to know that DraftFCB launched a corporate blog (i knew about it a few weeks ago, but now it’s official). On a effort to remain impartial as a blogger, my main critic goes to their decision of not choosing a true blogging platform. These days, any teenager knows how to setup WordPress.

If you’re interested in our thoughts, insights and opinions about the ad industry, give it a push and subscribe to the RSS feed.

Last year i spent my reasonable share of time showcasing Papervision. Unfortunately, no suitable project or briefing came that was adequate to apply the framework. As you shouldn’t t use a new technology just because it’s there, the right amount of relevance to use Papervision came with a campaign for Matiz Tattoo.

The main objective was to showcase a catalog of vehicles, with 15 available patterns. With few resources available, the idea came: what if we used Papervision3D and allowed users to customize their own model online?

So, there you have it, my perfect excuse to use the Flash 3d framework on a online campaign (in Portuguese only):

Have fun and create your own Tattoo (Cria a tua Tatoo).

URL: http://www.chevrolettattoo.com/
Client: Chevrolet Portugal (GM)
Agency: Draftfcb Portugal
Interactive Team: Armando Alves, Bruno Duarte, Hugo Cervantes and Luis Castro.

Stone Fire

Stone Wheel

From the Neanderthal pals at Hamburg.

If you’re portuguese, we’re also having some serious fun at our offices

I’m happy to announce Sporting’s GameBox campaign as the winner of the cyber/viral category at Méribel Ad Festival.

DraftFCB Portugal also won the Outdoor/Ambient category with the Taxi campaign for Antral.

For the past 6 years the Festival promotes European advertising creativity, closing the creative year with a glimpse on the broad tendencies for the coming year. The “Cristal” main and sole award is judged by a mixed international jury made up of agencies and clients.

What a nice Xmas present .

P.S.: Speaking on awards, I “almost” won the best advertising and Internet blog in Portugal. As co-worker Marcos said, maybe i should post more nude pictures next year.

The reason is quite simple: Sapo Codebits, the programming contest i was in the last 3 days, helping out a Prt.sc team last night.

Master coders and blog mates, Samuel and Luis (photo by JPAntunes)

Our project “Sapo Boa Vida” (Sapo Good Life) was a winner in the Mashup category, an idea of social recommendation based on geo data and Sapo webservices.

Time to get some sleep now.

I’m in New York for the next 3 weeks, working at the DRAFTFCB NY office.
For those few 1.68% new yorkers that visit my site, maybe we can get in touch and share some “inspirations”.
For regular readers, i’m not sure how often i will be posting, but you should expect some NY related stuff.