The endless freedom of digital continues a pace, this time we see it climbing the walls!
BMW shows us a great example of building projections, promoting their brand by transforming two busy office buildings in Singapore from symbols of work, into pure symbols of joy. Brilliant.
Futurebrand have created a visual language and identity for the Middle East’s largest mobile telecoms company - Zain. Key to the project’s success is the beautiful typographical style created by Fontsmith. The font has been created using Avenir as a guide, and overlaid with a series of icons to achieve a mosaic texture effect that fits perfectly with the new Zain identity.
As an organisation Coca-Cola have always been legendary guarded about their most precious brand asset – the recipe of their Coke product. But in today’s ‘open’, socially connected society, can this type of corporate secret really be kept under lock and key?
Was it the actions of an underground cola freedom movement, the work of an internal corporate sabotage team, or just a smart marketing ploy to re-establish a brand message – but now the truth is out there – if you can find it!
Coca-Cola (or whoever) have released Coke’s secret formula, turning it into an ARG (Alternate Reality Game) aimed at attracting key social networking users, into an online hunt for the precious commodity.
The approach is a classic interactive narrative that uses multiple platforms and gaming elements, to tell a story that’s aimed at affecting participants’ ideas and expectations of what the brand is about.
The narrative is unraveled by following secret links hidden within the ‘guerrilla’ YouTube video, taking users on an online trip through Twitter, Facebook, unbranded and branded web destinations, and more YouTube content. Here’s a few links (this and this and this and this and this and this and this) from inside the video content.
Coke have managed to released an engaging, well told story through and intriguing set of interconnected online destinations. Picking up on many of the themes I’ve talked about before (on the online reinforcement of a brand narrative), this type of approach is guaranteed to generate some genuine word-of-mouth traffic.
AKQA have developed a new and highly engaging site for ‘creative’ lovers of Heineken beer. Your Heineken allows the user to create their very own bottle design, personalise it with a special message, before either uploading their creation to a social network of their choice or buying the 6 pack.
What makes this beautifully designed site a real standout one is its capability to deliver a personalised products to your door. As I’ve commented on previously, using digital to allow users to create something that’s personal to them, really enhances the brand experience. Where Heineken (and AKQA) have really pushed this concept on, is in the resulting delivery of that presonalised product.
With Your Heineken the brand is really looking to engage with it’s customers in a niche driven cultural marketplace.
Enjoy this, the second series of stunning films created for AOL by the great Universal Everything and launched at the New Museum, NYC. The work, commissioned by Wolff Olins NYC is to be used for web video, mobile, digital campaigns and outdoor LED displays.
Lexus has created the ‘Dark Ride‘, an immense experience site that takes the user on a journey thought an epic 12.5 minute interactive film.
As soon as you load up the page you’re transported into a dark world, where a ‘big brother’ figure initiates you into your new life – as a navigator alongside driver ‘Tony’. Once in your new shiny Lexus, you take control to follow your own dark road.
The site makes use of a full spectrum of digital technologies currently in vogue, with pannable 180 sequences, voice recordable audio, webcam integration, adaptive 3D sound and of course a great linkup with Facebook accounts.
With Dark Ride Lexus is building their brand story around a mix of technology, user experience and social networking connectivity. The result is a stunning, fully engaging interactive story, that, once immersed in its dark world, you’re totally hooked. With the launch of the site we’re seeing another great example of how brands are currently using interactive video elements, and free choice to allow the user to be ‘in control’ of their own experience destiny.
More and more, brands will need to reach their audience in new innovative ways, through the channels their targets are using, and a by providing more ‘holistic’ digital experiences. Lexus have been investing heavily in this type of brand engagement, and with it making great strides.
Created by Stink Digital and Skinny, Dark Ride has just picked a well deserved FWA site of the month. Great work.
Were you one of those kids that just wanted to drive a truck, but somehow your school careers teacher got you doing something pointless like working in an office of becoming and banker?
If so, then this is the site for you. The new Volvo FMX site lets you journey back to your childhood, to get behind the wheel of this 32 tonnes monster truck.
The site, created by a collaboration of Swedish agencies – Valentin & Byhr, Normal Inc and Lucky Punk, first initiates the user – to review their driving prowess, then hands over the keys to a truck load of information.
The user’s ‘driving skills’ are continually scrutinised throughout a sequence that involves some great footage of the FMX, and some equally engaging game play. The ‘driver’ must use their keyboard skills to keep the truck on track, collect a load and deliver it efficiently to its destination.
This type of user participation to receive a reward (the keys to the truck), builds upon one of the theories creating ‘Conversational Capital‘ a term defined by the team at Sid Lee as a key factor in developing positive word-of-mouth communications. And with the sites ability to post your driving results onto your favorite social network, this has to be one for positive chatter.
Overall the site looks and feels great, it has a good mix of informative content and rich, engaging interactivity. It certainly got this studio bound creative thinking about donning the boots and hitting the quarry – just for a weekend?!
Following on from recent thoughts on how digital is influencing the retail space – here and here, this great work for Nike’s in-store T-Shirt Customisation application, highlights the continuing strides being make in this emerging retail area.
The application, created by Steady – a studio specialising in the digital space and emerging platforms arena, is a brilliant example of how the ‘retail numb’ shopper, can get a healthy dose of digitally injected enthusiasm for the products they’re thinking of purchasing.
This customisation strategy feeds perfectly into today’s strong niche culture. A near unlimited number of T’s can be generated, allowing the customer to create their perfect branded fashion item.
As we’ve been told by Chris Anderson in The Longer Long Tail – the creation of endless choices builds unlimited demand – the more you offer the more they’ll buy. These emerging retail applications are building upon the theory that the simple manipulation of pixels, will always far out-way the ability for the humble bricks and mortar retail outlet to hold mass stock on the shelf.
Clever retailers will implement this type of technology to allow their shoppers to feel the cloth, try the size and check the style – before creating their ‘personal’ iconographic image, hitting the ‘buy now’ button, and heading off home to wait for the product to be FedExed the next morning.
A perfect use digital extension in a materialistic world.
Maybe Job Hall can change your mind. He’s created this Facebook Ad Explainer for the team at Transvideo. Hall say’s that – The goal was to educate potential corporate advertisers about the benefits of Facebook advertising.
It’s a nicely put together short, that surly must convert those remaining Luddites that still believe social media is just a flash in the pan!
With a World cup winning cast of footballers including Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney and Franck Ribery appear alongside such sports stars as Roger Federer and Kobe Bryant and celebs like Homer Simpson and Gael Garcia Bernal, Nike launch their ‘Write The Future’ campaign for Nike Football.
Wieden + Kennedy, Amsterdam has created this great spectacle of footballer’s future fortunes, just in time for the World Cup. The great Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu directs the elite cast of characters from football and entertainment in this anthem film. Just the talent alone shows Nike’s ‘World Cup’ quality with it comes to creating pure advertising magnetism.
I’d Write the Future as the campaign being a great success!
Why do we remember some things more that others? Why do some campaigns hold our gaze whilst others pass us by unnoticed? Why are we physically and emotionally attracted to certain messages when others attain no response?
We Are Magnetic is an exploration into the magnetism of communications.
It looks to examine the stickiness of messages. Aims to track new and emerging channels. And plots trends in creativity and technology.
Cataloguing intelligent design, digital innovation and clear brand narrative, We Are Magnetic aims to profile great work and great people.
We Are Magnetic is the creative thoughts and findings of its author Gavin Johnson.
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