Missing the vintage Volkswagen van?
Well, good news. The Volkswagen microbus is now officially back and should be an excellent option to the van. What’s even more astounding would be the fact that VW is launching it as an electric model!
Check out more of the microbus here:
Things happen really fast in a retail environment. While brands continue to inject as much promotions as they can in this cluttered space, consumers are swamped to the point of breaking down. Where then is the effort to build a true relationship with the shoppers? Giving more discounts just makes the brand look cheap while stuffing new product features and collaterals just turn shoppers off literally. So, what are brands missing here? Capitalising the opportunity to engage with technology. Take a look at Make Up For Ever’s NYC Flagship store with their solution to the increasing need for product testing before purchase. Many beauty enthusiasts would love to have a go at the products before making their purchase. The idea here is to use Go Pro camera technology for their make up stations.
The strategic location of the station in the middle of the store attracts customers and intrigues them. While there are Makeup Masters at all the different stations, their role aren’t really to help the customers apply make up. Instead, they assist by customising the shades in the boxes for the respective customer. They provide advice and styling tips to the customers who ultimately apply and test the products themselves. I love the angle where the brand positions itself at – “Tutorials with a pro – not by a pro”. Marvellous use of technology and brand experience.
Brilliant copy is not easily distinguishable. As creatives, we pare through copious amount of work everyday just to get the best copy. But the average people don’t. And that is exactly the problem: clients sometimes allow themselves to get carried away by injecting so much details and unnecessary information in their marketing, resulting in poor traction. The truth is, nobody actually reads long copy. This video tells it all by showing how much it takes just to make people read, even if it means getting freebies. Arguably, it could be how it is done but i do recognise the fact that people barely give a damn especially when they are commuting. This opera house in Stockholm is showing ‘God Disguised’, a lyrical suite in 1940 from Swedish composer Lars-Erik Larsson and lyrics writer Hialmar Gullberg. Folkopearn does this really well with their message for ‘God Disguised’. Let this be a lesson for us to relook at how we should better portray our communications. Even if fortune is to come, it would still need one to be receptive to it. Whether it is disguised or not.
Who doesn’t love booze with great company after work? We all do. And for the most part of it, beer always taste better with good food. Never mind the traditional pair up of beer with pastas or burgers, chips are still the best choice. Probably still the most popular choice for an after work soccer match with your homies! Now, Doritos have once again created something interesting. The Frito-Lay continues to amaze me with their Tostitos’s “Party Safe” bag. Wait a minute, did I just said party safe? Yes i did. That means you now party without the constant fear of driving home drunk.
The pack of chips is actually going to heighten your awareness of alcohol level as well as do the favour of getting you a decent ride home. Pretty nifty trick i did say.
A concept by Goodby Silverstein & Partners, the bag comes equipped with a device that is connected with a microcontroller. It is somewhat calibrated to detect alcohol from the person’s breath. Should the sensors detect alcohol presence, it immediately signals red and what you see is an image of a steering wheel! On top of that, an Uber code is created, indicating a message: “Don’t drink and drive”.
With near-field communication (NFC) technology, you can even tap the bag with your smartphone to activate the ride. With all the campaigns going on against drunk driving and Uber’s ongoing promotions, Tostitos are throwing n the $10 off deals during the period as well as after the Feb 5 Super bowl game. Well played.
You can’t expect anything more crazy than this. A literal yet impactful approach taken by Volkswagen Denmark to introduce the direct sales of cars online. I think the idea of having it so direct creates the powerful message of how easily one can own a Volkswagen. Funny as this stunt might seem to be, it sure delivers a good conversation starter. Das Auto.
Driverless technology have always been a topic widely discussed amongst tech enthusiasts. Google has helmed the title of being pioneer in this technology and we have seen quite a lot of examples of projects and experiments done by them. The parent company, Alphabet, is now embarking on an alternative direction for this project. As much as we hope to see this coming alive, Google is facing a lot of potential challenges in the practical implementation of this technology. Setting up a new company, Waymo, it plans to lead this innovation through collaborative approaches. The concept would revolve around Waymo working collaboratively with auto manufacturers to bring their innovation to goo use. This would definitely include making new vehicles from ideas to reality. Regardless, the data and information accumulated throughout the research remains pivotal to the evolution of automobile. This can be therefore be leveraged by close working relationships with auto manufacturers. The new initiative now remain a effective solutions for businesses worldwide.
Check out the new flavor from ClemenGold Gin. Love the new branding and visuals. Based in South Africa, the brand had its product designed by agency ‘Fanakalo’, with a strong emphasis on bright flavor colors. Looking for a really awesome beverage to beat summer? Here it is.
Retail store interiors plays a significant role in helping to keep your customers staying engaged in the store. By now, it should be no surprise that most shoppers tend to return to a shop they purchased before, especially if it can connect with them emotionally. To do this, there must be an opportunity to spark that chemistry with these shoppers. Check out this tea shop in Vancouver, Canada.
Situated along the street, the facade is a beautiful blend of white and red cherry blossoms. The entire design direction is very much inspired by Japanese art, capitalising on the minimalist details that potentially forms into a differentiated tea-drinking experience. In this case, it does not matter if the customer is familiar with the cultures or equipped with the knowledge of Japanese tea-drinking. The customer will immediately be immersed into the entire experience.
Simple yet concise. There are things about the Japanese culture which makes it so unique and attractive. Be it their music, culture or fashion, everything seems to have that very special flair that could almost transcend reality. Clothes that might look so weird and ideas so radical making its way on to the streets, becoming an everyday affair is proof of the society’s acceptance to constant change. How did youth culture transformed traditional mentality into what it is today? Check out this video by Japanese agency, Hakuhodo, as they create this amazing mash of music video to illustrate the transition of times for Beams in the last 40 years. Amazing work.
While working on a previous brief for a client of mine, the idea of VR struck us in the midst of our brainstorming session. Some cringe while others embrace it passionately. Consumer VR experience in today’s context revolves greatly in a ‘controlled’ interactive environment. Why is that so? It becomes extremely challenging to bridge that level of experience into consumer retail, exhibition or even online. Brands are riding on the technology wave but are always skeptical about its outcome and especially for those who are cautious of the perceptions from their target audience. So, we have always had a conservative approach to emerging technologies. Have a look at Parrot’s new Drone plane. The drone offers real time flight experience by allowing the user to navigate the flight from a first person view. The “Disco” drone is no mediocre technology. It ramps up to 80km/hr and its glide trajectory is almost impeccable. Running at 45mins per flight, it allows consumers now to own a piece of technology that brings drone flights to a whole new experience. VR is no longer just a novelty experience used to boost brand’s ego but a usable technology that consumers can indulge in.
Zack Chia 