QR “Built Code” using Frisk mints in Japan. Check it out.
SET is now promoting the use of what we call “built” codes. We believe that these codes offer brands a unique opportunity to connect the real world to the online world. In the coming months we will be looking to incorporate these “built” codes not only into print media but also into outdoor stunts and events that allow the consumer to truly interact with the code in fun and exciting ways.
Sneakers are an expensive hobby. The cheapest pair of premium kicks you’ll find are $80, if you can find them. Living in a town that only recently got a Quickstrike account, I know what it’s like to stay up ’til 4 in the morning to order a pair of shoes from the other side of the Atlantic. Niche markets benefit from niche sites and that’s exactly what SneakerListing is. Recently launched, the site acts as a free marketplace for collectors to buy and sell sneakers. With the ability to sort and search by brands, keyword, condition, size, and a other criteria, it’s easy to find what you’re looking for. As with any new service, it’s success really depends on how many people participate. It’s a Catch 22, because I feel like many people won’t start listing or buying until they see that others have done so successfully. Also, unlike eBay (partnered with Paypal) there are really no repercussions for fraud. Hopefully the pros of having a dedicated marketplace with informed buyers and sellers outweighs the cons.
Campanhainstantanea: Enter in $5,000 for a budget at first, and click the different resulting components. Then do the same for a $5,000,000 budget. Awesome.
You may be way above the little calamities of regular client work, but we were tired of having clients want to take control of their digital campaign, so we gave it to them! Let me know what you think!
Nike Sportswear (NSW) is the sneaker company’s newest line, featuring exclusive products focusing on a high quality. They made a huge splash when they announced a partnership with Loopwheeler Japan (amazing quality) to produce the world’s best hoodies. Recently, a special NSW project out of Italy caught my eye. Called Nikesportswear Stories, the creative team focused on two DJ’s, a football player and a volleyball player as they went about their daily lives– all using stop-motion photography. Make no mistake about it – though this is a very cool art/video project, there is a strong tie to the ecommerce site. In each scene, the name of the products being featured are captioned near the model. Mousing over the title pauses the main scene and brings up a picture-in-picture animation focusing in on said product. We’ve all seen witty shopping sites but leave it to Nike to bring this level of creativity to an online store. Besides being beautiful, the site is great at doing what it’s designed for – selling products. Check it out.
Is Vanilla Ice trying to make his third (or is it fourth?) comeback? From “Ice Ice Baby” to his brief hardcore rocker image, to appearing on the Surreal Life, Robert Van Winkle has made a career out of, well, pretty much one song. And now on Virgin Mobile’s new campaign, Right Music’s Wrongs, he apologizes for the hairdos, the fashion, and the music that have caused us grief over the years. Other equally-guilty musicians like Milli Vanilli, Michael Bolton, Billy Ray Cyrus, and even David Hasselhoff are not apologizing…yet. Visit the site and decide for yourself if Winkle’s still guilty or if he’s redeemed himself.
When you’re watching over a city, it’s imperative that you’ve got enough caffeine to get you through the night. So, put down the decaf and pick up a 10 oz. can of “Veidt Enterprise’s Nite Owl Dark Roast” created by celebrity photographer Clay Enos’s charitable coffee company, The Organic Coffee Cartel. Inspired by the coffee Dan and Laurie drink aboard the Night Owl, this limited-edition java blend is guaranteed to have you staring at the ceiling at 3 a.m — which, would be an ideal time for you to thumb through Watchmen Portraits, a book of photographs from Enos, the official photographer on the Watchmen set.
In addition, any customer who purchases a collectible blend before February 26 will have a chance win two tickets to the Los Angeles premiere and after-party for Watchmen from the OCC.
Just a quick morning eye-opener. Supermodel Gisele Bündchen gives us a sneak peak at the Spring 2008 line from Rampage, a design house set to unveil its entire inaugural line in various cities — as well as in its online store — in the near future. For now, we get a handful of videos of this bombshell making their clothing look really, really good. We’re glad to see that at least one of the Brady-Bundchen power couple is getting some work in.
To promote their beer in Sao Paulo, Stella Artois is leaning away from straightforward marketing and pushing a new concept called Stella Artois N’Box. Running now through Feb. 19, Stella is offering exclusive, luxury experiences inside a shipping container stationed at a horse track that links Japanese traditional culture with the new school. Limited to just 40 people per day at dinner, guests pay the equivalent of $100 for a tasting menu of Japanese food with sake caipirinhas and are treated to shows like Japanese ballet vs. samba or taiko drummers and DJ vs. street dance and electronic music. Wacky? Definitely. Will it align the brand as uber cool? Possibly — but it’s the creativity that counts.
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, and despite the fact Thanksgiving has yet to hit our friends at PSFK are already looking to next year. The always prescient Piers and company have gotten a head start on the new year with their “Good Ideas in 2009 Report”. The 80-page book aimed at those whose interests lie in branding, marketing, and business strategy, focuses on nine innovative ideas and just how they’re being carried out. Available on Blurb.com, the volume takes a look at everything from socially conscious companies that make use of new technology to a ping pong haven/art gallery/drive-in theater on New York’s Lower East Side. For a closer look at the future, you can waste your time inventing a time machine or you could just pony up a few bucks for the book.
Would you make yourself into ad space? If this sounds like a great idea, then Jason from Florida is proof of it. Through IWearYourShirt.com the marketer sells his wardrobe for every day of the year at “face value” (January 1st = $1, December 31st = $365). That means that he will rock your T-shirt on that day, blog about it, and even put a video of himself wearing said T-shirt on YouTube. For a crazy idea, Jason’s plan is pretty well thought out, as detailed in the site’s Terms and Conditions. In an age when there’s no telling what they’ll come up with next, we find ourselves saying “I wish I’d thought of that”. Meet your new billboard here.
Here is a little visit from the vault, a while back we gave a mention to Bishbo. Back then they had just launched a new site and were excited to take on the world of package and advertising design. We would like to take credit for their success, but it might have a little more to do with the fact that they put out consistent quality. Picking up some great U.K. clients doesn’t hurt either. Have a look at a few more examples from Bishbo after the jump — and keep up the good work guys.
Many of you met Seth when he told you to be a purple cow. Some of you met him when you fell upon his blog, one of the world’s favorites. The luckiest of you met him in person, either at TED, Google, or one of the other holy places where smart people give speeches. Point being: You know who Seth Godin is, but you might not know him like this.
After Oprah endorsed açai — the Amazonian berry that’s making a sensation on the grocery aisles and likely in your tummies in your part of the world right now — it was only inevitable that cachaça, the Brazilian rum made from sugar cane and the main happiness ingredient in a caipirinha cocktail, would follow. Brazilian cachaça maker Sagatiba is one of the first companies making a pointed foray into the U.S. market and are bringing the contagious fever that is Brazilian culture with it: art, music, fashion and even culinary. I want to point you to their website, which gets two superb street artists on board, Flip and Bruno 9li, starring in their own short movies about their work. They’re super insightful, inspiring, and as a marketing strategy, seem like the authority on Brazilian culture within their market. Sagatiba might have hit it on the head. As great as the whole idea is, am I the only one who finds it curious that a street artist would lend his name to an alcohol company? Are these artists any different than, say, an Inc. partnering with another Co.? Is this a new proposal that Brazil is opening for other artists? Send in your comments.
Half-BMX vert stunts. Half competitive team sport. All Nissan ad. The Japanese car company’s foreign export sport SUV Qashqai (the name refers a group of nomads living Iran) has spawned the Qashqai Car Games‘ Spanner League campaign. What? You haven’t heard of the premiere group of foreign daredevil race enthusiasts that flip, spin, and launch their vehicles with Matrix-like precision. Check out their latest attempt which, as always, ends in Wylie Coyote fashion.
It’s like a glory hole … for your ears. Our Great White neighbor’s metro system has become the testing grounds for Pepsi’s new musical poster campaign. Agency BBDO has devised an interactive ad on Canadian subway cars (currently 100 cars in Toronto and Vancouver) that allow you to plug in (headphones not included) and get a taste of some brand new music. Ok, so the mariachi guys, conga players, and team of kids who pop n’ lock in the middle of the F train had this idea first, but those b-boy urchins aren’t trying to get you to visit Pepsiaccess.ca and download their artists. Where else can you find a captive audience that are all wearing earbuds?
When you’re watching over a city, it’s imperative that you’ve got enough caffeine to get you through the night. So, put down the decaf and pick up a 10 oz. can of “
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, and despite the fact Thanksgiving has yet to hit our friends at 
Here is a little visit from the vault, a while back we gave a mention to 
It’s like a glory hole … for your ears. Our Great White neighbor’s metro system has become the testing grounds for Pepsi’s new musical poster campaign. Agency 
