By Robert Goldrich
The initial P.O.V. in this spec spot–looking up through toilet bowl water–is a bit of an eye opener. And our sight for moist eyes is a pair of kids–a little boy and his “big” sister.
The spot then shifts to a more conventional perspective of capturing the two children in the bathroom, standing in front of and gazing into the toilet.
“I’m sorry you have to go to heaven Sammy,” says the lad, holding a goldfish in his hand.
“I’ll miss you,” affirms the girl.
“We’ll miss you forever,” nods the boy.
As Sammy is dropped into the toilet, the girl adds, “Don’t forget to give us a call tonight”–at which point she plops a cellular phone into the bowl and flushes.
A voiceover relates, “Misplace your phone? Skip the grieving process with a great deal on the coolest new phone at Cingular.”
Jazzy product shot motion graphics of Cingular cell phones appear on screen. The spot then takes us to the kitchen were the two kids are with their mother.
“Mom, did Sammy call yet?” asks the girl.
“What?” responds the mom in a voice tinged with both bewilderment and disbelief.
An end tag contains the Cingular logo, accompanied by the slogan, “Raising the bar.”
Bill Kelman of Apache Films, Venice, Calif., directed the spec piece, which was conceived by creative directors Jonathan Emmerling and Steve Giraldi. Art director was Rebecca Bloom.
Robbie Howard produced, with Kelly Koskella serving as co-producer. The DP was Damien Collier. Production designer was Irwin Mehlman, with Rebecca Bloom the art director.
Editor was Ryan Wick. Colorist was Nadeem Chawdhry of Filmworks/FX, Santa Monica. Motion graphics/effects artist was Alan Chamberlain. Audio post mixer/sound designer/composer was Ben Davis of Ben Audio, Venice.
Principal actors were Carissa Bodner, Nolan Gould and Kristin Pfeifer. There was no actual goldfish; it was a rubber fish that Kelman bought at a magic store.
Searching for spec concepts, Kelman linked up with creative directors Emmerling and Giraldi via wheresspot. Emmerling and Giraldi are creatives at Gotham, New York, but they did this project independent of the agency.
Google Opens Its Defense In Antitrust Case Alleging Monopoly Over Online Ad Technology
Google opened its defense against allegations that it holds an illegal monopoly on online advertising technology Friday with witness testimony saying the industry is vastly more complex and competitive than portrayed by the federal government.
"The industry has been exceptionally fluid over the last 18 years," said Scott Sheffer, a vice president for global partnerships at Google, the company's first witness at its antitrust trial in federal court in Alexandria.
The Justice Department and a coalition of states contend that Google built and maintained an illegal monopoly over the technology that facilitates the buying and selling of online ads seen by consumers.
Google counters that the government's case improperly focuses on a narrow type of online ads โ essentially the rectangular ones that appear on the top and on the right-hand side of a webpage. In its opening statement, Google's lawyers said the Supreme Court has warned judges against taking action when dealing with rapidly emerging technology like what Sheffer described because of the risk of error or unintended consequences.
Google says defining the market so narrowly ignores the competition it faces from social media companies, Amazon, streaming TV providers and others who offer advertisers the means to reach online consumers.
Justice Department lawyers called witnesses to testify for two weeks before resting their case Friday afternoon, detailing the ways that automated ad exchanges conduct auctions in a matter of milliseconds to determine which ads are placed in front of which consumers and how much they cost.
The department contends the auctions are finessed in subtle ways that benefit Google to the exclusion of would-be competitors and in ways that prevent... Read More