This is a concept for a mobile phone app that helps undecided to make a decision. It works as a psycho-digital oracle and provides four possible answers to any given question.
This idea was inspired by the latest book from Chris Anderson "FREE " where he writes about the future of a radical price:
Wouldn't it be cool if a brand offered us a free product from its rival?
i.e. Special promotion with underlying message:
We are so confident in superiority of our product X that we are willing to give you a free sample from our closest competitor for you to judge for your self.
idea can be applied to all sorts of snacks and sodas, tea and coffee brands and other premium products.
awhile ago I made a post (Great product, silly slogan) where I criticized a slogan on a website and offered a more honest version ... and today I accidentally found out that the company responded and changed that slogan on their website. Grrreat! (They didn't notify me about the change directly, but I guess they were worried that I would be asking money for that. Which is kinda silly too :)))
Here's my personal take on why classical interruption ads don't work any more as they used to.
Think of advertising as a dominant and controlling type of person in a social group. He exudes power, authority and influence upon this group... but only to a certain point! As soon as the group starts perceiving him on a conscious level, for example becoming aware of his manipulation tricks (body posture, eye contact, voice, etc.) - his credibility and influence on this group starts to wane rapidly.
The same is happening to the classical format of advertising. It's been around for too long for consumers to learn almost every trick of the trade. Look at the growing trend of online advertising contests where "amateurs" are imitating "professionals" and produce their own ads. (AdHack, Poptent, Eyeka to name a few)
In other words, consumers became well conscious of the method and therefore immune to it.
Of course, there are still some ad-literate laggards left in the world, but they are no longer a dominant majority and their numbers are constantly dwindling.
To summarize: it is not enough to communicate a selling proposition and put a logo with a slogan in the end. It's too obvious for increasingly critical consumers. I believe that the future credibility of advertising will depend on two main factors:
1. more subtle formats (seeking innovative methods of product placement, for example) 2. integrity of the message ( lovertising / ethics)
here's a classic interruption ad for laggards:
and this one experience engaging for more enlightened ones : )
Armed also with a contagiously optimistic vision of the future, Benjamin is fully prepared to be the next Finance Minister for Japan. His plans for how he would spend Japan's $5 trillion of foreign reserves to eliminate global poverty are plausible and inspiring as practical steps, way beyond rhetoric, to repair the generations of damage done by a ruthless ruling elite. This is a man with a deep understanding of both East and West, a global economic historian who thinks way outside of the box, a lover of peace who is unafraid to speak warrior words.
In this comprehensive three part video, the first two parts focus on global financial history and Benjamin's most interesting personal story leading up to his approach by the Ninja. The third part contains the details of The Ultimatum itself.
"Carroll and his band, Sons of Maxwell, decided to write a song about the incident, called 'United Breaks Guitars' and posted the video on YouTube, which has been viewed nearly half a million times since July 6.
United caught wind of the video and apologised to the singer for the dispute, issuing a statement via Twitter, which read: "This has struck a chord [with] us and we've contacted him directly to make it right." source Revolution
After watching this one can only sympathize with the makers of the video. I wouldn't be surprised to see in the near future more videos like this one coming from ordinary pissed off customers using digital media and expressing their grievances in an artistic way . For example: private videos that make fun of bad customer service in a restaurant, or unfair treatment of insurance company, or just about any product or service a consumer finds a fault with.
This video is a kind of celebrity endorsement for it.
Benefits:
For video makers - fame and recognition For customers - improvement of the product (brands can't afford to ignore it) For brands - improvement of the product (and customer relationships)
here's a link to my previous post about a pissed off customer burning his creditcard and making a public statement about it.
Why not to have a special event when Daily Mirror online display goes literally mirror? Imagine you go online to check out news and instead of a normal display you see a mirror image (click to enlarge):
those who have difficulty to read backwards can always click on "normal view" button. the idea would work as a total surprise and generate a lot of buzz. for the 1st of April addition, perhaps?
why use meaningless and silly slogans for such a great experience that this french company is offering? Enjoying the stars (instead of conquering them) at least makes sense.
a brilliant idea from BBH to let street musicians remix and play songs from Oasis's upcoming album. So simple, so viral.
I wonder why not to let each street artist their own live video streams on the internet? Each profile will have a google map with current location of the artist and a paypal donate button. See my previous idea for beggarcam.com as an example.
one day i woke up in my hut to discover a wild cat mother and a kitten lying next to me. the mother, probably fearing for the safety of her kitten (dogs, crows, etc), decided to move her family to my bungalow. they stayed for over a week until the kitten was big enough to climb down the staircase.
This is a link definitely worth sharing: Spacecollective.org is a place where forward thinking terrestrials exchange ideas and information about the state of the world we create and inhabit. Inspiring and insightful. Here are a couple of the introductory videos from the site:
Problem: How many times did you have an argument with someone and later really regretted that you didn't record it? It could be for reasons of personal record, entertainment value, educational value or even as a legal evidence.
Solution:Why not to set up a service that offers a special mobile room where customers can sort out their differences in an organized and fruitful manner?
A FightTank van, for example, that can be easily rented out when you need to have that serious talk with someone. Click on pic to enlarge:
All arguments are automatically recorded by installed inside cameras for further study or references. The service promotes a constructive argument and personal awareness.
(A set of disposable vases to smash around is available upon the request.)
Couples who seek an objective opinion may also choose to get their tapes analyzed by an independent specialist (i.e. as a free bonus for customer loyalty :)
Mobility of the service also let's the customers to choose appropriate settings for their disputes, for example, a countryside waterfall, a back street alley, a fairground car park, etc.