Korean Emart recently placed 3D QR code
sculptures throughout the city of Seoul that could only be scanned between noon
and 1 pm each day — consumers who succeeded were rewarded with discounts at the
store during those quiet shopping hours.
Dubbed “Sunny Sale,” Emart’s effort involved setting up a series of what it
calls “shadow” QR codes that depend on peak sunlight for proper viewing and
were scannable only between 12 and 1 pm each day.
The video below explains all this in more detail in a frankly, pretty chee-zee way, pity.
I love ideas like this. Even if it is a little niche.
I truly believe a bunch them, linked together with a single cohesive message, tailor-made to the medium and reflective of a brand truth, is one of the most effective ways for a brand to build relevance with its consumer today. A helluva lot more work for an agency and client, and a need for restructuring your renumeration/ROI calculations, which is why we probably won't be seeing campaigns like that anytime soon.
A live feed of geo-tagged instagrams from major cities arund the world as they're posted.
This for me is what the web is all about. Sure brands need sites and the like, but if you're really serious about increasing your web footprint then you could do better than to work with these guys. Perfect for an drinks co, make up brand, or any number of way more inventive associations. Enjoy the site here
I've been aware for a while now, about this trend appearing. The Americans have a name for it,of sorts, Madison and Vine, it's the combination of advertising and entertainment. And the rightly awarded and previously commented on here back in January, The Queensland Best Job in the World campaign is the latest example.
This Thursday at 9pm the BBC are showing an hour long programme covering the final round of the competition, when an English lad called Ben is selected from the final 16.
Currently, I haven't been able to find out much behind the production company behind it, but if this wasn't conceived and made by, or at the very least pitched to production companies by CumminsNitro then it bloody well should have been.
Either way, a smart conclusion to a smart campaign.
With TV desperate for content this is definitely a trend that is going to go from strength to strength and yet another example of the return to a pre50's ad/comms model.
It does seem so. First I get sent an advanced copy of what is a hugely inspiring book, Life Inc, you can read more about it here
And then there's a launch of this, Riversimple, an equally inspiring company looking to bring to the car industry some much needed innovative thinking.
It can't help make you feel optimistic about the future.
Meet Jonathan Harris, he's an artist and computer scientist and the sort of person that makes you feel perhaps you're wasting your life. Not that he's smug about what he's doing, it's just that it's so vital, full of energy and relevance that whatever it is you're filling your days with becomes a little more pointless in comparison
His work celebrates the world's diversity even as it illustrates the universal concerns of its occupants. His computer programs scour the Internet for unfiltered content, which his beautiful interfaces then organize to create coherence from the chaos.
It's so blindly obvious that it's taken me three years to see it, but some of the most successful brands today have actually been embracing transmedia storytelling for sometime. What's been lacking has been the cohesive strategic overview that allows for a stronger relationship between all the separate elements oh and of course, that sodding desire agencies have for media hierarchy.
If you're not over familiar with the term, the mightily impressive Henry Jenkins who came up with it, describes it thus,
Transmedia storytelling represents a process where integral elements of
a fiction get dispersed systematically across multiple delivery
channels for the purpose of creating a unified and coordinated
entertainment experience. Ideally, each medium makes it own unique
contribution to the unfolding of the story.
I urge you to click on the link. It will be how brands/campaigns will be created and judged in the future.
Oh and the rather nice cityscape is by a fab illustrator called Borja Bonaque.
I guess in someways this is a pointless/useless post. (It's amazing what spending a week in the company of a 6 year old will do to your brain. - it being Easter hols here in London and all).
Anyway, the picture is of a wii and google's street view mashup. The deal is, you go jogging on the wii via a road route shown through street view. The best of both worlds.
The pointlessness being that it's only available in Japan - and I have no idea where I found this out. Sorry.
But what I will say, is that I get as excited about stuff like this as I use to get about the latest Cunningham ad.
What's not to love. Got me thinking, what other of life's little problems need solving and who could do it? Surely, a smart client and/or marketeer should look at doing stuff like this from their comms budget.
Like the above - if it was offered to you in a Chinese restaurant thanks to Persil/Ariel, you smile, wouldn't you?
This is a lovely site from honda. Currently it holds 3 films, my favourite being mobility 2088. There's much I like about them, not least the fact that I feel better of the company than I did previewing. It's intelligent communications and a perfect example of where the net and film can work well together.
My second nomination for New Product Launch of 2008 is of course, Barack Hussein Obama,
His campaign to the White House could almost be said to be the blue print for today’s communication campaigns and not just in politics.
First, they studied the product, analysed what was authentic about it and then distilled it down into one clear word.
A word that was both a product truth and something that would inspire the consumer.
Change.
He stood for change. That was it, above everything else, the one thing you knew you’d get was change.
They didn’t cloud this with too much detail about policy - that would just defuse the clarity of message. While for those who wanted to know more, it was there to be searched out, but that was your choice.
Instead, they just pushed the truth behind the claim in little nuggets of information.
He was a change from the previous government. He was a change from the usual type of person who became a politician. He looked different. He sounded different. He connected different. And he communicated different.
They embraced new media and online social network. They gave up control for advocacy, trusting his supporters to represent him to their peers in the way they wanted to. Entrusting the brand to them. The result was some extraordinary marketing.
And then there were posters, which were created for the campaign not by the campaign
While to audiences who resisted listened directly to him, they enlisted and empowered those people the resisters would trust, to deliver his message for him.
Nor did they try and clip the wings of his supporters, even when it may not have been exactly what they wanted and instead trusted in the intelligence of the audience.
And they did this because they knew the universal online truth, you must give up control, if you’re to gain greater power.
And so, they fed it. Encouraging people to visit and revisit their homepage for content with regular video update, ringtones and widgets
They facilitated connections through online communities that added a new dimension to what was already out there. Mybarackobama.com, was/is a social network of sorts that allowed people to create blogs around issues, and send in policy recommendations to the man himself.
They assisted in fund-raising activities with ideas and tools. And they encouraged people to fundraise however they wanted to.
They were light of foot. If there was a sudden rise in traffic from certain sites or communities they engaged with them and kept engaging with them with regular updates. By engaging with people wherever they gathered they were able to make maximum impact.
And this is just a fraction of the numerous marketing activities that the campaign spawn.
The result?
He was seen as inclusive leader, embracing everyone into his vision for Change, probably best summed up by slogan, Yes We Can.
And now there is a real belief the world over, that there is a President of the United States of America prepared to listen and lead rather than ignore and dictate.
A welcome change for politics, I’m sure you’ll agree.
My first favouirte NPL of '08 goes to the Venezuelan Black company - manufacturers of fine cacao - pure cocoa to you and me, pretty much.
A niche product by anyone's imagination, but one that was successfully launched with a multimillion pound TV campaign that succeeded in getting it listed in both a major supermarket chain across Britain, the shop of choice for WAGS - Selfridges and no doubt, all good independent delis.
Not bad for a company less than two years old and with a handful of employees.
Admittedly it was far from perfect with some surprisingly basic mistakes made, such as absolutely no cohesion, for example - packaging never matched their communication in style, tone of voice or, and perhaps potentially most damaging, name.
Because the VB Co. is probably better recognised as Willie and his Wonky Chocolate Factory, the name of the TV series which was shown over 6 weeks on Channel 4 in the beginning of 2008, repeated in late autumn and ending with a seasonal burst with it's very own Christmas Special, .
A series that followed the charismatic/annoying (delete as appropriate) Willie Harcourt-Coozie (above) as he followed his dream to get Britain using a previously little-to-unknown ingredient.
We saw every aspect of his business, from where it was sourced to how to use the product, to expert endorsement, to finding out about the health and slimming benefits of his product - nothing it seemed was over-looked.
The series was a venerable marketing masterclass for how to launch a product.
I can't believe there wasn't an fmcg marketing director out there wondering, how did pull off launching his company with 30 minute commercials shot at the production company's cost and with airtime (and a lot of airtime at that) donated free by a TV station?
Unfortunately I can't tell you much more, despite digging around on the web, I've failed to even come up with the name of the production company. Anyone any ideas?
Still, it's not all been one way sunshine basking. Maybe now would be a good time to take another look at that business plan when it comes to employee salaries
Found out about this via the excellent Digital Example blog. You can read what he said here, or you can read a brief summary in the next few sentences.
Word Magazine asked their readers to nominate their favourite songs of 08 - so far, so what.
The inspired bit was that they also allowed you to sample and then buy those very same tracks.
A great example of an online magazine taking advantage of the digital environment. Here's the article
Just had this sent to me by a mate (thank you JB) and thought it amazing. Can't tell you anymore about it, (who, why when etc) but if any of you can do share
Following on from my earlier post on Wii and it's build-in viralability, I have been pointed in the direction of this flickr set, by Russell. As, the man says, create something great and the marketing will be done for you.
• It's a conduit, not a bank, so your money will never get stuck (something Paypal seems to do alot)
• It really is one-click shopping.
• It doesn't share your full credit card info with anyone, not even merchants
• If you use it now and you get money off at participating stores
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