If you’re a newspaper, by now you’ve recognized that the paper news format has been fully overthrown by the force of digital media, and is lying helpless on the floor in a puddle of defeat. The gut reaction to this humiliating coup d’etat would be to curl up and weep while listening to Phil Collins on repeat. But is that what the Guardian is doing? He-ell no.
No. Instead, they decided to give us one of the smartest pieces of work we’ve seen in a while. One that goes a long way toward proving that newspapers aren’t dead at all — they’ve just relocated. And what a rich platform the web makes for discussing timely, controversial issues.
By casting doubt on a centuries-old story we thought we knew, BBH found a captivating, entertaining way to explain the new way to news. While the print ads (below) tell a less interesting story, they’re bold, intriguing, and focus on the conversation (which we’ve always insisted is far more important than the medium).
Yes, paper is dying a slow death. But format, schmormat. There’s not an ounce of doubt that we will always need news, and someone to deliver it to us through an all-seeing, unbiased lens.
Stick figures: They make moves. Never-ever-ever do they fake moves.
InFocus Labs, a projector company (that Mortar has probably kept in business for years due to a certain British person's predilection for misplacing projectors,) recently sponsored a Worst PowerPoint Slide Contest. It's awesomely bad.
But hey, it's Memorial Day weekend, which is awesomely good! We hope you enjoy it, and remember: our pals at Eat24Hours.com are waiting patiently to supply the chow for that party you're throwing – it sure beats cooking!
AWOOOOOOOO! Happy Halloween! Normally, we’d be in full Elitist Coastal Snob Mode this time of year, as we generally consider Halloween – along with its yokel buddies New Year’s Eve and St. Patrick’s Day – to be a charter member of the Unholy Trinity of Amateur-Hour Holidays. But you know what? The Giants have us in an incredibly good mood right now and not just because the wind’s blowing this way from McCovey Cove. So allow us to amaze you as we turn a random, hastily-penned scribblewide-ranging and articulate knowledge download into a focused, must-read marketing missive. You won’t believe your eyes.
Remember this?
Yikes. Here’s hoping Mr. Bateman doesn’t get too upset when he sees the new logo and business cards we just released for online ad exchange AdBrite.
“Look at that subtle off-white coloring. The tasteful thickness of it…”
See how we did that? One minute, Halloween. The next minute, Random Movie Reference. Then…BAM! Work Stuff. Office magic, people. Annnnd scene.
Ok, now on to the Actual Scary Things:
WARNING: Watching This Video In Its Entirety May Cause Violent Diarrhea And/Or The Condition Known As “Death By Embarassment.”
We’re not kidding. We only made it through the first 0:48. Really. Seriously. We are so not kidding.
Oops. They pulled it. To be fair, it was supposed to be for an internal talent show. (They have that kind of budget for internal talent shows? That kind of profligacy is…scary! Awooooooo!)
Quick, Scoob! L-l-let’s get out of here!
Ahhhh. That’s better. You can always depend on the classics.
Speaking of which, it’s time for…Mortar Halloween Jukebox – iMeem Went Out Of Business Because The Economy Is So Scary-Edition!
No audio jukebox this year. And not as many songs. But you do get video, so there’s that.
DAVID/MARK/TODD: “Bela Lugosi’s Dead” – Bauhaus.
Remember this from The Hunger? We’re not sure which is scarier – the atmosphere of vampiric menace, or the 80’s hair. Either way….awesomely scary.
SOPHIE: “Two of Hearts” – Stacy Q
We know. We know. But stay with us. This hilarious-yet-creepy scene is from Party Monster, an underrated yet highly scary flick. We’ve got chills just thinking about it.
SERENE: “Ghostbusters” – Ray Parker, Jr.
Wait a minute. Something’s wrong. This is a song from the 80’s. And everyone knows Serene’s musical tastes are permanently stuck in the 90’s. Which means…that’s not the real Serene! And she’s calling from inside the house!
HUGH – is about to rip the rubber mask off of what is obviously Pirate-Ghost Serene. Will need to gather strength first. Fortunately, there is “The Crusher” – The Novas.
And finally, a little Halloween treat from our favorite non-sparkle-vampire, Count Floyd.
APRIL 16, 2009 -SAN FRANCISCO, CA: Business/Money reporter David Louie (of the ever-popular San Francisco ABC affiliate KGO TV) seeks the insight of Mortar’s very own Mark Williams about Google’s 1st quarter drop in advertising revenue.
Check out the riveting video, and revealing images of our top-secret lair:
Just goes to show that not even our Silicon Valley neighbors- and by “neighbors” we mean people that would release the hounds if we came close to their uber mansions -are immune to the dreaded “R word.” The Full Story, if you like that sort of thing
