TV is dead... Oh wait, its fine.

Hybrid Media: How Social is Enabling Event TV

I like this presentation. Television is often held up as an "Old Media" straw man, which because of its inherently uninteractive format is destined to be cast aside to the analogue world of Betamax, Gramophones and those big grey gameboys people in Shoreditch wear as necklaces.

This presentation avoids all those cliches though, and argues TV has always been best when it is communal and social, and technology is now allowing this aspect to be expanded. Its an interesting time for TV and brands should be experimenting with how they can latch onto the two-screen behaviour people are already exhibiting. Some examples of it being used so far:

Honda- app to interact with the TV ad
Israel Kamakawiwo'ole- Shazam logo on the TV ad inviting viewers to buy the song there and then.
MTV Skins- 'Caption Bomb' conversation

Forget the pony, I want a mini giraffe. NOW!

Grey New York's ads for DirecTV feature Gregor the billionaire; a preposterous Russian wallowing in opulence. He's got bullion, poker playing dogs, a harem of hot women and a 24 carat gym. But most importantly, Gregor has a tiny 'lap giraffe'. 

And now thanks to the Sokoblovsky Farm site, you too can join the waiting list for your very own Petite Lap Giraffe. You can bet your ass Paris Hilton already has. (Warning, giraffe will not be available until the year 5066.)

http://www.petitelapgiraffe.com

Via Ad Freak

Junkyard Jumbotron

Professional brains Rick Borovoy and Brian Knep at MIT have come up with the Junkyard Jumbotron; a web tool which allows you to stretch a single image over multiple screens or in Borovoy's words "We've built a way to stitch together a bunch of random displays into one large virtual display."


Not hugely useful but it looks like fun. Check out the video below and head over to Wired for the science bit.*




*Speaking of Jennifer Anniston - see her new meme-tastic spot for Smart Water; it squeezes in Double Rainbow Guy, dogs on skateboards, that creepy bespectacled lip-synching kid, dancing babies, sex tapes and 'The Rachel' haircut. It's sharply done but the spoofing is maybe a little too knowing for me, not that that matters - it's already well on its way to 8m hits. Link

Virtual Test Drive through the medium of paper.

Now you can test drive a Volkswagen through a digitally activated print ad using your iPhone. Whatever next Internet? Ordering the love of your life from Russia? Some sort of cat-related online roulette? Charlie Sheen being anointed Warlock Overlord of the World Wide Web? (I think we're on track for that.)

Take a look at the video from Volkswagen Norway to see how it works:



It's not going to be an Angry Birds killer but then it's not a game, it's just a new way to interact with VW.

P.S. Track in the video is Paper Aeroplane by Angus and Julia Stone. Link

Via Digital Buzz Blog

My favourite production

Our agency in Buenos Aires is doing great work at the moment. Check out this advert for chewing gum under the line 'indestructible kisses'.

It is beautifully made.

Crowd Beacon

So last year everyone in advertising got on Foursquare, used it a while and then left it alone. This year began with a brief flirtation with Q&A service Quora.

Now, what would a cross between Foursquare and Quora look like. Well boys, i'll tell you.

It's called Crowd Beacon, and as the world of real-time information and selfless communities of information providers gathers column inches, Crows Beacon is there to provide GPS organised knowledge right into the palm of your digital hand.

For example, say you are in Mayfair instead of Shoreditch (out of your comfort zone), and you don't know where you can get an asymmetrical haircut at 6.30 PM, you put out a crowd beacon on your smartphone,  and local experts are informed as to your request. Huzzah! Now, where's my scooter so I can head back east?

Here's a video about how it works.

http://crowdbeacon.com/how-works.aspx

Mo Money, Mo Infographics

Infographic showing how damn profitable it can be to use the power of collectivity. I wish I started Groupon.

Barbie gets social

This is so fricking charming. Mattell have used facebook, twitter, foursquare and Match.com to scatter the narrative of a Ken & Barbie reunion.

Saatchi Summer Scholarship Round One

Nothing attracts the sanctimonious like social media. Especially Twitter. There have been several critics of the first challenge for applicants to this summer's grad scheme, condemning it as misunderstanding the nature of Twitter. Applicants are invited to create a Twitter account, and over a month or so have to build that in terms of followers, mentions and retweets. For sustained use, like the majority of people I enjoy Twitter to share interests and not to collect acolytes. However, it does surprise me that people would not consider the potential usefulness of Twitter to test applicants, in a fun and revealing way.

In a recent post I criticized the effects of ranking people by social influence determined by Twitter usage stats, and then what? Our summer scholarship launches by testing applicants by asking them to create a Twitter account and build an engaged audience.

It is important to remember that this is a test, and Saatchi & Saatchi receive thousands of applicants each year. They are not testing for the steady build of becoming a long term influencer, but are instead testing resourcefulness, understanding of what interests people, creativity and character. It is about targeting and constructing a conversation, the very sort that are important to the day to day work of a communications company.

The challenge is not about bandwagons. Anyone who describes Twitter as such might as well do the same for the steam engine. Twitter isn't new, but the ways in which people use it can be, and Saatchi & Saatchi are looking for those who can innovate within the obstructions they have laid out.

The misunderstanding here is seeing the task as a marker of how a communications company uses or understands Twitter, where in fact it is rather more about how those who apply can use it as a shop window to put themselves in.

I am confident that this approach will help Saatchi & Saatchi to find future leaders within the sector.

Mesdames Messieurs, le disque jockey Beadle est de retour.

After the Pink Ponies Case Study send up, I find it hard to watch them. However, this one shows that in the 21st century, Beadle's about would be the most popular show in the country.

Broadcasting the pranks live on radio is what gives the ad some impact I think. You feel it happening around you, you feel closer to it. Lovely real time, but not on the interwebs for a change.

Thanks to @nicktgold for putting me on to this.