mobile technology – Zack Chia

Chips dont lie

Posted on January 25, 2017 by Zack Chia

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.

Parcel right at the door step

Posted on December 29, 2016 by Zack Chia

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.

Video on the go

Posted on September 2, 2016 by Zack Chia

Image source: Digitaltrends

By now, you should be so used to having a separate app on your mobile phone that is used solely for your conversations held in Facebook. The Facebook messaging app is certainly a very developed platform that was clearly planned ahead of its launch. I remember how it used to annoyed me when I had to download a separate app just for Facebook messaging. But the flip side of having an additional app also meant that we now can have more features within the app making it more robust in features. Not only are you now able to continue text messaging, you can also have the video loading in tandem. It also gives you customizable features like muting the video while you type. Facebook continues to embed more into our daily lives and making many subtle adjustments to accommodate our user experience. Is your brand thinking along the same direction?

Give me a FIVE!

Posted on May 9, 2016May 9, 2016 by Zack Chia

Car pooling is no longer a strange concept for many of us. Especially for those of us who wants to commute in the most economical and efficient manner, car pools are kind of the way to go. Now, how do we make it even easier? Here’s the good thing, New Yorkers now enjoy this service through Uber! They are implementing a flat rate of $5 for all car pools within Manhattan below the 110 Street area, but limited to peak hours between 7 to 10AM as well as 5-8PM on weekdays! However, this comes with a small price to pay. That is, you might need to walk a bit to a specific location in order to allow the pick up points to be well aligned for better travel efficiency. So the idea here is to make it more optimal to pick you up as well as drop you such that the travel route is well, ‘strategised’ for timely pick ups and well worth fare charges.

The interesting thing to note is that car pool has been very lucrative for Uber and based on their current fast growing ridership and the staggering amount of New Yorkers who are using UberPool are growing exponentially. Car pool might just be the way to go for Uber albeit their claims for a ‘complimentary public transportation’ provider.

Let’s see what happens next. I am keeping my fingers crossed that this will pick up fast and hopefully be adopted in Asia countries like Singapore! Nonetheless, Im still an avid supporter for Uber and will continue to use their services.

Fun in the box

Posted on April 25, 2016April 25, 2016 by Zack Chia

Another interesting way we can improve brand experience through packaging design. Prior to this execution, Pizza Hut had a movie box concept which also taps on mobile technology. This had a really fun theme to it. The use of the 50s music themed together with the individual donut flavour makes it a rather interesting combination. Somehow the formula for a successful engagement is to combine different experiences into one and to create a fresh perspective to the brand. I think its a brilliant move by Krispy Kreme. Check out this video.

The future the way we want it

Posted on March 30, 2016 by Zack Chia

I have my fair share of appreciation for such videos which portray technology and its benefits. As much as I like how Fisher Price is embracing this full fledge, there is a chasm we need to bridge when we show ‘the future’ to ‘the present’. Before we embark on this fantasy ride, there are several factors we need to work out. The logic is simple: how then could technology helped us to improve our lives? heck, even to help us complete our parenting roles? This video illustrates engaging graphics coming to life and interacting with both parents and child. We also see how the alarm clock snoozing came into effect with just a simple hand gesture. While working out some concepts for my clients before, I remembered a particular case where I had to provide directions for a rather futuristic video. I cringed at the fact that people are dashing into this whole technology craze. But as I soon realised, there is an emerging need for brands to be seen as forward thinking. Innovative. Rather, LOOKING innovative. It well positions them as leaders in their field, giving them an added edge against their competitors. Branding and marketing has become significantly crucial as we progress into a tech-civilisation. I still appreciate what Fisher-Price had done here. Its just that sometimes its all about the goal rather than the objective isn’t it?

Ad spending in China continues to drive up

Posted on March 18, 2016March 18, 2016 by Zack Chia

Great to hear that our friends in China are taking online advertising seriously. The shift in budget to the digital space is evident that there is strong digital demand and companies are rushing to fill that spot. In retrospect, the internet was probably a small percentage of the overall country’s consumption of advertising. Today the amount has whipped up by more than 30% from an estimate of 14% to a staggering 49%. This would place China significantly ahead of the entire world. I remembered working with several China counterparts whom I felt they are ever so keen to embrace new technologies and trends happening on the digital space.

These days in China, advertisers are serious in understanding the consumer’s appetite and analyzing how people are getting themselves comfortable with what the online world had to offer. Especially for mobile consumption, data and content are often used for streaming, shopping and chatting. With the launch of major companies like Alibaba and Taobao, the use of mobile is imperative as e-commerce becomes integral to our daily lives.

Regardless of the current economic climate, the power of digital and its possibilities gave people strong faith and continues to boost ad spending throughout China. I do find the statistics to be rather impressive, considering the regional prudence in this economical uncertainty continues to loom across the region. Definitely very exciting as digital innovation becomes more and more prolific. The opportunity to grow and create new exciting options is readily available. Im expecting to see more awesome work happening in China!

More info and details can be found here.

Wheels of innovation

Posted on March 7, 2016 by Zack Chia

Wow, if you ask me what good design is, I would certainly vote for solid aesthetics combined with unrivalled functionality. Our landscape is changing, the building structures in modern environments are less forgiving compared to the spacious environments we were once so used to. Of course, adaptation means solutions that allows us to commute with efficiency. Check out this new mobile cycle. The Cargob Urban Eco-Bicycle is a very awesome delivery bike. I love how it places the cargo in front, making it so easy to access parcels. On top of that, there is a motorised mechanism at the back which basically accumulates energy from the riding and braking. This useful energy can be used as electronic energy to power devices like your mobile phones as well as the LED lights! And what’s forward moving if we don’t incorporate anything or everything with mobile right? There is the app which allows the user to navigate his route upon scanning the details of the parcel box. In addition, it also has a messaging system and parcel acknowledgement feature. Very neat and innovative product.

Backdoor security

Posted on February 18, 2016 by Zack Chia

This is certainly depressing. At one point I do agree with Tim Cook’s decision to NOT develop a backdoor access for Apple devices, I cannot denied the urging need to assist FBI in cracking down the dreadful murder case of Farrok and Malik. Evidently, it is a case where there isn’t a definite answer. I lean towards Tim’s decision in favour of maintaining security for all Apple products simply because of the greater risk at hand. This is very much akin to the case of terrorism where reporters or journalist are held hostage for ransom. Should countries compromise on their own security policies to not bow down to terrorism? Or do they pay and obliged to the demands of terrorism? Again, this becomes a case where governments are looking into making decisions on a larger scale or an individual basis. What are your thoughts?

Huawei smart watch

Posted on December 17, 2015December 17, 2015 by Zack Chia

The Apple watch had been on the news for a while now and since then, a lot of companies have begun their development of smart watch technology. The upcoming Huawei smart watch for their Android Wear tech have been hitting the news lately. The tech company’s strategy to adapt designs for their female audience proved largely well received. In addition, there is now plans for interesting new modifications for their second release in the pipeline. Looking at what Apple is doing, Huawei provides similar options for people to select the type of accessories that comes with the watch. With plans to allow customisation to watch faces and colour palettes, there is diversity for buyers. This emerging competition inevitably benefits buyers after all.