A few years back it seemed like augmented reality was going to be the NEXT BIG THING. Reality has since intervened as most augmented reality executions proved to be mainly gimmicks that didn't provide a particularly compelling experience nor did they provide true utility to consumers. Now IKEA is showing how augmented reality can be truly useful through their 2014 augmented reality catalog. Created by McCann and IKEA's in-house agency, Icom the app allows IKEA customers to preview items from the catalog to see how they'd look in their homes prior to purchase.
Here's how it works, a user places the 2014 IKEA catalog on the floor in their home and then fires up the app on their phone or tablet. The mobile device recognizes the tablet as the augmented reality marker. The user can then select from various items in the catalog where they are overlaid onto a real-time view of the room (as captured through the camera of the mobile device).
Again, this is a great use of technology in order to provide true utility to the customer. Users can see how various colors would look in-situ, as well as getting a sense of the size/scale of the furniture within their homes. Those two features alone ease two of the most common pain points when buying furniture (eg. will color x good? will it fit properly?). In fact, IKEA developed this app after their research showed that 1 in 7 customers purchased items that were either too large or too small for their homes. It's a win-win as the app also has the potential to reduce the amount of store returns. Check out the video that demonstrates the app below (complete with slightly creepy Swedish guy):
Posted by: Reuben Halper
Showing posts with label global. Show all posts
Showing posts with label global. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
Dove - Camera Shy
Off the back of the tremendous success of the Real Beauty Sketches, Dove has released the latest ad in their quest to reduce the self-esteem issues that women face. The latest film, Camera Shy, was created by Ogilvy & Mather London asks the question; When did you stop thinking you were beautiful? The film, which won Gold at Cannes, shows shows footage of women of all ages desperately trying to hide from the camera, before ending with shots of pre-schoolers confidently parading and performing for the camera. It ends with the line 'Be Your Beautiful Self.'
The film is growing in popularity, with nearly 17 million views to date, though that is a far cry from the nearly 150 million views that the Real Beauty Sketches video racked up. I find the insight behind this video more compelling than Dove Real Beauty Sketches insight 'You are more beautiful than you think.' Scientifically speaking that statement may actually be false. This article from Scientific American sums it up quite nicely 'The evidence from psychological research suggests instead that we tend to think of our appearance in ways that are more flattering than are warranted. This seems to be part of a broader human tendency to see ourselves through rose colored glasses. Most of us think that we are better than we actually are — not just physically, but in every way.'
The article goes on to describe a series of studies in which 'researchers took pictures of study participants and, using a computerized procedure, produced more attractive and less attractive versions of those pictures. Participants were told that they would be presented with a series of images including their original picture and images modified from that picture. They were then asked to identify the unmodified picture. They tended to select an attractively enhanced one.'
Regardless they're both wonderful pieces of work that hopefully serve to help women to feel better about their self-image.
Posted by: Reuben Halper
The film is growing in popularity, with nearly 17 million views to date, though that is a far cry from the nearly 150 million views that the Real Beauty Sketches video racked up. I find the insight behind this video more compelling than Dove Real Beauty Sketches insight 'You are more beautiful than you think.' Scientifically speaking that statement may actually be false. This article from Scientific American sums it up quite nicely 'The evidence from psychological research suggests instead that we tend to think of our appearance in ways that are more flattering than are warranted. This seems to be part of a broader human tendency to see ourselves through rose colored glasses. Most of us think that we are better than we actually are — not just physically, but in every way.'
The article goes on to describe a series of studies in which 'researchers took pictures of study participants and, using a computerized procedure, produced more attractive and less attractive versions of those pictures. Participants were told that they would be presented with a series of images including their original picture and images modified from that picture. They were then asked to identify the unmodified picture. They tended to select an attractively enhanced one.'
Regardless they're both wonderful pieces of work that hopefully serve to help women to feel better about their self-image.
Posted by: Reuben Halper
Other Things I Like But Don't Have Time To Write Up - Old Spice, Tap King, Samsung & Heineken
Old Spice - Architect
I love the recent work for Old Spice from W+K that brings back 80s type jingles. Check out the latest video, 'Architect.'
Tap King - Lionel Richie Beer Fridge
Lionel Richie + Beer makes for a winning ad.
Samsung - All Eyes On The S4
A great stunt to demonstrate a killer feature of the Samsung S4, namely that it knows when you're looking at the screen.
Heineken - Departure Roulette
In order to promote the new Heineken 'Dropped' episodic adventure series on YouTube, Heineken challenged travelers in JFK to drop their travel plans and play departure roulette where Heineken would send them to a random destination.
Posted by: Reuben Halper
I love the recent work for Old Spice from W+K that brings back 80s type jingles. Check out the latest video, 'Architect.'
Tap King - Lionel Richie Beer Fridge
Lionel Richie + Beer makes for a winning ad.
Samsung - All Eyes On The S4
A great stunt to demonstrate a killer feature of the Samsung S4, namely that it knows when you're looking at the screen.
Heineken - Departure Roulette
In order to promote the new Heineken 'Dropped' episodic adventure series on YouTube, Heineken challenged travelers in JFK to drop their travel plans and play departure roulette where Heineken would send them to a random destination.
Posted by: Reuben Halper
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Google - Art, Copy & Code
Art, Copy & Code in a series of experiments that started last year with the Google Project Re:Brief. Whereas Re:Brief re-imagined classic ads for the modern web, Art, Copy & Code looks at the future of modern advertising on the web through a series of experiments conceived, developed and executed in partnership with brands such as VW, Adidas & Burberry. As the site explains:
A Time of Change
In the 1960's, advertising went through a creative revolution that changed everything simply by partnering up art directors and copywriters. The idea of a creative team made up of art and copy was born. Today, it’s happening again. We’re in the midst of a second creative revolution, driven by technology. Code is being added to the core creative process, enabling new forms of brand expression and engagement. Art, copy and code is the creative team for the connected world.
The Idea Is Still King
What hasn’t changed is the need for human insights, breakthrough ideas and emotional stories. Code facilitates new kinds of experiences, but it doesn’t replace the storytelling skills the advertising industry has honed over the past fifty years. Our connected world is giving brands more dimensions and touch points, but they still need something compelling to offer in order to create a real connection.
A Series of Experiments
How will the modern web shape the future of advertising? We’re partnering with the innovative brands, storytellers and makers who are defining it to find out.
I highly recommend watching the dynamically generated manifesto/intro film on the Art, Copy & Code site.
The first in the series of experiments is the VW - Smileage app. The official Google blog has a good overview of the experiment or check out the video below. I envision it as the driving equivalent of Nike+, providing both entertainment AND utility back to the user in the form of insightful information about the individual's driving behaviour, habits, etc.
Posted by: Reuben Halper
A Time of Change
In the 1960's, advertising went through a creative revolution that changed everything simply by partnering up art directors and copywriters. The idea of a creative team made up of art and copy was born. Today, it’s happening again. We’re in the midst of a second creative revolution, driven by technology. Code is being added to the core creative process, enabling new forms of brand expression and engagement. Art, copy and code is the creative team for the connected world.
The Idea Is Still King
What hasn’t changed is the need for human insights, breakthrough ideas and emotional stories. Code facilitates new kinds of experiences, but it doesn’t replace the storytelling skills the advertising industry has honed over the past fifty years. Our connected world is giving brands more dimensions and touch points, but they still need something compelling to offer in order to create a real connection.
A Series of Experiments
How will the modern web shape the future of advertising? We’re partnering with the innovative brands, storytellers and makers who are defining it to find out.
I highly recommend watching the dynamically generated manifesto/intro film on the Art, Copy & Code site.
The first in the series of experiments is the VW - Smileage app. The official Google blog has a good overview of the experiment or check out the video below. I envision it as the driving equivalent of Nike+, providing both entertainment AND utility back to the user in the form of insightful information about the individual's driving behaviour, habits, etc.
Posted by: Reuben Halper
Coca-Cola - Small World Machines
I recently came across this teaser video for the latest in Coca-Cola's ongoing 'Open Happiness' initiative (via Jonathan Mildenhall, VP of Creative @ Coca Cola). Open Happiness has been running since 2009 and is a great example of how many different executions can be developed from one truly fertile big idea. I'm also amazed at how many different ways Coke and their respective agencies have been able to bring the 'Open Happiness' idea to life through various owned assets such as Coca-Cola trucks, vending machines, etc.
The latest execution seems to be a natural extension of last year's Coca-Cola Re:Brief project which delivered on the brand promise from the classic 'Hilltop' TV ad of forty years ago, allowing people around the world to buy a stranger a Coke from the web.
The 'Small World machines' video shows vending machines using streaming video to allow customers at one vending machine to see and interact with a person in front of a Coke machine in another part of the world. The two geographically separated people must then virtually join hands to draw a heart and earn a Coke. It's a nice way to deliver on the idea that Coke is something that connects people in spite of their differences. I'm looking forward to see how this worlds in the real-world. In the meantime, check out the video below:
Posted by: Reuben Halper
The latest execution seems to be a natural extension of last year's Coca-Cola Re:Brief project which delivered on the brand promise from the classic 'Hilltop' TV ad of forty years ago, allowing people around the world to buy a stranger a Coke from the web.
The 'Small World machines' video shows vending machines using streaming video to allow customers at one vending machine to see and interact with a person in front of a Coke machine in another part of the world. The two geographically separated people must then virtually join hands to draw a heart and earn a Coke. It's a nice way to deliver on the idea that Coke is something that connects people in spite of their differences. I'm looking forward to see how this worlds in the real-world. In the meantime, check out the video below:
Posted by: Reuben Halper
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
TED - 3rd Annual Ads Worth Spreading Winners
The winners of the 3rd annual TED - Ads Worth Spreading initiative have been announced at the the recent TED conference. So what makes an Ad Worth Spreading? Well it's worth watching the original TED talk from Chris Anderson, but as Ronda Carnegie, Head of Global Partnerships at TED, says:
According to the YouTube blog:
Ads were nominated in six categories: Talk, Social Good, Cultural Compass, Creative Wonder, Brand Bravery, and Education. Six nomination teams made up of one TED speaker and one rising thinker in advertising searched for ads in each category, while 25 leading figures in the ad industry searched for ads across categories.
Each of these ten ads go beyond the creative brief to spark imagination and create moments of emotional connection with audiences. The winning work will be showcased at TED2013 as well as on TED.com and you can watch them all here on YouTube. Combined, they have been viewed more than 100 million times on YouTube.
'The best ads are excellent content--driven by ideas. Culturally relevant content with strong storytelling has the power to spark change, raise awareness, and communicate new ways of thinking...
...The ads selected have a common thread around human connection. They create contagious emotion around wonder, imagination, culture, humor, and ingenuity.'
Most of these have been featured on the blog at some point in the past, but it's worth twenty minutes of your time to view them all. See below for a handy playlist with the 10 winning videos.
Most of these have been featured on the blog at some point in the past, but it's worth twenty minutes of your time to view them all. See below for a handy playlist with the 10 winning videos.
According to the YouTube blog:
Ads were nominated in six categories: Talk, Social Good, Cultural Compass, Creative Wonder, Brand Bravery, and Education. Six nomination teams made up of one TED speaker and one rising thinker in advertising searched for ads in each category, while 25 leading figures in the ad industry searched for ads across categories.
Each of these ten ads go beyond the creative brief to spark imagination and create moments of emotional connection with audiences. The winning work will be showcased at TED2013 as well as on TED.com and you can watch them all here on YouTube. Combined, they have been viewed more than 100 million times on YouTube.
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Nokia - Open Song Project
Nokia is promoting the new Lumia 920 and the power of the phone's Pureview camera system. As part of the campaign, Nokia's advertising agency Naked Communications recently launched The Open Song Project. It is a collaboration between Nokia and Danish Rock Orchestra Spleen United that allows users to interact with the band's song 'Hibernation' to create a bespoke music video. The hook is that each user can create their own individual version of the video from the sixteen different sequences that appear in the song.
All the videos have been shot with the new Lumia 920 without filters or edits. Whether or not the link back to the phone is particularly strong, the interactive nature of the project is really exciting. The band isn't launching the song as a standard music video, instead putting it out there for people to create their own versions. Users can save and share the version of the video that they create, meaning that there is no 'official' music video, only fan creations from the component parts. It's sort of like a easily accessible version of Kutiman or a less collaborative version of Jam With Chrome.
Check out the video below or head over to The Open Song Project site to create your own version (note: too bad it's done in flash or else it'd make a hell of a Chrome Experiment.)
All the videos have been shot with the new Lumia 920 without filters or edits. Whether or not the link back to the phone is particularly strong, the interactive nature of the project is really exciting. The band isn't launching the song as a standard music video, instead putting it out there for people to create their own versions. Users can save and share the version of the video that they create, meaning that there is no 'official' music video, only fan creations from the component parts. It's sort of like a easily accessible version of Kutiman or a less collaborative version of Jam With Chrome.
Check out the video below or head over to The Open Song Project site to create your own version (note: too bad it's done in flash or else it'd make a hell of a Chrome Experiment.)
Lynx Space Academy
Space is all the rage these days and Lynx (Axe in the US) is getting into the act by sending people into space. As part of the massive multi-agency campaign Lynx is recruiting males from across the world to take part in the contest. There will be 22 winners, with the campaign running in 77 countries around the world. The semi-finalists will head off to Space Camp and the lucky winners fly up to 103km with the space tourism company, Space XC. They also enlisted legendary astronaut Buzz Aldrin for the initial promo video (see below.)
The campaign lives on YouTube, Facebook and a separate Lynx Apollo campaign site. Lynx has also created a series of videos to promote the campaign. The general insight seems to be that nothing beats an astronaut. The videos show astronauts effortlessly pulling ladies left, right and center (see below). It'll be interesting to see how much of a boost/halo effect this campaign gets from the success of the Red Bull Stratos project. To be fair this campaign was in development long before the Felix Baumgartner jump, but the buzz generated by Red Bull can only help to amplify the Lynx effort.
The campaign lives on YouTube, Facebook and a separate Lynx Apollo campaign site. Lynx has also created a series of videos to promote the campaign. The general insight seems to be that nothing beats an astronaut. The videos show astronauts effortlessly pulling ladies left, right and center (see below). It'll be interesting to see how much of a boost/halo effect this campaign gets from the success of the Red Bull Stratos project. To be fair this campaign was in development long before the Felix Baumgartner jump, but the buzz generated by Red Bull can only help to amplify the Lynx effort.
Monday, December 3, 2012
Sony - DSLR Clueless
'All the gear and no idea' is the rallying cry for this campaign from Sony for their NEX range of cameras. Over the past couple years the sales of pocket cameras basically dropped off a cliff due to the rise of smartphones. The corresponding decrease in price of DSLR cameras has meant all sort of people buying super high quality cameras, even if they have no need and no idea how to use it. That's why I love this campaign, which was developed by Havas Sydney. It's based off simple truth that most people with DSLR cameras have absolutely no idea what the hell they're doing. They've produced eight different spots, each centered around a different type of DSLR idiot. It's a great way to promote their range of NEX cameras that have the same sensor size and take the same quality pictures as the DSLR. A nice touch at the end is the call to action for viewers: 'Remind you of someone? Share it with them.'
Check out the spots below or head over to the Sony DLSR - Gear, No Idea YouTube channel.
Additional Articles: Inspiration Room |
Check out the spots below or head over to the Sony DLSR - Gear, No Idea YouTube channel.
Additional Articles: Inspiration Room |
Friday, October 5, 2012
The Friskies
Everyone knows cat videos are huge. Hell, there are even agencies dedicated purely to catvertising ;-) So it's not surprise that Friskies has tapped into this infinite well of content and appetite for cat videos by creating...The Friskies! Billed as the Oscars for Cat Videos, the Friskies is offering a $15,000 Grand Prize for the best new cat video of 2012. Here's the teaser video:
The only question is why it's taken this long for a brand to do this. It's extremely fertile ground and a natural fit for Petcare brands. Actually, I'm also confused as to why the contest isn't being run on YouTube, which again would seem like the natural home for this contest rather than a microsite.
Additional Articles: Fast Company
The only question is why it's taken this long for a brand to do this. It's extremely fertile ground and a natural fit for Petcare brands. Actually, I'm also confused as to why the contest isn't being run on YouTube, which again would seem like the natural home for this contest rather than a microsite.
Additional Articles: Fast Company
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Nike Football - My Time Is Now
Apologies that this blog has been radio silent for the past month due to a ridiculous amount of traveling around for work (and pleasure). By now, most of you have have probably already seen this campaign, but if you haven't please set aside the next 30 minutes to play around with the Nike Football Youtube experience. It's without a doubt one of my favorite all-time Youtube executions. Kudos to W+K London & Stink Digital for an amazing piece of work. First a bit of background from the W+K London blog (they can certainly explain it better than I can):
Our innovative new Nike 'My Time Is Now' campaign celebrates this next wave of footballers, whether it's the participants in The Chance, Nike's worldwide hunt for football talent (with previous winners featured in the spot), or elite athletes looking to make an impact on the world stage.
But more than simply reflecting the defining qualities of hunger and impatience, this new global campaign provokes and rewards these behaviours in the participating audience too.
To achieve this, the campaign flips the traditional AV model: rather than creating a film for TV and running it online, we created a film for the internet, a version of which runs on TV. Launched online first, with the TV edit following up in Saturday's Champions League Final, the film is driven by a variety of different types of content, interactions and experiences, as well as seamless extensions to the overall narrative flow of the campaign.
It all kicks off with another epic 3-minute, star laden spot below. That's followed by a call to action to 'Follow The Tunnels' which are areas of content/interactive experiences throughout the film similar to easter eggs. These include Ronaldo's training program, a Sonic video game, Football IQ test, etc.
I love the fact that Nike continues to put digital first and foremost and are committed to creating truly immersive experiences. Far too many of these ambitious campaigns start with TV and treat digital as an adjunct or bolt on at the end.
Additional Articles: W+K London | Contagious
Our innovative new Nike 'My Time Is Now' campaign celebrates this next wave of footballers, whether it's the participants in The Chance, Nike's worldwide hunt for football talent (with previous winners featured in the spot), or elite athletes looking to make an impact on the world stage.
But more than simply reflecting the defining qualities of hunger and impatience, this new global campaign provokes and rewards these behaviours in the participating audience too.
To achieve this, the campaign flips the traditional AV model: rather than creating a film for TV and running it online, we created a film for the internet, a version of which runs on TV. Launched online first, with the TV edit following up in Saturday's Champions League Final, the film is driven by a variety of different types of content, interactions and experiences, as well as seamless extensions to the overall narrative flow of the campaign.
It all kicks off with another epic 3-minute, star laden spot below. That's followed by a call to action to 'Follow The Tunnels' which are areas of content/interactive experiences throughout the film similar to easter eggs. These include Ronaldo's training program, a Sonic video game, Football IQ test, etc.
I love the fact that Nike continues to put digital first and foremost and are committed to creating truly immersive experiences. Far too many of these ambitious campaigns start with TV and treat digital as an adjunct or bolt on at the end.
Additional Articles: W+K London | Contagious
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