Happy Cats

So earlier this month, a friend of mine posted a video of the newest IKEA campaign: Happy Inside. After dutifully clicking on the link, I was quickly won over by the beautiful artistry and the grace of the 100 felines that were let loose in the store.

Yes, 100 cats.

Created by the ad agency Mother London, the video depicts a hundred house cats roaming throughout the IKEA store in Wembley, UK and exploring all the nooks and crannies available in their showrooms. According to Feh Tarty, the creative director at Mother, the idea behind the video was that cats are incredibly independent and tend to live their lives in pursuit of their comfort and happiness. So what better way to express that sentiment than to let them explore and find the furnitures that make them "happy inside"?

IKEA's TV ad is part of a bigger market push to advertise their 2011 catalogue, including press advertising, in-store media and a Facebook page, as well as a "making of" video. Want to see how an ad agency pulls off a stunt like the one you see in the IKEA commercial? Click here and find out.

But for those who just want to see the commercial...enjoy!

Tweeting About the New Twitter

So apparently Twitter rolled out a newer version this past Tuesday, and its been getting a lot of hype and retweets ever since the first mention posted by @Twitter. I've certainly tweeted and RT'd a few times about it, and am personally very excited to get and try out the newer version. According to the site, the new Twitter will show a split screen--with the left side showing mentions, retweets, searches and lists, and the right showing who you follow, who follows you, favourites, and Trending Topics. There are also a few improvements and updates here and there that are all going to add up to give users an "easier, faster, and richer experience."

When I found out about the new Twitter, I obviously clicked on the video ad first...

...and was quickly charmed and won over by the simplicity, sweetness, and creativity of the video. Plus there has already been over a million views on YouTube since its upload 3 days ago.

So which ad agency was the mastermind behind this simple yet professional ad? Twitter.

The best thing about it is that the video's actually based on a real first-date that Twitter's design researcher, Mark Trammell (who worked on the video!), had. Like in the video, Trammell used Twitter to find the wine, book, and location for the date, and the actual tweets are shown towards the end of the commercial too!

And you know the quirky yet catchy music in the background? Yeah, there's a story behind that as well. Trammell said that he was in the south of Austin, Texas attending a technology and media festival, when he saw a tweet from an online music and radio music show about a band playing there, called Freelance Whales. Trammell saw them, loved them, and later on contacted them for the commercial. Consequently, the relatively obscure song in the ad jumped to the iTunes alternative top 100 chart the first day after the video was released.

But the cutest thing of all? Trammell recently received a text from the girl. They're going on a second date.

Google Instant

As if Google can't get any better than it already is. But apparently, it can. Earlier this week, the company released Google Instant, a "new search enhancement that shows results as you type."

Well...isn't it what I've been getting all this time? Correct me if I'm wrong, but I seem to have always seen the drop-down box that comes up whenever I type in anything in the search bar. Or maybe they sped up the thing? Seems to me they just tweaked a few things here and there, bundled it up and presented it as a brand new toy. Or am I thinking of a completely different thing?

Mind you, I checked it out a few times when I found out about GI, and the results do seem to pop up a bit faster, and more correctly as I continue typing, so maybe there is some merit to this new handy dandy...thing. I mean, just check out the image I posted! Pretty nifty, eh?

For more information, I suggest y'all head on over here for a small perusal, and here to try it out for yourself!

A Feast for the Eyes II

Ok, so I realized that I forgot about my month-end image post...sorry! However, to make up for it, this month will have TWO weeks in which the posts will be mostly images for your viewing pleasure.

And besides, it IS the first of September, so I wasn't too late....right? Anyway, I'm sure you guys are itching to scroll down to see, so here they are:

Learn to draw in a flash

Omax Lenses: Wide-Angle lenses

"You can do more than celebrate. 60 years of the universal declaration of human rights"

...so? What do you guys think? Any favourites?

Halo: Reach

I'm sure we've all heard of Halo, the video game that first came out in 2001. I've friends who played the game incessantly during high school, and once brought the game to school on a laptop (in which I tried and later got queasy from the FPS perspective. Pathetic, I know). Needless to say, it's a successful video-game franchise by Microsoft's Xbox.

What you may or may not know is that they've also been doing a pretty rad job of marketing their installment releases. Take their last one for example. For Halo 3, Microsoft's Xbox got 2 Cannes Grand Prix awards, a traveling museum exhibit, and $300 million in first week sales. Impressive, eh? Even a non-gamer such as myself watched a few of the "Believe" videos on Youtube, and was mightily impressed by it. So what does Microsoft have in store for their next installment coming out this September?

Let's just say that this will be the biggest game campaign from Microsoft in its marketing history. They currently have a website where visitors can manipulate a real life robotic arm to create a laser light sculpture in homage to the protagonists, the Noble Team. The site (which I took a quick peek at) was created by independent digital agency AKQA, who dealt with the interactive component, and AgencyTwoFifteen (creative and strategic agency), who dealt with the strategy and video. Both agencies were involved with Halo 3's fantastic campaign that garnered two top prizes at the Cannes Advertising Festival, so it's no surprise that they're on board again for the latest installment. There will also be spots and online films created by AgencyTwoFifteen, just like they did for the "Believe" effort for Halo 3, showcasing the situation on planet Reach in live action. Which I think is pretty cool, considering how other video games usually provide footages of the actual game in the gaming ads.

Xbox is also partnering with PepsiCo. for the biggest brand integration to date. Come September, 300 million Mountain Dew bottles and 30 million bags of Doritos will be sporting Halo packaging and under-the-cap sweepstakes. There will also be an integrated promotion with the UFC (yes, the Ultimate Fighting Championship).!!So keep your eyes and ears out for the new Halo products coming out as soon as next week!

Check out their world premiere trailer:

Thoughts?

Lonely Planet Lonely No More

I’m sure most of us have heard of the Lonely Planet travel guide (website and the guidebooks) owned by BBC. Well, recently, BBC and Lonely Planet have decided to join together to make a new travel section in the BBC website, led by the former editor of NYTimes.com Travel & Style David G. Allan.

The site launched with partners in global territories such as Hilton in Asia Pacific and Europe, Spice Jet in South Asia and Middle East and Emirates in North America as well as targeting advertisers in the travel, tourism, and luxury products, such as airlines, hotels, and resorts.

The site is the first in a series of factual and lifestyles announced last month along with BBC.com’s new US edition. Already attracting blue chip advertisers and 16 million users, the site hopes to also target the more affluent and discerning consumers, and thus expects advertisers to be from the luxury consumer product sector, such as watches, fashion, cars and the like.

As Miranda Cresswell, Senior Vice President of BBC.com says*, “We know the people who come to BBC.com are curious about the world and look to us to feed that curiosity. BBC Travel will deliver insight, know-how and adventure that connects you to the world. With first person accounts from on the road we will dig into local culture, history and architecture.” True enough, the site includes a column of Top 5 Travel Stories from all over the world. Coming soon would be a series of commissioned stories from BBC and Lonely Planet authors on events such as the Edinburgh Festival, or life above the Arctic Circle.

So for all you travel hungry people out there, go on over to BBC.com/travel to see which places might catch your eye for your next big adventure!

*Quotation found here.

Are You Expendable?

When I first saw the ads for the movie on the walls of the Yonge subway line, I dutifully went home and YouTubed the trailers. What really caught my eye (other than the explosions) was the sheer number of different action figures both from the past as well as the present that was jammed into this film. Not to say that this is a bad thing, of course—more action for the audience! But after that passing moment, I had put this whole thing in the back of my mind and promptly forgot about it. However, a few days ago, I stumbled across this YouTube clip of Stallone (who stars in and directed the flick) doing an interview for the film, which I thought was innocuous enough. But halfway through the clip, I got a somewhat explosive surprise, which, to be frank, absolutely delighted me. Yes, that may have made me come across as somewhat bloodthirsty, but I also thought that it was a pretty cool viral marketing scheme!

After Googling it some more, I found out that not only does the film have a presence on Facebook, Twitter, and—of course—YouTube, they also have a Foursquare account as well. Huh. That’s new. Turns out Lionsgate (the movie distributor, and the mastermind behind the all the marketing) has partnered with Foursquare and local businesses to market the film. How does it do that? Well, for a month now, Lionsgate has provided followers with tips and specials in local businesses in 11 different cities—all tied in to the “bad-ass” theme in the film.

For example, one of the specials in Santa Monica, CA, tells residents to check in at The Shack (a bar/restaurant, I presume), and say “Sly sent me” to the bartender, and they would be rewarded with a $2 discount off of a draft beer. Cool, eh?

Sadly enough, I don’t think any of the 11 cities are in Canada. Nevertheless, we still have Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube! The Expendables open on August 13^th. That’s right folks, it’s this Friday! Go and see what the hype’s all about—I know I certainly will!