Provokateur Blog

Spotted: Provokateur’s Go Beyond Oil campaign on the streets…

provokateur — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 17:19:15 +0000

Just saw this twitpic post of the Go Beyond Oil campaign we did for Greenpeace... Now we aren't one to condone the vandalism of advertising hoardings, but still... ;-)

The world’s most effective campaign?

provokateur — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 15:19:17 +0000

His Dove World Outreach Centre, with its measly membership of 15 people, now has hundreds of thousands of people viewing its videos on You Tube.

His book, Islam is of the Devil, is the number one search suggestion on Amazon.com when you type in the word Islam, and is the 13th best selling book on the subject of Islam. (Just think about that for a second… 13th!!!)

And his ridiculous mug is on the front cover of newspapers and websites across the world.

No wonder he’s not backing down from Burn a Koran Day – he’s getting some pretty good business out of it!

As an ethical communications agency, Provokateur obviously finds the whole thing both troubling and fascinating. It’s an *evil* campaign – but it’s getting results! (If by “results” you mean sowing hatred and rage across the world…). It might seem cynical and crass to say it, but evil seems to be quite a good campaign strategy these days.

Remember when Anjem Choudary, leader of Islam4UK, told the world that he was planning to parade down the streets of Wootton Bassett with 500 supporters carrying empty coffins? Islam4UK probably had the same number of supporters as the Dove World Outreach Centre, but all of a sudden Choudary was on Newsnight, Islam4UK was on the frontpage of every newspaper and his message of hate was being broadcast across the world. And Choudary all but admitted that the whole parade was more a rhetorical boast than an actual plan.

But it worked. The man – and his message – was bloody everywhere. He won. He got just what he was after. Just as Pastor Terry Jones is no doubt smirking to himself at the end of every CNN interview.

Evil campaigning? Hmmm… maybe there’s something in it.

Scrubbing up future fuels with Greenpeace

provokateur — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 16:07:48 +0000

Besides the naming, campaign branding creation and art direction, we also worked on site design, illustration, animation and photography! It’s been a long gestating, collaborative project that has drawn upon a wide range of Provokateer skills – not least of all the thus-far neglected art of ‘mollases-wrangling’. Look out for more details when the national print advertising campaign kicks in sometime September-wise.

Check out the site at: www.gobeyondoil.org

Giving Alastair Campbell a new look…

provokateur — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 16:40:43 +0000

When you’re working with someone as well known as AC, you don’t want fancy design to get in the way. Instead, you just want the site to look smart and interesting, and for it to deliver the goods in terms of twittering, facebooking and such.

It’s been strangely rewarding reading the complimentary tweets and comments Alastair has received for the new site. Here’s hoping they stay complimentary!

Check out the fruits of our labours here: alastaircampbell.org

We need a PHP Developer

provokateur — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 14:30:59 +0000

We need a PHP Developer, but not just any ol’ PHP Developer. This person must be smart and creative as well as a geek-like genius. Not just content with sitting in the corner HTML5ing and JQuerying their head off, this person will lead the technical build of our sites, whilst also working closely with our designers to make beautiful, effective and usable online communications. So, a bit of an all-rounder really..much like the rest of the team at Provokateur.

We offer unlimited usage of Spotify, a fox in sunglasses and the occasional messily drunken night out on our MD’s houseboat.

If you’re interested and have previous creative agency experience, then drop Eve or Pat a line on 020 7435 7070 to find out more about the role.

Credit where credit’s due

provokateur — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 16:23:00 +0000

The EMN was set up in 2003 to support the development of microfinancing organisations across Europe. As of May 2010 they have 87 members across 21 countries. The print brochure highlighted the work of the EMN in a collection of real-life testimonials from 28 men and women, all of whom had somehow had to overcome financial and/or social exclusion thanks to their local micro-credit organisation.

The brochure was printed in France in 5 colours (CMYK plus Silver spot) on PEFC accredited material. The outcome has thus far proved very positive and we look forward to more trans-european conference calls with one of our new favourite clients.

I See Voices (4)

provokateur — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 10:47:16 +0000

We just said goodbye to an ace intern, Lukas, who did some lovely illustration work for us. But it was only when we were all sharing some Friday night drinks that I spotted a well hidden but beautifully crafted tattoo on his arm. A bit more elegant than having "To Do:" tattooed onto his hand.

New e-campaign site draws attention to the UK housing crisis

provokateur — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 13:24:54 +0000

In the UK today over a million children live in overcrowded accommodation, and 4.5 million people are in housing need. The situation is dire, and looks set to get worse.

Today sees the launch of the new e-campaigning site to help draw attention to the impending housing crisis – www.housingcrisis.org.uk. The site features a Facebook members wall (already showing over 1,000 supporters!) and a very clever MP supporter tool to keep track of exactly who is speaking out on this important issue at Westminster. It also incorporates Advocacy Online’s tools which allow visitors to contact their own MP directly asking them to take action on this issue. The site was commissioned by the National Housing Federation who will campaign alongside housing associations and housing charities on this issue.

Third Sector magazine chooses our work for Macmillan as Digital Campaign of the Week

provokateur — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 16:06:32 +0000

We’re chuffed, thanks Third Sector! You can read an interview and background thinking to the creative on the Third Sector website.

I See Voices (3)

provokateur — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 17:02:47 +0000

Another vehicle experiencing the kind of existential quandary that keeps its headlights on at night. Either it's *not* information, in which case it precisely IS information, or it *is* information, in which case it informs that it's NOT. Aaargh! Why didn't someone just write 'clean me' into the grime and leave it at that?