MediaPost | Creative Media Blog

Super Bowl 2012: The Year of The Extended Pre-Release

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:32:23 -0500

2012 was the year of the extended pre-release of Super Bowl ads (Volkswagen, Kia, Honda, Acura, Toyota -- notice a categorical trend here, people) and watching my element of surprise fly out the window. I'd like it back.

Designers Transform Lexus Parts Into -- Surprise, Vroom, Vroom! -- Wearable Art

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 15:19:00 -0500

The automotive, fashion and art worlds collided when Lexus challenged four designers to create pieces of art from car parts -- namely, parts from the the 90% recyclable Lexus CT 200h.

Liquor-Laced Ice Cream Makes Soft Launch

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 15:43:28 -0500

We've all heard of cocktails that taste like dessert. Personally, I'm a big fan of the Creme Brulee martini. But alcohol-infused ice cream? That's news to me. Last month, bars and liquor stores in Arizona served as the locations for a soft launch of SnoBar, a series of alcohol-laden ice pops and ice cream.

'Enchanted Forest of Curiosities' Promotes Quirky Gin

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 16:02:26 -0500

What do woodland sprites, sword swallowers, bearded ladies and contortionists have in common? Aside from the fictional and carnival sideshow qualities, these quirky characters collaborated to promote a self-proclaimed unique gin: Hendrick's.

Media Merchants Uses Lamborghini As Very Expensive Video Canvas

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 16:43:10 -0500

Last month, Vancouver-based production agency The Media Merchants used a Lamborghini Reventon as a canvas for animated images.

The Reventon is Lamborghini’s priciest car, costing $1.5 million. To date, only 20 have been created and sold to the public. I know you’re shocked…

What began for Media Merchants as an in-house project morphed into a live event in Vancouver.

The Lamborghini Project first began with mapping animated images onto the car. Actually, it began once confirmation was received that the car was secured for the project. After that, the animation took two weeks to create.

The agency invited members of Vancouver’s creative, technology, design, advertising and automotive industries to attend the event.

Creative technical director Anthony Diehl and animator Stuart Langfield projection-mapped a series of real-time visuals on the Reventon’s semi-matte finish.

“The video content was created using MadMapper and Modul8 VJ software run off two Macbook Pro laptops networked together for playback sync and then plugged into three 7000 Lumen Panasonic projectors and one 6000 Lumen Christie Projector,” said Brad Foster, Chief Marketing Officer, The Media Merchants “A mix of electronic and dubstep was played throughout the set animation and VJ set during the opening.”

The biggest challenge of the self-funded project, according to Foster, was “how to wrap content around 270 degrees of the Reventon.”

Personally, I’d be panicked over the fact that my canvas costs $1.5 million. Am I alone here?

GoCharge Kiosks Lets Advertisers Take Advantage Of A Universal Need

Mon, 12 Dec 2011 15:26:15 -0500

If love means never having to say you're sorry, then goCharge branded kiosks, found in 50 New York City bars, means never being without the ability to send a drunken text message.

Framestore's 3D Karaoke: Singers Work Hard for the Lyrics

Mon, 05 Dec 2011 16:22:29 -0500

Attendees at last month's Internet Week Europe in London put their vocal chords, knowledge of song lyrics and body mobility to the test with a 3D karaoke installation that required more than questionable vocal chops.

A Radio Station Devoted To Songs Used In Ads? What's the Frequency, Kenneth?

Mon, 28 Nov 2011 17:13:13 -0500

I have a thing for music used in TV commercials. It's borderline obsessive. A decent chunk of my downloaded music collection comes from songs I heard first in TV ads. Take this Nike spot from 2008, for example. The ad itself is topnotch -- along with the song playing throughout -- "List of Demands" by Saul Williams, which still has a home on my running iPod, used heavily on speedwork days.

Mapping Healthy Profits: Clinic Geotargets Potential Patients

Mon, 21 Nov 2011 16:07:47 -0500

A multimedia campaign for The Everett Clinic in Everett, Wash., takes geotargeting to a micro level, providing customized directions from a potential patient's home to the clinic. The campaign promotes the clinic's top-notch doctors and healthcare to local residents while breathing new life into a flailing ad medium: direct marketing.

Real 'Tweets': Birdwatching Comes Alive Online

Mon, 14 Nov 2011 17:05:54 -0500

Look out for that Prothonotary Warbler! Audubon brought birdwatching to the Internet with "Birding the Net," an online and social media campaign that educates users about the variety and locations of birds throughout the U.S.

Rosetta Stone Meets Guitar Hero: Making Music For Agency's Invention Division

Tue, 08 Nov 2011 14:22:55 -0500

BBH is hustlin'. Not only is the global agency home to clients like Axe, British Airways, Google, Johnnie Walker, Sprite and Vaseline, one of its side companies is creating products in the fashion, security, and, most recently, music industries. The latest product to bring in an additional revenue stream is Playground Sessions, a music learning software program that teaches users -- from beginners to more advanced learners -- how to play the piano.

Reality TV Redefined, Recorded on Sony Xperia Smartphones

Tue, 01 Nov 2011 10:17:00 -0400

Sony Ericsson gave an astrophysicist, surf photographer, BMX biker and a group of artists living on a ship a Sony Xperia phone. The challenge was simple: create something with the smartphone and document the process.

Dow the Math: NYC Billboard Unveils A Solutionism.

Mon, 03 Oct 2011 17:15:25 -0400

Class is in session on the corner of Broome and Crosby Streets in SoHo, NYC. A giant billboard resembling a chalkboard was erected in September, on which was written an ever-growing mathematical formula of numbers significant to scientific human achievements.

Parsons The New School for Design Scores The Sounds Of The City

Mon, 26 Sep 2011 15:42:50 -0400

Hello darkness, my old friend. If I used sensors to listen to you closely, then added musical notes, how would you sound? Happy? Sad? Fast?

Parsons The New School for Design launched an experiential project in New York City called SoundAffects.

Sensors were placed throughout a city block that listened and recorded temperature, color, sound, movement and light. An interactive wall was erected on that same block, housing additional sensors and headphone jacks. Each sound was matched with a musical composition that changed along with the environment. For example, rush hour produces more foot and vehicle traffic than other dayparts, resulting in a frenzied musical pace. Darkness or rainy weather would result in gloomier notes.

Get Your Game On: ALDO Shoes Sponsors Contest With 'A Lot of Sole'

Mon, 19 Sep 2011 15:45:21 -0400

Obsessed with shoes? Enjoy playing roulette and slot machines? ALDO Shoes launched a trio of online games to complement its offline fall/winter campaign, "Get Lucky."

Cheesy In Chicago: Qdoba's Queso Quest

Mon, 12 Sep 2011 16:00:50 -0400

When I think of famous Chicago foods, I think of deep-dish pizzas, hot dogs and Italian beef. Will these foods, and other random eats, taste better or worse when smothered with Qdoba Mexican Grill's 3-cheese Queso? The only way to find out is to travel the city in a food truck stocked with nothing but Qdoba's 3-cheese Queso and driven by Joey Dundale, an up-and-coming Chicago comedian with a legitimate love of Queso.

BBH Barn Interns: First Sartalics, Now 'Social Tattoo'

Mon, 29 Aug 2011 16:45:27 -0400

Three weeks ago, I wrote about a trio of BBH Barn interns who created Sartalics, the font to use when being sarcastic in email, tweets and texts. Emoticons are for the emotionally challenged; this eliminates those pesky misunderstandings in cyberspace. Now, you'll recognize a dis and deal with it. At the same time, another intern troika, also asked to "change perception famously," came up "The Social Tattoo Project."

Converse Turns Sneakers Into Wall Of Gaming, Music And Mirror Imaging

Mon, 22 Aug 2011 16:46:29 -0400

This past spring, Converse created The Canvas Experiment -- a giant moving wall containing close to 500 Converse Chuck Taylor All Stars in red, white and blue. Or 20 shoes high and 24 shoes wide.

ACTIVATE Promotes Active Lifestyle With Bicycle-Powered Vending Machines

Mon, 15 Aug 2011 16:01:01 -0400

On Aug. 6 at the Grove Shopping center in Los Angeles, ACTIVATE drinks brought my favorite SportsCenter ad to life and raised money for a worthy organization.

Have A Snarkfest With Sartalics, The Font Designed For Sarcasm

Mon, 08 Aug 2011 16:16:18 -0400

Three BBH Barn interns in the New York office were tasked with creating a campaign using the theme, "change perception famously."

And so the font Sartalics was born.

Sartalics is a reverse italics font to be used when tweeting, emailing or updating your Facebook status with a sarcastic comment.

'Give Me An A!' OK, Be The A: Human Tweets Promote X Games

Mon, 01 Aug 2011 16:30:45 -0400

The X Games 17 took place in Los Angeles last weekend, and Wieden+Kennedy New York created an offline way for fans to interact with X Games' athletes from an online venue. Introducing Human Twitter, bringing tweets to life on the small screen, with ESPN the network behind the project

Coca-Cola Creates What May Be World's Greenest Billboard

Tue, 19 Jul 2011 08:50:16 -0400

Commuters in Manila can breathe easier and enjoy fresher air thanks to the country's first-ever plant billboard. Momentum Philippines created the living, eco-friendly ad on behalf of Coca-Cola and the World Wide Fund for Nature Philippines.

Release The Butterflies, Launch Yogurt... AND Raise Money For Women In Need

Mon, 11 Jul 2011 16:15:50 -0400

I have a thing for NYC food trucks. I use Twitter to track when trucks are parked near the office to decide where I'll grab lunch. En route to Schnitzel & Things, my co-worker and I came across a pop-up butterfly sanctuary.

I've seen plenty of pop-up stores, but this pop-up butterfly sanctuary was a first. Couple that with a street team handing out yogurt -- and you have an interesting brand campaign launch.

Actimel Uses The Toaster As A Branding Device -- Literally

Mon, 27 Jun 2011 15:30:29 -0400

Have you had your Actimel today? If not, check your toast. It will speak to you. Wunderman Brazil turned toast into an edible advertisement to promote Danone's Actimel probiotic yogurt drink. For those of us stateside, Actimel is marketed as DanActive.

A Whopper Of A Channel -- For Viewers With a Taste for Static TV

Mon, 20 Jun 2011 16:45:30 -0400

Yule Log. Rotisserie chicken. Whopper sandwiches. Or, things you can watch on TV 24/7, atop flames. In one of its last campaigns for Burger King (it will soon be replaced by mcgarrybowen), Crispin Porter + Bogusky created a channel on DirecTV that displays nothing but a flame-broiled Whopper sandwich.

Can Santa Monica's Mobile-Coded Garbage Cans 'Heal the Bay'?

Mon, 13 Jun 2011 16:00:25 -0400

At the very least, it will make beachgoers think twice about leaving the beach before discarding their trash. The City of Santa Monica teamed up with Heal the Bay, a nonprofit that works to keep Southern California coastal waters clean and safe, to outfit 500 trashcans with QR (quick response) codes to encourage beachgoers to clean up after themselves. It seems like a no-brainer, yet the less-than-pristine state of the average beach tells a different story.<

Edy's/Dreyer's Sends Top Facebook Gamers To Real, Not Virtual, Farmville

Mon, 06 Jun 2011 16:45:56 -0400

To promote the launch of the latest flavor, Gogi White Grape, of its frozen fruit bars, Edy's/Dreyer's teamed up with Zynga to send top FarmVille players to Farmville, Va. to plant a fruit orchard. The virtual will become reality on June 13 when four top FarmVille players, hand-picked by Zynga, will travel to Virginia to plant an orchard.

The Fresh Smell of Social Media

Mon, 23 May 2011 16:15:26 -0400

What does social media smell like? Does it have floral, woodsy or techie notes? The more important question is: Do you want to smell like social media? Will smelling like social media enhance your brick and mortar life of going out and interacting with people in person?<

Maroon 5 and Coca-Cola Make Beautiful Music -- in Just 24 Hours

Mon, 16 May 2011 16:15:55 -0400

Twenty-four hours seems like an eternity, yet if I were told to write and record a song in that same time span, I'd ask for an extension. Coca-Cola tasked Maroon 5 and ten aspiring musicians to do just that with "24 Hour Session," a live music event that took place in London on March 22.

All's Fair in Love and Unused Twitter Characters

Mon, 09 May 2011 16:15:57 -0400

Do you have a Twitter account? Do you use all 140 characters when tweeting? If not, have you thought about the unused characters wasted per Tweet? Neither have I, but Ben & Jerry's has -- and plans to put unused characters to good use.