iPhone meet iPong...news doors are opened.

The wireless market in general has been using the idea of "our products help to connect, share

This has to be the coolest implementation of Pong ever: load the iPong application in two or three iPods touch units or iPhones, and start playing between them using your finger, with the ball actually passing from one screen to the other depending on the ball angle.

The software was made by Mr. Kondo—a colleague of Ryo Shimizu, CEO of Ubiquitous Entertainment—in an hour. We don't know if it will make its way to the iTunes store as a commercial product, but I hope it inspires other developers to use this kind of competitive—or collaborative—gameplay. [Asiajin via [Technabob]

GPS, DHL and The Largest Drawing in the World

A few months ago, artist Eric Nordenakar decided to create the largest drawing in the world. Using a high-powered GPS device and a carefully mapped out route through DHL, he create a self portrait tracing the path that his package had traveled.

Below is a video outlining the journey that the package went on. Eric's website goes into detail about his project and even includes the travel instructions that he gave to DHL.



What I love about this isn't just the originality of the idea, but the way that DHL embraced Eric and his project. They gave him access to their supply line, rides on their planes and allowed him to track his package in a way that no other company would.

How many companies would let an artist do this? The purpose of this project wasn't about advertising, but DHL certainly just went up a notch in my books.

But wait...at the end of the website, Eric admits that it was totally made up.

I know...disappointing. But still a cool thought...

Original article from Laughing Squid.

Team Nike defeats the devil

I have never seen this Nike spot before. Not in English but the spot is still worth watching.

Now That's A Splatter

A some nice out of home from Auckland. Created by Saatchi, found on Copyranter.

Why you shouldn't listen to other people...

“I think there is a world market for maybe five computers.” ~Thomas Watson, chairman of IBM, 1943

“There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home.” ~Ken Olson, president and founder of Digital Equipment Corp., 1977

“Who the hell wants to hear actors talk?” ~H. M. Warner, Warner Brothers, 1927

“We don’t like their sound, and guitar music is on the way out.” ~Decca Recording Co. rejecting the Beatles, 1962

“This ‘telephone’ has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a means of communication. ~Western Union internal memo, 1876.

“The concept is interesting… but to earn better than a ‘C,’ the idea must be feasible.” ~Yale professor on conceptual paper that became FedEx.

“What would I do? I’d shut it down and give the money back to the shareholders.” ~Michael Dell on Apple, 1997.

“Everything that can be invented has been invented.” ~Charles H. Duell, Commissioner, U.S. Office of Patents, 1899.

I am sure that you hear ridiculous quotes everyday, but few that measure up to these.

Quotes found on copyblogger

HP Ripped Paper

And I thought Malaysia's only good exports was Palm Oil, Microprocessors and Yew Ming Si, the tennis player. Well I was wrong, here we have some pretty damn good creative.

Found on adgoodness

The long-lived history of advergames - Flashback

Apparently these were the first Atari based advergames... I don't remember them. Only pong and soccer.

I posted back in October about the first ever advergames that were hidden on records in the 1970's.

"In the case of these programs on vinyl, the user would have to play back the proper portion of the record, record the resultant chatter to tape, and load the tape into the spectrum. Some users have mentioned playing certain games so much that they could recognize the loading sounds.A gigantic step up from encoded text files were actual games included in the grooves of records. In 1984, The Thompson Twins released 'The Thompson Twins Adventure Game' in both regular vinyl and flexi disc formats. The game is a bizarre text-based adventure in which you guide the Thompson Twins around a land of beaches and caves."

Similarly encoded games were also added to the tape releases.

Unbelievably cool.

Safest Minivan on the road

Is it just me or is that a Kia Sedona? Maybe the safest Minivan on the road claim is true.

Ohh the things yo find when you click on Digg images.

Image from here.

Half the World...

The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) reported today that the world has passed the 3.3 billion mark in mobile phones. 49% global penetration.

Developing countries like Africa lead the largest gains with 39% growth annually. Couple that with India and China's massive growth rates and it makes sense how quickly cell phones have spread.

What does this mean for the future of our industry? Some think that mobile advertising is the future. Maybe free wireless in exchange for a few ads every month?

eMarketer reported in March that US cell phone ad revenue would grow from $88 million in 2008 to over $700 million by 2012.

Still, how many people are actually going to want to see an ad prior to making a phone call? I get the fact that mobile web browsing will house online banners within the pages but what would the CTR be on those? 0.0001%?

I guess that means that media will just have to serve 1 billion impressions per $1,000 spent.

Our Distorted View

Alisa Miller, at the TED conference this past March, puts on one of the best, 5-minute presentations I've seen about news coverage in America. Why do we care more about the death of Anna Nicole Smith than Global Warming? Why don't major American networks have foreign countries that house more than 2 billion people?

And most shockingly, why does Google News follow the same coverage patterns as the major networks?

What does this have to do with advertising? If you can't understand other cultures or foreign ideas, how can you market to them?

Agency Interview Tips

Another great post on interviews from Advergirl.

If you've got one coming up or are planning on starting your search for a new agency, read these.

Kobe is jumping again - over a snake filled pool

After successfully jumping over a moving Aston Martin, Kobe is now dunking over a pool. Oh yeah and the pool is filled with snakes and the Jack Ass crew.

Apple - Own The Home

Predicting the next technology trends and the future is something that many people (especially tech nerds) love to do. Forrester, one of the most dominant research companies in North America, has released an interesting study on how Apple will evolve over the next 5-7 years.

The just of the study? That Apple will try to own the home (everyone's home) in a few, critical ways.

The first deals with convergence. Having one device that acts as your home server - controlling your TV, internet, sound and all the digital HD pictures hanging on all your wall. Essentially, they want to be the provider who can not only give you the latest hardware (a new iPhone / iTouch) but also hook you up from a service perspective (think iTunes for your favorite TV shows).

For a long time, I've hoped that Apple will make a strong play into the Cable game. Currently, providers hold all of the content cars. They dictate "specialty" channels and force customers to buy upgrades for better (and mostly essential) content. Networks dictate the schedules of when you're favorite shows are on and advertisers pick the ones that are the most popular / most targeted.

The emergence of the PVR has changed this - slightly. We don't have to be home for the network time, we can just record the show and watch it later. We don't have to wait for the two minutes of ads to go through, we can just fast-forward them.

But still, we can't control all of our content.

I hope that with Apple's "Own the home" strategy (if it really exists...like Forrester predicts) that they provide consumers with a list of the channels they want. Imagine an RSS feed for your TV shows.

In the end, all I really want is one channel. And that channel is always playing shows I love (or will love).

Of course, if they could be beamed to my iPhone or HD TV in the washroom, that would be pretty nice too.

Full article from Wired.

WTF of the week

A little wind would make this product pointless...WTF?

Weezer Viral Mash-Up

Weezer's new video - made up of 24 viral videos. Nice idea.

Reebok In Second Life

Video Clip providing an overview of what Reebok is doing in Second Life.

They have a pretty large presence with all of the streets surrounding their location named after their sponsored celebs, 50 cent, Iverson, Williams, etc.

The feature is their custom Reeboks.

Nike runs from Crispin....

Nike, Crispin Partnership Ends After 13 Months
Running-Shoe Account Is Going Back to Longtime Agency Wieden

May 22, 2008

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- Just more than a year after widening its roster to include hotshop Crispin Porter & Bogusky, Nike is shifting its running-shoe and Nike-Plus businesses back to lead agency Wieden & Kennedy, a spokesman for the marketer said.

Read the full story at http://adage.com/agencynews/article?article_id=127276 -- Rupal Parekh and Jeremy Mullman

A look at their creative:

Samsung Tells Agency - We Want VIRAL!

Agency responds: then do this! It's so crazy it HAS to work...



I don't get it.

Virtual Garden - Nestle Real Dairy

Nestle Real Dairy has launched a site in Canada to help raise money for breast cancer research. The site is a virtual garden that Nestle will donate 1o cents for every tulip that is planted. Each tulip carries a personalized message and dedication written by the planter.

Their goal is to raise $10,000 (100,000 tulips planted). I believe the site launched today and it is already at $74.10 or 741 tulips planted.

They have also included a contest to win a backyard makeover. I am not 100% sure how a backyard makeover fits with Ice Cream or Supporting breast cancer but everyone loves a contest.

Why not drop by and help out a good cause.

WTF of the week

No relevance to the purpose of our blog other than it is unbelievable.

Monkey does a handstand on a goat, on a can, on a tightrope...believe it.

Strategy Tips to get to the Big Idea

From adliterate.

1. Time is not the problem in creating strategy, ideas are. If you can find an idea the time will find itself.

2. Ideas first, facts second. Facts only make sense in the light of an idea.

3. There are only two criteria for judging your creative strategies - are they simple and are they interesting.

4. It is vital to be interesting, it is merely important to be right.

5. If you look in the same place as everyone else you will never find something interesting, no matter how clever you are.

6. Every great solution comes from a great problem. Make sure you understand the problem behind the problem that you are trying to solve.

7. Anything and everything can help you. Take a walk and think about how every shop, sign, ad, conversation and observation might help you solve the problem.

8. Be prepared. Keeping reading the weird shit.

9. Keep your focus on finding out the things you didn’t know you didn’t know.

10. Call upon your latent strategies, the strategies that you have always wanted to use but have never had the chance.

11. Remember that the stale strategic idea of one category is the ground breaking step forward in another.

12. Jam with other people, online or face to face. But don’t engage that trojan horse of mediocrity, the brainstorm.

13. Ask yourself what the brand’s position might be about the something we all care about.

14. A position is an opinion. We live in an age of conversation and opinions are the lifeblood of all conversations.

15. Plan from within. How do you feel about the brand, category or the wider world? How do you explain your own behaviour? You are not unrepresentative, you live in the same brand landscape as everyone else.

16. Trust your instinct - its the most truthful resource you have.

17. Fast strategy is more about decisiveness than speed. Often we need strategic courage more than haste.

Social Networking World Map

Think that Facebook is the be all and end all of social networks? Maybe in Canada but there are bigger fish in the global landscape. If you had to bet on the next most popular Canadian social network, what would it be?

Found on BoingBoing

The Power of a brand

I was reminded of the power of a brand this weekend. It was my girlfriends birthday and all it took was a couple of Tiffany's blue boxes to make her go over the moon.

I could of spent twice as much money at Peoples, Birks or Spence Diamonds but she would have been half as happy.

Even when I was there the Lady helping me out was telling me about how a man was in to purchase his Mom a mothers day present and he asked if they had a different coloured box. Apparently she looked at him and said that the box is just as important as what it contains... so true.

Vintage VD ad

AXE's Summer Cottage

Now that it's cottage season, I thought I'd share my new place with everyone. Just remember, you have to bring your Axe to get in.