Logorama

Every week, I'm expected to say something interesting about the advertising industry. I take that back. It doesn't need to be interesting. It needs to be insightful. Or curious. Or, maybe sometimes instructional. Hopefully my previous entries have checked some of those boxes, because this week is merely observational.

So, I'm watching the Oscars. After the boring middle part, in between the Payless Shoes ads, I mean Target ads, I mean JCPenney ads, and before "The Dude" finally got some well-deserved hardware, a filler category was introduced: Best Animated Short. Normally, this wouldn't jostle me from certain rapid eye movement, but one of the nominees caught my eye: Logorama from "H5," a French design/animation house.

Here's how the creators at H5 describe their digital shenanigans: "Logorama presents an over-marketed world built only from logos and real trademarks, destroyed by a series of natural disasters... It shows the victory of the creative against the rational, where nature and human fantasy triumph."

Wow. I don't know about the creative/rational thing. Or the human fantasy part. What? But it is a nice little homage to Mother Nature having her way with our oh-so-sacred "branding."

It should be noted that H5 does their fair share of commercial work, and they'll be the first to admit, this was merely a side project. It makes you wonder... did our French friends at H5 do this to drum up new business?

In the full length version you'll see a maniacal Ronald McDonald holding Big Boy hostage while being chased by large, mushy Michelin Man policemen with a Pringles guy cameo, complete with mustache jokes. And don't forget the lude references and foul language. That reminds me. If you're watching from a cube farm, you'll want to plug in the headphones for this one. Seriously.

The video is being removed from the internet per the studio's request, but you can still check out the trailer for free or buy the full length version of Logorama on iTunes.

In the end, it's just eye candy. Interpret it how you will. In my opinion, it's merely a sarcastic tirade with new business intentions. Low-hanging Hollywood fruit. And The Academy ate it up. Bravo, H5. Don't believe me? Check out the load time on their site.

Watch for more work from H5 in the very near future. They just struck gold.