Augmented reality game

Courtesy of Rene this one - the Augmented reality t-shirt paper, scissors, stone!

Augmented reality use continues to grow apace (if you didn't know we are in the midst of one of our own for LWP right now), and this is a brilliant example of how interactive you can get.

Great inspiration.

Cheers Nic

Two very different campaigns from "Tiger" Brands

As many of you will have seen I'm sure, Nike launched their new "Tiger" ad yesterday - 1 day before the Masters.

I'm sure you can make your own conclusions about the Nike work... it's certainly different and will generate much debate around the world - which of course is the point, but its likely to generate a huge amount of negativity too. Brave execution.

I'm sure the ad industry will love it, but I doubt you can say the same for your average Hockey Mom in USA or family man in Australia.

At the same time we wanted to showcase some work from a former "Tiger brand" in Gatorade, in what is a far more engaging experience (the Sydney crowd have seen this). The idea is pretty simple, Gatorade are giving regular guys and girls the chance to replay classic sporting match ups they were involved in from 10-20 years ago, be that Hockey, Football - whatever.

In one example, a bunch of former College footballers get to replay a classic from 1993, beer guts and all. Brilliant content generation, brilliant brand experience for all involved. 10,000 people turned up for the replay in 2010!

Check it out here http://replaytheseries.com

Weirdos or Wonderful?

We often get asked 'what's the next big thing'? The answer is often 'its not been created yet'.

Well, if you haven't been reading the trash magazines, chat shows or blogs in the past couple of months then let me introduce Chat Roulette. It's simple - turn on your web cam and 'speak' (or whatever you wanna do) to complete randoms across the web.

It's a bit of a phenomenon for now, but we are fearful for its longevity as it scores incredibly highly on the weirdometer.

FCUK have already launched a campaign using it, to much debate - you can read more about that here. Fair to say, its probably not one for Fujitsu just yet.

If you've got a few minutes, this video does a brilliant job of explaining what the fuss is all about, and does some funny audience demo testing too.

Cheers

chat roulette from Casey Neistat on Vimeo.

Standard banner sizes - let's not forget creativity

Hi

"What can I do in 30 or 40k banners?"

We get this question a lot, usually with a pained expression and a sprinkling of negativity...

Well, the answer is plenty, and we wanted to showcase some of these to make it easier for you to reference some of the work. All of these can be found on Bannerblog (http://www.bannerblog.com.au/), which is a great resource for reviewing best practice and latest work online.

I've got Andrew Pascoe from the UK to thanks for coming up with this list of 30-40k banners that sing a bit... so thanks Andrew:

http://www.bannerblog.com.au/2007/08/hsbc_polar_bear.php
http://www.bannerblog.com.au/2009/10/golf_launch_in_australia.php
http://www.bannerblog.com.au/2006/11/coruba_gold_party.php
http://www.bannerblog.com.au/2006/11/toyota_yaris.php
http://www.bannerblog.com.au/2008/04/sky_dual_record.php
http://www.bannerblog.com.au/2008/03/workopolis_clean_sweep.php?fbc_channel=1
http://www.bannerblog.com.au/2007/11/canon_endless_imagination.php
http://www.bannerblog.com.au/2007/08/ea_burnout_dominator.php
http://www.bannerblog.com.au/2005/09/3_soccer.php
http://www.bannerblog.com.au/2009/04/mr_strings.php
http://www.bannerblog.com.au/2007/01/realestatecomau_blin.php
http://www.bannerblog.com.au/2009/01/pedigree_puppy_pack.php
http://www.bannerblog.com.au/2007/05/cw_jobs_it_career.php

There are now no excuses for uninspiring banner work...

We'll be formalising a home for work across the digital spectrum that we have created in house, and also work from other people that we love, so watch this space.

Cheers

Nic

Cool new campaign - Adidas

We've had a bit of a think about the content on the blog, and thought you might like to see regular updates on the best/latest digital campaigns around the world.

It's good in 2 ways:

1) helps understand new ideas and technology

2) it's less writing for me ;-)

See this latest idea from Adidas (http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2009/12/adidas-sneaker-augmented-reality/) - where they are using Augmented Reality and their new range of trainers to create a virtual world. The user needs to hold their trainer up against a web cam and they can experience a unique half reality world. Interesting to see how product and technology are coming together here. It's not a first of course as we saw Nike and APple do it with Nike+ (http://www.apple.com/ipod/nike/)

Thanks

Nic

2010 Glossary of digital terms

Can't claim any of this, but thought it was very much worth sharing. Pete Blackshaw writing for Advertising Age, has written his 20 top digital glossary terms for 2010. Nice work Pete.

http://adage.com/cmostrategy/article?article_id=141450

SPURNED MEDIA: Just like it sounds, earned media that goes horribly negative, invades otherwise pristine search results or bleeds into traditional media. Bad customer service is a top driver of "spurned media."

MOBILENECKING: The alarming tendency to have our necks titled down or shifted sideways -- ever glued to our mobile device. This anywhere, anyplace epidemic is increasingly common in cars, airplanes and crosswalks. Closely related to term "Eyevoidance," where no one looks at anyone anymore.

JACK RIPPER: The device warriors who hog outlets anywhere they can find them -- in the airport, via the USB port of a colleague's computer, even a restaurant reservation desk. They get a charge from a charge.

WIKI WART: A bad piece of news or an embarrassing brand episode (e.g., an activist protest or a social-media campaign that backfired) that just won't go away in a brand's Wikipedia description. PR pros often give false hope to brands of removing the warts, but relentless Wikipedia editors put them right back.

OEDIPOST COMPLEX: The curious neurosis that compels folks to sleep with their Blackberry or iPhone. The afflicted can't stop checking -- even in late hours -- for responses to tweets or blog and Facebook posts.

DECIPROCITY: When everything you post actually decreases your friend and follower count. Even when you friend or follow others, the rules of reciprocity just don't apply. Soul searching is typically in order here.

FAUX POST: When you are talking to someone on the phone and they notice an unrelated tweet or Facebook status update from you showing up in real-time. Bad form -- don't do it. (Trust me!)

APPFUSION: An inevitable outcome of app overload. Very common among iPhone users who download so many apps they can't find their address book. Appfusion can lead to as many problems as the apps solve.

BRAND TEASE: A consumer who "friends" or "fans" a brand, only to never return for a second date. Brands feed the cycle by forgetting to court the consumer with engaging, interesting or sustaining content or value.

CONVERSATIONAL DIVIDE: The huge gap between what marketers preach about social-media "conversations" and the brand's actual customer-service or call-center operations. Stems from cost vs. profit-center tension.

SHELF STORM: When organic search results suddenly go haywire, or shift to the dark side, thanks to the link-love logic of social media. Consider Tiger Woods' search-result shift from 95% positive to 60% hostile (in a matter of days). Or how brands with highly publicized service failures quickly acquire shelf-venom.

APPTOSTERONE: The mojo that fuels intense "mine's bigger/better" conversation about mobile apps. "Dude, you got Bump, but I've got FourSquare." Marketing techies are loaded with Apptosterone.

BUCK SUCKED: The condition that typically slaps you in the face when reading your credit card bill and you see dozens of "dollar" charges for music and "what the heck" iPhone or mobile apps. Expect much more of this as it gets worlds easier and more convenient to pay for online content. (Good news for publishers!)

TRUST LAPSE: The frighteningly popular tendency we have to "open up" our friend network to a cool, unknown social-media service or app. Ego, vanity and impatience often collide with rationality here.

RUNWAY REBEL: That guy (or gal) who keeps the "electronic device" going well past the airline warnings and prohibitions. We see them everywhere, and no one is innocent here.

BLOG DODGER: Someone who has abandoned his or her blog for Twitter or some other lower-hassle social-media substitute. This was big in 2009, and we'll likely see much more of it in 2010.

QUAD STALKERS: Folks from your past who "friend" you (e.g., folks you marginally knew from the high-school quad) and who seem to comment on everything you post on Facebook. Mostly benign, but a tad curious.

TWEET-SHIFTING: Delaying or mixing Twitter posts so axe murderers don't know you're miles from home. Increasingly common as a spousal and family covenant among folks who travel with high frequency.

CURBCASTING: The almost unstoppable cacophony of loud voices barking all manner of silliness into the airwaves thanks to Bluetooth devices. You see this on every street corner and curb.

TWITSTOP: A bathroom detour from a meeting or conversation in order to check e-mail, Twitter or the latest and greatest via an app. (Swear on the Bible, I don't do this ... but I'm told lots of others do.)

DIGITAL DETOX: What we all need -- at least in doses. As we've learned, total digital immersion has side effects. Let's all pursue a roadmap for balance in 2010. (This is likely the topic of my next book, so send feedback.)

The top 5 digital stories of 2009

Before we head in to 2010 and look at some of the potential trends for the year, I wanted to look back and review the top 5 digital stories of 2009. All of which have had a major impact on how we plan and use digital channels and technology, and all of which will undoubtedly form a significant part of the landscape and our thinking for next year. So in no particular order:

1. Facebook’s remarkable growth

Ah how predictable, but 2009 has been a quite phenomenal year for Mark Zuckerburg and team. They started the year with on-going negative press over the beacon debacle, and with 'only' 150m users worldwide. They end the year with over 300m and are still growing; despite the rise and rise of Twitter. The launch of Facebook Connect has further embedded Facebook in to the landscape, and that has over 60m users across over 10,000 websites.

We’ve also seen Facebook really take off as a branding and marketing tool, with Facebook pages replacing traditional websites, streamed live events, advertising explosion and perhaps most excitingly, the launch of a couple of ecommerce pages. The ecommerce opportunity in particular, could well be Facebook’s major revenue opportunity in years to come, as they take a % of the sales for brands selling on their platform.

2. Digital media $ overtakes Television in the UK

Ooh I couldn’t resist sneaking this one in, yes in July this year the advertising money spent online in the UK surpassed that on Television for the first time, the first market in the world for this to happen (the vast majority of the money was spent on Search - 60%). The UK market is particularly unique of course, you can’t advertise on the most popular Television channel, and super fast unlimited broadband for all.

All roads point to this occurring in Australia around 2012/2013, as Search grows ever stronger, our advertising continues to get more sophisticated in the digital space and KRudd rolls out the Broadband network.

3. Twitter bursts in to the mainstream

Wow! 25billion tweets sent a day this month, from around 5 billion in January tells us enough about Twitter's growth this year.

But it's the impact the service has had on customer service, journalism and real-time searching that I see as most significant. Many brands are now actively embraced Twitter to manage customer service (Optus has a team of 80 managing tweet complaints/comments). Today’s news is now breaking from the hands of the consumer who are at major events (e.g. Hudson river crash) and the Iran election was a seminal moment in Twitter moving from technology focused to mainstream news. But it is Twitter's ability to deliver real-time search that is most exciting, something that had led to a scramble from Google, Yahoo and Microsoft to deliver real-time search from the likes of Twitter. Watch out for the real-time battle hotting up in 2010.

4. The iPhone

You only need to look round the 303 office to see the impact the iPhone has had on the mobile market this year. From 0 mobile sales in early 2007, to 30m+ in 2009 and a 17% share of the market, and rising - fast. Almost more important than the handset share is the remarkable difference in data usage between iPhone users and other handsets. We are now chewing 7x more data than standard phone users, and twice as much as the BlackBerry crowd.

The app store is a major part of the revolution, with over 90,000 apps and 2 billion downloads (and a tidy profit for Apple thanks very much). Apps range from the quite ridiculous (playing the flute) to the quite remarkable (the Tom Tom sat nav, photoshop and many more). All roads point to even more success for Apple with the iPhone in 2010, despite significant pressure from the Android.

5. The arrival of Bing

Finally! A proper threat to Google's utter dominance of the search market, and certainly something the industry needs. Bing 'the decision engine' has got some reasonable traction in the market since the launch in June, and some excellent reviews from people in the know.

Before we get ahead of ourselves, they’ve not eaten away at Google’s dominance just yet, but there is at least a platform to launch from, and with the deal with Yahoo struck – where Bing powers Yahoo search, Microsoft will have a 30% share of the Search market. A platform for which to try and eat away at Google’s phenomenal power.

So, there it is – some of the big stories in Digital in 2009. There were plenty more, notably Social Gaming, Augmented Reality, Susan Boyle, Android and online video - some of which form a significant part of the landscape for 2010 and beyond.

We’ll be back in the New Year, firstly with a look at some of the key trends for 2010.

Thanks for all your support this year.

Nic and team