Jeep Puzzle Twitter Challenge

Very clever, and perhaps a bit nerdy Twitter game that gives you the chance to name your price on a new Jeep. I like these types of examples that demonstrate an understanding of the user behavior in the space and adds value to the experience.



[via @glueisobar

do stuff FOR people

Love this idea from ASICS posting words, pictures and video bits of encouragement to the runners of the recent NYC Marathon. Rather than throwing a lot of sponsorship money at a high-profile event to buy eyeballs, why not do something of value for the runners and their friends and family? Does this idea feel to similar to Nike Chalkbot? Probably. Does it try to make it better? Definitely. Bravo, ASICS! Oh, and BTW, here's some more awesome from the ASICS/Tiger Onitsuka.



[via AdFreak.com]

getting it right [sorta]

What I've seen of Hermès shoppers at the South Coast Plaza store, I can't imagine that any of them would care for this video. Despite the idea being a bit off target, I do give credit to the brand for nailing-it with the execution and choreography of the skateboarding moves.



It's almost as nice as this one from Nissan a few years ago. Lesson here: If you're going to borrow interest from board sports like skateboarding, surfing or snowboarding, do it right. Or end up annoying some people.

[via ThreeBillion.com]

a shiny new toy in the bag-o-tricks

3D Projection mapping on buildings.



On cars.


On snow.


And now on shoes.



Projection mapping is the new flashlight painting. It wasn't that long ago when we were all in love with the Pika Pika light painting made popular notably by the folks at Sprint. These visual gimmicks seem to come and go with some initial buzz and excitement for the brand that brings it first to market. But what about the others that follow thereafter? Are they doing anything that makes the technique better? Are they adding anything to the brand narrative? Or better yet, are they doing anything that adds tangible value to peoples' lives? Or perhaps, are these new shiny, digital, "techie" things created, just another way to create some interactivity and dialog with our audience? If not, then I'd say they're just poor imitations that has no purpose other than having something shiny to add to someone's reel and not really addressing a challenge in a creative way.

Delightfully Unexpected

One would assume that being in the ad biz for as long as I have, that nothing can get us excited these days.  I have to admit, I'm a sucker for anything clever and unexpected when it comes to brands interacting with people, on and offline.  It doesn't have to be a grand gesture or blown-out marketing campaign.  It's the little things that count.  Do it in a delightful and unexpected way and you'll get people to look forward to "having a conversation" w/your brand.  Sorry for this overused, social media cliche, but it's all I got right now.  You can punch me in the face later.   Brands should should be here to enable interaction, and not just a transaction.  Damn, was that another cliche?  Okay, I'll stop now.  But before I do, check out this Twitter reply I received from the @OCGoodwill today after a Foursquare post mentioning them over the weekend.  What I found really cool about this was that they didn't feel it was necessary to follow me just because I mentioned them in a tweet.  How often have you experienced brands on twitter quick to auto-follow or spam you with links once you mention them in a tweet?  Most of the time, it's taken out of context and the company starts to become really annoying.  This small, unexpected, no-strings attached reply was genuine and unassuming.  It had me feeling delightfully more positive about the brand than I ever would have, had they not reached out.  Now, isn't that what it's all about?

Kaption Kontest Friday #1

One of the reasons why my wife doesn't like the idea of me getting an iPad. 

via

beyond badges

Really, how many more badges do we really want?  It seems that most brands entering the location game think that badges are enough to get players interested?  Yes, they are definitely a way-in right now, however, players are going to want more from the interaction.  Starbucks is slowly testing out the waters with Foursquare right now by simply offering up badges.  Eventually, one would hope that they will roll-out other more tangible rewards for their customers.  Free Wi-Fi anyone?  Or how about a free breakfast sandwich?    I really like this latest example on the Gowalla platform with the New Jersey Nets basketball team.  In the "game" spirit of these location-based platforms, Gowalla will create a scavenger hunt encouraging players to find hidden digital tickets at various sporting locations around the NJ area.  The digital tickets can be redeemed for an actual ticket to attend the last game of the season.  Once there, Gowalla players will also be able to unlock badges that can also be redeemed towards Nets merchandise.  I don't follow the basketball, but I would suspect that there's a universe of people on Gowalla in the NJ area would find this compelling and perhaps get them to participate, no?  Brilliant.  You are giving me something of real, tangible value for my participation and making it fun for me.  Thank you.  As companies start to explore and experiment with these new location apps, the challenge will be to understand the playful-like behavior of people in this space and then providing them something of tangible value, beyond just a digital token.  Beyond the badge.

Live-Action Videogame Trailers

Last Fall, right before the videogame launch of Assassin's Creed 2, Ubisoft released a live-action web series that served as the prequel to the Assassin's Creed 2 story.  Although it was mostly shot against green screen, it does have the feel of a blockbuster summer action flick.  Now, Ubisoft comes back again with another live-action trailer, this one for the upcoming Ghost Recon: Future Soldier game.  With game samples surpassing movie ticket receipts in the past few years, is it any wonder that these game titles are putting this much support behind the launches?  Will we start to see big-screen movie stars play along as well? When will other game producers get into the mix?

What I also really dig about this and the AC2 example, is that the game narrative lives beyond the gaming console experience.  Gamers and fans can now get deeper into the story.  

4Square Offers

For some of us ad nerds who've been playing around on Foursquare this past year, one of the most frequently asked questions I get is the "so what's in it for me"?  When asked, I've described Foursquare as a mobile version of the loyalty punch card.  This new site answers that question even better, by showing what a tangible, real-world experience can be for players.  The site 4SquareOffers.com identifies locations of businesses that offer some type of freebie by simply checking-in or a really special incentive for mayors.   Although it does seem that mostly small businesses are using Foursquare at the moment, more and more big brands are playing along and finding new ways to make it interesting, for all of us, and not just ad nerds.

planning with purpose

Planningness Recap for interTrend Comunications

View more documents from nguyen duong.

a recap of two presentations from the "Planning-ness" conference that has the most relevance to my day-to-day here at our little asian-american ad shop, interTrend Communications. i've borrowed a lot of thinking and slides from people much smarter than me in putting this little recap together. for more in-depth smarts go to these 2 links here and here.

this was the most well organized and productive conferences i've ever been to. kudos to Mark Lewis and Claire Grinton on getting us all excited to make things. Looking forward to the next Planning-ness

the relationship

[photo]


The relationship of a client to an agency, is like that of a surfer to a shaper. Like most relationships, it is one that is built on communication and trust. But what makes some relationships so rich and prolific that it creates just tons of awesome? When the relationship between the two entities creates a culture, rather than just commercials for it's clients, or how about heaps of world titles and constantly pushing the boundaries of surfing with innovative board designs?

I believe it's an open and honest dialog between surfer/shaper and client/agency that yields the most rewarding ideas. I've had a few custom boards shaped for me over the years. With each consult w/the shaper, the best ones have come out of exchanges when the shaper asks all the questions to understand my surfing style, experience, and the conditions where I most often surf. This is when you [as a surfer or client] check your ego at the door and provide as much honest feedback as possible so that the shaper/agency can craft the appropriate board/idea for your needs. Most of the time, whether you're a pro or weekend-warrior like myself, we all want that "magic" board that does it all for us. however, we really don't know how to articulate the shape/design of what that "magic" board should be. Enter the expertise of the shaper. the best shapers are the ones that can understand the strengths/weaknesses of the surfer, the wave conditions, etc to craft that "magic" board. there has to be a dialog and trust between the two for it to work. And also, the good shapers don't talk over the heads of their clients either. they both have to be on the same "wavelength".

So there has to be a collaboration and mutual respect of each other's talents. How many times has a client tried to cocktail napkin a layout to their agency partner? Or, when an agency exaggerates how in love they are with a client's brand, just so that they can win the business? Respect. Respect what each person brings (e.g. assets/skills) to the table and work on creating a mutually beneficially relationship. The more a shaper gets to understand the surfer, the better the boards he/she can make for them. And in turn, a more prolific relationship where both get what they want. Better boards, better business.

Yes, there's also an exception. Most amazing surfers or clients can do almost anything despite the quality of the board/creative that is made for them. But those are probably few and far between. Hold onto the clients that you have and work on building the trust and confidence to experiment, innovate, and grow. I'd really like to think that we nurture those client/agency--surfer/shaper relationships so that we continue to elevate the work that is being created. Oh, and another thought...I think this analogy can also be made between the role of account planners to their creative partners as well. As planners our briefs that we produce for creatives should also be a collaborative process that includes honest communication and respect for each other. and just like the surfer who has an on-going dialog w/the shaper to create that "magic" board, and so should us planners w/our creative partners in developing the idea. yeah, agree? what say you?

o_O that look

ever since i've made it a point to connect w/people offline earlier this year, i've been getting those strange looks o_O from my wife every time i mention "i'm meeting a Twitter-friend." The strange look resembles something like the look that you got back in the early 00s when you told your roommate that you were having "coffee" w/someone you just met online. ;)

since then, i think the social web has matured a bit [just a bit]. there's no shortage of social media gurus out there telling you how you're doing it wrong ;) and by our very own experience, and interactions w/others on the web, we've learned where some of the guardrails and pitfalls are. myself, i've have had a couple mis-steps that i still regret, however, i've learned from them. right, moving on now.

the way i use the social web is different from how, let say, how my wife uses the web. both, though coming from a specific need. for me, it's been a journey on connecting w/other people outside of the orange curtain. For me it's the opportunity to learn and discuss ideas outside my immediate surroundings so that i can find applications to my profession. it came from a need. i'm more willing to put myself out there and meet new people.

for my wife, a facebook fanatic, who's constantly denying friend requests of ppl she doesn't know, she uses the social web as an alternative to connect w/her IRL friends as our lives have become time-crunched for [quality] attention w/our group of friends. again, a need.

with people publicly sharing every moment of their lives on the social web, we've come to have developed somewhat of a digital intimacy and perhaps, trust of the people we meet online. this is not new to most people who've been blogging for a long time, who have developed a relationship-->friendship w/their readers, strictly online, and then having the opportunity to meet IRL. with Twitter, tweet-ups, meet-ups, and twestivals, I think it has accelerated that time [of online relationship development]. can you tell a lot about a person from just 140characters? or is it the string of all the daily FB status updates, flickr posts, tweets, blips and blog comments spread throughout the web that we make ourselves transparent-->real to people? Yes, there are chances that these digital personas can be manufactured, buyer beware i guess. these days, it seems that you can pretty much stay "connected" on the daily happenings of the people in your network thru so many different and shared platforms. i'm really excited to see how google wave and perhaps this Threadsy will simplify all these online platforms we're on.

i do find that it really is beneficially to carry those public, online conversations to the offline. I've been delighted by the opportunities to chat on phone or meet for coffee w/people whom I've met via Twitter and from reading their blogs. all of this didn't happen overnight though. these people demonstrated to me that they were stand-up human beings from their interactions across the social web. and myself, i'm learning from them and trying to do the same for myself. hopefully, the next time i say that "i'm mtg so-'n-so from Twitter", I won't get that look.

follow the good stuff

last week on my way into work, i was listening to an interview w/actor Jason Schwartzman on the Kevin & Bean radio show. If you've heard of Jason, you may know some of his work in films and his band Phantom Planet. Jason is now embarking on a new TV series. the interviewer asked Jason if he saw this new venture as a "step down" in doing the glitzy feature film work? Jason's response was [paraphrase]: "no, I just follow the good stuff." Film, TV, web, music, whatever the project is, if it's good, that's where you should be. This really had me think about some of the people that I've talked to recently who have affected by the recent economic turndown--->read: laid-off. About half felt that they needed to find something quick and just get a paycheck in. Others, saw it as a blessing and have taken the time to re-evaluate what's important to them. Both have their strong arguments, depending on your outlook on things i guess. Myself, I am very grateful for the network of friends that i have for support around me, and have the opportunity to participate in projects that i'm really passionate about [more on that later] and still keep a day job where the people around me teach me something new everyday. that's good, no? we spend too much of our waking day w/people at work, why not make the best of it. look around you, if you're not stoked on what you're doing at the moment, change it, or move on [to where you'll do some good]. And don't look at it as a "step down".

Universal McCann Power to the People

Wave 4 "power to the people"

View more documents from Julius Trujillo.

"dramatic changes in the way that consumers are using the internet to create and share their thoughts, pictures and videos" [via @pete291]

The Machine is (Changing) Us: YouTube and the Politics of Authenticity

Just an awesome vid that had me think about internet culture and how we, erm some of us are behaving differently because of it.

Pecha Kucha Night/OC - coming soon

I finally got around to attending a pecha kucha night recently with my pal Gil Aranowitz If you're not familiar with pecha kucha have a quick look here basically, it's a preso-style where you are limited to 20images x 20seconds to tell your story. i think it's a great way to train yourself to be present with purpose.

Gil and I both wanted to scope out the action, as we are looking to start a pecha kucha night here behind the Orange Curtain.

this particular preso connected with me the most. the presenter, Megan Willis, shares her thoughts on how to get functional use out of "residual spaces" in an urban area, specifically, downtown San Diego. she sees opportunities in these spaces to create more function, practicality and community in an urban setting.

more here from Megan Willis and here observations on residual spaces

the fans make it happen

no budget, no access to actors and cameras, no problem. this is what happens when you come up with a great idea and get fans to help you realize it. sure, it probably required A LOT of hard work and thinking, but what doesn't if you want something that people will connect with and want to be a part of? more about the creation and collaboration of this video here. A bit of this project reminds me of those audience participation stunts you see during the Superbowl halftime shows, using those flip cards to tell a story. Is it really so much different from the idea that people like Henry Jenkins and Faris suggests: "Bring people together and give them something to do"? a couple more examples of this I talked about here. I love this kind of work. It's honest and just good fun, and best of all, it harnesses the power of the fans via the internet. does your brand have this type of fan devotion? does that mean we should always be challenged with $0 budgets? not necessarily, but it has been a challenge that we've all had to overcome sometime or other in our careers, especially in these financially hard times. Here's to inspiring work and the fans that make it happen.

via BBH Labs

Changing The Currency

View more presentations from Helge Tennø.

transmedia & advertising

Transmedia & Advertising

View more Microsoft Word documents from Ivan Askwith.

the matrix, lost, BMW's "the hire" and more. all these have stories have been told and shared thru a variety of media. each one inherently special among the community of people already having conversations there. a solid preso from @ivanovitch at Big Spaceship on the idea of sharing our brand narrative across multiple platforms.

the herd likes to surf

my shower-time thinking this morning was reflecting on a tweet and post by Faris, stating that the herd likes to rave and also seeing Seth Godin's post on a movement, both of them related to this video showing some dude in his underwear dancing like a crazy man. Faris says that "people like to copy each other." and he continues with "That one person [or thing] can change behavior, if persistent, because it doesn't happen right away, and if the actions, and the copying, are visible to enough people." Watch the video. What is it that the 1st guy experienced or saw that others around him did not? and then as a few more jumped in to participate, did they also see/experience what the 1st guy had going on? perhaps? Seth also adds the observation that it's when the 3rd guy jumps-in to participate, that's what's important, and so starts the trend.

anyone who's been on an early dawn patrol surf session, the 1st guy there is the one who gets the chance to see and observe what the ocean is doing. with enough experience he can probably figure out where to paddle out to catch the most or best waves. as more people start to show up at the beach, you'll see how they'll observe as well. most will wait to see what kind of ride that solo guy out there is having (read: does he look like he's having fun). and as a few more people paddle out to where that one solo dawn patroller is, he's made the decision a lot easier for the rest of us to jump right in. just like after the 3rd guy jumped-in to dance along, more people followed. however, more people in that one dense spot, you're gonna have to fight over those waves. i've never understood why my buddy likes to surf where the crowds are. sure, he may pick off a few waves, but it's a paddle battle most of the time. especially here in dense SoCal surf breaks. myself, i hate surfing around crowds. i'd rather go to where there's smaller, crappier waves, but fewer people around. my idea of fun surf doesn't have to be huge, epic waves. as long as i'm still able to enjoy a few waves, i'm all good. sorry i digress to surfing (have it on my mind since we're going on a surf trip this weekend.)

as ad people, i think it's our job to always seek out and look for those individuals who has the vision and can inspire an idea or a movement. we can either look for that dude that is able to spot out early where the best waves are gonna be and eventually others will be there w/him, or we go to where fewer people are (like myself) and hang with them. ya know, kinda like fish where the fish are and all that. all of this takes a lot of observation, sharing, bookmarking and observing some more. we should bring our client's along in seeing the potential in these "visionary" individuals who can see what others have not. if brought-in early, enough we can be part of a really big thing. even if it's paddle-battle among a bunch of other surfers ;)