Little Teo

A few days ago, Arnaud managed to clone himself and this was the result, a healthy bundle of joy :) Little Teo was born just two days ago and we'd like to wish Arnaud and Lavinia all the best with their second child.

Apocalypse Now

My Troops make me proud! Tonic completely annihilated the competition tonight at the AdNation Paintball Tournament :)

Thanks to "Fast" Dennis, "You-Won’t-Have-Time-To-Say" Arno, "Rabid" DogBoy, "Precision" Makram, "I’ll-Make-It-Personal" Andre, "Wondering" Kris, "Late" Haytham, umm Iya's husband and Iya as official cheerleader and professional photo-reporter... we won both legs of the elimination round. We are therefore in the 1/4 finals and more if we continue kicking ass the way we did with the Active’s and UM7’s.

You see, we're not just an award-winning, super-creative, ridiculously good looking agency!

For more info visit adnationme.com/adnation-paintball-tournament.html

Tonic sees RED

As far as I know, and I know, we are the first agency to shoot a TV commercial on the new RED Digital Cinema camera in the Gulf. Undoubtedly, this is the best camera we’ve ever used. As far as resolution, functionality and design go, this camera takes it to the next level. I really feel that using this camera has simplified the process, especially when it comes to off-line. Amongst some of the advantages, is that you can grade and edit on site and the resolution is so good, you can rack into a shot 5 times more than you could of on any other camera. These are just some of the advantages of using this amazing new camera.

As Scott Billups said on their site, "It's not that the RED is really that far ahead of the technological curve, it's just that everything else is so far behind."

We used the RED to shoot four new spots for Burger King with Zoe in Beirut. Currently the spots are in post-production, but they’ll soon be on our site and the blog once they’re done, so watch this space.

Tonic gets a taste of Riyadh

It took about six trips to the Saudi consulate and a lot of umm paperwork, but they eventually decided to give me a visa. It's not on the top of my list of must see cities, but our trip to Riyadh to see our Burger King clients was a fruitful and an educational experience. Apart from visiting the first Burger King ever in the Middle East, we had the opportunity to see the sights and sounds of a city that many people misunderstand. BTW, if you're going to drive, get life insurance :)

BK Joe

For those of you who actually read our blog and don't just look at the pretty pictures, you'll know that we recently won the Burger King Account. A lot of people have been wondering what we'll be doing for them - wonder no more. Here are some of the first bits of creative done on this really great account with a lot of awesome work to follow.

These will roll out in Print, as Posters and Tray Liners.

Creative Director - Vincent Raffray
Art Director - Diya Ajit
Copywriter - Kris Richardson

Have a Tonic with your Burger

After many weeks of pitching, a shit load of Whoppers and a couple of trips to the States, we can finally announce the news that Burger King Middle East has appointed us as their creative agency… who's your daddy :)

This is probably the first time in the region that a global blue-chip brand has moved it’s entire creative account to an independent agency and hopefully it won’t be the last. We won against four other network agencies after a pretty intense pitch that included two rounds of reviews from BK regional head office and key franchises, as well as a final validation from BK’s US brand agency, Crispin Porter + Bogusky.

The decision by BK to give their account to us as an independent agency is a sure sign that the region is evolving. Regional marketers are beginning to realize the advantages of dealing with creative agencies that are producing daring and effective communication that finds its way into popular culture.

So soon, we’ll be entertaining you guys with some fresh, appetizing work made to order, the way only Tonic can deliver. Ok, too many puns, my bad.

Do we have the hottest chicks in town or what?

Not only are our designers pretty hot, they can also do some amazing things with a piece of string, some tennis balls and a litre of petrol. They've taken their act from Diera, to Jebel Ali and for a small fee, they'll even do some private shows. For bookings, please contact the office.

A good dose of inspiration from Crispin Porter and Bogusky

There’s nothing like starting the new year with a little inspiration. And for me at least there’s no better inspiration than visiting what I think is the best agency on the planet: Crispin Porter + Bogusky. If you don’t know them, they are the guys who reinvented Burger King, launched the Mini and VA in the US, made millions stop smoking with the Truth and all this out of Miami.

So while I was on holidays in El Salvador, I decided to hop onto a plane and accept Chuck Porter’s invitation to drop by. I first circled around their office feeling the vibe. The kitsch pink flamingo fountain on one end and the giraffe trying to French kiss a horse on the other where good signs. Yet they did not prepare me for the gentle and humble attitude I found in CP+B. I guess these guys are so good they just don’t care about false airs of grandeur anymore, they are just chilled, polite and fun to be with. Mr. Porter was a pleasure to talk to and I almost wet myself when he said he liked our work. I only spent 90 minutes with him but this is going to stay with me until I am 90. Although he kept saying that they were only a small agency, I could not help thinking that I was in one of the biggest creative centres of the world. If they call themselves small...who the hell are we...

A few lessons for all of you aspiring to greatness out there: when you get there, don’t forget where you came from. This way I guess you can continue growing with the things that got you there in the first place.

Enjoy the pics from a humbled planner.

Posted by Arnaud Verchere

New Bafco Campaign for 2008

Finally a new campaign for 2008 worth posting. We've been so busy working on property clients that we're going a little crazy (ok, maybe alot crazy). Anyway, Bafco have always given us creative leeway and this year was no exception. This was a campaign that we wrote and rewrote because we never knew where to draw the line. Here are the first three ads, there might be more depending on how well they are received. All pics were shot by Peter Walker and the styling, props and locations were provided by Nadia Marto from Production Planning Solutions in Dubai.

This is Elliot. He still lives with his mother. This is his car. This is his best friend. His idea of fun. How he spends most of his evenings. And this is his job. The only thing that stops Elliot from putting a bullet through his middle-aged balding head is coming to work everyday where he can be more productive in his ergonomically designed office chair and feel like a real player.