In case you missed it, Brian Collins has swung back into action setting up his shop inconjunction with The Martin Agency. His first HUGE piece of business has been working with the agency on the Al Gore branding and advertising campaign.

Collins', one time leader of the Brand Integration Group over at Ogilvy, has named his new agency Collins. The New York Times did a spread on Brian's logic for the Gore' logo design. Regarding Collins, The Martin Agency is on the record as saying:

"In his new company, Mr. Collins will take a more radical approach to finding solutions for brands looking for innovative ways to connect in a new landscape. "It's an open frontier, ready for revolutionary thinking," said Mr. Collins. "Unfortunately, old-school advertising relegates designers to the tail end of the creative process--if we're there at all. We will flip that equation on its head, placing design--and the customer's real experience--at the beginning, the center and the end of everything we do."

Love him or hate him, the man is a survivor and that logo is damn good.

Addendum 11:43 AM, April 8, 2008:
Oh christ! I knew this idea of the "me" and "we" reminded me of something! Dammnit, it's the recent
Converse spot from Anomaly! Wow. Is that the collective unconscious working or a total bite? We shall never know.

Al Gore has unveiled his new $300m advertising blitz in an attempt to force a stronger debate on climate change during the U.S. presidential elections. If you recall, Gore selected The Martin Agency who beat out Bartle Bogle Hegarty, Young & Rubicam and Crispin Porter + Bogusky for the account.

The Nobel laureate appeared on 60 Minutes to roll out the effort also announced that he will be donating a share of his personal fortune to the campaign and his Nobel prize money.

"We all share the exact same interest in doing the right thing on this," he told CBS. "Are we destined to destroy this place that we call home, planet earth? I can't believe that that's our destiny. It is not our destiny. But we have to awaken to the moral duty that we have to do the right thing and get out of this silly political game-playing about it. This is about survival."

For more on his 60 minutes appearance, go here or just watch the video. The first television advertisements, which are to begin airing on broadcast networks as well as cable starting on Wednesday, will pair up the most unlikely partners in the movement to address global warming. One spot features the Reverend Al Sharpton sharing a sofa with Pat Robertson in a bid to make global warming a non-partisan issue.