http://www.famous.be/ So you want to be famous too. Mon, 11 Aug 2008 13:00:00 +0200 Thu, 23 Oct 2008 14:00:00 +0200 valentijn.steenhoudt@famous.be (Valentijn) valentijn.steenhoudt@famous.be (Valentijn) http://www.famous.be/ When the world was impressed with president Obama’s inauguration speech in January, it didn’t cross anyone’s mind that this piece of written and spoken craftsmanship already existed. But it did… in a slightly different form, written by Tim Driesen, creative director of Famous. The FBI asked us to keep it quiet. We said no. Mon, 16 Feb 2009 12:00:00 +0200 http://www.famous.be/crisis/ If your head hurts when juggling terms like subprimes, asset backed securities or liquidity squeezes, use painkillers no more. Marc Fauconnier's new book will painlessly fly you past the crisis by presenting the concept of anti-cyclic marketing. The solution is not as silly as it sounds: you’ll have to turn into a dolphin and learn to spend money like one. For details on how to achieve this without getting wet, order the book. Wed, 28 Jan 2009 12:00:00 +0200 http://www.famous.be/#/work_detail/29/ Well, this couldn’t concern us less, now that we firmly hold all their autographs: Stan, Bob Sinclair, Milk Inc., Amy, plus a warm kiss from Natalia. After accomplishing this, there’s nothing more one could wish for. The campaign? Most likely a success, as far as we heard. Mon, 26 Jan 2009 12:00:00 +0200 http://www.famous.be/ This week, Karl and Jonathan joined the interactive department. According to our strategy intern Jacob, companies hire people based on the resemblance of their name to the name of the company or its management. He’s even writing a thesis on that subject. A waste of time we’d say. Who would believe such a thing? Not us, Carl & Jonathan Mon, 12 Jan 2009 12:00:00 +0200 http://www.famous.be/#/work_detail/28/ Haydn, one flute, one unusual orifice and a big bowl of onion soup. Mendelssohn, one mime and one very lightweight piano. Händel, one hand, one armpit and a small amount of Vaseline. These are the commercials that somehow didn’t make the cut for the new “Klara in het Paleis”-campaign. To see those who did view the campaign. Fri, 19 Dec 2008 12:00:00 +0200 http://www.famous.be/#/work_detail/26/ Can you imagine what 300.000 candles can achieve? No? Then, switch the lights off and watch. Mon, 15 Dec 2008 12:00:00 +0200 http://www.famous.be/#/work_detail/27/ Two Belgian winegrowers chose the south of France for their vineyard and natural wine making. Domaine Lous Grezès, their domain is called. Since Frenchmen couldn't care less for biological produce, I would like you to hand over their domain from France to Belgium. Wed, 10 Dec 2008 12:00:00 +0200 http://www.famous.be/#/news/ You'll understand why we're looking for new ones. So, if you have great looks AND a great book to show us please contact Koen for an appointment. If you only have a great book, feel free to contact Koen anyway but be prepared to be made fun of on the Famous website. Tue, 9 Dec 2008 12:00:00 +0200 http://www.famous.be/#/work_detail/25/ A celebrity who supports charity is nothing new. A celebrity who actually becomes the support for a charity commercial is another story. Here is one in which famous actress Marie Gillain turns into a movie screen, so you can watch a painfully true story about the situation of young women in African countries. Marie went pale for the film, you might go pale because of the film. Tue, 9 Dec 2008 12:00:00 +0200 http://www.famous.be/#/work_detail/23/ Someone in the agency made the imprudence to let the two guys take care of the campaign for Be Gold. This is an initiative in view for the next Olympic games that encourages children to persevere and not give up sports. Rather than sucking big time, the guys proved some sympathy for the cause and even put to good use their precious personal skills. Mon, 8 Dec 2008 12:00:00 +0200 http://www.famous.be/#/work_detail/24/ Click on the link below. Click trough! Look, enjoy. Stare at Frank Focketyn. See that Robert Long haircut, that ugly training suit, those beautiful locations. In the forest, living room, bathroom! Listen, look, read the payoff, get the message… Twooo, ooone... and stop! Mon, 1 Dec 2008 12:00:00 +0200 http://www.famous.be/#/work_detail/21/ Think of pétanque and what do you see? South of France, old men with berets and a yellowish drink with too much water? Think again. Close the shutters of your windows, grab a tough helmet and watch the Scottish style pétanque we've created for William Lawson's. It is a new episode in the series with the highlanders that originated in another time and another place. Mon, 24 Nov 2008 12:00:00 +0200 http://www.famous.be/#/work_detail/22/ ...goes through the agency. Kasper & Diana used to be kind of the most aggressive types here at the agency (see picture). Luckily for us they ventilated most of their anger on the new Hebbes commercial. Sat, 22 Nov 2008 12:00:00 +0200 http://www.famous.be/#/news/ Famous has recently acquired two well art-directed Dutch bikes, one Gazelle and one Batavus. Attached to the bikes were two Dutch creatives, Roel & Wietse. Attached to the creatives was a book full of interesting ideas. We decided to keep the whole package. True, the creatives are less authentic and less stylish than the bikes. We're just hoping they're equally reliable. Fri, 21 Nov 2008 12:00:00 +0200 http://www.famous.be/#/work_detail/19/ Most creatives in advertising agencies are failed artists. At Famous we try to help them overcome their shortcomings. For example, one of our creative directors is passionately pursuing his fashion career, another creative works weekends as a Sting impersonator (we're not saying it's Johan but we're not saying it's not Johan either) and of course all our copywriters are still trying to get their first novel published. But what do you do with failed comic artists? Mon, 10 Nov 2008 12:00:00 +0200 http://www.famous.be/#/work_detail/20/ The launch of the new strong Tauro beer can hardly go unnoticed. The outdoor advertisement shows the campaign’s symbolic bull releasing smoke from his nostrils - fact that attracted wanted attention (people taking pictures and forwarding them to friends) and unwanted panic (calling the fire department many times). In order not to scare more consumers away before they even had a taste of the new brand, for the sampling we locked the ferocious bull in a big safely sealed container and tried to keep it quiet. If you think you’re strong enough to handle the beast bare hands try to tame it on the Tauro website. Sat, 8 Nov 2008 12:00:00 +0200 http://www.famous.be/#/news/ Only a few days after announcing the return of Tim & Jouri we have more surprising news. Activation team Wim & Adriaan come back to the agency after one and respectively two years. We wish them good luck with solving the briefs they accumulated in their absence. Thu, 6 Nov 2008 12:00:00 +0200 http://www.famous.be/#/news/ These are the conditions in which several colleagues of ours will work on November 6. It’s not a consequence of the financial crisis but a way to put our money where our mouth is. A team of Famous will work outside, in a field, to demonstrate how easily one can set up a perfectly functional office anywhere using only a laptop and Proximus Mobile Internet. Check in real time how their asses freeze on: www.overalsurfen.be and www.surfezpartout.be. If it works well, we may have found a way to reduce the rent. Wed, 5 Nov 2008 12:00:00 +0200 http://www.famous.be/#/work_detail/17/ Famous is still far from saving its first whale (the bastard didn’t cooperate) but at least we make our contribution to a cleaner air. The first campaign we are doing for Electrabel spreads a responsible and empowering message: Together for less CO2. Wed, 22 Oct 2008 12:00:00 +0200 http://www.famous.be/ Especially when it offers you a blitzy position as Creative Director. Tim & Joeri will return to Famous, their 5 years long lasting love, starting the 14th of February. Sorry, 2nd of January. Our passionate relationship with Tim & Joeri will grow even stronger once they will take part in building our creative strategy for the next years. Mon, 20 Oct 2008 12:00:00 +0200 http://www.famous.be/#/work_detail/16/ Let’s be honest: the Jupiler Pro League, our national soccer league, was not very spectacular these past few years. Coaches choose defensive tactics, rather than scoring goals. This was a huge problem for Belgacom, holder of the broadcasting rights. Who would want to watch boring soccer? Wed, 15 Oct 2008 12:00:00 +0200 http://www.famous.be/#/work_detail/15/ This squirrel was last seen when shooting the new TV campaign for Proximus mobile internet. Anyone with information as to his whereabouts please contact us immediately Tue, 7 Oct 2008 12:00:00 +0200 http://www.famous.be/#/work_detail/18/ There’s nothing like a good lecture to work up an appetite. This year at the Famous annual BBQ we invited conversationalist Joseph Jaffe (author of ‘Join the conversation’) to speak about the importance of dialogue in marketing today. The talkability of brands is one of the key factors that makes them famous. So he kind of learned everything from us. And then he ate our food. So now we’re giving away his books for free. We still have 10 books left. Just send us a mail: inge.vanderhaegen@famous.be Tue, 7 Oct 2008 12:00:00 +0200 http://www.famous.be/ Famous opens up to international knowledge by acquiring its first art director from abroad, Diana from Romania. Not because she’s cheap but because she’s good (and she was bored stiff in her own country). She's paired up with local copywriter Kasper who's had his share of international experience from internships in the US, South Africa and other remote places we only heard about on survival programs. Sat, 20 Sep 2008 12:00:00 +0200 http://www.famous.be/ Interaction is Yann Billen's reason to exist. His reason to exist on the Famous organization chart, that is. Officially he's new, but everybody knows that he's just a klone of Arnaud Pitz, a former copywriter of LG&F. Yann comes from These days where he shared links and managed projects for 2 years. He is very friendly and very passionate about mangoes and rugby. And somewhat passionate about online stuff, too. Thu, 11 Sep 2008 12:00:00 +0200 http://www.famous.be/ Since there are so many new people running free in the agency, reinforcements were called in: Veerle Rosseels knows her way with creative types as she's been handling them for 9 years at VT4 and Kanakna. Veerle promised to refrain from bringing in more talent for one week at least. Wed, 10 Sep 2008 12:00:00 +0200 http://www.famous.be/#/work_detail/14/ Enjoy our latest Jupiler Blue commercial, full with typical male humour. Basic, rudimentary, simple, straightforward, without complexes... Well, just like how men are * BURPS*  Sorry. Tom & Iwein. Mon, 8 Sep 2008 12:00:00 +0200 http://www.famous.be/#/work_detail/13/ Brussels, August 25th 2008 – Because of budgetary constraints, youngsters need to sacrifice certain things from time to time. Thanks to Pay&Go Generation, text messages and MMS'es are free 24 hours a day to all networks. As a result, they have more money left over and difficult choices needn't be made. This is the central point in our new campaign: a commercial shows what happens inside the head of a 17 year old girl who needs to choose between getting a new jeans or a new haircut. Tue, 26 Aug 2008 12:00:00 +0200 http://www.famous.be/ Jupiler, the Belgian beer brand and the fastest growing brand in the Inbev portfolio, has handed RICH its above communication budget. This decision comes after a competition. Last year, FAMOUS won the communication budget for the Belgian market. RICH has developed a long term strategy and creative direction for the brand in the Netherlands. Fri, 22 Aug 2008 12:00:00 +0200 http://www.famous.be/ After an intensive pitch, Electrabel - Belgain largest energy supplier - decided to work with Famous. The result of hard work where all specialists – PR, online, activation and media – focused on the ‘connection idea’: the feeling around Electrabel and the relationship with its customers. The first campaigns should be on air in October 2008. Two more new clients are welcomed at the agency: a campaign to promote bread and Corelio, a large Belgian media group, for which we will take care of the direct marketing. Mon, 11 Aug 2008 12:00:00 +0200 http://www.famous.be/#/work_detail/12/ From July 18th onwards, people could discover busshelter billboards entirely made out of ice ! Inside these billboards no traditional posters but real bottles of Jupiler Blue. Sat, 28 Jun 2008 12:00:00 +0200 http://www.famous.be/#/work_detail/11/ Mobistar has closed the deal with Apple to be the exclusive distributor of the iPhone in Belgium. Nonetheless, and mainly due to retrictive regulations, Mobistar's iPhone will be simlock free and usable with any carrier. Proximus therefore decides to inform it's customers of the fact that the Proximus network is compatible with the iPhone. Wed, 11 Jun 2008 12:00:00 +0200 http://www.famous.be/#/work_detail/10/ A close neighbour is better than a distant relative, so we invented a nice action for Hebbes.be. When you find a house via Hebbes, you get the chance to win a big party for your neighourhood. It's the best way to get to know your new neighours and in one go, it makes you the most popular person in the block! Wed, 21 May 2008 12:00:00 +0200 http://www.famous.be/#/work_detail/9/ "Hello little girl! You know, you will have enough to eat, but less than your brother. When you're 6 years old, you will not go to school but you will do household chores instead. When you're 13, you will marry an older man who will make you pregnant too young… only because you are a girl…" Tue, 20 May 2008 12:00:00 +0200 http://www.famous.be/#/work_detail/8/ Famous launches the ‘Week of saying Hello!’ During the week of the 5th till the 9th of May, every Belgian citizen can win 25.000 euro just by saying ‘Hello, Hi, Howdoyoudo...’. Mon, 5 May 2008 12:00:00 +0200 http://www.famous.be/#/work_detail/7/ Famous is nominated for the 2008 Effie Awards with its short term case "Get an extra breadwinner for your family". Mon, 28 Apr 2008 12:00:00 +0200 http://www.famous.be/#/news_detail/8/ After a pitch between several agencies 'Perfect Draft' has decided to work with Famous for its communication activities in the Benelux en Germany. Mon, 28 Apr 2008 12:00:00 +0200 http://www.famous.be/#/work_detail/6/ Why wear protective clothing on a motorcycle? After you’ve seen this, you’ll remember! Myriam Maes: "When Tim & Joeri came up with the idea, Andreas Hassle was immediately enthusiastic about directing it. It was a hell of a job to make it look realistic". Thank you to Nozon for the production. Mon, 28 Apr 2008 12:00:00 +0200 http://www.famous.be/#/work_detail/5/ When the kids leave home to go to university, parents often cancel the domestical internet subscription (“the children surf on the net, not we”). For Belgacom, being an internet provider, this is a substantial loss of business. Fri, 18 Apr 2008 12:00:00 +0200 http://www.famous.be/#/work_detail/4/ Instead of creating a classical TV commercial, Tom Jacobs & Iwein Vandevyver invented an experiment to announce the new cultural platform Klara.be. Art is normally exposed in specific contexts such as museums, theaters etc. Famous wondered if art would work once taken out of this traditional context. Thu, 17 Apr 2008 12:00:00 +0200 http://www.famous.be/ After a competition, Famous was appointed by the Ancienne Belgique as their partner for their new visual identity. Famous will develop a graphical style for the new website, posters, ads, booklets,... Ancienne Belgique comes a long way; organising concerts since the beginning of the 20th century. And clearly, also their visual identity evolved. Famous is proud to be part of that rich history. Tue, 15 Apr 2008 12:00:00 +0200 http://www.famous.be/#/work_detail/3/ Just when your headache from the previous Hebbes campaign was getting a bit better, here's a new one. After boosting the brand awareness successfully, we now dig a bit deeper into the real advantages of using the site. It's easy to use, fast and it has a real quality offer. It will help you keep your mental health, as opposed to wrestling your way through the mud stream of bad houses, bad cars, and badly constructed websites to find what you need. The new campaign concept builds on this frustration and is called 'anger management'. Mon, 14 Apr 2008 12:00:00 +0200 http://www.famous.be/ Famous' offices are being renovated at the moment. The new tables for the Brand Teams, the Inspiration Room and the Bar are under construction. Mon, 14 Apr 2008 12:00:00 +0200 http://www.famous.be/ We introduce First Friday to catch talented people on the market. Each first Friday of the month, Famous opens the doors for creative, productional and strategic talent . You will get honest feedback. The best case scenario is a job right away ! In the worst case you can still go to law school. For an appointment please contact Nancy Verheyden (nancy.verheyden@famous.be) Thu, 10 Apr 2008 12:00:00 +0200 http://www.famous.be/ After their decision to hand the Jupiler communication budget over to Famous, Inbev decided to do the same with Stella Artois. Inbev appreciates the hard work of the past few months and thinks that, after the transition from LG&F/I DO/Snow to Famous, the time is right to bring the entire lager portfolio under the Famous umbrella. Famous and Inbev were already working together for Stella’s online activities. Wed, 9 Apr 2008 12:00:00 +0200 http://www.famous.be/#/work_detail/2/ Proximus offers a special promo on it’s already very succesful pay&go Generation plan. On top of the free sms offer an automatic reload option gives 50% discount on reload credit. Mon, 7 Apr 2008 12:00:00 +0200 http://www.famous.be/#/work_detail/1/ Proximus and Belgacom join their efforts in an attempt to free mobile and landline calls during the weekend. ‘Together’ is an option that adds free weekend calls to any tarif plan from both providers. Fri, 4 Apr 2008 12:00:00 +0200 http://www.famous.be/ Stijn Geenen (ex Eye Work): RTV Producer / Eva Maes (ex Lowe): Account Director / Els Bossaert (ex BBDO, Duval Guillaume, DVN, Het Volk): Account Director / Bernard Dalcq (ex DDB, Y&R, Mc Cann): Chef Studio Fri, 4 Apr 2008 12:00:00 +0200 http://www.famous.be/#/work_detail/0/ Do we have to write a text for the website of Famous (What a name!)? Do we really have to? Do we, as men, really have to put our time in this? We could do other, more exciting things. Things that men love to do. For instance, writing a radio script for Jupiler Blue. Fri, 4 Apr 2008 12:00:00 +0200 http://www.famous.be/#/news_detail/21/ This is the story of Famous. We know that this is an odd fact to start with, but Famous owes its existence to Madonna. The Queen of Pop understood, long before we did, that the ultimate medium is the audience itself. By surprising, seducing, innovating, shocking and moving people, Madonna has been the talk of the town for the past 25 years. Mon, 17 Mar 2008 12:00:00 +0200 http://www.famous.be/ The Amsterdam branch of the LG&F Group changed its name to Rich. If you add the Belgian and Holland parts together, the outcome is RICH & FAMOUS. Sounds pretty good, don't you think? Visit www.rich.nl to find out more. Mon, 17 Mar 2008 12:00:00 +0200 http://www.famous.be/#/news/ We're looking for an internet producer and a web designer/developer. Mon, 17 Mar 2008 12:00:00 +0200