This is an amazing social project done by a truly remarkable group of people in Paraguay: An orchestra that plays instruments out of trash. A truly awe inspiring tale of the things that can be done when people band together against adversity and circumstances to create music and an emotional experience for everyone that watches this.
This is a true testament to digital agencies, the ones that make and build things be it for their clients or for themselves. Those that go beyond creating web banners and microsites to actually building applications and physical objects; marrying the disciplines of design, sociology, hardware and software engineering.
Credit to AKQA for this great musical mobile orchestra in their collaboration with the Pacific Chamber Symphony to present Carol Of The Bells this Christmas 2012.
You can try it out with your own mobile devices here
Merrill Edge (a self directed online investment arm of Merrill Lynch and part of Bank of Amercia) has launched a really interesting online application that shows you how you would look in the future when you get old to prompt people into starting to save for their retirement.
The application is powered by ModiFace (a Virtual Makeover Technology company) that creates a composite photo of your face revealing wrinkles, spots, saggy skin and all the bells and whistles that come with ageing and being old.
The insight for the app came from a study conducted in 2011 where researchers found that we're often reluctant to save for retirement because deep down, we don't identify with the older person we'll one day be. It was nicely encapsulated into the quote "To people estranged from their future selves. saving is like a choice between spending money today or giving it to a stranger years from now".
Test subjects in the study also underwent a virtual reality simulatin that showed them a computer generated vision of themselves at retirement age and then asked them questions about money. Researchers concluded that those who interacted with their virtual future selves exhibited an increase tendenacy to delay gratification (i.e. save and accept later monetary rewards over immediate ones) and save more.
Try it for yourself here
Love the new marketing campaign for Internet Explorer 10. Just to be clear, I hate IE. It's given me so many problems in the past and I have switched over to Firefox and Chrome and never moved back; Except when required while doing site and app testing. However, the new campaign for IE 10 is absolutely brilliant.
IE was once the dominant browser and has since fallen from grace by being inflexible and overconfident. The campaign is sparked by a very self aware point of view that progress takes time and humility to get back to the top and comebacks come in many shapes and sizes. Just give the new browser a chance, and you'll be convinced.
It starts off with a nice self depreciating TV commercial where an Internet troll follows news of the launch of IE 10 and sprews hate at every chance possible about the new broswer with a vegence. The message at the end is clear, some progress even a little, is good progress.
Users can also go on to The Browser You Loved To Hate to find out more about why and how IE 10 is in fact mounting a serious comeback.
Microsoft has taken the humble approach in this one and it seems to be working quite well. A promise of something great without the flashy display of the browser and obivious and overzealous user testimonials.
#WellPlayed Microsoft. Well Played indeed.
Bring peace amongst conflicting people and countries through the universal medium of food. Find out more at recipeaceday.org
An interesting approach to educate people on safety when taking the train (by Metro Trains). After all, it is incredibly silly to die in an accident that was a cause of you doing something stupid that could have been avoided. Check out the campiagn site at dumbwaystodie.com/ and the accompanying music video with a track that can be downloaded on the iTunes store for free.
In additional to syncing your Amex card with your Facebook, Foursquare and Twitter accounts, you can now do so with your XBox gamer profile and earn card rewards and statement credits while you game
A awesome activation by LG wrapped around a great point of view: The New LG IPS Monitors – So real it's scary.
The mobile phone has changed the way we live our lives. It keeps us constantly connected to people and the flow of information. Here's a quick exploration into this new mobile way of living
These are the 5 common social media myths I hear about and I've created this deck to address each one of them
Aldo Israel placed a seemingly innocuous sign , with a bell in the middle of a busy street. The sign instructed people to take a pic of their shoes, upload it to Instagram, hashtag #ALDO, add their shoe size and ring the bell.
After ringing the bell, a huge mobile shoe box appeared with a free pair of ALDO shoes inside just for them.
An interesting on-ground activation no doubt that delivers the feel good surprise and delight factor and drives conversations for the brand. I'm wondering if it truly delivers equity to the brand over a longer term and ladders up to something that the brand can own, beyond a one-off tactical stunt.
This is really freaking cool but honestly, it feels like something consumers will never ever get to see/try out in real life. As someone posted in the comment section of the video, it's an ad for people looking for ads (and not the car).
Nonetheless, this is really really cool.
The app works by analyzing pins on a user's board and then providing product recommendations from Zappos based on the pinned image and the accompanying description; mirror a digital personal shopper that produces a wish list of items that this person may like.
Because the app works by simply entering a person's pinterest username, it also becomes a social commerce gifting service which you can use for gift ideas.
Here are my results when I gave it a try. Not exactly a great match but an interesting idea nontheless, similar to Facebook apps that leverage on your social graph and digital footprint to provide customized content to you.
Try it out for yourself here
Meet Terry Crews (love him in The Expendables), the one man muscle band. This clip is hilariously entertaining and freaking awesome
P.S Clients, this is how to do viral - Unexpectedness, fun and participation
London 2012 has been touted as the most social Olympics ever. Check out this slideshare presentation by Alex Balfour, Head of New Media, London Olympic Games 2012 which gives a detailed breakdown of the online traffic stats and facts from the official digital channels of the games.
The Poverty Line is a truly inspirational project by photographer Stefen Chow and economist Lin Hui-Yi that sets out to answer the question "What Does It Mean To Be Poor? using photography and examines the (limited) choices that people face living at the poverty line around the world
This is awesome short film created by Eran May-raz and Daniel Lazo as part of their graduation project from the Bezaleal Academy of Arts that gives us a glimpse of the future in a life filled with constant data and a unified digital experience
An interesting social experiment by Jeff Ragsdale, who went through a difficult break-up last year in 2011. He found himself isolated in NYC and in desperation, put his phone number on a flier along with a simple message to anyone who was interesed: "If anyone wants to talk about anything, call me".
The flier was posted all across NYC and garnered overwhelming responses, with tens of thousands of calls across the U.S and the world. Excerpts from all the conversations, text messages and voice mails were subsequently published into a unique book project Jeff, One Lonely Guy with the aim of creating a global, social and ongoing conversation similar to Postsecret
Here's his story as covered by BBC News
A great social experiment in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia. Changing the world, one chair at the time.
This is a great testament to how advertising has changed and how both brands and agencies need to steer away from traditional ways of solving brand problems through communications.
Instead of telling the city council and petitioning to build proper seating for people waiting in Kelana Jaya (which is what TV, radio and print do - tell us how to think/feel/act), they instead chose to show them how people who lived in the city would benefit from seating and the rich and amazing stories that each person waiting in line had that contributed to the fabric and culture of the city of Petaling Jaya. Great activation of an idea and created engaging and extremely sharable content that is sure to create conversations.
This one is a little dated but again, a rich point of view from NAB that no one should be locked in, especially by "force" (literally or by your home loan).
Rather than using traditional print or TV to communicate this, they have instead decided to create a series of awesome activation ideas that are distributed as video content online for Australians to view and share. Something that is sure to generate talkability about the bank and its no lock-in home loan packages.
As an advertising professional, once in a while, you will see a TV ad that catches your attention. Not just because it's entertaining, funny, has good art direction or is done in a somewhat creative way. But because it has a taken a single minded proposition and crafted a great message around a nice brand point of view.
This 2013 Nissan Altima Ad does just that. For people who don't know when to stop, the car comes with an easy fill tyre alert that tells you exactly when.
The "Honesty Experiments" are by far one of the most ingenious ways I've seen a financial institution come out and side step traditional advertising and go all out to have an honest (pun intended) and genuine conversation with consumers wrapped around a relevant cultural insight and unique point of view. Rather than just tell people here's an honest and transparent credit card, NAB goes out and shows them through simple on-ground activations that honest Australians deserve an honest credit card.
As a sequel to the "Honesty Experiments" , NAB follows it up with a really nice surprise and delight activation around the point of view that honesty should not go unrewarded.
V, the energy drink has launched a muti-platform campaign offering customers (albeit quirky) experiences that money can by in the form of V Rentals, a make-shft company that offers body building removalists, a pimped out Jacuzzi truck, a puppy wingman (etc) to V customers who collect barcodes found on the can.
Done by Clemenger BBDO Sydney (Disclaimer: I work for BBDO/Proximity Singapore) It's a high energy, irreverant campaign that reflects the brand ethos and the product truth which makes "everyday more awesome".
The best takeaway, was this quote made by the brand marketing director who said "Brands today can’t just say, they have to do, but you have to do in a way that only your brand can. You have to go beyond advertising and create experiences and memories that brings your product and brand promise to life."
That sums it all up and should be what all brands seek to do beyond traditional print and TV ads. Spoken by a true client marketer that gets it.
This is a useful infographic (below) that shows how what people are sharing online and qualifies the reasons for such behavior. The end message is clear, as social media becomes more pervasive in our lives, our willingless to share personal information as part this social appetite has also risen.
In this chilling reference, photojournalist Hana Jakrlova took series of photos at a Prague brothel where customers could trade their privacy for free services. If you think about it, in a way, this policy is an extension of the deal we all make online. We essentially give up our privacy in exchange for the free use of our favorite sites.
The Coke Happiness Machine is a great platform for Coke to activate its brand purpose of creating happiness with every can of Coke opened.
This time the Coca Cola Happiness Machine strikes in Singapore with a nice tie in with the National Enviromental Agency to encourage Singaporeans to recycle. All this wrapped around a nice point of view: Happiness is 100% recyclable
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Pixar's storyboard artist @lawnrocket compiled this list of narrative wisdom she's received working for the animation studio over the years. It's an amazing list and the rules are applicable to any form of content creation from movie scripts to digital story stories. My favorites in bold.
1. You admire a character for trying more than for their successes.
2. You gotta keep in mind what's interesting to you as an audience, not what's fun to do as a writer. They can be v. different.
3. Trying for theme is important, but you won't see what the story is actually about til you're at the end of it. Now rewrite.
4. Once upon a time there was ___. Every day, ___. One day ___. Because of that, ___. Because of that, ___. Until finally ___.
5. Simplify. Focus. Combine characters. Hop over detours. You'll feel like you're losing valuable stuff but it sets you free.
6. What is your character good at, comfortable with? Throw the polar opposite at them. Challenge them. How do they deal?
7. Come up with your ending before you figure out your middle. Seriously. Endings are hard, get yours working up front.
8. Finish your story, let go even if it's not perfect. In an ideal world you have both, but move on. Do better next time.
9. When you're stuck, make a list of what WOULDN'T happen next. Lots of times the material to get you unstuck will show up.
10. Pull apart the stories you like. What you like in them is a part of you; you've got to recognize it before you can use it.
11. Putting it on paper lets you start fixing it. If it stays in your head, a perfect idea, you'll never share it with anyone.
12. Discount the 1st thing that comes to mind. And the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th – get the obvious out of the way. Surprise yourself.
13. Give your characters opinions. Passive/malleable might seem likable to you as you write, but it's poison to the audience.
14. Why must you tell THIS story? What's the belief burning within you that your story feeds off of? That's the heart of it.
15. If you were your character, in this situation, how would you feel? Honesty lends credibility to unbelievable situations.
16. What are the stakes? Give us reason to root for the character. What happens if they don't succeed? Stack the odds against.
17. No work is ever wasted. If it's not working, let go and move on - it'll come back around to be useful later.
18. You have to know yourself: the difference between doing your best & fussing. Story is testing, not refining.
19. Coincidences to get characters into trouble are great; coincidences to get them out of it are cheating.
20. Exercise: take the building blocks of a movie you dislike. How d'you rearrange them into what you DO like?
21. You gotta identify with your situation/characters, can't just write ‘cool'. What would make YOU act that way?
22. What's the essence of your story? Most economical telling of it? If you know that, you can build out from there.
A great way to demonstrate how useful your product or service is will be to show how pervasive it can be in the context of everyday life.
Leveraging on the point of view that its new keyless car entry allows for "no loss of time", Ford creates an everyday life example of how useful its keyfree technology is: In the form of a mobile app that uses proximity sensors to automatically log in and out of all your web accounts
Puma has been able to put a unique point of view around sports that is intrinsically linked to the brand purpose: The After Hours Athlete. Honoring the heroes of after hour sports, these are unconventional individuals who shun calories counting, fitness training for ping pong, ten-pin blowing, foosball, darts and karaoke. Just like regular athletes, they keep their eye on the prize – the goal of scoring a phone number precedes the goal of winning a basketball game.
This POV is wrapped around a truly social platform aptly branded Puma Social.
In its current form, Puma has launched Puma Social Dream Team in Asia. User engagement comes in the form of a Facebook app which leverages on your social graph to determine your social traits within a team setting and goes on to help you put together the right group of friends (leveraging on their social graph) for every social situation possible ranging from a night out in town, a bowling match to a Karaoke session.
A retail marketing strategy is tightly weaved into the experience with the app making recommendations on customized products for you and each friend in your dream team.
One of the truly “social” aspects of this is that it allows you to discover interesting social facts like friends who have checked-in with you most often or who has “liked” your Facebook posts the most.
There’s a also a clear call to action and retail push in the form of a downloaded coupon that gives you 15% discount on Puma merchandise. Check it out here
AT&T together with Tim Kring and BBDO launched Daybreak, a transmedia campaign that marries digital content, storytelling and engagement across multiple platform and device.
Daybreak is a layered digital campaign for AT&T's "Rethink Possible" platform that highlights its 4G netwrok and product innovations. It's a transmedia campaign of epic proportions, starting on TV with Touch the Fox series created by Tim Kring and continued online across two dedicated sites and mobile apps, creating an immersive entertainment experience that gives users a new way to expereince storytelling across mutiple layers of media and devices.
Check it out here
I've said this many times: Coca Cola is one of the world's most well known and loved brands for a reason. One single minded brand purpose - Open Happiness. A brand platform that can be communicated in so many different ways and that resonates to consumers emotionally.
In this series, Coke shows us how happiness can come from looking at the world a little differently.
I really like the feel good factor and goodwill that brands generate when they do on-ground activation programs that generate surprise and delight moments for consumers. These are acts of generosity that are performed by brands that can help or cheer up an individual or groups of people.
The important thing for brands to remember is that these moments should not be frivolous and should be tightly weaved into the brand purpose or the product proposition. This giant vending machine activation by Tourism British Columbia (which is similar to Coca Cola's Happiness Machine) surprises passerbys with random surprises that tie in with their 100 "British Columbia Moments"
Easy Way Language Centre used Google Chrome's Speech Recognition Technology to build a simple but really cool game that allows you to practice your pronunciation skills. A really nice way of using a piece of technolgoy to create an entertaining and enjoyable experience that is social by design and rooted intrinscially to the brand.
Done to the tune of Bruno Mar's Marry You, this live lip-dub proposal is both creative and heartwarming, with all the feel-good ingredients in the makings of a great viral video with 4.95 million views the last I checked.
The new Nissan LEAF launches in Sydney and Melbourne with an art installation showing how petrol bowsers might be used in 'a world without petrol'.
A nice point of view wrapped around the 100% Electric powered Nissan Leaf that's sure to create positive brand and product conversations
Vote for your favorite bowser at www.zeropetrol.com.au
Amex completes the Social Media trinity.
