Counting Down to Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange Project

The count down is well and truly on. There's now just three weeks until the 2011 Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange Project. In preparation for the event I was lucky enough to be invited to a special Smirnoff experience last Thursday night at in The Grafton Lounge. The event saw Kenji Jesse, Smirnoff Global Ambassador, dropping into town to create and demonstrate an array of impressive Smirnoff cocktails. Ahead of the Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange Project, Kenji wanted to give a taste of what was in store for guests. His creations on the night included the Smirnoff Thai Collins, Smirnoff Big Apple and Smirnoff Lemon Lime Bitters, as well as a few Smirnoff favourites like the Moscow Mule.

The real fun on the evening came, however, when the guests got to try our hands at creating our own Thai cocktail. I'm fairly proud to say that Jules and I were joint winners with our Lychee-nee-tini. First we crushed Lychees and Kaffir Lime leaves, and blended them with a dash of Lime juice and Lime and Ginger syrup. Then pack the glass with ice cubes and pour over a measure of Smirnoff. Finally, top it all off with soda and a sprig of mint.

This year's Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange Project will be held in Dublin's CHQ Building on Saturday 12th November. Tickets can be bought exclusively through the Smirnoff Ireland facebook page for just €10 each.

Not only will there be delicious cocktails such as we enjoyed on Thursday but also a assortment of exotic Thai food to nibble on. Beyond the delightful food and drink there will also be some seriously cool music to dance to. Dublin born and Australian tamed dance sensation The Potbelleez will headline the evening with support from Fourplay DJ’s Ray Shah, Killian O’Sullivan, Steven Cooper and Rory Lynam, and DJ Gordo.

For more information check out the Smirnoff Ireland facebook page and stay tuned!

Johnnie Walker

Some time ago I wrote about the brilliant Johnnie Walker ad, 'The Man Who Walked Around The World'. The spot, starring Robert Carlyle, is perhaps one of my favourite ads ever. The concept is clean and fresh. The copy and dialogue is succinct and to the point. The overall effect, though expensive and less than easy to create, is one of utter ease. Carlyle is effortless and the ad feels like it could have been shot by him alone one Sunday in the Highlands.

This is the ad...

Last week Johnnie Walker released a new ad for the Brazilian market. This is the ad...

This ad is contrived, filled with poor acting and lacking any sort of connection with the brand, in my honest opinion. I don't understand how a brand could have come so far, in the completely wrong direction. There is nothing about this ad that I like. It does not make me think of the brand heritage, it does not make me think about the natural ingredients and processes that go into its making, and it does not make me even slightly want to drink Johnnie Walker.

I don't know what you did but it is all wrong.

Tickets Now On Sale For The Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange Project

On 12th November, Ireland will receive the very best of Thailand’s nightlife for a one of a kind experience. This week sees tickets for the next Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange Project go on sale. If you want to pick up some you'll find them exclusively available through the Smirnoff Ireland facebook page for just €10 each.

Guests at the event in the CHQ building, Dublin can expect to sip on delicious drinks, enjoy the best of Thai food and dance to some seriously awesome international music. Kicking off the night in style will be DJ Gordo. DJ Gordo is perhaps best known for supporting Calvin Harris on his Irish tour. Next up you'll experience Dublin's Fourplay DJ’s Ray Shah, Killian O’Sullivan, Steven Cooper and Rory Lynam. Then last, but very much not least, Australian dance sensation the Potbelleez will rock the dancefloor with their unique mix of dance, electro and hip hop beats.

For those of you who think you have the moves, there's also still plenty of time to enter the exclusive online dance competition. To enter the competition to find the best dancer and join Madonna's official dance crew, just upload a sixty second clip of you dancing to a Madonna track. Smirnoff have also confirmed that Madonna will attend the New York celebration to help handpick the overall global winner of a dance competition alongside her choreographers Rich + Tone.

To find out more, follow the action on facebook.

Belfast Crew Land Dream Trip To Caribbean With Captain Morgan

Following a six week search, Captain Morgan has selected a team from Belfast as the most worthy crew to represent Ireland in The Captain’s Island 2011. The Belfast team is made up of three crew members: their leader Ross McDonald and his mates Calvin Holohan Doyle and Jonathan Haggarty. Winning out over 7,500 teams from across Ireland, the crew had to pit their skills in a series of tests and challenges.

The next stage will see the crew compete in an island adventure against 12 other countries from around the world. Their collective leadership, teamwork, bravado, clever thinking and masculinity will be put to the ultimate test in challenges laid out by Captain Morgan himself.

The Captain’s Island 2011 Challenge will be hosted over three days (October 10th-13th) and take place at a secret location in the Caribbean. Actress Mena Suvari will be on hand on The Captain’s Island to report back on the adventures, interviewing the crew along the way.

Captain Morgan commented: “I only want the best crews from around the world on my island and so far the guys who will represent Ireland look to have all the attributes I’d be looking for. However, they’ve only just got over the first challenge – which frankly wasn’t that difficult – so let’s see how they fare when I really put them through their paces on my Island. I’m not going to give my £13,000 bounty to just anyone so they better show they’ve got what it takes to impress the Captain.”

Competition winner Ross McDonald stated, “It’s an incredible honour to represent Ireland on The Captain’s Island. The Irish lads from last year’s Captain’s Cup team won the overall prize in South Africa so it has made us even more determined to bring the £13,000 bounty home to Ireland!’

To follow all of their adventures visit Captain Morgan’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/CaptainMorganIreland for exclusive pictures, commentary and videos of the challenge on The Captain’s Island.

Samsung Central Station

Loving this brand new video to promote Samsung's new Central Station range of USB hub monitors. It's a stop motion film featuring the perils of messy cables.

The monitors themselves include a wireless USB 2.0 dongle that you connect to your laptop. The monitor then ‘comes alive’ when your computer is within 3 feet of the ‘Central Station’. In addition you can plug all your desktop peripherals into it to be ready to go when you need them.

Credits
Client: Samsung Electronics
Director / Animator: Jey Mal
Production: The Viral Factory