Yuli's Journey

Old or New Facebook, there are changes going on

2008-09-19T11:36:00.002+02:00

There has been an ongoing debate among my geeky friends whether they hate or love the new Facebook. There is even a group petitioning for Facebook to go back to the old set up. I am one of those who are sitting in the neutral fence, not really caring, however I noticed an interesting additional feature in the ads application. Apparently if you click on the ads, you will be able to rate it whether you like or hate it, along with your feedback to the ads. As one of the advertising world denizen, I am quite intrigued by this functionality. After all, apart from occasional focus group, it is rather rare for us to get a feedback on our works, so you know, we can improve it ;-) Is this a wind of change for advertising world? Would this become the standard norm in the future?

Wakamaru is blogging for Uniqlo

2008-09-18T11:05:00.003+02:00

Having a blog for your company is quite common these days, but to have a robot to blog for you, it is quite different. Wakamaru is a cute robot who is currently interning in Uniqlo NYC store. This cute yellow robot has been working as the staff in the SoHo branch for a few weeks now. Wakamaru's role in Uniqlo range from greeting the guests, making eye contacts, and completing menial tasks. Charming right! Although obviously Wakamaru has several weakness but he is doing wonderfully to engage with customers as one Uniqlo ambassador. Check out Wakamaru's blog and Facebook profile!

Political engagement

2008-08-25T10:23:00.005+02:00

This blog is not about politic affairs, but with the world tuning into the American presidential election, I can’t help but follow the progress. After the not-so subtle jibe from Paris Hilton’s video, the latest development of the campaign turned to the announcement of the candidates’ VP nomination. What is so interesting? Well, instead of doing it in the conventional way, Mr. Barack Obama decided to inform his supporters via email and SMS. Ahead from the journalists and from the man himself!Barack Obama is no stranger when it comes to utilising the power of web 2.0. He managed to outdo Hillary Clinton’s gargantuan money machine by employing grass-root strategy through social network sites like Facebook. But this takes the political marketing strategy to a new level. Why? Two words: engagement and personalisation. Won’t you be awed to receive SMS/email from your presidential candidate? It will also definitely differentiate him from other candidate and just imagine the buzz surrounding this move. In addition to that, now he has a good database of his supporters that he can easily use to activate them. Is this manoeuvre going to be the new benchmark in political engagement? Lets wait and see.

Geschmackslabor

2008-08-22T13:30:00.004+02:00

Hey Folks, I am back and kicking once again after such a long hiatus. After a couple months of tight workloads, today surprisingly I am in the downtime. I should really savour the time and use it for loads of other commitments that I have been postponing. First are this precious blog and then my self-enrichment film editing workshop. On the latter one, hopefully I can at least master the basic skills and use it soon ;-)
Anyway, I just want to share a good example of trysumer and customisation business combo. Geschmackslabor, Flavour Lab in German, is a new restaurant in Bremerhaven that offers a new experience for the diners by allowing them customise and experiment with their food. Dishes are served ready-to-eat, but guests can then add different seasonings to their orders with the available 20 different flavours infused olive oil (ranging from pepper, pineapple, Arabica coffee, to bergamot).

Fresh breads are also offered abundantly so guests can test the olive oil before making the final decision. The menu in Geschmackslabor offers suggestions for the seasoning combination, but in the end the guests are encouraged to mix and play so they can find their very own perfect combination. I don’t know about the yumminess rating itself but this innovative approach hits the bull’s eye when it comes to catering the modern customers’ constant craving of personalisation. And it looks fun!

Closer to home. Is it for Ajax or Adidas?

2008-07-08T12:17:00.001+02:00

25 years and still trying

2008-07-08T11:32:00.003+02:00

Hey, I am back for awhile, simply because I am so frustrated with the running projects that I need to do something different to cheer me up. So, here are executions in commemoration of Rubik's cube 25th birthday and ooo how I can relate to that.

HP new maestro touch screen

2008-06-26T14:57:00.002+02:00

Watch and judge for yourself.

PS: Due to my projects, unfortunately I will not be able to update as often as I would like but promise that I will still share if I found something really good ;-)

Old-school game characters on real background part 1

2008-06-25T16:45:00.005+02:00

I have been really busy today so I chose something light and entertaining: my favourite retro game characters installed into normal scenery photos.

Model tryvertising

2008-06-25T14:19:00.002+02:00

Having fun while being green

2008-06-24T13:49:00.005+02:00

With climate change in the fore mind, there have been many new ventures sprouting to help turning all aspects of our life greener. Ranging from eco-friendly products to guilt free holiday, companies are ready to go further than ever to prove their green creds and we as customers can definitely benefit from it. One of the latest offering that I love is the wind-powered mobile phone charger in Glastonbury Festival courtesy to Orange.

First of its kind, the recharge pod is a self-sufficient unit that taps into a wind generator and solar panels to charge as many as 100 mobile phones per hour. Developed by the renewable energy specialists Gotwind, the recharge pod will serve as a trial for using renewable energy sources on a larger scale at future festivals. The recharge pod will be stationed within the Pennard Hill camping grounds at Glastonbury throughout the weekend of June 27–29, when the event takes place. What is better than a green Free Love?My second green love is the latest eco-nightclub in London. Following the green footsteps of San Fransisco's Temple Nightclub and Rotterdam's Watt, Club4Climate in Bar Surya is even installed with a piezoelectric dance floor that will generate electricity for the building! Organised by Club4Climate, the club also provides organic drinks and if you can prove you walked, biked or took public transportation to the club, you can get in for free :-)

Levi's viral strikes again

2008-06-24T09:41:00.001+02:00

Is this one better than the flipping guy? Or the chill monkey?

Generate Your Name IKEA's Style

2008-06-23T18:11:00.003+02:00

Blogadilla came up with this name generator that will transform your first name into one of IKEA's line. A perfect way to waste your Monday :-)

The World's First Internet Balloon Race

2008-06-23T17:29:00.003+02:00

You may have noticed lately on your favourite website there is an orange-ish fuzzy animal balloon floating about. This fuzzy balloon is cute enough to induce an 'awww' from me and make me click them which throws me to Orange's internet balloon race (supposedly the first of its kind). The competition is part of Orange's Animals Pay As You Go campaign and the race starts on lunch time the 24th of June with a lovely Ibiza trip as its prize! All contestants begin from the Balloon Race homepage and then they will race their chosen balloons across a series of chosen sites, pumping their balloons along to make it travels faster. The buzzes so far had fired up many curiosities and the expectations are high, plus it starts on the lunch time so you can still join from your office ;-) Ready...Set...Go!

Dancing with the Star Wars Stars

2008-06-20T14:39:00.002+02:00

A Friday tribute to my fellow geeks, please enjoy Dancing with the Stars, Star Wars version! Currently, it has been viewed for 326,278 times and advertisers are even more curious on how to make a successful viral video...

Never let their toys die...

2008-06-20T14:33:00.004+02:00

And I thoroughly agree! I have survived the traumatising experience of 3 younger siblings and dozens of cousins. I am telling you, never let their toys die!

Nike Photo iD

2008-06-18T14:57:00.003+02:00

To crank up their Nike iD concept, the footwear company is launching Nike PhotoiD. This new campaign is trying tap the market of digital and mobile generations along with their expectations to be able to customize everything that they own. Nike PhotoiD allows the customer to personalize their favourite sneakers with the real live colours that inspire them. They only have to take a photo with a mobile phone, text it to a special number and Nike will take the 2 dominant colours from the picture to customize a pair high-top sneakers. And voila, your street infused sneakers!
PS: Currently it is only available in several European select countries, so sneaker maniac just be patient and hope that it will come to your country ;-)

Too many ads executions and I really need to balance things out

2008-06-18T14:48:00.004+02:00

Dear readers,

I just browsed through my posts for the last couple weeks and realized that I have been putting so many ads executions related posts. Promise that I will try to publish posts with another topics, this blog is still in an error and trials process. Please bear with me (^-^).

JulS

It is car again

2008-06-18T14:42:00.005+02:00

This is just pure coincidence, but lately I have been finding a lot of cool car ads so forgive the bombardment. If it is good then share, that is my principle! Anyway, this one comes from Brazil.

Ode to the new Ford Focus

2008-06-17T12:14:00.002+02:00

Last week, we had VW's mix tape which is sampled through the activities that took place around the car. Ford wants to share their musical sense too, but instead of urban genre, they chose the classical one. In the 2008 campaign, a Ford Focus car was dismantled and turned into music instruments which are excellently played by a group of musicians.

Anything and Whatever

2008-06-16T16:06:00.004+02:00

Anything and Whatever is a concept soft drinks from Singapore. Just like its name, drinkers are left in the dark to what flavour they just bought. I will liken it to a bit of playing a roulette, you will never know what you get from the 12 available flavours. Buy Anything and you get: cola, cola with lemon, apple, fizz up, cloudy lemon or root beer. If you buy Whatever you might get: ice lemon tea, peach tea, jasmine green tea, white grape tea, apple tea or chrysanthemum tea. A surprise in every can. Cute concept right? So far they have been quite successful in Singapore and looking to expand further. They even have their vending machines designed to follow the Anything and Whatever idea!

Leica D-Lux 3

2008-06-13T13:28:00.002+02:00

Leica demonstrated how bad an object can look if we don't use a high definition camera like Leica D-Lux 3 Meister ....

Outdoor executions

2008-06-13T11:54:00.004+02:00

Hi! I am back after the one day hiatus due to my (horrid) trip to the dentist. Anyway I am dedicating this post to all crazy outdoors executions that will simply catch attentions. The first is IKEA who is dropping pop-out apartments at various location in NYC prior to the launch of their new store in Brooklyn area. Previously, we have people playing football vertically for Adidas, but now we have a vertical sleeping ad! ANA Crowne Plaza hotel hung a bed suspended on the side of a tall building in the Ginza district of Tokyo as a part of ANA Crowne Plaza hotel’s “Good Night Sleep” campaign.The next one is the installation of a plane wreck in Brazil in a bid to promote season 3 Lost. And the last one is the award winning McDonald salad billboard.

Ariel Stain Pen Book

2008-06-11T14:16:00.004+02:00

I have been looking for Ariel Stain Pen around in the Dutch supermarket, unfortunately they do not sell it here. I hope we will have it soon, because it is just so convenient! I am quite accident prone, so it will be so great if I can simply whip out the pen and clean my shirt. I can imagine how much I will need it if I morosely spilled something when I am with my date or in my way to a job interview. Apart from that, Ariel is creating a good deal of buzz as part of their campaign to introduce the stain remover pen to the public. They placed the pen inside a self-help book 'How to Help Get Rid of Stains on the Go' which is left around cafes and bookshops. When found, readers are encouraged to take it and leave it anywhere, then register as well as review the book in www.bookcrossing.com. However, I wonder how do they refill the pen if they don't know its whereabout?

We Have Been Having It

2008-06-11T11:23:00.002+02:00

I have been trying be more extend my ads radar to a bigger international scoop but unfortunately I haven't come across any executions that I love. However when I see a series of ads from Vodacom in South Africa, I can't help but want to share. For me, the dictator guy just hits the right note for me to giggle ;-)

Hot showers and clean undies in a music festival

2008-06-10T11:19:00.003+02:00

Diesel Jeans has been busy lately promoting their brands along with the summer music festival. After the limited edition mud-resistant jeans that they designed for Roskilde Festival in Denmark, I have just been informed that Diesel has offered a free hot showers and clean undies for the festival goers in the Dutch overnight PinkPop Festival. The One Hour Happy Shower were available between 11 am and the noon (including fresh towels and shower gels), Diesel also provided free underwear. Obviously people flocked in and it created a good buzz for the brand.

Green is the new black

2008-06-09T16:14:00.004+02:00

Responding towards customer's rising consciousness of being environmentally friendly, more and more companies are changing their ways to be greener. For example today, Sainsbury announced that they are changing their milk packaging from the un-green plastic bottles to a recyclable plastic pouch. If the customers are willing to change to the new packaging in waste reducing effort then what next? How about the carbon footsteps? Which is better? Weekly shopping with car or daily shopping on foot? Personally I can't be bother to do all of the difficult calculations (FYI: I recycle, use green energy, and travel with public transportation so don't stone me), therefore whenever I spotted any great green business ideas, I will definitely share! This is one good example: Bikecaffe (UK) and Ole Skram (Denmark) are offering you fresh coffee with zero guilty conscience. First of all, they are using fair trade coffee and they are selling their trades on tricycle which means lesser carbon emission. Is this emerging trend will someday change our coffee drinking habit? I am not sure that we are ready to move from our Starbucks coffee culture yet, but who knows.

Polaroid fans: Start the revolution!

2008-06-09T14:08:00.003+02:00

When the sad news that Polaroid is stopping their production of instant photography, there were any outrages from their die-hard fans. After all, analog polaroid is an art itself and it has started cultural changes. If you are one of the big fans, now you can channel your devotion and love of Polaroid to Polanoid.net. Founded by the members of lomographic, the websites aims to explore the creativity of using a polaroid camera. So far Polanoid has grown into a thriving community of polaroid lovers and for them it is all about bringing back the instant fun!
On the side note, Polaroid has just released Pogo (an instant mobile printer) on 7th of June 2008. Check out their revolution ads: Free Your Photos!

Enjoy the Everyday

2008-06-09T13:34:00.003+02:00

We will start our beautiful sunny day with VW's latest commercial. Composed and produced by Paul Hartnoll of Orbital, the track is sampled in and around the Golf. The end result is rather catchy, I supposed that you can make music out from everything. Something extraordinary from everyday life.

Tiji TV as imaginative as children

2008-06-06T12:25:00.005+02:00

I found the ads executions (Tiji TV) a few weeks ago and I quite fancy it. Apart from the beautiful artwork, I like the text about children's imaginations that run wild and not limited by certain dogma. This is the value that I try to retain with myself, although sometimes I find it difficult because when we reach certain age, we are shaped by certain invisible rules and thinkings. "Ok, we are doing this because it is not just possible because of bla bla bla" This is the sort of habit that we need to break. Think outside the box, right?

Office envy

2008-06-06T11:54:00.005+02:00

Google has always been famous with their in-house facilities for their employers (oo all of the perks), but this time they really make me green with envy. Google Zurich has commissioned Camenzind Evolution to give their office a makeover and I must say that the results are so cool. Before they did the pre-design process, Camenzind interviewed 350 employees in order to see with the attention of incorporating their ideas into the new workspace which works seamlessly. Talking about pushing the creative inspirations while still maintaining the functionality and practicality :-)

Hairwash Project

2008-06-06T11:23:00.002+02:00

Another website where people can submit their photos! This time the theme is 'before and after you wash your hair'. At first, I think that it is rather ridiculous but somehow after browsing around I find it rather fascinating. For me personally hair is very vital towards my appearance and wouldn't allow any strangers see me when it is all wet or greasy so in a way this website tends to be a bit voyeuristic. If you are interested Hairwash Project is one click away.

Limited Diesel Jeans for Rosdale Festival

2008-06-05T15:17:00.006+02:00

For me summer holiday is synonymous with music festivals and it is almost that time of the year again! With so many choices, ranging from Glastonbury with its long tradition to a new crowdfunded-crowdmanaged festival (more about this in the future post), I am a bit confused when it comes to making any decision! Obviously music festivals are great events for companies to directly or indirectly push their products towards the younger audience. In the past, Wrangler has offered (much needed) free laundry service in Lowland Festival in addition to the opportunity for the festival goers to try on their jeans. This year, it is Diesel who is paying honour towards the fun loving summer festival atmosphere. The Diesel jeans for man and woman are designed especially for Roskilde Festival in Denmark. Emblazoned with Roskilde logo, the jeans are only available in Roskilde shop -along with the promotional jackets and caps that they sell- as well as select Diesel concept store. To make it even more interesting, there are only 1.000 jeans up for sale!

Brand Timeline Potrait

2008-06-04T17:15:00.003+02:00

Inspired by the Brand Tag, a blogger decided to document the brands that she encounters in her day-to-day activities. Jane from Dear Jane then put it in a fascinating visual table and show how our life are constantly surrounded by so many brands and ads. May be we should do one ourselves and compare it? Click for bigger picture.

Geeky find

2008-06-03T15:28:00.003+02:00

One post again today, nothing big because I have been quite busy. Anyway, I just want to share one of my geeky discovery: PicLens. This sweet downloads will allow you to view over thousands of images from FlickR, Photobucket, and Google Images in a 3D slideshow. At first I thought that it is going to slow my computer down but it is rather fast since the slideshow is a virtual wall of thumbnail. It is even friendly towards different server such as Safari, Firefox, Internet Explorer, and Flock (now I am starting to sound really geeky). PicLens is definitely a plus :-)

Monday is Cartoon Day

2008-06-02T16:22:00.007+02:00

Hello readers, I am back in the circuit. This Monday so I will not post anything heavy. Just check out these 2 cartoon ads. So cute!

When you have slow Friday

2008-05-30T14:13:00.003+02:00

Dearest readers, I know this is Friday again and it is the time where you kept on glancing on the clocks and silently urge it to tick faster. It is not in my case today but if you are very bored than I will suggest you to visit ColorFlip.com. Warning though, it only works in an awfully bored condition.

Google's Android

2008-05-30T11:15:00.002+02:00

I love technology, I can't live without it but sometimes when they are too complex, I rather leave it to the experts. However, this has to be one of the coolest emerging technology. Look at the 3D Google Map! WOW! It does remind me a bit to Apple's iPhone.

Some Photo's of the Day

2008-05-29T17:47:00.004+02:00

When Polaroid announced that they are stopping their instant film production, I felt an uncertain pang of sadness. Sure digital compact will make sharper images, might even be faster with the current wireless photo printer, but Polaroid has a certain nostalgia. I admit though that I rarely use my polaroid camera (courtesy to Da Fonz' granddad) however I always like the smudgy colour pictures that you can only get from polaroid. Today I found a blog where a fellow kept on taking polaroids everyday for 18 years. The pictures range from his daily mundane activities, birthday parties to the effect of cancer towards him. It is just amazing to browse through because each pictures are put chronologically and you can follow his story: Some Photos of That Day.

Facebook Gangsta

2008-05-29T14:28:00.002+02:00

This is soooo not connected but when I found this video, I can't help sharing it especially with those who have facebook account. Does it hit a bit too close to home for comfort?

Facebook Gangsta from Facebook Gangsta on Vimeo.

Pushing hoax?

2008-05-29T14:07:00.004+02:00

There are news going out that the Biggest Drawing Project from Erik Nordenankar is a fraud. The self-portrait was allegedly created by tracing the GPS route taken by a special suitcase on its 55-day journey around the world. The case was given to DHL with exact co-ordinates detailing the stages of its tour but after bloggers pointed out holes in the project, DHL confirmed that the project was completely fictional. To read the complete news, just drop by to the Telegraph.

Twittering about

2008-05-27T12:30:00.006+02:00

This morning, Mr. P, my boss came up with questions about Twitter. It baffles him how it can be so popular, and even more confusing is why somebody wants to know what he is doing 24/7. In the end, we decided that I am going to prepare Twitter 101 for him so here is some info from Twitter FAQ:
What is it?
Twitter is a service for friends, family, and co–workers to communicate and stay connected through the exchange of quick, frequent answers to one simple question: What are you doing? Bloggers can use it as a mini-blogging tool.
How do I use it?
Tell us what you’re doing in 140 characters or less! Send your thoughts, observations, and goings-on in your day. Whether you’re “eating an apple” or “looking foward to the weekend” or “Heading out of town” it’s twitter-worthy. Join us here. All of your personal information including your phone number is, of course, confidential.
But… what is the point?
As it turns out, your best friend is probably interested in knowing if you’re “loving the new Radiohead album.” And yes, your Mom may want to know if you’re “skipping breakfast in favor of a latte.” You might want to know if your significant other “feels like taking a roadtrip.” Find out what your friends are doing; keep each other abreast of your quotidian rituals.
To me personally, Twitter is more like a social-networking + micro-blogging service. I find quite convenient too because users can send tweets to the Twitter website, text message (SMS), instant messaging, or external application like Twitterrific or Facebook . But what is so great about Twitter? Well, some people post a really mundane things like "I have just eaten apple", but we can also use Twitter in a bigger scope. Let say it is like a simple group-SMS service, so instead of emailing or posting a blog, I can simply tweet a new cool link that I have just found and my friends (or followers) would be immediately updated.

On the business side, if you have built a Twitter credential, just like the way of bloggers, you will have a very good tool to advertise and reach your followers. For example you have just written an article, then you tweet the link and inadvertently helps to increase the traffic to your article. You can subtly endorse certain brand without doing the personal mouth-to-mouth tradition. Free online advertising and brand channeling comes in 1 easy form. Many companies started to make use Twitter to reach their audience: the American presidential candidates use it for publicity, CNN is beginning to break news with Twitter, Tennis Channel is hyping French Open with Twitter, and so forth. So what can I say? Twitter is going to open a new way of marketing.

VW golf convinces me

2008-05-27T10:26:00.003+02:00

I think that IF I am going to buy a car, I am going to buy VW Golf Variant only because of its Park Distance Control. I am a terrible when it comes to parking (lets don't go to the stereotype of girls are bad driver), but I admit that I have a pretty bad spatial placing ability compared to other people in general so this ads totally convinces me that they can help me.

Tag Galaxy: 3D tags for your FlickR

2008-05-26T15:13:00.002+02:00

In Tag Galaxy you can browse through FlickR pictures in 3D form. Just enter a tag, choose the planets with the tags that you want to see and then "view photos". Sit back and lets the website works its magic. Isn't this a glorious visual orgasm?

Productive Monday

2008-05-26T14:59:00.006+02:00

It is Monday again readers, we are back to the daily grind so to kick start our week, here are several ads executions which made it through JulS' radars.
I wonder what is this kid listening to? Hip-hop? Rock? Pop?

Geek alert!

2008-05-26T14:12:00.006+02:00

Deep down, I have always know that I have a bit of geek inside me. It has not always been there but sometimes geeky-me peeks out to play in special occasion. Today my inner geeks came out when I stumbled upon ToonsTravel, a website that acts as a image portal (like FlickR) but with a twist: every picture that is posted should contain one of your favourite cartoon figurines! They are surprisingly quite good and creative. Sharing your holiday/travel pictures are fun but adding the figurine gives the extra spice.

Rafael Nadal vs Alien Tennis Match by Kia Motors

2008-05-26T13:35:00.003+02:00

The post is involving Nadal/tennis again but this is one of the most bizarre viral video I have ever seen. I don't know whether I should be laughing or wincing when I played it over again. Obviously I would hate it if I don't share my bizarre experience with you. Enjoy and tell me what you think kay?

Twennis

2008-05-26T11:57:00.005+02:00

Do you remember Twistori that I mentioned a few weeks ago? Well now in the anticipation for French Open, there is Twennis (courtesy to Tennis Channel) which is fed with all tennis related twitters. From "OMG I just saw Nadal in airport" to "Just won Nintendo Wii tennis. Kick ass!", this website is definitely suitable for tennis maniacs who want to follow the matches in different way :-)

Shiatsu Kotsukan: press to relax

2008-05-23T15:50:00.002+02:00

I am one of those people that enjoy popping bubble wrap, it is just fun and relaxing when I hear the 'pop' sound. So when I see this poster from Shiatsu Konsukan, I can relate with the message that they are trying to say. I think I will even get one this weekend, I have been sitting for too long in front of the computer ...

The Biggest Drawing in the World

2008-05-23T15:19:00.003+02:00

Think big. That is how Erik Nordenankar thinks. As part of his graduation project he created the world's biggest drawing just using gps in a suitcase. With helps from DHL, the suitcase was being sent around the world for 55 days and the path that the suitcase took became the stroke of drawing. I wonder if DHl pays him any money, after all it is a good viral promotion for them.

Chevrolet's jab on Citröen dancing car

2008-05-23T14:32:00.002+02:00

Citröen's break dancing transformer car might be cool, but the folks in Chevrolet think that you should get real. Low jab but hey everything goes! Especially when the rise of gas price is hitting everyone quite hard, it would have taken quite a bit of your gas if your car kept on dancing :-P

Sexy Subaru: Japanese SUVS Just Got a Little Sexier

2008-05-23T13:59:00.003+02:00

Sex sells. Everyone knows it. However on this climate, companies have to tread carefully in this line so they do not appear to be misogynist and alienated certain segment of their customers. Cars are especially tricky because in their long standing history, they have always been targeted towards male population. Remember Paris' commercial for Carl's Jr. Burger? It was so 'hot' that it was banned from television. Well replace Paris with a group of Sumo wrestlers and this is what you get ....

PS: They are also running a micro site for this campaign. There you can join the competition to snap your sumo wrestler in his sexiest pose. Here is mine ;-)

Nutri Grain: bring back the office tea trolley

2008-05-22T15:51:00.002+02:00

Kellog's Nutri-Grain has just launched an online campaign to bring back the office tea trolley in UK. It seems that it is a much missed tradition and the campaign has a dedicated micro site that urges visitors to create a workplace petition, check out the video, in addition to the opportunity of winning a tea trolley for the office and a weekend break for two. So far there has been 235 visitors who signed up and the movement seems to be growing. Obviously Kellogs would suggest that you to take your tea with Nutri-Grain: a clever way of promoting their products while pushing for the revival of a familiar activity to the society.

Super Chill Monkey Does Hollywood

2008-05-22T15:21:00.001+02:00

Do you still remember the Levi's (obvious) viral video called "Guys back flip into jeans"? The same agency has also brought another viral video but this time it is starred by Rocky, the Orang Utan! Just like every struggling actors in Hollywood, Rocky goes to audition and has to eat cheap food, however he is also connected with his mobile phone technology. So whats the giveaway to Levi's stealth campaign? It is the emphasis on Rocky's cute red tab jeans.

5 minutes evolution

2008-05-22T15:05:00.003+02:00

So what is the difference between a man and a human? Braun knows and can show you :-)

Extinction timeline

2008-05-22T14:36:00.002+02:00

Let see what the futurist trend watcher has to say about the general progress of our civilisation...

Local attraction

2008-05-21T14:09:00.003+02:00

This morning, my friend sent me a picture of a guy hanging around on a 'skyscraper' in the city of Rotterdam. After a couple minutes of googling (bless this technology), I found out that this giant human nest is made by Benjamin Verdonck. He has done this installation (the Great Swallow) before in Brussel but he is going to be hanging around his gigantic nest until the 22nd of May. I was told that this is part of his protest so people would stop chopping off trees and let birds come back to city, however I am not 100% sure.

Fila Viral

2008-05-21T12:26:00.001+02:00

I am busy these days so I will just share with you a brief popular viral video from Fila with a touch of tough gangster.

This could get ugly

2008-05-21T11:20:00.003+02:00

I always love ads with a good dose oh humor in it, any thing that makes you smile is a good thing right? The execution from Power Horse Ads tickles my fancy, especially the one with the kindergarten children. Coming from big family (I am the eldest), I know what kind of hell that can break loose if you are surrounded by super energetic children in sugar rush.

Nike: Cool Under Pressure

2008-05-20T14:44:00.001+02:00

One word: Crazy! The stun that they do ... Just check Cesc Fabregas Show

Coolspotters

2008-05-19T16:35:00.002+02:00

Coolspotters is a good complementary site for those who are quite obsessed with their celebrities. Do you want to know what kind of car Reese Witherspoon is driving? Then you don't have to spend your money on buying all of the gossip rags, you only have to follow your favourite celebrities in Coolspotters to find out which products they used (and you can even contribute to the site). In a way I supposed this is a good way if your products are out there with "accidental" celebrity's endorsement but sometimes certain companies don't want to be associated with certain celebrities. Remember what happened with Burberry and WAGs and chavs?

Brand tags and Celebrities tags: the answer

2008-05-19T11:29:00.002+02:00

Hi, as promised last Friday, I will give you answers to our guessing games. The first one is McDonald and the second one is Jessica Simpsons. Did you get it right?

Twistori

2008-05-16T16:47:00.002+02:00

Before I have to leave you for my weekend, I would like to share with you Twistori, a social experiment based on Twitter and inspired by Jonathan Harris' We Feel Fine. Just like We Feel Fine, you can read what people love, hate, think, believe, feel, and wish in real time. It is a good way to spend your boring day, it even could be inspiring.

Brand tags and Celebrities tags

2008-05-16T15:44:00.003+02:00

Curious to see what people think a brand is? The idea behind Noah Brier's project is to find out just that. The Brandtags project will expose visitors to a logo and they are requested to tag the first word that cross their minds. When you get bored of tagging brands, you can even try guessing a brand from what people tagged it. Noah Brier also has the celebrity version although it is not as popular as the brand tags. Now, I am going to leave you with Friday guessing game: which brand is the first one and which celebrity is the second one. I will reveal the answer next Monday ;-)

Googling for the eggcident

2008-05-16T14:21:00.003+02:00

Several months ago, Henk Hoftra was so desperate to be featured in the Goggle Earth that he painted a fake urban river along the street of Drachten in the Netherlands. Apparently it was a big hit, so this time he is doing another gigantic street mural in city of Leeuwarden, the Netherlands. A few massive fried eggs could be seen for another 6 months in the city (a 30 metres of white painted base and a raised yellow bubbles as the yolk), but you can always try to find it in the Google Earth :-) I wonder if this is going to be the new trend; creating something so huge that it can be picked up by Google Earth.

Disturbing social message

2008-05-16T14:12:00.002+02:00

There are more and more ads out there which are pretty disturbing on its nature. I suppose by shocking people, they hope that the message comes across stronger leaves bigger impressions. Problem is, there are some which are so disturbing that it is no longer about the message. However there is one anti-smoking campaign that I like. The idea is simple, they installed a lung x-ray on a cigarette bin and you can see all of the discarded buds inside. I am not a smoker but even that leaves a bitter taste on my mouth.

Apple's video: again and again

2008-05-15T15:52:00.003+02:00

After Levi's not-so-subtle video, now the online community is being lured by the Bird and the Bee's Again and Again music video that to show case Apple Mac Leopard OS's abilities. The video cleverly edited by a digital filmmaker Dennis Liu and so far there are quite many fascinated viewers!

Competing for attention

2008-05-15T14:42:00.005+02:00

I read somewhere that if you live in big city like London, once you wake up, you will be bombarded with 2-3 products every 1 minute of your waking life. People is constantly being bombarded with advertisements that they are desensitized and accustomed into having small attention time span. So what to do if you are one of the companies trying to compete for their attentions? Some of them are going to such length that you (innocent passerby) can no longer ignore them. Pantene is demonstrating that their shampoo can help to make your hair as strong as Rapunzel's. Strong enough to hoist your very own prince charming! Friskies' tryvertising is not aimed to human but it is good enough to gain attentions.

Levi's viral video

2008-05-14T15:22:00.003+02:00

This is pretty old but I still don't get Levi's (pretty obvious) viral video. Are they going to sell more jeans with it? I supposed people just enjoy watching another people doing another amazing/silly feats but I can't help but cringe every time they acrobat (jump, backflip, and so forth) into the jeans. It must be painful for your err crotch. Just watch and judge it yourself.

DIY Hermes Kelly Bag

2008-05-13T16:10:00.003+02:00

Hermes Kelly Bag is the IT bag, any fashionistas worth their salts know it. You know it and I know it, but unfortunately not all of us are lucky enough to own one. For those who are desperate enough to have one, now you can make one by yourself! Just go Hermes website: download the pattern, print, cut, fold, glue, and then personified your very own paper Hermes bag ;-)

Big Brother is watching you

2008-05-13T15:53:00.005+02:00

Dear readers, I wonder if Bluetooth application is the new de rigeur in the advertising world? After the exciting use of that technology in China, today I found another campaign who is doing Bluetooth technology too, but this time, it is to launch the Big Brither 2008 reality tv in Australia. They installed Bluetooth transmitters in over 20 high-traffic bus shelters around the town which then will automatically send 2 anonymous SMS to anyone standing within the range. The first message is tailored following each location and the second message (sent 30-40 seconds later) is to reveal. Funnily, I have always felt that we are turning into a Big Brother society, with all of the CCTV and new speak, but this campaign really hits the heart of my paranoid concern!

Slow Friday

2008-05-09T14:15:00.010+02:00

It is Friday again! Yippee I am so looking forward to the long weekend. Picnic or a trip to the beach is high in my to-do list but before that, I want share several ads that caught my *wink*eye*wink*. There is a beautiful Heineken print ads showing how Heineken is made to entertain and the second one comes from Samsung: Express Yourself campaign. I am especially enamored with the Samsung's campaign that brilliantly constructed familiar hand gestures with Samsung mobile phones. Anyway enjoy!

Dove's Beauty Campaign is a fake?

2008-05-08T17:34:00.004+02:00

I am so surprised after I read the news that allegedly the women in Dove's earlier campaign for Real Beauty were retouched! Pascal Dangin, a retoucher (supposedly for the campaign), told The New Yorker: “Do you know how much retouching was on that? But it was great to do, a challenge, to keep everyone’s skin and faces showing the mileage but not looking unattractive.” As one of the girls with curves and not-so smooth skin, I can relate with Dove's Real Beauty campaign and I believe that is how most of Dove's customers feel. If it is true then it is a bit ironic and a major PR disaster for Dove, especially after their Dove Evolution viral video. But then Dove has been having problem with their Onslaught campaign, in one hand they are criticizing the distorted images in Beauty Campaign, however Axe (who shared the same mother company: Unilever) has always used buxom women in their sexually charged ads. Plus there is a matter with Greenpeace that claims Unilever's palm oils purchasing practices have killed many Orang Utan in Indonesia because the rain forest is being cleared out for palm oils plantation.

New kind of music

2008-05-08T16:54:00.002+02:00

Another busy but beautiful day. I kept on forgetting to share this 'music video' courtesy to one of my colleague Ben. Unknowingly, these music geeks had been busy developing new experience for us, common people. I am aware of a laser harp but this definitely take it to a new level and although it is not my type of music, this is quite impressive dude!

2008-05-07T12:57:00.002+02:00

Talking about shoes, I found an interesting campaign from Nike in

China

following the summer Olympic fever. Regular passer-bys receiving Bluetooth signals from Nike closest billboards, and then they will receive messages to run to the closest Nike store where the second Bluetooth signal will record their time. Everyday during the length of Nike Zoom campaign, the store gave away a different pair of running shoes for the fastest person. Apart from the annoying message (if you don’t feel like running) and the creepy Big Brother-ish feeling, I like the idea of technological approach. I even hope that they will try to run the campaign outside

China

Call for fashionable orthopedic shoes

2008-05-07T12:38:00.003+02:00

Dear beloved readers, have I told you that women shoes are currently the bane of my existence? I have stay at bed today because I can’t even walk without feeling a searing pain up on my left heels. Apparently my flat supposed-to-be sensible shoes are not properly fitted, the soles are too thin and they do not provide adequate support (said the expert). This is when I thought that I am being wise by not wearing high heels too often! I will have to resort into wearing orthopaedic shoes or gel pad to soften the pressure. Imagine the horror of wearing those ugly shoes! Why can’t we have fashionable pretty shoes which are friendly towards our general health? The cutest one that I can find (bless the miracle of internet connection) is a ballerina from Crocs, but can’t we have any other options? What if I need dressier shoes? Give me more choice!

Scrabble

2008-05-06T15:18:00.005+02:00

The second express post is about Scrabble, one the most popular traditional board game (now also available in digital version). I learned a lot of new English vocabularies by playing it with my sister and I will definitely vote it as one of my favourite game along with Lego ☺. So what is the news? Well, it is about one their latest ads that I love! Especially because they embody the very essence of words playing scrabble.

Express Post on HP Ripped Sidewalk Standee

2008-05-06T14:35:00.007+02:00

OMG, I can’t believe that how much I missed out. Holiday is always fun but it is such a pain when you come back and have to catch up! Anyway, I will just be really brief with this post, so much info but so little time. First one is this Hewlett Packard’s latest gimmick to show that the qualities of their printers almost resemble the real thing. I know that this is soooo last week but I can't help it. Don’t you think that it is very clever? It will definitely rouse my curiosity or at least reminds me to a bad case of partying too hard.

Back to work

2008-05-05T10:01:00.003+02:00

After enjoying a lovely mini break (the result of Queen's day and Ascension Day sandwiched together with a weekend), now I am recharged and ready to work again. Hopefully I can update so although I am currently busy with other running projects. I have to read through my accumulating emails first!

Adidas Plantvertising

2008-04-29T14:05:00.002+02:00

Adidas has kicked off the latest Grün advertising’s campaign with “Guerilla Gardening”. It is graffiti with plants so the idea is to find a neglected urban area turn into a beautiful garden. One of my favourite is the plantvertising that is used to support this campaign. It is different, eye-catching, and helps to turn the city into a greener place.

Gizmodo's Cool Desktop Competition

2008-04-28T17:10:00.004+02:00

Gizmodo is currently running a reader’s participation contest for the coolest looking desktop. So far, they have received 14 entries and I must say that they are pretty good. The competition is still open if any of you are interested.

How to make an outdoor ad that no one can ignore...

2008-04-25T12:18:00.000+02:00

High Speed Camera: 2000 frames per second

2008-04-25T10:28:00.002+02:00

Dove's Body & Soul

2008-04-24T14:46:00.003+02:00

As part of its Real Beauty Campaign, Dove has commissioned a play entitled Body & Soul to help change the way society thinks about beauty and aging. The production cast is 12 women over 45 with no previous acting experiences and they have agreed to bare their souls on stage. Although the final cast has been decided, another Canadian women are encouraged to participate in the forum, share their stories as well as to hold a pro-age party.

Nokia N-series: Storytelling Rediscovered

2008-04-24T11:53:00.002+02:00

IKEA Sofhotelv

2008-04-23T15:54:00.003+02:00

Inspired by Japanese capsule hotel, recently IKEA offered an opportunity for tired Stockholm shoppers to rest in a Sovhotell. The sleep hotels are available in one of the downtown shopping centres and each guest is given 15 minutes to minutes to snooze, complete with eye masks as well as headphones with relaxing music to help their power naps. When they checked in, guests were asked whether they prefer to sleep on their stomach, side, or back so they can receive recommendations which IKEA's pillows that suit them best.

AEG Noise Awareness Campaign

2008-04-21T15:29:00.003+02:00

If you live in London, Berlin, Madrid, Brussels, or Milan, keep an eye on the AEG-Electrolux latest billboard. What is so special about it? Well, it has a built-in decibel meter that will display the measured noise level to passersby 24/7. Interestingly in some cities, local school kids are deliberately screaming and making noise to make the number changes. In another case, there is the nightclub underneath who is taking photos of the sign in the early hours of the morning to show the local council that they are not making too much noise! This is part of AEG-Electrolux’s campaign to promote their “silent” washing machine.

Young Me, Now Me

2008-04-18T17:52:00.002+02:00

For all narcissists, there is a new fun photo sharing site that you have to check. Founded by Ze Frank, “Young Me, Now Me” features photographs of people re-creating their favourite childhood pictures. It is open to everyone and fun to browse!

Videos and videos

2008-04-18T16:37:00.003+02:00

This is Friday, so lets make it light and entertaining :-)
Drinking milk helps with PMS, so women will not turn into witches.

Deforestation is just like having your hair chest plucked out

Google Video Outdoor Campaign

Google Earth and humanitarian effort

2008-04-17T09:55:00.002+02:00

I think that Google Earth is one of the most fascinating software I have ever come across; it has the versatility to go to different directions but retains its core strength. Google Earth in collaboration with the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum has just launched one of its latest features that allow users to follow the plight of refugees in Darfur, Iraq, and Colombia by downloading a supplemental layer. The idea came after Google’s successful use in Hurricane Katrina, and the objective is to help humanitarian operations and to inform public the genocides that many remained unaware of. When users scan over the region, they can delve deeper by clicking the icons that will indicate the information of the area as well as the extent of the destruction. The online map also includes links with photo, video, historical background, and testimony on the atrocities.

Audi RS6 Gymnastic commercial

2008-04-16T14:40:00.000+02:00

They are just beautiful.

SONY foam city

2008-04-16T12:19:00.003+02:00

SONY's much anticipated latest installment for Bravia ad is out now. With so much buzz surrounding this ad, I can't help but feel a bit disappointed. I was hoping that it is going to be more vibrant and fun just like its predecessors. This ad is not blatantly touching SONY's HD technology but instead more engaging in the emotional level. Please watch and tell me what you think about it.

Shoes on vending machine

2008-04-15T17:44:00.002+02:00

Yesterday, as I was forced to walk from my office to the station on my high heels, I couldn’t help but wish that there were someone selling flat ballerina shoes or sneakers along the way. It would have been heavenly to swap my stylish but torturous heels with nice sensible shoes; alas it was just my desperate wish. Don’t you think that it is more convenient if you can get a pair of shoes just like a candy bar? “Ping-ping”, I can smell a new business opportunity! Unfortunately, other has used this idea. This morning, I found out that Onitsuka is selling their sneakers via vending machine in UK, and Reebok has done it too. So much for me turning into a business pioneer, but then I wonder, what if the size doesn’t fit? Can you return the shoes? However, I do think that it is a great way to promote your brand.

No matter what you throw in your stomach, Pink’s got you covered

2008-04-14T14:14:00.002+02:00

This latest guerilla campaign promotes medicine from Pepto-Bismol with the slogan: “No matter what you throw in your stomach, Pink’s got you covered.” The campaign cleverly uses washing machines at laundromats to illustrate various people’s tummy suffering from heartburn pain.

Squeeze Me

2008-04-11T14:07:00.004+02:00

Trying to find good video among the big pile of junks in youtube is difficult, but once you find one, it can be very inspiring and satisfying. This one is quite a gem on the term of creativity. Who knows that flipbooks can be used in that way?
PS: FlickR has enabled video uploading platform for their Pro account. The videos are currently limited to 90 seconds and 150 MB, although there is chance it is going to change in the future. I think that it is a great idea because you can upload your video next to your picture so you can get the sense of the story.

Where on Earth is Waldo?

2008-04-10T17:16:00.003+02:00

First, there is the thriller “22 Steps” novel narrated via Google Earth. Today, I found a game “Where’s Waldo?” designed for Google Earth too. Done as part of Melanie Cole’s graduation project, with help from volunteers, she managed to create a gigantic Waldo painting to be place on rooftops through Vancouver, Canada. This allows everyone with Internet access to join in the fun of finding Waldo. Clever indeed!

Virtual vault for your valuables information

2008-04-09T15:07:00.001+02:00

I am not good with keeping my papers in place. I simply shove them all in one box and then spend hours rummaging through them whenever the need rises. I hate those documents, there is always a worry that I’m going to unintentionally throw them away or just lose them. Recently, I started to scan my important papers so I can keep the digital versions in my personal email. However, I’m still anxious that someone is going to gain access to my email and my personal records. I have read so many identity-theft stories on the media and I needed something more. I find the solution with digital vault service, which is offered by several online storage firms and banks. My local bank, ABN AMRO has Digitale Kluis service where I can upload and store my precious documents to a secure place for 14 Euros a month. In the States, there is also a same service provided Wells Fargo, charging 4.95 US$ for 1 gigabyte or 14.95US$ for 6 gigabyte per month. This makes me wonder if this is one of the service that will become common in our digital fuelled era. What do you all think? Comments are welcome ;-)

Compiling online treasure

2008-04-08T16:30:00.005+02:00

Websites are getting cooler and cooler these days so I find myself getting harder to be impressed. However there are several websites that pique my curiosity. They are visually pleasing and cool design-wise so do come and visit them. If you have more web links, I will definitely welcome the extra info!
All State Garage
I’m not a motorcycle enthusiast but the video of the team building a bike from scratch to finish is rather amazing.
Whippet Grey
I love the pop-out card idea for each ambiance: Curious Object, Secret Garden, The Den, and Scrummy Treats.
Dodge Quest
A promotional game for Dodge Quest Project Committee, you will help Koronet to attain his goal to propose and woo Lucy. The 2D display brings me back to my Mario Bross day.
Help the Honey Bees.com
Cute honey bees!
Starbucks Coffee at Home
Starbucks Coffe at Home demonstrates that there is a range of coffee to fulfill everyone’s taste. They even help you to decide on your perfect coffee.

Online magazine publisher

2008-04-07T17:49:00.001+02:00

Previously I have talked about iPaper, a document reader format built for the Internet. Now there is new website called Issuu, which enables you to convert your documents into magazine-style online publications that can be viewed directly in a web browser. Like youtube and iPaper, the users can publish their documents, then browse through other members’ works and add their favourites to the ‘living libraries’. Furthermore, users can upload the Issu document as part of their blogs or websites. I think that at least on the surface, Issuu is offering the same service with blogs and iPaper but they are aimed to those that still prefer the magazine format. However it is a great tool for small publisher to reach global readership or for those looking for rare zines.

Try it from another side

2008-04-04T15:32:00.003+02:00

Competing with giant companies like Nike and Adidas is never easy, smaller company has to be more clever. This is what Nomis is doing with their anti-hype TV commercial: Damn Boots.

We Tell Stories

2008-04-04T14:37:00.004+02:00

We Tell Stories Project are one of Penguin’s latest bids to explore ways of telling stories online. In this project, 6 contemporary authors will publish 6 different stories based on classic books within 6 weeks. All stories are then presented in different platforms. So far there are 3 installments available to be followed in the website but my favourite so far is The 21 Steps are thriller by Charles Cumming. The thriller is inspired by The 39 Steps by John Buchan and we can follow the intrigues via Google Map. The second installment, Slice brings The Haunted Doll’s House (MR James) back to modern era using weblog and Twitter. The third one is Fairy Tales whose ending is shaped and decided by you. The next story is going to be presented on the 7th April and I will definitely bookmark it ☺