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Mad Men is a hit show — we love it. It’s about advertising, vaguely, and the characters have become quite iconic in only a few short years. So naturally, they’ve been made into Barbie Dolls. What?

Four characters from the show are being made into Barbies. But my immediate WTF reaction stems from the disconnect between the show’s very not-adult themes, and Barbie, which is generally a young girl’s toy. Apparently, Mattel addresses this by saying they’re not for kids.

Mattel is marketing the dolls for adults through their Barbie Fashion Model Collection. While they certainly have an adult pricetag of $74.95 each, according to The NY Times they won’t come with grown-up accessories like martinis and cigarettes.

In my opinion, the move to merchandise Mad Men is not a smart one for AMC and for the show’s brand. There is, throughout, an air of sophistication and class — even if it is only based on nostalgia and the fashions of yesteryear. Barbie cheapens the show and the characters, whether or not the craftsmanship is slightly increased.

But maybe I’m overthinking it. Maybe these are for doll collectors and hardcore fanatics of the show only. To the rest of us, it’s a non-issue, absorbing almost no marketing dollars and making very little impact on the show’s general reputation. Yea, I think that’s it.

But I have to admit, the Joan doll is looking good! [insert remarks about the recurring debate of Barbie and unrealistic body image issues.]

Amid this story, we almost overlooked that Barbie turned 51! Having debuted 9 March, 1959. Perhaps we’ll see Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce pitching to advertise the fledgeling toy on the upcoming season 4.

There was also the Mad Men Suit from Brooks Brothers, which I wrote about a while back. That wasn’t such a bad brand extension because the costumer from the show helped produce the product line. I just don’t think folks want to have the clothing of a tv show is all. Especially not folks who wear Brooks Brothers suits.

via Gothamist »

// a tale of advertising: tv/radio, brands & branding, design: product
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Recently, I had the honour of having my portfolio featured in a book about portfolios. Armin and Bryon of UnderConsideration have published Flaunt: designing effective, compelling and memorable portfolios of creative work. The book highlights how designers from around the world showcase their work.

I always giggle a little when I see my name in print or in a book, and so far it’s been almost universally accompanied by my remarking “ugh, did I really say that?” Perhaps I should proofread my sentiments better. You know, so they actually make sense when read. Oy.

Here are a few shots of my spread. But I recommend you go out and buy the book. Or at least the e-book PDF version.

// a tale of design, photography, the internet
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Spotted the illustrations of Tavis Coburn on Design Work Life (one of the best blogs out there, by the way). Here the images are promoting the BAFTAs, Britains equivalent of The Academy Awards. Love how a single style is applied across multiple movies titles — we need more of this.

See the series here »

// a tale of Britain, cinema
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This is a clever idea and I’m surprised someone didn’t think of it earlier. But I can’t help but wonder why the company producing these didn’t just go ahead and make them black or white. Or why doesn’t Apple themselves start giving these away at the Apple stores — what a great brand-bolstering giveaway.

via Brand Infection »

// a tale of brands & branding, computers & gadgets, design: product
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You understand, right?

// a tale of the industry
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The always-astute Rachel Maddow takes a moment to observe the absurd backlash over the new logo for the Missile Defense Shield programme. Watch.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

// a tale of national identities, politics
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Clearly, I haven’t written much in February. There are four main reasons for this: First, I got fake laid off from my fake job, which reshuffled my life in all general sense. Second, it’s rugby pre-season, which has already started to take up some time. Third, I’ve been sick already for more than a week, including a few proper sick days where I sat slumped on the couch all day. And fourth, the Olympics!

Man, is there a larger sinkhole of productivity? The Olympics are addicting and every time I sit down to watch, I end up losing track of hours, if not days. This weekend, for example, saw me getting nothing done. I did watch the women’s cross-country ski races, though. Oy.

I’m basically gonna scratch the whole of February and resume blogging when the Olympics are over. As I did after Beijing 2008, I’m planning to write a large-scale review of the games from a graphics and branding point of view. Stay tuned.

// a tale of brands & branding, national identities
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