On My Radar: Carl Harborg & Philip Rachel

What’s the most creative advertising idea you’ve seen recently?

CH: Gran Turismo The Movie. It’s actually based on a brand activation done by TWBA for Nissan few years ago (The Playstation GT Academy). So, if entering popular culture is the main goal of advertisers, then a 90 minute movie by Neill Blomkamp kicked in the door of culture for Nissan.

PR: I really like the radio advertising campaign of Skinny's Phone It In. I think it's a clever way to engage with consumers by giving them the opportunity to be a part of the brand. It's a surprising approach to interact with the media and offer innovative communication, far from the traditional print and poster formats.

What website(s) do you use most regularly?

PR: The JamesWebbTelescope website. I look at this website every day. The James Webb Telescope has discovered more in one year than all of human science in 2,000 years. We are not alone.

CH: More down to earth, I find myself spending a lot of time on ShotDeck. It's inspiring for sparking creative idea, as well as super-useful for script mood.

What’s the most recent piece of tech that you’ve bought?

PR: I bought a translation and lip synchronisation software called Heygen for an internal video. We spoke 25 different languages in three minutes, and understood that the world was changing. 

CH: No AI, just a dumbphone for me. The battery lasts forever and people always smile when they see me using it. Although I love my iPhone, it’s way too present in my life.

What product could you not live without?

CH/PR: Our bikes to commute across Paris. It’s even easier and safer now that bike lanes are showing up everywhere. Paris is a truly beautiful city, so why spend time travelling underground?

What’s the best film you’ve seen over the last year?

CH: Illusions Perdues, directed by Xavier Gannolie. It’s about the illusion of ones youth, and the journey to remain authentic to ourselves. A super-powerful film. We had the chance to work with the director on two advertising films: it was a lesson of cinematography. 

PR: The Holy Mountain, by Jodorovsky, because I had never seen anything like that in all my life. When the movie ended, I felt like I had taken a drug from another planet. I would be curious to see what a classic car ad would look like with this director.

What film do you think everyone should have seen?

CH: Gerry, by Gus Van Sant. Minimalist, with an experimental approach. A combination of music, desert landscapes and photography creates an immersive atmosphere that contributes to a unique, sensorial and meditative experience. I suppose my affinity for meditation is not unfamiliar with this choice.

PR: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, because this movie is a masterpiece. Charlie Kaufman (screenplay), Michel Gondry (director), Jim Carrey (actor), and Beck (music) give us a creative big bang that reminds us what it means to be human. Even today, when I hear the first notes of the music composed by Beck, I get goosebumps.

What’s your preferred social media platform?

CH: Whatsapp, to invite friends to have a diner at my place. So easy.

PR: My favourite social media platform is a bar called Aux Folies, at 8 Rue de Belleville in Paris 20. You can poke people in person, play pinball and remake the world over a beer while looking people in the eyes. It’s an old good and very interactive way to 'like' life and 'share' with friends.

What’s your favourite TV show?

PR: I don't watch TV.

CH: Even after watching it countless times, I’m always surprised by The Twilight Zone. It contains so many clever, original and shocking ideas that it puts many modern series to shame, even after 60 years. Eat your heart out Black Mirror.

What’s your favourite podcast?

CH: The Supermassive Podcast, by the Royal Astronomical Society. It’s where I get up-to-date on astronomy’s big questions. You can’t always be looking down at your laptop, sometimes it helps to gaze at the stars. As the great Carl Segan said, “Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known’.

PR: O Lit, a history podcast for children that my son and I listen to when we nap together. 

What show/exhibition has most inspired you recently?

PR: There are two. The first one is Matthew Barney's Cremaster Cycle, in 2003. This exhibition was like a punch that left me knocked out for 20 years. The second one was Yoan Bourgeois at the Philharmonie de Paris this year, which made me think that there was still a little room for grace in our society.

CH: Musee Bourdelle, which features work by a disciple of Rodin. I visited with my daughter, and joined her in the children's workshop at the end of the tour where I created a fantastic sculpture of a dog... that’s what my daughter told me anyway

If you could only listen to one music artist from now on, who would it be?

CH: My wife. She is an incredibly talented pianist. So, listening to her playing for an eternity sounds like heaven to me.

PR: Mr Kany Aznavour, because I can’t live without them.

If there was one thing you could change about the advertising industry, what would it be?

CH: I would change the word ‘industry’. I prefer ‘craft’, ‘boutique’, or even ‘studio’. Great ads take time to be properly crafted. Industries put pressure on timing and quality. I just don’t approach my work like that. Fun quote on this; An industry guy is a person who thinks nine women can deliver a baby in one month.

PR: I would like Cannes Lions' to stop awarding 165 gold Lions to augmented reality-connected socks designed by artificial intelligence to save penguins in the metaverse.