Welcome to Optimism

make good music day at W+K london

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We're doing a musical thing this week at W+K London: looking at new ideas and new ways in which we can work with musicians and the music business.

In the evening (with drinks, obviously) there will be a discussion about the future of the music industry and our place within it.

Our discussion panel is made up of some musical big hitters:

– Jamie Hodgson, New Bands Editor of the NME
– Jazz Summers, manager of The Verve, Klaxons, ex manager of Wham! and general music industry legend
– Simon White, manager of Bloc Party, Phoenix, Cassius and the most popular man in music
– Jane Third, who is equally big here and Paris through Because Records, whose roster includes Metronomy and Uffie
– Caspar Llewellyn Smith,  who runs music across The Guardian and The Observer

It's safe to say none of them will be shy about voicing their opinions.

We'll then crack out the steak sandwiches plus veggie option and the live experience will begin.

We'll be sampling the Truman Brewery's freshly minted new BEER and hearing from fresh new talent that Wieden's may one day represent and work with. To do justice to the bands, W+K Towers will be properly pimped sound-wise by Donna and her team of MASSIVE men.

Performances from:

Chad Valley – " As good as anything we've heard all year." The Guardian

Fiction – "Your new favorite band." Gigwise

Teeth – " The delicious side of vicious." The Guardian

Gyratory System – "Slightly maddening and totally compelling" NME

Unfortunately for the general public, this is a private gig. But if you have a friend at W+K you may be able to wangle an invite.

new work from W+K: Chrysler, Coke, Old Spice, Nike

Some awesome new work out of the Wieden + Kennedy mothership in Portland over the last few days. First up: a new Chrysler spot featuring Eminem that premiered in the Superbowl yesterday.

Some awesome new work out of the Wieden + Kennedy mothership in Portland over the last few days. First up: a new Chrysler spot featuring Eminem that premiered in the Superbowl yesterday.

In many ways, this spot is a kind of love letter to the city of Detroit—an acknowledgment that the city has experienced tough times, and that it is primed for a comeback. The script, while recognizing the difficulties the city has been through, reflects pride in what Detroit is capable of and emphasizes the greatness this city has in its DNA. Visually, the spot is set up like a driving tour of the city, highlighting its landmarks and its people. W+K felt Eminem was the perfect person to lead us on this tour because he (like Chrysler) is a Detroit native who has experienced huge success, suffered setbacks and returned stronger than ever. The lyrics to “Lose Yourself” are about that very story. So the pairing of Chrysler and Eminem seemed natural.

Advertising Age said: 'Sure, U.S. automakers have previously tried to convince us that "We are all Detroit" before, but not with creative this captivating. And after a few years of a battered economy, most Americans are more inclined to identify with Detroit than with, say, New York or Sin City, both of which are name-checked here. As the spot says, "We're certainly no one's Emerald City." What starts out as a down-on-our-luck tribute to a broken city morphs into a defiant, we're-back rallying cry faced by none other than Eminem, another broken thing out of Detroit who happens to be staging a massive comeback. Tea partiers and labor unions alike will cheer this one, including the tagline: "Imported from Detroit."'

Two new Coke spots also broke in the Superbowl: 

Also this week, Old Spice and Wieden+Kennedy announced 16-year-old Chris Gatewood is the official Old Spice Super Fan, controlling the release of the next Old Spice ad.

And Old Spice's Super Fan released the new :30 spot titled "Scent Vacation" via his social media channels

And finally, here's a new Nike Free commercial that launched on SportsCenter after the Superbowl.

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