Always a big fan of all the works created by powerhouse ad agency, Wieden & Kennedy, Portland. In particular, those kick ass Nike commercials they had ran over the last couple of years. They hold a dominant spot in my memory and I believe the same goes to all those who appreciates the level of creativity they implanted in all their videos. Now, they made a new high. Check out this commercial for the Olympics. The ad, ‘Unlimited You’, brings on a heightened brand message that illustrates how great athletes are born from birth, as they transformed from unprepared amateurs to world-class athletes. Very cool and extremely high budget production. Nice.
Run with me
Love running? I bet you will love having a partner that will not only run with you, but also become a partner to pace you and in this case, out run you! Don’t just beat the clock, beat this robot. The PUMA BeatBot is programmed to run focusing on a lane while it act as a push for all runners aiming to beat their own time. Well, since humans get tired and you don’t always have the luxury to find a sprinting partner, this robot might just be the solution for you! I love this idea simply because it not only taps on technology to better our lives, its actually one step towards health technology. Check out the video as Usain Bolt trains together with it and gives his thoughts on the experience. Nice work by MIT & JWT.
Make dreams happen
A video that will not take you too long to figure out the importance of having the right support for you as well as your children’s dreams. This is probably not the first time we have seen such a script, but stories like this tend to warm the heart and deliver the message effectively. It resonates with many and gives you that tint of light, enough to drive you forward and accomplish that one wish you had. Simple, inspiring and lovely.
Eat Naked.
So they did it. A restaurant that embraces the concept of delivering an exceptional dinning experience based upon the ‘back to nature’ approach of doing things. I can almost imagine myself dinning in the dark. It’s definitely not an extreme idea nor one that seemed over the top. But to dine in the nude is not something anyone can be comfortable with. Bunyadi, a 42-seater restaurant in London is offering its patrons that naked food experience. With such provocative dinning approach, it might seem apparent that only a handful of daring individuals would strip to their birthday suits immediately. Well, what do you know? That is so wrong. At the moment there are actually 46,000 people on its waiting list!! This is definitely an idea that requires some serious nerve and commitment to work. Come to think about it, would you have second thoughts if you are dinning with people who don’t necessarily look good in their birthday suits?
Give me a FIVE!
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
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.
Kill those mozzies
WOW. A brilliant idea indeed. Mosquito Killing billboards. Once again, billboard advertising continues to amaze me. More and more awesome ideas get spun through such open media platforms. This billboard was created with the ultimate goal to kill those disgusting mosquitos. The initiative was launched by two advertising agencies in Brazil. Both agencies, Posterscope and NBS wanted to create a billboard that would simulate human sweat to attract mosquitos and eventually ambush them inside. This should aim to totally annihilate all the mosquitos around the area. The idea was originally conceived to help destroy the Zika virus that is currently a sore issue in Brazil and Latin America. Not sure of its effectivity, the billboard is no doubt a deterrent against the spread Zika. At this moment, it is essential to keep the spread in check. There is a debate that this might eventually have a backlash effect as mosquitos are now lured to a specific area. There is a high chance it might even create a large feeding ground if there are humans around area. Again, putting these practicalities aside, I want to applaud both agencies for their brilliant idea to help fight the mozzies and the disease they carry through creative ideas.
Balls, balls and more balls.
I think humour has got no limits. Not that there is nothing under the roof you can’t joke about, but its more of what did you just joke about that caught my attention. check out this billboard execution. Very simple, very clear and extremely hilarious execution. once again, its a damn funny billboard.
The future the way we want it
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?
Move it, fatty.
So true. Nowadays the only way to get the attention of your viewers is to place their interest before your message. Technically, humans are very subjective animals who always place their attention on the things they like or enjoy the most. I like how Leandro Bonfim illustrates the idea with strong visuals, or rather, visuals that are compelling to couch potatoes who are so used to their TV programs! Print is still a prevalent media to communicate with our viewers.
Zack Chia 