MediaPost | Creative Media Blog

Car Paint, Heal Thyself

Mon, 13 May 2013 14:40:05 -0400

Nissan 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.

Mail A Letter -- It Could Save A Life

Mon, 06 May 2013 15:24:00 -0400

New 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.

A&W Restaurant's Social Media Moves: Locked Out Of LinkedIn, Rebounds With Vine

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 15:43:00 -0400

A&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.

A Campaign That Uses Its Noodle, Literally

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 16:55:03 -0400

Nothing beats indulging in various ethnic cuisines while on vacation but what to do when a craving arises and you're stateside? A branding campaign for Noodles & Company curbs worldly cravings with outdoor, newspaper, radio and online elements supporting the company's "Your World Kitchen" initiative.

Look Up: Agency Transforms Water Tower Into Art Projector

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 16:39:02 -0400

Rusty, the 100-year-old water tower that resides on the roof of Carmichael Lynch in Minneapolis, received an artistic upgrade that draws pedestrian attention skyward. The agency partnered with the Minneapolis College of Art and Design to create a loop of mapping projections -- like raccoons and the woman from Hall & Oates' "Maneater" -- running throughout April from sunset until midnight.

The Latest Impulse Buy: A Car?

Mon, 08 Apr 2013 15:14:25 -0400

When I think of impulse buys, I think of the candy section at the grocery store and the trial-sized beauty supplies that consume the checkout line at Sephora. But a car, as an impulse buy, is something I'm not buying. While this ad for Volkswagen Canada is clever -- not to mention challenging for the production team -- I'd position the car as affordable without labeling it as an impulse buy.

Ketchup Art Marks Condiment Brand's 50th Anniversary

Mon, 01 Apr 2013 16:37:05 -0400

We've all heard the term "playing with your food" -- but what about playing with your condiments? And this is no April Fools' Day joke. To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Felix Ketchup, Helsinki-based agency hasan & partners commissioned British pop artist Nathan Wyburn for an experiential and digital campaign that involved people, portraits and an endless supply of ketchup.

Driving Dogs Continue To Drive Adoptions In New Zealand

Mon, 18 Mar 2013 16:33:14 -0400

A New Zealand campaign launched in December continues to encourage the practice of adopting shelter dogs. The New Zealand arm of the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), teamed up with animal trainer Mark Vette from Animals on Q, MINI New Zealand and its agency, Draftfcb New Zealand to teach three shelter dogs how to drive a car. Monty, Porter and Ginny were taught how to brake, shift gears, turn the steering wheel and accelerate in a modified MINI Countryman Coopers.

Hospital Targets Doctors With DM Poster Of The Hippocratic Oath

Mon, 11 Mar 2013 15:59:10 -0400

The University of Colorado Hospital and its agency, Cactus, launched a print series three years ago, with frameable art prints, mailed to a large audience of doctors, that highlighted the hospital's advancements in various departments. This year, again armed with a small budget, Cactus sent a direct-mail piece to doctors nationwide, describing this year's print: a high-end, limited-edition letterpress poster of the Hippocratic Oath (health-care workers' oath of professional conduct), hand-cranked on a 1961 vintage Vandercook proof press. Since this art print was a limited edition, doctors had to act fast and reserve their copy online.

Audi Canada Brings Consumers On Miniature Test Drive

Mon, 04 Mar 2013 16:04:03 -0500

This isn't your parents' version of slot-car racing. Audi Canada set out to reinvent the test drive by creating a miniature outdoor installation where passersby could test drive a custom-made 1:32 scale Audi A4 quattro using an iPad as a controller.

Scary Stuff: Film's Promo Shows POV Of North Korea Defectors

Mon, 25 Feb 2013 16:17:14 -0500

Jam3 and Fathom Film Group launched a realistic, interactive online journey called The Defector: Escape from North Korea, which gives a haunting first-person glimpse of what it's like for someone trying to escape North Korea.

A&W Root Beer Mascot Gets Own LinkedIn Page

Mon, 11 Feb 2013 16:41:00 -0500

Ever ask a friend or co-worker to write you a coveted LinkedIn recommendation, to boost your online business profile? It's up there with pulling teeth. A&W Restaurants saw an opportunity in this space and created a LinkedIn profile for its mascot, Rooty The Great Root Bear. Anyone who connects with Rooty will receive the ultimate LinkedIn gift: a free, personalized (somewhat tongue-in-cheek) recommendation.

Super Bowl 2013: When A Power Outage Was More Exciting Than The Ads

Mon, 04 Feb 2013 16:08:55 -0500

Breaking news: The world didn't come to an end in 2012. Then I watched this year's Super Bowl ads and became convinced that creativity is holed up somewhere in an underground shelter, waiting out doomsday.

Watch Out For That Kid: Belgium Toyota Campaign Urges Safety When Backing Up

Mon, 21 Jan 2013 16:27:10 -0500

Happiness Brussels created a 3D road safety campaign for Toyota to raise awareness about children being hit by cars that are backing up. "Protect what's behind you" features six lifelike, 3D images of children playing hopscotch, sitting in a supermarket carriage, drawing chalk pictures on pavement and riding a tricycle.

'Walking Dead' Zombies Follow Twitter Fans -- Grunting Ensues

Mon, 14 Jan 2013 15:49:00 -0500

Some Twitter followers are people of few words -- or grunts. To promote the debut of "The Walking Dead" on French television network NT1, Darewin created a reverse-psychology social media campaign, announcing that the walker virus - a factor in "The Walking Dead" - had contaminated all NT1 employees, and asking Twitter users not to tweet the hashtag #WalkingDeadNT1 or comment on Facebook and blog posts containing said hashtag.

Passersby Help Burt's Bees Billboard Show Before-And-After Effect

Mon, 07 Jan 2013 16:19:04 -0500

To launch a new line of hydrating moisturizing products, Burt's Bees placed a billboard across from a riverside Minneapolis farmers' market. The ad showed a bored-looking woman next to copy asking: "Does your skin feel dry and flaky?"

Relatively Speaking: If Einstein Designed a Yacht, What Would It Look Like?

Mon, 17 Dec 2012 16:24:03 -0500

Albert Einstein, yacht enthusiast? Believe it. Amsterdam Worldwide created a concept superyacht for Feadship, a Netherlands-based crafter of custom yachts, based on amenities that a potential client, Albert Einstein, would prefer.

Play A Virtual Game Of Musical Chairs, And Win... A Chair!

Mon, 10 Dec 2012 15:58:53 -0500

Much like a real game of musical chairs, the virtual version also lasts between seven and 10 minutes. Blu Dot, which makes high-end furniture, began hosting a series of musical chairs games on Twitter Dec. 3 with winners receiving one of its new Hot Mesh chairs, valued at $99.

London Shop Makes Music For Red Stripe Consumers

Mon, 03 Dec 2012 15:43:00 -0500

A local corner store in London, where you can buy just about anything in a pinch, added music to its offerings for one day, Nov. 28. Red Stripe beer transformed Best Supermarket, located in East London on Dalstand's Kingsland High Street, into a musical extravaganza whenever a consumer purchased a Red Stripe or two.

McDonald's China Customizes Angry Birds Game

Mon, 26 Nov 2012 16:32:03 -0500

Gaming and eating come together in a location-based campaign for McDonald's China. TBWA\Helsinki and Gamelab collaborated with Rovio, creators of the popular Angry Birds franchise, to create a customized game that's available for download when a gamer is playing Angry Birds inside or near a McDonald's in China.

Children's Museum Promotes Creative Kids' Play With Cardboard Box Shop

Mon, 12 Nov 2012 16:20:10 -0500

Remember the good old days when kids played outside in the fresh air for hours on end and had to be forced to come in? Then you've probably heard stories of your parents walking to school in the snow, uphill, when they were young.To promote the "Unboxed: Adventures in Cardboard" exhibit, The Chicago Children's Museum launched Mister Imagine's Toy Store, a pop-up store in Chicago's Wicker Park. This toy store, however, was nothing like a traditional toy store with games, videos, dolls and books. This toy store sold cardboard boxes, and nothing else.

Turning Up The 'Moo-sic' In Cow-Centric Campaign

Mon, 29 Oct 2012 15:39:00 -0400

The use of a cowbell is optional in an online campaign for the BC Dairy Association. Aspiring music composers in British Columbia can put their talents to the test by creating an original piece of music that will be judged by a herd of cows.

Playing In Creative Sandbox: Site Spotlights Ad Case Histories

Mon, 22 Oct 2012 15:02:25 -0400

Google launched a crowd-sourced website for members of the ad industry to highlight their current and recent digital campaigns and the role technology played in the creative process. The Creative Sandbox, developed by AKQA, allows agencies to submit any digital work that launched starting with September 2011 onward.

'Splattered Paint'? Kids Critique Museum Art

Mon, 15 Oct 2012 15:27:37 -0400

When you want an honest opinion, the best person to ask is a kid. They offer unfiltered answers that might not be flattering -- but they are sincere. Art collective Audio Tour Hack did just that with "MoMA Unadulterated," when it brought New York City kids from kindergarten through fifth grade to the Museum of Modern Art's permanent fourth floor collection and asked for feedback on iconic pieces of art. "MoMA Unadulterated" is the second in a series of audio tours designed to make visiting museums entertaining and enjoyable for anyone, regardless of how much they know about art.

Toyota iQ Goes Where No Google Car Can, Tracking Belgium's Narrow Streets

Mon, 08 Oct 2012 16:08:00 -0400

Sometimes even the behemoths, like Google, need help from the little guys. Going where no Google Street car could go in Belgium -- chalk it up to countless narrow streets -- Toyota equipped its iQ city car with a camera to complete Google's Street View for Belgium.

Don't Rock -- Folk The Vote

Mon, 01 Oct 2012 15:13:25 -0400

Who says rock and roll must have all the fun during political season? To promote its yearly folk festival, Kent State University created a mock political campaign urging music lovers to "Vote Folk."

To Promote TV Show, Faux Security Firm Analyzes Your Employee Potential

Mon, 24 Sep 2012 15:31:36 -0400

The most talked-about percentage of late has been 47%. Prior to that, it was the 99% vs. the 1%. Campfire created an elaborate campaign for "Hunted," a drama launching on Cinemax Oct. 19, that starts with unbranded outdoor ads running on Wall Street exclaiming: "We're Not For Everyone, Just The 1% That Matters."

What if Social Media Existed In 79 A.D.?

Mon, 17 Sep 2012 15:40:30 -0400

Thanks to social media and smartphones, breaking news is recorded, posted and shared with a rapidity unheard of in days past. How would past historic events have been covered had social media existed? That's the idea behind an online and social media campaign for Denver Museum of Nature & Science's upcoming exhibition, A Day in Pompeii.

Virtual Race Can Win You A Real Car

Mon, 10 Sep 2012 16:20:41 -0400

Remember the recent hyperlocal, customized direct-mail campaign created by Lowe Roche, Toronto for its client Pfaff Auto? Driven by its success, the agency crafted another campaign for the car dealership, this time using Twitter as its main medium. The Pfaff Tweet Race is a virtual race for Twitter users to gain 2,500 new Twitter followers, on top of how many they currently have. At stake is a 2013 Audi A4 with a one-year lease and tuning package worth $5,000.

Your Facebook Newsfeed, On a Big Screen, In 3D

Mon, 27 Aug 2012 14:41:00 -0400

Technological advancement or sign of the apocalypse? LG Electronics, a big proponent of content viewing in 3D, created an experimental platform in which users could view their Facebook Newsfeeds on 3D screens. This begs the question: Is 3D becoming ubiquitous?