Indian beggars

more on the idea

Examples of truely engaging advertising!

Another smartly mutilated billboard in Berlin mitte. Headline on the poster reads:

Never before the white was so red.

It looks like someone got on the scaffoldings behind the poster, cut it through and poured some red paint on the car.

Also a couple of days ago I was driving by a billboard ... the ad featured big packshot of Lucky Strikes cigarettes with some headline. What was really amusing - over the packshot someone thickly sprayed: Ich rauche joint! (I smoke joints!). I didn't have my camera then to take a snap, but when I returned the next day - the billboard was already replaced! That's German efficiency for you ;).

I wonder, as this anti-ads activism is growing (at least in the urban hipster areas for now) what are they going to do when it starts happening on a regular basis and everywhere? To place 24 hour police guards next to every billboard in the city? Or make less boring ads?

More examples:










Headline: Berlin is liquidly again! Tag: So what?





Headline: Everywhere free television! Tag: Distraction ("television" crossed out)




self congratulating poster: "We are the best electricity provider of 2008!"
crossed out and signed: "The client"

Idea: LAUGHING FOR HEALTH CAUSE

This idea is inspired by this simple and yet brilliant idea (from CHI & Partners advertising agency) - Thebigask.com where people are invited to join a vertual march to show support for Friends of the Earth. To join you have to upload your video which shows you marching.

Why not to ask people to send their laughing videos in support, let's say, Cancer Research?

so maybe the project can be called laughforcancer or something like that.

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they say laughter is contagious and promotes good health (article)



and while we are on it, why not kissforpeace or shagforaids... ?

sorry, i do get carried away sometimes...


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here's an idea I was playing with a few of years ago, which is kind of relevant ...

Astralia - the future travel agency.

click on the image to enlarge



actually i don't think it's a too crazy idea...(maybe a premature one thou)... but i am sure in the future the government's attitude towards psychedelic drugs will be different... the technology will make it safe to use and people will be free to explore the realms of alternative states of consciousness without fear and for the benefit of all. love & peace ;)

Idea: Double monarchy in Russia (proposal)

Russian democracy is doing ok... but not as ok as it could. why? cos it's such a huge country with so many diverse cultures and interests... so in the end nobody is really 100% satisfied from the proccess of democratic decision making. So... oligarchs are ruling in modern russia.
besides (if you look from historical perspective) russia has been always more productive (from political and economic pov) when it had monarhy. so i thought, why not to combine both - democracy and monarchy - namely to have 2 monarchs instead of one?
they could compete with each other (just like political parties do)... and to be true to the cultural roots at the same time. (yes, russians always liked their monarchs, unlike the communist rulers)

Idea: Spiritual Corporate Experiment

The objective:

To produce a special documentary series that studies the effects of business philanthropy on the businesses themselves.

The documentary, let's call it Spiritual Corporate Experiment for now, will aim to find tangible evidence that charity has a positive effect on business not only from the public relations perspective, but mainly on the spiritual economics levels. i.e. spiritual law of the universe - What you freely give away comes back to you manyfold (or for every dollar selfishlessly spent for the common good, the universe will definately return some form of goodness multiplied).
---------------------------------------------

This is how we can structure the experiment:

1. We invite 10 leaders from corporate business communities to freely give away, let's say from 1 to 5 million dollars each for an immideate selfishless investment in a good cause. (It can be both private or corporate donation).

2. For the next 12 months* a group of researches from different disciplines will be closely monitoring and collecting evidence in support of the spiritual law at work. Analysis of the data, video footage, personal testimonials and commentaries from the brightest minds of different disciplines (quantum physicists, metaphysicists, phsycologists, economists, philosopers, etc.) to be featured in the final documentary series that will be produced after the completion of the 12 months period.

The research team will be looking for positive manifistations on:

a) organisation level: inside (culture, moral, loyalty, etc) and outside (sales, stocks, PR, etc)
b) personal level: professional (career, work relations, etc) and private (health, happiness, family, etc)


* - the project can have an open date, but we need to set a minimum, hence 12 months.

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note: as voluntary contributions may vary (from 1 to 5 million dollars), this will be also considered in proportion with "goodness returned" and compared. Doing this experiment on a scientific level may reveal suprising insights!
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To start this experiment we need to do:

1. Initial capital to kick-start the project. So I think we need a sponsor. I believe that BBC will be a good choice since they already producing Business Unusual programs and a lot of progressive stuff comes from them. On the other hand, it could be any progressive and open-minded sponsor. (Suggestions welcomed!)

2. To spread this idea as wide as possible to generate global attention. Via blogs, social networks and other channels simply to convey the message - we want this experiment to be done!

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The benefits of this project:

1. For businesses involved - excellent PR
2. For businesses not involved - an example that "giving is good for business"
3. For the rest of us (the world) - a hope that capitalism can be more human ;)

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for those of you who are not familiar with spiritual principles I talk about, click
on the following links to find out more:

Give-and-Receive

The Law of Attraction

this is just a start, there's plenty of related information online about it.
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the project is under development.

if you have any questions or would like to contribute / take part, pls don't hesitate to contact me.

Idea: ZenLotto - Everybody wins.

In the past you were what you owned. Now you are what you share. (see my previous post on Lovertising).
Why not to apply this principle to lottery as well?



the idea is that the jackpot winner always shares half of the winnings either with the rest of the players (they get 50% of their investment back)... or with a special fund (i.e. called ZenFund) that invests solely in projects of public interests, i.e. builds more city green zones, renovates old buildings, etc.

the decision with whom to share the jackpot is desided randomly, by the colour of the winning number, for example.

What is Lovertising? (1st draft)

The aim is to come up with an alternative to traditional (and increasingly unloved) advertising. Here's a rough outline of how lovertising is different from advertising.

Lovertising agency:

1. believes in higher values besides just making a profit.

2. believes consumption is more about experiences and services than things.

3. believes that brands should be more charitable and sharing towards consumers.

4. believes in intelligent and respectful engagement with consumers (as opposed to loud and disruptive tactics)

5. believes that integrity of communication is sacred.

6. believes that positive tactics are more effective then intimidation or scaretactics.

7. believes its good to promote more conscious spending


I will follow this post with more elaborations in the nearest future.

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here are some links that inspired me to write this post:


The Future of Advertising (paul isakson blog)

a brilliant youtube video from Charles Leadbeater:



and

http://www.trendwatching.com/trends/freelove.htm

and here's another lovertising example - Thanksgiving promotion (from my earlier post)


love & peace...

Idea: Good News vs Bad News

why not to create a special widget that would show a statistical balance between the bad and good news that are being broadcasted by most popular news media channels?

benefit # 1: you don't have to actually listen to the news media thus sparing yourself from the negative vibes... and still have a rough picture of the state of the world (besides you can always turn the sound on if you really need to know the details).

here's a video explaing how it might work:



benefit # 2: the widget will make it more obvious what kind of political agenda this news channel is pushing, i.e. being more (or less) negative about a particular news event in comparison to other news channels.


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watch this video that shows the semantics war in news coverage:

Lovertising vs Hatevertising

Following the simple truth (what goes around, comes around) here's a simple clip on the subject of intimidation and disrespect towards smokers.

.

a more elaborate video presentation about the negative effects of anti-smoking hatevertising propaganda can be found on youtube - The Law of Attraction vs Anti-Smoking campaign

also here is a spoof animation about how easily statistics can be manipulated to create a desired public opinion (a pretty common practice in politics and advertising) :

Bread vs Cigarette from xgeronimo on Vimeo.

Idea: MOOD WATCHES

Why not create a watch that can tell us not only time but it's quality too?

This is a version of 4 basic emotional modules. Customers can choose how detailed their modules should be, i.e. more than four. The watch also has programmable alerting system.

(Inspired by beautifully designed Bell Ross watches)




The watch updates you on the quality of your time in real time.

Special sensors fitted on the back of the watch can analyse the basic bio-chemical processes of your body (temperature, pulse, moisture, etc.) and based on that data the watch can accurately show your current emotional state. It does so through the use of changing colours* on the display.**

* Colours vary depending on the intensity of each state.
** You have an option to temporarily disable the ambience display and switch to a neutral white colour look, but all the data will still be stored on a chip and all the time sequences can be re-played later. Or uploaded on a computer via wifi for a more detailed report and analysis.

Tombstone Slideshow

Legacy slideshow on tombstones. Why not?

Relatives and friends can refresh their memories and strangers can get to know the highlights of the deceased person’s life.

A small weather protected LCD screen powered by solar batteries.

click on the pic to enlarge and see animation.

Bangkok Taxi

o.

UN Anthems rmx

why not to remix national anthems of UN countries? Here's a CD cover of the remix to come:

Idea: Language of Love

The best way to motivate learning of foreign languages (and cultures) is of course through love and romance... (at least in my experience ;)

Here's an idea I had a couple of years ago, but never came around of actually setting it up. Feel free to use it if you like it. (just don't forget to enroll me for japanese class ;)

click on the image to enlarge.

Idea: LOST TOURS

Recently I lost my way in Bangkok, I had no map and spent several hours wandering through an unknown to me area of the city. As a reward I discovered several cool places that are not listed in Lonely Planet (and probably in no other guide) and are way off the usual tourist paths. This experience inspired the following business idea I had the next day which could be called Lost Tours.

The idea:

Wouldn’t it be great to find yourself in an unknown city, without any maps, just with a cell phone and a special “rescue” number?

This is how it works:

Tourists will be transported in a helicopter (or a car), blindfolded, to special destinations and left there on their own for a certain period of time which should be agreed upon in advance. For example, from one hour to several hours. When the time is over, “lost tourists” would call the rescue number, tell the operator their present coordinates, i.e. name of the street or a building they find themselves at the moment, and a helicopter will fly to pick them up.

The advantage:

Being purposefully lost in an unknown territory provides a special sensory experience of time and place.

You don’t have to worry about losing your bearings in an unknown territory. You know you can be rescued at anytime (just one phone call), and this gives you the freedom to wonder wherever you want – carefree about time and direction. This is Zen-like experience – focusing at what is in hand at the present moment without any destructions (like time pressure, am I going the right way, how do I find the way back, etc.)

This experience especially suits couples who want to have a relaxed romantic adventure.

Also people with not so good sense of direction, who want to have a stress-free adventure.

For those clients who wish to have a more gamely experience, we introduce some playful challenges. For example, using a special map with clues, tourists would have to search the “hot spots” of the area. It could be a cosy restaurant off the usual tourist path, a shop with interesting souvenirs, a bar with live band, etc. To make it especially attractive, the tourists will to pay only a fraction of the full price in the “hot spots”. This can be arranged through a partnership program with the selected businesses.

By the end of the tour clients are transported back to base without blindfolds.

Example:

Say you want to spend a few hours in foreign city somewhere in Europe. You don’t want to know in advance what city you want to be flown to (for maximum excitement, of course).

So you go to Lost Tour webpage (or office), fill in a form that would give the company idea of your interests and places you’ve already been to... and your home address.

Next thing, Lost Tour rep picks you up at home, gives you an iPod to cover your ears, blindfolds you… and takes you to your surprise destination (by car, plane or train, etc)…

Once in the area the rep takes awaythe iPod and blindfold and gives you a cell phone to call in case of emergency. With a handshake and “I will see you in a few hours” he leaves you alone and free to go … any direction.

Now, say you are in the middle of some European city, but you are not yet sure which one. You look on the street signs... you listen to people’s language. Aha, this might be Poland or Czech republic…. but what city? You go and ask a passer by: Excuse me, what is the name of this city? The passer by might not speak English or would look at you in surprise. You’re in Prague, my friend!

And you just keep walking enjoying the freedom of being lost. If you see something you want to buy - use your credit card.

Who might be interested to invest in setting up Lost Tours:

Travel agencies (i.e. Thomas Cook and smaller ones), Airlines (Virgin or even local budget airlines), a chain of hotels or a bus / train company.

IDEA FOR RESPONSIBLE SHOPPING GAME

(the title and the program's logo are in the working process)


BACKGROUND INFO:

Consumers, governments and business leaders are finally feeling the pressure to confront and act upon the fact that unbridled production and consumption comes with mounting pollution and at a significant human/animal/earth cost.

Now that carbon footprinting has become a household term in mature consumer societies, expect consumers' desire to find out about the environmental responsibility of a brand to become a given. Questions no one ever asked a few years ago will become an integral part of the purchasing process. How was the product made? By whom? What effects on the environment will it have after purchasing?

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- If you don't stand for a cause, consumers may stop buying your products.

Carol Cone, chairman-CEO of Cone, said 72% of employees wish their bosses would push for social issues to be part of the companys' business plans -- a 38% increase since Cone's last survey in 2004.

That's according to the 2007 Cone Cause Evolution Survey, which finds that fully two-thirds of Americans consider a company's business practices when deciding what to buy. It also found that 87% of U.S. consumers would switch from one brand to another if the other brand was associated with a good cause, up 31% since 1993. According to Cone, 92% of consumers value companies that promote social issues, and 83% say companies have a responsibility to help support them.

"[Consumers] want to be affiliated with a company that is good," said Carol Cone, chairman-CEO of Cone, a Boston-based strategy and communications agency that specializes in cause marketing. "If consumers see companies behave badly, consumers can move to a company that is a neutral corporate citizen or a proactive corporate citizen."

No matter what cause a company stands behind, Ms. Cone maintains it's one thing that will never go out of style with consumers. "Good is the new black today," she said.

THE GAME IDEA:

"SPEND-IT-RIGHT" TV Shopping Game's main objective is:

To educate general consumers about more conscious approach to spending money as well as to promote socially and environmentally conscious brands in an entertaining and playful fashion.

How it works:

Contestants of the game are given considerable amount of cash to spend on consumer goods of their choice in one day.

The point of the game is not to spend all the money, but to spend it right, i.e the amount close to the randomly chosen budget number (similar to a lucky draw). Players have opportunity to earn special bonus points that will help them to win.

The winner gets to keep everything he/she has bought.

With every game round the budget and risks get higher. Altogether there could be 3 rounds in different locations:

1 ROUND: 1000 € cash to spend in big supermarket like Wal-Mart. If you win, you have a choice to withdraw from the game and keep 25% of your shopping. If you lose – you leave the game empty handed.

2 ROUND: 10.000 € cash to spend in a shopping mall. If you win you get to keep 50% of your shopping or keep it all and play on in the final round. The loser of the second round leaves with 25% from his shopping.

3 ROUND: 25.000 € cash to spend in a city. If you win, you get to keep everything you bought during these 3 rounds plus 50% of the loser’s shopping items (products worth 48.500€). The loser keeps the rest 50% (12.500€ worth)

To make the shopping experience more competitive we introduce special bonus points.

Players can earn these points when they choose products from socially / environmentally friendly brands. The more you know about “wholesome” brands, the more advantage you have over your competitor. Each bonus point equals to 100 €. For example:

1. Donating 100€ to a charity of your choice would earn you 2 points (200€)
2. Buying a product that is environmentally friendly – 1 point.
3. Buying from a socially responsible brand – 1 point. (Shopper should be able to provide this information while being filmed during his shopping spree.)
4. Buying for a good cause, i.e. for the benefit of others, like computers for school kids, would also earn you 2 points.
5. etc.
   

Here’s an example of the 1 round game score:

Two contestants are given a special shopping location and 1000 € to spend in the same day.

One contestant spends 750€ and the other one – 500€. The winning budget number for this round is 600 (€). The second player’s budget is closer to 600, so he/she wins.

Players will have to earn bonus points to help themselves reaching their best score. i.e. If you’re over the budget - you subtract the points, and if you’re under the budget – you add on.

Benefits for all:

• For brands the show could be a good opportunity for self-promotion.
• For the players it’s a shopping goldmine.
• For the viewers it is an entertainment as well as product information.
• For marketers it will provide deeper insights on different consumer demographics and their shopping patterns.
• For the world - another step towards the better future.
  

UNHAPPY CUSTOMER BURNS HIS CREDIT CARD

The time of oneway (brand > consumer) communications is coming to an end.
Here's a video with an unhappy customer giving his feedback on his RBS "Excite" credit card on Youtube..
I believe that if consumers have more tools to talk back to brands, the brands would have to think twice before launching a BS ad campaign.

I wonder how long will it be online before RBS will force Youtube to ban it?

PASS THE BLAME (OFFICE GAME)

Office Game: Pass The Blame from xgeronimo on Vimeo.

idea: Famous Moustashe + tshirt