Gas Jeans 360 – lovely, clean and simple site. A beautiful way to display some denim. Nice.
Costing up life + a VW
February 25, 2011
I’ve seen quite a few model based animation/navigable environments recently, from the likes of North Kingdom, and now this great site from Tribal DDB London, Love and Golden Square for VW.
True Life Costs is a site created for Volkswagen that allows its community to cost up the true value of things. The premise of the site – How do you know if something is good value? The number on the price tag might only be half the story…
The creative team have used a handmade model interactive village as a way of engaging with its audience into calculating the long term cost of various aspects of their life: family, fun, holidays, food, home and of course a VW!
The overall experience is a friendly, fun and interesting way to get you thinking about how much dosh your really spend. The only problem is you really get picture of how much cash you waste through your life!!
(via FWA)
In the mood for something cool?
February 22, 2011
For a long time now Scandinavia has been a real hot bed of all things cool.
With a plethora of creative talent emanating from the region, there must be something in the iced water over there, that warms the creative soul and gets the best out of the potential of design – whether in furniture, architecture or the web.
Case in point – Isobar Norway (formally Suddenly) has created an iconic site for Moods of Norway. The site, formed from the latest in code trends, takes the viewer on an experience through the fjords, mountains and vistas of this highly creative destination, in order to engage and connect with its design-led following.
Its quirky feel captures the essence of the company, and it’s an experience that’s as at home on the fixed screen as it is on the mobile. Pretty cool stuff.
Digital changing rooms
February 21, 2011Ever fancied changing your room dependent on your mood? Today’s powerful image projection allows you to do just that – with some pretty interesting results.
Mr Beam has created a unique physical 3D video mapping experience that turns a white living room into a spacious 360° projection area.
This technique allowed you to take control of all colors, patterns and textures of the furniture, wallpapers and carpet. All done with 2 projectors. Nice work.
Standard Chartered – banking on Facebook
February 17, 2011
Standard Chartered Bank embraced social media with a Facebook campaign in the United Arab Emirates.
The Idea is based around the traditional ‘Majlis’ (Ramadan tent) where family and friends gather during this time. My Majlis is a Facebook game that replicates the experience and social aspects of the real life place in a virtual setting.
(via digitalbuzz)
Marussia Virgin Racing launch new site
February 16, 2011
Marussia Virgin Racing has launched a new site for the new racing season. The site created by Poke (also sporting a shiny new site themselves), picks up on a theme in F1 racing sites, started my McLaren last season (posted here), of creating a highly graphical, clean, typographically strong user experience.
The site itself feels very contemporary, with its use of ‘hero’ images leading into each article, and its powerful type style. A season contender? Maybe.
Write the end for Doritos
February 14, 2011
The current kings of UGC have again blurred the lines between advertising, direct/digital response and user engagement, with their site Write The End.
The premise: Two Doritos flavors, one must be destroyed forever and taken off the shelves. But which one and how is up to the community. The winner gets their ending shot and brings home the $$.
BBDO/Proximity Canada have crafted a site fusing together several key aspects of the way we’re all going to be creating interesting advertising in the near-to-now future.
Heineken hugs
February 11, 2011
BlackBerry Torch Promotion on Microsoft Surface
February 8, 2011Amnesia Razorfish has partnered with GPJ to create an interactive solution on Microsoft Surface for BlackBerry Torch launch in Australia.
As part of the successful campaign, two Surface tables were placed at the Qantas lounges in Sydney and Melbourne for all by-passers to interact with.
As well as advertising the benefits of the BlackBerry Torch, the really exciting thing about the application was that it also showcased basic interaction between a Torch phone and the Microsoft Surface Table – something that I’d expecting to see much more of in the near future.
Are we at a tipping point for customer-brand collaboration?
February 7, 2011
For many a year now the overwhelming ‘new’ media mantra has been ‘listen, don’t shout’.
The web was always intended to be a place of collaboration and openness. The well documented beliefs of Tim Berners-Lee all point towards a mind that was transcendent of the individual, seeking out ways to harness the power of the collective crowd in the pursuit of upgrading pooled intelligence.
Connect – Connect – Connect
Connections are key. Developing the ability to connect people, both to each other and to information, have always been a boon to the digital world. You only need look at the success of Google to see our collective thirst for quality (relevant) connections.
But for a time the web lost its own connection with its past. The growth of the corporate web led to these powerful links only going one way. Perhaps due the collective’s inexperience, or a nature lacking in the confidence of pure disregard, or maybe perhaps it was the fact that our collective sense of community had slowly been eroded away over many wasted years. The net result of this corporate led web was a traditional ‘business’ driven model – brands shout, consumers listen.
Out with the old
As a pure reaction to the old, a new breed of ‘online citizen’ started to emerge. Promoting unity, reviving community and selling society. These new pioneers were crafting a new future, with roots firmly planted in the past. The web was now social, and big brands had better take note.
New agencies rose up, with their powerful pronouncements – brand must listen to the power of the people – two way is the new way – the relentless brainwashing of old is no longer effective.
With these simple yet committed words, the all empowering corporate suddenly suffered a dramatic loss of confidence. Where once they could shout now they had to listen. It was the time of the little guy – we were the David to the big brand’s Goliath.
Everything had to change. But the problem was, change is difficult – especially when you’re big (do we need a Titanic analogy?!).
In with a new openness
Today we’re left with an interesting situation. A lot of brands know all to well that they need to be customer inclusive, reactive to the needs of their audiences, and fully in-tune with the very people that make their business a success. They know that they need to be much more open if they are to survival and thrive. But they just don’t know how!
Where once the consumer literally bought into the brand, now brands must buy into the consumer. Turning the whole concept of brand association on its head, brands are clambering to be a part of all the cool stuff their customers are doing.
So, Twitter accounts and secured, Facebook pages are setup, and adverts are created using the UGC model – well that’s how you do listening, right?
I collaborate there for I am
For brands to be a success in today’s modern social web, they need to do more that just listen. They need to actively engage with their audiences, providing purpose and meaning to their inter-community connections.
Collaboration is key. First understanding the passions of the community, and then developing destinations for their self expression is a start towards generating fruitful relationships. The power of the crowd enhanced by the platform of the brand can deliver positive return for all.
So, how do you collaborate…? (more…)
