Pepsi - The Sound Of Football

Technology spurs creativity, creativity spurs technology.  We hear that all the time & the fact is that great things can happen at the intersection of the two.  Such is the case with The Sound Of Football, the latest initiative that's part of the Pepsi Refresh project (the much discussed worldwide social initiative that encourages and funds innovative ideas).  The Sound Of Football is the result of a collaboration between Akestam Holst, Society46, & Tracab and combines real-time tracking technology with 3D sound to invent a new way for visually impaired people to play football.  A bit of background:

Today, blind football is played with bells in the ball and on the player’s legs. The goalkeeper can see and shout out instructions to the other players on the pitch - a relatively basic method with obvious limitations. The basis for the solution in The Sound of Football was found in military tracking technology.

With the technology, you can track the position of all players, the ball, the goals and other things on the football pitch in real time. All coordinates are passed on to each player through an iPhone app and the information is converted to 3D sound. Each player will hear different sounds depending on where they are on the pitch and if, for instance, the ball, a player, sideline or goal is nearby.

Akestam Holst then arranged a football match between a team of visually impaired players and a team of former professional footballers. The goal was to see how the teams performed under equal conditions, in a match where no one can see.  Using the tracking technology in conjunction with a specialized iPhone app, iPhones were mounted to the head of each player along with blackout googles for the sighted players to level the playing field.  The app then feeds stereo audio cues as to where other players, the ball, and the goals are.  See the demo below in terms of how the audio aspect works (note, headphones recommended).



This technology isn't just for footballers & Aksetam Holst has already been exploring whether the same technology can help visually impaired people in large public spaces such as train stations.  The ultimate goal is to create a pervasive technology that allows visually impaired people to "see" with sound.  The general public are also encouraged to submit ideas of what can be done with the technology via the Sound Of Football website.

Regardless, it's worth heading over to the Sound Of Football Youtube channel, website or Facebook page to see more about the project and additional videos from the people involved in the creation and execution of the project as well as the footballers involved (both sighted and visually impaired).

Supporting Articles: Fast Company | Contagious | Popsop

Playstation - Here's To Gamers

About a month ago, Deutsch LA released a beautiful 2-minute spot for Playstation, Long Live Play featuring various video game characters saluting fictional gamer Michael (see the video here). The latest work, Here's To Gamers, takes that idea a step further and salutes actual gamers on the Playstation network.  Sony Playstation's answer to the Old Spice guy, Kevin Butler, VP of random fake divisions, is calling out their achievements (or spectacular failures) on the Kevin Butler Youtube channel & the Hall Of Play Facebook page.  In total 19 videos will be produced (about 10 have been released so far), each saluting a specific gamer & showcasing their gameplay in the background.  They're pretty damn entertaining & it's inevitable that they'll be compared to Old Spice (which begs the question, is there any campaign featuring personalized video responses that won't harken back to Old Spice?).

Bearing in mind the horrible press (not to mention actual execution) for Sony throughout the Playstation network hacking debacle, you can imagine the challenge in enticing gamers back to the platform.  Creating something personalized for their hardcore fans is a nice step in giving back to the community that made the platform such a success in the first place.  See my favorite spots so far in the videos above and below.  See more on the Here's To Gamers Youtube channel.


Supporting Articles: AdFreak | AgencySpy

Asics - Run With Ryan

I was back in NYC last weekend, which also happened to be the same weekend as the New York marathon.  While taking the subway, I came across this installation in Columbus Circle by Asics.  Ever think about just how fast the pace of professional marathon runner is over the course of 26 miles?  It's ridiculous, something like 4:45 per mile for 26 MILES!  Just insanely fast.  The Asics installation brought that idea to life by featuring a 60-foot long video wall that invited the public to race along with professional marathoner Ryan Hall.  The challenge: see if you can keep pace with him for just 60 feet.  The installation, developed by Vitro, featured a continuous loop of a countdown seguing into a 60-foot sprint along the video wall by Hall.  Check it out in the above video.

On a completely separate note, check out Christoph Niemann's live sketching/tweeting of his running of the New York marathon, 26.2 miles, 46 sketches.  Just delightful.  Check it out here.

Supporting Articles: Creativity | Digital Buzz Blog | Brand Channel

Playstation - Grab The Ring

Remember The Peugeot Take The Car Challenge from a few months ago?  Well Playstation (I know, I know, Playstation heavy this week right?) is using a similar mechanic to promote the release of the game Uncharted 3.  All you have to do is hold your arm up longer than anyone else.  The Grab The Ring challenge activates the webcam and asks users to hold onto the ring as long as possible for the chance to win $500 daily or the $10,000 Grand Prize:

• To win, grab the ring and hold completely still for as long as possible.
• After three mistakes your game is over.
• The person who holds it the longest each day wins $500.
• After 14 days, the person with best overall time wins the $10,000 Grand Prize.

Such a simple game mechanic, but nice to see the webcam integration provide a physical aspect and bring it closer to things work in the real-world.  Check out some of an example video from a gamer who's been taking part in the challenge:

BTW - The current leader 21+ HOURS...that's dedication.

Supporting Articles: Geek | Digital Buzz Blog

Nike - Shine (#BasketballNeverStops)

While the NBA lockout continues, Nike has been active in a social media campaign around the tagline 'Basketball Never Stops,' which includes a series of videos, Facebook page, and twitter hashtag.  With shoe manufacturers and retailers expected to lose up to $500 million if the lockout lasts all season, it's nice to see Nike continuing to drive interest and remind us fans why we love the game.  The spot from Weiden + Kennedy is simply awesome.  See above.

Supporting Articles: Inspiration Room | Brand Channel

Estee Lauder

Estée Lauder has launched their new YouTube channel which is designed to be 'Your Source for Expert Beauty Advice.'  Created by The Concept Farm, the channel houses original content showcasing Creative Makeup Director Tom Pecheux, and various global spokesmodels such as Elisabeth Hurley.  However, that's just the beginning as the channel 'features original, interactive content to engage viewers in a visual, tactile way.  The Estée Lauder YouTube channel is a self-contained platform where consumers can see product information, read ratings and reviews, get beauty tips, comment and share.'

This is the next evolution in a beauty channel on Youtube.  It's more than just a fully contained microsite. We're used to brand channels featuring beauty techniques, tips/tricks, product lines, news, as well as behind the scenes/extra content. Estee Lauder features all of that, as well as a really elegant navigation and layout, but they really take it a step further with a couple of clever features.


1) Each video has a 'products featured' icon/overlay that allows you to not only see more info about the product, but also pulls in reviews for each particular product, the product rating and also provides a shop now button.

2) All of the how-to videos include the 'makeup mirror' feature which activates the webcam and allows users to follow along step-by-step, in real-time They can see both themselves and the video on the screen at the same time.  What a great idea.

Last but not least, the channel also features a nice intro video explaining the above rather than relying on the user to discover the features which are prominent but don't get in the way of the user who wants to experience the Estee Lauder content in a more traditional way.

Have a look and a play around yourself on the Estée Lauder Youtube channel here.

Supporting Articles: Moodie Report | MarketWatch

Youtube/TED Ads Worth Spreading

Last year TED launched their Ads Worth Spreading initiative on the back of this great video from TED curator/founder Chris Anderson:

"TED’s mission is ‘ideas worth spreading.’ The dream behind this initiative is to find companies that want to communicate ideas to their consumers in the same way that TED wants to communicate with its audience. What makes ideas powerful is that they have a life of their own; an idea can reset someone’s worldview and even begin a domino effect as they pass it on to friends."


The ten winners of last year's Ads Worth Spreading initiative were all incredible pieces that went beyond what one expects from a typical ad.  They were stories that made a connection, evoked emotion, provoked thought and were all a pleasure, rather than an interruption, to watch.

This year TED has partnered with Youtube to on the 2011 Ads Worth Spreading initiative.  There's a dedicated Youtube Ads Worth Spreading channel where you can see the 10 winners from last year, explore this year's entries, or submit your own campaign for consideration.  TED will curate a final selection of ten campaigns from 2011. The results will be announced at the TED2012 conference in Long Beach, Calif. in March, and showcased on TED.com and YouTube.

Interestingly, AdAge had a recent piece looking at the 2010 winners and wondering why they didn't have more views or spread further.  The piece is a very much worth reading.  In short, the author concludes something that we all know...while creative is king, you still need media spend to generate cut through.  The full article can be read here

Supporting Articles: Youtube blog | Mashable | Creativity

Volkswagen Beetle. Juiced Up.

Volkswagen is launching a number of campaigns around the world to introduce the new Beetle. To support the Canadian launch of the new, more aggressive Beetle, the guys at Red Urban created a series of billboard and bus shelter ads.  Fairly typical right?  Well they've also created an augmented reality app that shows off 'Juiced Up' nature of the new Beetle.  Users who download the app (the posters themselves have QR codes and URLs at the bottom) are treated to a separate experience for each poster/billboard.  It's a nice way to tie together the offline and the digital, turning a flat, static print ad into a miniature immersive experience for the user.

Not content to limit the augmented reality fun to the good folks in Canada, they've also uploaded Youtube videos containing the appropriate imagery to activate the app.  That allows users from anywhere (provided they've downloaded the app) to experience what our Canadian cousins are seeing on the street.  Clicking on the annotations at the end of the above video will bring you to additional videos allowing you to hold up your VW AR app and get the experience on your phone or tablet.

Supporting Articles: Adverblog | AgencySpy

Nokia - Turn Up Your Experience

I love this clever use of technology for Nokia Argentina to promote the N8 and Nokia Ovi Store.  This interactive campaign (developed by Wunderman Buenos Aires) aims to showcase the apps that are available in the Nokia Ovi Store by inviting users to 'Turn up their campaign.'  Users can experience Angry Birds & Fruit Ninja in their browser, but in an innovative manner.  Simply install a bookmarklet whatever site you're on becomes the game, allowing you to destroy any site like you would in Angry Birds or Fruit Ninja.  See the video above of Angry Birds being played on the Youtube homepage!

Check it out for yourself at the Nokia Argentina site.

Supporting Articles: Inspiration Room | Digital Buzz Blog

Jordan Melo M8 Sneaker Launch/Projection Mapping

We've all seen a TON of projection mapping events over the past year or so, and in my opinion it's gotten so good that it's almost tiring now.  That said, I was blown away by the projection mapping for the launch of the new Jordan Melo M8 sneaker.  The whole projecting on water idea is really visually stunning and amazingly impressive.  This was all part of a much larger campaign for the new shoe, check out the article at Brand Channel for the full rundown.