I am Seb

Change is good.

Seb — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 07:44:57 +0000

At least not a shit job.

Seb — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 02:41:38 +0000

Just a thought: NIKE congratulates Joschka Fischer.

Seb — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 00:56:55 +0000

Now if I was an important person at the agency working for NIKE in Germany today I would camp in front of their offices and just to make them publish this tactical ad on the 12th of April this year.

This picture shows the adjuration of Joseph “Joschka” Fischer, an important German politician, former minister of foreign affairs and famous runner. On the day, this picture was taken, he was member of a small but upcoming party called “Die Grünen” and was going to be environment minister of Hesse. But above all this picture would make him famous for being the “Sneaker Minister” as he was wearing NIKE kicks in the parliament. What obviously was a scandal.

Now on the 12th of April this year he will be 60 years old. And why shouldn’t NIKE congratulate with an ad celebrating the only wordwide “Sneaker Minister” ever?

Sorry Lauren, I know you hate me for all that NIKE appreciation posts.

Last call for the WKsiders.

Seb — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 15:17:22 +0000

This post is really delayed. I mean really, really. We had our last day at Wieden+Kennedy on the 21st of December and until now I didn’t manage or was too lazy to put the pictures from that lovely last evening at the Golden Heart on my flickr. But now it’s done. You can see them all in the special flickr set. And here on this blog is a quick snap.

Beijing can be Mexico. If you want it.

Seb — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 00:10:04 +0000

Over the last days the conflict in Tibet excalated. Now journalists, activists world-wide and a lot of other people jumping on that bandwagon call for a boycott of the Olympic Games in Beijing. Well, it’s absolutely right and I fully agree and understand why these people ask for consequences of the crime that the People’s Republic of China is commiting in Tibet.

But it is wrong. Not, as the IOC stated, for the athletes but wrong for Tibet. Just think of the chance you will have in Beijing. Thousands of journalists, an audience of billions and right there, in the lion’s den, you can raise your voice for a free Tibet. But the lion is in chains and can’t do anything.

Just think of Mexico 1968.

Forty years later Mexico can happen again. in Beijing.

With one gesture Tommie Smith and John Carlos show a worldwide audience that there was black power. Now instead of boycotting the Olympic Games, because as a lot of people stated the last boycott didn’t get any single Soviet soldier out of Afghanistan, why not make Beijing 2008 a gesture for Tibet?

Just imagine the picture of thousands of athletes opening the Olympic Games while holding signs that say “Free Tibet”. Or imagine if every winner holds up “Free Tibet” sign. And imagine every athlete wearing a “Free Tibet” sweater all the time. All this of course excludes the Chinese athletes. But just imagine the power behind that gesture. It would be bigger than any boycott and, more important, China couldn’t do anything against it.

All this may be unrealistic. But in Beijing every athlete can show if they are only athletes or sportsmen as well. The world can demonstrate that one single country can’t act against the values of the rest of the civilised world. The seed can be sown in Beijing. Because nothing is impossible, if you just do it.

The best argument against coffee…

Seb — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 17:02:32 +0000

…that Raymond didn’t use. May it be because he’s too much of a sportsman or whatever other reason I can’t think of right now.

Being lazy he simply could have used this, as well:

That would have been a perfect win. Now it’s a disqualified one.

Coffee vs. Hot What?

Seb — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 08:30:24 +0000

A note from the pulpit.

Seb — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 17:17:53 +0000

If you have a minute, please go here and vote for whatever you feel like. But only if you feel like “post off”. Whatever that means. This blog will be back soon. Word.

Commercial of the Week: Jordan.

Seb — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 17:28:43 +0000

Haven’t done this for a long time. This week it is Wieden+Kennedy New York. Why? Because Michael Jordan is the narrator. And, more important, for the last sentence:

“I will become what I know I am.”

The renaissance of love.

Seb — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 11:25:42 +0000

I have to tell you a story. It’s about something most of you won’t be able to follow by heart because you need a spleen to understand it. My spleen is called sneaker. I love them. Their smell when you open the box for the first time and the moment when you do your own lacing. I am not that kind of a sneaker freaker that collects kicks he doesn’t wear. I do. That’s what they were made for. Now for years I loved only one brand. I have dozens of kicks made by this brand. Interestingly I guess all of you would bet on the wrong brand. Because in the category section you only find NIKE. Until today. Because a feeling a had burried years ago returned.

I lost this special feeling for adidas some time ago. Without being exaggerative I would say we had a bad time in our relationship. For years adidas had done the beautiful re-issues of their most brilliant shoes. In new splendid designs. Unfortunately money got in the way and with the increasing demand for this, let’s call it, retro shoes there was a slowly but dangerously growing lack of good design and taste. As every time when you try to satisfy everyone you lose a certain attitude and can’t keep up being sophisticated. I was disappointed and opened myself for a new, hot affair.

Now NIKE had everything I wanted. Culture, a brilliant attitude and great advertising. So I started to get to know them a bit more. Before that time I owned only two pairs of NIKE. The Mach Runner and the Waffle Racer. For years NIKE for me was mainstream without attitude. The absolute opposite to adidas. But now things turned. I found everything I missed with adidas. Great designs, splendid colourways. From oldschool like the Tennis Classic to new era like the Vengeance and the Vector.

As with every new and hot affair our love was rampant. I felt “Just do it” more than I ever felt “The brand with the 3 stripes”. They had attitude. And showed it. So I didn’t just fell for sneakers but tees as well. When adidas tried to get me back with “Impossible is nothing” I laughed out loud. What a lousy copy of my new love. The old lady gets on the top and skirt of the young wild love without noticing her own ridiculousness.

During my time at Wieden+Kennedy I got into NIKE even more. Not only becaue of the 40% off at NIKE Town and the “no adidas in the office” policy. I tried my first Air Max 1 and it got me. From now on I would be a NIKEhead. A disciple of Beaverton, Oregon. Forever. Forever, ever?

Now from this week you will find adidas back in the category list. They made it back. Not because their products got better or their attitude. No, they showed something I have missed. Finally they did something good and right. They returned without the big bang but slowly on their tiptoes. They did not try to copy the attitude of NIKE. No, they reclaim what has always made them special: their heritage. In person of Adi Dassler they show us what took them where they are now. The constant effort to make things better. Working with the right people, doing the right things. Maybe succeed, maybe fail but always keep on trying to do things better. It’s a little Hondaness. But it feels so, so good. Here it is.

This won’t stop me in my NIKEness. But adidas got back and it feels good, it feels familiar. Now they only need to let good products and the right attitude follow this feeling. I hope they do. Just for the sake of the good times we had.