Arcade Fire and our friends over at Google truly put together something that raises the bar on interactive experience. The online video for their song “Wilderness Downtown” tells a tale of a young man running back to his childhood street/home and reflecting on change. You will need to download Google Chrome HERE first. . .then click HERE to launch the video. It will ask you for your own childhood address (or any address that is in a major city that Google street view has covered). . .then using HTML5 the video builds itself around your house and street as a seamless and beautiful experience giving us all a glimpse into the future of interactive activation at its finest. Enjoy!
So we here at Toast & Jam met with our friends this week over at Crispen Porter +Bogusky and along with reminiscing about good times we had the chance to reminisce about great campaigns. CP+B came up with one of the first and still today something we consider one of the greatest online experiences of all time. In fact recalling the first time we interacted with Subservient Chicken led us to create a new category here at Taste. . .the Hall of Fame. Enjoy the first entry. . .and here are a few of our favorite commands (but there are a lot more than this list for you to explore. . .in fact add more to the comments section if you can. . .) the sheer depth of these interactions DEFINE experience and BRAND ACTIVATION:
>taco bell
>dance like an egyptian
>snap your garters
>do the robot
>You’re kinda creepy
>relax
>bang your head
>Are you lookin at me?
>Do you feel lucky, punk?
>Cry
>Show your chicken tenders
>smoke a cigarette
>throw a tantrum
>clean the room
>pillow fight
>kiss the pillow
>hit yourself with the pillow
OK so I was excited to see the previous post by Todd on the sport of Parkour sometimes called free running. This is a sport I have followed for a while and have tried to a small (very small) degree. It is very strenuous and takes the idea of running around like a kid again up about 100 levels. This is a video a friend of mine made near my house a few years back but it shows that when done properly it looks elegant and nearly effortless. On the promotional side of things this is popping up more and more in advertising and in event activations because of how visually stunning it is. . .
Seoul Korea has been emerging in recent years as one of the most innovative and technologically progressive cities in the world and this example of city branding in action is a perfect addition to Taste. Through innovative architecture combined with technology you can make impact in a city that can help brand it the world over. The Bampo Bridge Moonlight Rainbow Fountain project took what could have become a utilitarian water crossing and turned it into a city landmark revitalizing the district. The fountain is comprised of over 10,000 LED programmed water nozzles that pump 190 tons of water per minute.
Taste wants to take a moment to recognize the amazing life of coach John Wooden, perhaps the most beloved coach of basketball and maybe all sports, as he passed away today at the age of 99. Coach Wooden is not only one of the best coaches of basketball. . .maybe any sport. . .but you can’t read one story about him that doesn’t also acknowledge what a giving and caring human being he was. His coaching style was a roadmap to both successful basketball and to life. Our thoughts celebrate you and your family!
We have talked about the revolution happening in music and video many times in the past. Many major new artists today are increasingly being discovered via YouTube. . .the Justin Beiber phenomenon is a prime example of this. . .he completely self published himself online and now has millions of screaming young girls stampeding each other just to be in his presence. However this blog is about things with a bigger degree of Taste to them so we wont be showing Mr. Beiber here (no offense). . .instead here is another group from South Africa that would never ever ever have caught the eye of mainstream music labels. . .however online you can see for yourself just how genius they are. Presenting Die Antwoord:
There was much fanfare when the Second life virtual world debuted. That initial buzz faded slowly over the past couple of years but the real revolution that has been occurring has been with virtual gaming. With the success of Evony and World of Warcraft. . .the business model has been more than proven in this space. The key is that most of these games are free to play. . .so they attract large audiences. Evony for example has had more than 12 million people sign up. But the business side kicks in with lots of “extra” things that cost real money to obtain. A small percent of people actually will spend the cash but some people spend Thousands of dollars on these games. One of the newest is the virtual rockstar world of Rocktropia, where you and your friends can form bands and armies to do battle at the same time. The revenue models include the extra stuff but the world is also a place designed to introduce consumers to new music. . .which is where this model differs but could really take off if they can build the mass audience some of the other games have. They already have major rockstars taking part in the game in some cases as equity stakeholders. Here is a video preview for you to enjoy:
So anyone with a young child over the past year. . . there is a very good chance you have heard them call their friends or even you. . .a jerk. For myself my awareness started about a month ago when my 7 year old daughter wanted to learn how to do the jerk cause all the boys in her class were so good at it. Jerkin has turned from an internet viral start into a cultural uprising. . .it is more than a quirky dance (think the running man but only inside out). It has spawned fashion trends over the last year revolving around skinny jeans, streaks of color in the hair, day glo colors. . .a kind of nerd sheik. Indeed some are seeing this as the fading of thug life mentality and the rise of geek life mentality among youth culture that has grown up with the internet always on, with individuality and personal empowerment the norm with places like myspace and facebook fostering that spirit. If you have never heard of being a jerk. . .here is the video that started it all online about a year ago:
There was a lot of hype around the iPad launch and when it debuted it sold 300,000 on opening day alone. One article I read had people in line to buy it being interviewed and one person when asked what they were going to use it for responded. . .”I don’t know. . .i will figure it out after I have it. . .”, well I have talked to several skeptics of the iPad since it came out who said they weren’t interested in it but once they saw something specifically designed for it demonstrated. . .you can see that some of the hype might be worthwhile. One of the uses was as an eReader. . .but people didn’t see how it could possibly erode into the kindle share of the market. So with those two last points in mind. . .here is a video showing you what the iPad truly brings to the table. . .it left me excited to see where creative minds start to take this device. Presenting Alice in Wonderland a digital pop up book. . .
A great brand activation example to promote the upcoming movie release of Repo Men. Four real people are on the run in the country and people are encouraged to register to become a Repo Man.. .if you are registered and can find one of the four real people who are on the run this month and walk aup and tell them “you’ve ben repo’d” you win $7500. . .if the people on the run can stay covert they win the money instead. Clues are dropped into online and offline media sources. . .as this is a promo tied in with conde nast publications. The microsite does a great job in promoting the story theme of the movie and applying it to a real world experience.
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