https://www.mediapost.com/en-usMon, 16 Dec 2013 15:00:09 -0500https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/215658/theres-gold-in-them-thar-windows.htmlJust when we thought the content marketing machine Beyonce had set the creative output bar to a new level last week, here comes hubby Jay-Z, not to be outdone. His new fragrance for men, Gold, is being launched this Christmas with cool transmedia-like tactics, including this one-of-a-kind interactive installation in the windows of, where else? Macy's in Herald Square.Mon, 16 Dec 2013 15:00:09 -0500https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/215658/theres-gold-in-them-thar-windows.htmlhttps://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/215107/sold-century-21-scores-with-series-of-real-time-m.htmlCentury 21 has impressed me with a pair of recent real-time marketing campaigns that highlight the real estate brand as both pop culturally relevant and quick to spin someone else's news announcement into a marketing coup for itself.Mon, 09 Dec 2013 14:08:36 -0500https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/215107/sold-century-21-scores-with-series-of-real-time-m.htmlhttps://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/214622/when-everyone-zigs-zap.htmlMaintaining your brand's cultural relevance in the age of real-time marketing now means being prepared to use the context of current events whenever they happen. But there are some annual events that always make news, with universal truths that don't require digital newsrooms to put great creative in media context. Case in point, Thanksgiving travel. Nearly everyone travels somewhere Thanksgiving weekend, and whether you're coming or going, you're bound to be waiting somewhere -- especially if you're flying. Which is why ZAPPOS took to the baggage carousels of Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport to create a roulette-style game for passengers waiting for their luggage.Mon, 02 Dec 2013 16:36:03 -0500https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/214622/when-everyone-zigs-zap.htmlhttps://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/214219/purinas-bus-shelter-ads-make-cats-want-to-pounce.htmlTo launch the debut of Felix, a cat food brand, in Mexico City, Purina created life-sized cat's cradles in five bus shelters throughout the city. Would this much yarn put a smile on Grumpy Cat's face? Probably not, but it gave me one, as I fondly recalled playing Cat's Cradle as a kid. Big Bang Global, a Mexico City-based agency, came up with the creative concept, which took two weeks to conceptualize and create.Mon, 25 Nov 2013 15:34:20 -0500https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/214219/purinas-bus-shelter-ads-make-cats-want-to-pounce.htmlhttps://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/213713/swav-aussie-postal-service-ships-holiday-gift.htmlSending a video greeting might not seem like anything new. After all, from SnapChat and Facetime to SKYPE -- and all points in between -- video posts have become the way of the world. But context is everything, especially when you care enough to send the very best: yourself. This Christmas, the Australian Postal Service won't just be send your gift -- they'll be sending your personal video greeting right along with it.Mon, 18 Nov 2013 16:06:03 -0500https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/213713/swav-aussie-postal-service-ships-holiday-gift.htmlhttps://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/212723/gentlemen-remix-your-engines.htmlAmong the many behaviors adopted by the masses from the democratization of technologies is sound and video remixing. Remixing of old school tracks by DJs, new artists and remixers has given new life to many of our most cherished songs.It was just a matter of time before brand marketers sat up and listened, such as Mercedes-Benz UK and its Sound With Power campaign, which demonstrates the power of the new E63 AMG engine by tapping into consumers' penchant for audio/video remixing.Mon, 04 Nov 2013 14:52:03 -0500https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/212723/gentlemen-remix-your-engines.htmlhttps://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/212219/direct-mail-campaign-shines-light-on-hidden-bank-f.htmlWhen saving for one's retirement, every little bit helps. Sometimes retirement plan providers plant their fees inside the 401k plans they are creating, which can come as a costly surprise to consumers. Not to mention, it means consumers earns less on their investment than expected. West Coast-based First Western Trust decided to expose this hidden business with a direct-mail piece that uses a black light to unearth fees written in invisible ink.Mon, 28 Oct 2013 16:25:04 -0400https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/212219/direct-mail-campaign-shines-light-on-hidden-bank-f.htmlhttps://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/211708/sniff-n-smack-lg-mobile-banners-sniff-out-and-ta.htmlIt's great to discover more and more brand marketers beginning to leverage addressable or smart advertising: the ability to serve customized messages to different audiences at different times in different locations. It really isn't that hard, and it's actually something that's been around for quite a while. It's just that most upper-funnel marketers continue to prefer pushing their awareness message to as many eyeballs as possible while leaving the more challenging "activation" work to their lower-funnel digerati to wrestle with, in a world of dismal CTRs.Mon, 21 Oct 2013 16:24:05 -0400https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/211708/sniff-n-smack-lg-mobile-banners-sniff-out-and-ta.htmlhttps://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/211236/time-out-shanghai-campaign-finding-lost-phone-.htmlBack in the old days, before cell phones existed, it was a common event for someone to misplace his or her wallet. Nowadays, you're more likely to hear a story about a friend losing their cell phone than a wallet. So if you see a cell phone on the ground, are you more likely to ignore it and keep walking -- or pick it up and turn it in? This good deed was tested to an extreme degree in Shanghai this summer, when Time Out Shanghai purposely "lost" its cell phone and rewarded the person who found it with an epic night throughout the town.Mon, 14 Oct 2013 15:26:05 -0400https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/211236/time-out-shanghai-campaign-finding-lost-phone-.htmlhttps://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/210762/sprint-cinema-campaign-is-a-complete-turnoff.htmlMost in-cinema advertising features lavishly produced trailer-like spots that attempt to match the production values and epic sound and picture quality of the movies they precede. As movie trailers have become louder, attempting to cram as many 10-frame shots from the feature into them as possible, the corresponding ads have followed suit - including attempts to drive tune-in to unscripted cable reality shows that end up appearing more like trailer spoofs than ads themselves. Enter SPRINT's "No Talking or Texting during the Movie" campaign - a parallel reality of 3D sequences delivered to your phone when you power up after your movie.Mon, 07 Oct 2013 12:59:00 -0400https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/210762/sprint-cinema-campaign-is-a-complete-turnoff.htmlhttps://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/210266/saving-the-drive-in-one-digital-projector-at-a-ti.htmlIt seems as though every year, as summer draws to a close, we hear about one more drive-in movie theatre that's gone out of business or had to shut down due to the cost of converting to digital projection. It just seems that, for this one cherished piece of the American experience, the required conversion to digital is potentially more likely to bury the business model rather than bring it into the future. Enter Project Drive-In, a movement created and Kickstarted by American Honda to help rescue as many drive-ins as possible by funding their conversion to digital projection.Mon, 30 Sep 2013 14:00:06 -0400https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/210266/saving-the-drive-in-one-digital-projector-at-a-ti.htmlhttps://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/209762/when-medium-becomes-message-its-just-smart-think.htmlAs we kick off the 10thanniversary of Advertising Week in New York this week, one can't help but watch for the bevy of out-of-home and place-based messaging agencies and social media companies will post across Gotham in an effort to draw attention. That said, there are times when out-of-home media delivers something so simple, so beneficial and so creatively effective that it doesn't require any new "tech" or interactivity to pull off a powerful brand message.Mon, 23 Sep 2013 16:27:15 -0400https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/209762/when-medium-becomes-message-its-just-smart-think.htmlhttps://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/209228/dont-text-and-die-campaign-makes-distracted-pho.htmlHappiness Brussels launched a print and outdoor road safety campaign throughout Belgium that illustrates disastrous outcomes for drivers who text while driving.Mon, 16 Sep 2013 16:45:05 -0400https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/209228/dont-text-and-die-campaign-makes-distracted-pho.htmlhttps://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/208716/in-peru-creative-media-placement-also-provides-cr.htmlJust when you thought few, if any, forms of advertising could really make a direct difference in people's lives, here comes one of the most inventive forms of outdoor advertising ever executed, merging the human need for water with a billboard placement in the desert region outside Lima, Peru.Mon, 09 Sep 2013 14:33:03 -0400https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/208716/in-peru-creative-media-placement-also-provides-cr.htmlhttps://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/207798/agencys-twitter-account-has-literal-ghost-write.htmlIf a ghost inhabiting a space now used by an ad agency could talk, what would he say? Better still, what would he tweet? Ad agency Keiler says it has a ghost writer for its Twitter account -- that is, a real ghost.Mon, 26 Aug 2013 16:34:00 -0400https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/207798/agencys-twitter-account-has-literal-ghost-write.htmlhttps://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/207061/disney-frames-roger-rabbit.htmlIt was only a matter of time. Leave it to the Magic of Disney to take what was once the miracle of mixing live action and animation (a la "Who Framed Roger Rabbit," circa 1988), and, by simply leveraging augmented reality, now it's as simple as "there's an app for that." What Disney has done is effectively allowed for the scaled mixing of live action video with their animated characters in an app that allows anyone to create unique videos and place animated Disney characters and objects alongside them within the footage, in real time.Mon, 19 Aug 2013 14:43:15 -0400https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/207061/disney-frames-roger-rabbit.htmlhttps://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/206620/mistake-or-intentional-newspaper-runs-without-pic.htmlIf newspaper pictures tell a story, then what happens when a daily newspaper runs without photos? The boxes, where photos should be, ran blank except for a tiny graphic in the middle -- the universal sign of a broken image link. Is someone going to lose his or her job for letting such an egregious error go to press? Not this time, because this faux pas was intentional.Mon, 12 Aug 2013 16:58:07 -0400https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/206620/mistake-or-intentional-newspaper-runs-without-pic.htmlhttps://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/206108/this-is-your-brain-on-chocolate-gimme-a-break.htmlAmidst all the hoopla over Google Glass of late, isn't it great when a completely nascent technology emerges and a marketer is smart enough to use to reinforce their brand promise, while newsjacking the art and technology headlines at the same time? Case in point: the new Nestle Kit Kat Break Art creative technology from JWT Singapore.Mon, 05 Aug 2013 15:23:14 -0400https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/206108/this-is-your-brain-on-chocolate-gimme-a-break.htmlhttps://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/205605/watching-paint-dry-is-more-productive-than-youd-t.htmlDIYers were treated to 24 hours worth of live-streamed DIY projects to kick off the launch of Krylon ColorMaster's line of spray paints. "The Krylon ColorMaster Challenge: 24 Projects in 24 Hours" tackled home improvement renovations with help from Jeff Devlin, host of DIY Network's "I Hate My Bath" and a licensed contractor.Mon, 29 Jul 2013 16:28:00 -0400https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/205605/watching-paint-dry-is-more-productive-than-youd-t.htmlhttps://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/205041/beardvertising-its-a-real-thing.htmlThere's never a shortage of atypical advertising, with outdoor ads that smell like steak; a billboard made from plants; using the sun to convey a brand message; or wearing tweets on jeans. Adding to the latest advertising craze is Beardvertising: real native advertising, or when miniature billboards are clipped to men's beards.Mon, 22 Jul 2013 16:38:48 -0400https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/205041/beardvertising-its-a-real-thing.htmlhttps://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/204550/stamps-turn-into-do-good-ad-medium.htmlSure, online bill paying and e-cards may be the more accepted and economical way to go, but most of us still use stamps for some tasks. And lately, stamps have become canvases to promote various causes, like finding missing children in Canada and saving rhinos from extinction in South Africa.Mon, 15 Jul 2013 15:40:08 -0400https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/204550/stamps-turn-into-do-good-ad-medium.htmlhttps://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/204052/keep-your-eyes-on-the-mobile-prize-look-away-and.htmlTo promote the eye-tracking technology built inside the Samsung Galaxy S4, Perfect Fools created a contest that rewarded winners with a free Samsung Galaxy S4.Mon, 08 Jul 2013 16:12:24 -0400https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/204052/keep-your-eyes-on-the-mobile-prize-look-away-and.htmlhttps://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/203683/mlbs-first-telerobotic-pitch-thrown-by-boy-1800.htmlOn June 12, Nick LeGrande, a 13-year-old from Kansas City, Mo., threw the first pitch at a New York Yankees-Oakland Athletics game. What sets Nick apart from anyone else who has thrown a first pitch: he was actually 1,800 miles away, in his Missouri hometown, when he participated in the game.Mon, 01 Jul 2013 16:15:00 -0400https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/203683/mlbs-first-telerobotic-pitch-thrown-by-boy-1800.htmlhttps://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/203188/the-digital-dossier-from-cannes-cyberlions.htmlAmong the big winners in last week's Cannes Cyberlions, was another stunning entry from the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library, whose "We Choose the Moon" site experience was among the best-in-class Web destination favorites from 2010. Last week, the library's latest "Clouds Over Cuba" interactive documentary via the Martin Agency & Tool of North America proudly took home Gold CyberLion honors for the U.S.Mon, 24 Jun 2013 15:15:03 -0400https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/203188/the-digital-dossier-from-cannes-cyberlions.htmlhttps://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/202638/this-ad-is-on-fire.htmlAs someone who thrives on innovative uses of technology in advertising, I make it a priority to check out lots of prototype ad formats and technologies integrated into new and native forms of brand messaging. But when someone takes a universal problem -- like cellphone battery life -- and solves it in an ad, then I'm really left wishing I had done that myself.Mon, 17 Jun 2013 12:51:00 -0400https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/202638/this-ad-is-on-fire.htmlhttps://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/201684/fans-collaborate-with-brand-on-silk-soymilk-ads.htmlWhen an established brand alters the taste of its product, things can go really well or send consumers fleeing to find an alternative brand. Judging by the YouTube comments on Silk Soymilk's brand channel, feedback is split down the middle. On the flip side, consumers seemed to enjoy the campaign supporting the flavor change.Mon, 03 Jun 2013 16:38:00 -0400https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/201684/fans-collaborate-with-brand-on-silk-soymilk-ads.htmlhttps://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/200709/fashion-food-and-street-legal-drugs.htmlIn Amsterdam, a spring fashion lookbook was transformed into an extreme cookbook, full of recipes using street-legal drugs. The agency Arnold Amsterdam created "Baked" to drive attention to European online men's fashion store FreshCotton.com's launch of an exclusive, special edition Stussy Amsterdam T-shirt that costs 35 euro.Mon, 20 May 2013 16:06:00 -0400https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/200709/fashion-food-and-street-legal-drugs.htmlhttps://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/200204/car-paint-heal-thyself.htmlNissan has developed self-healing paint, a technology that renders a car scratch-proof. Does this spell the end of parking at the far end of the store so errant shopping carts don't ding my car? Someday, just not today.Mon, 13 May 2013 14:40:05 -0400https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/200204/car-paint-heal-thyself.htmlhttps://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/199760/mail-a-letter-it-could-save-a-life.htmlNew technology, like social networks, not only reconnects old friends and relatives but sheds light on cold-case crimes, most recently helping to solve a 45-year-old hit-and-run death. This month, The Missing Children's Network in Canada goes old-school in its effort to help locate missing children by placing the pictures of those missing on postage stamps.Mon, 06 May 2013 15:24:00 -0400https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/199760/mail-a-letter-it-could-save-a-life.htmlhttps://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/199180/aw-restaurants-social-media-moves-locked-out-of.htmlA&W Restaurants is jumping headfirst into social media with the help of its mascot, Rooty The Great Root Bear. Back in February, A&W Restaurants created a LinkedIn profile for Rooty, marking the first time a brand mascot had its own LinkedIn profile, according to the company. Those who added Rooty as a connection received a fun and light-hearted LinkedIn recommendation. Rooty wasn't able to deliver too many recommendations, however, because once LinkedIn caught wind of his page, it was shut down completely, because Rooty isn't a real person. In a follow-up video posted to YouTube, Rooty begs to differ.Mon, 29 Apr 2013 15:43:00 -0400https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/199180/aw-restaurants-social-media-moves-locked-out-of.html