SPARK: Ogilvy 'helping' the homeless, the lickable lift and TNT ad becomes the second most-shared of all time

19 April 2012

TNT ‘PUSH BUTTON FOR DRAMA’ AD BECOMES SECOND MOST-SHARED OF ALL TIME:

An ad for the launch of the cable channel TNT promoting the “drama” of its programming had a pretty dramatic debut and has now become the second most-shared of all time, according to Unruly, a video research firm. The ad, which was released on April 11, has been shared 3 million times. Only “The Force” the 2011 Super Bowl ad from Volkswagen, has been shared more. David Waterhouse, head of content for Unruly, says the TNT ad — called “A Dramatic Surprise on a Quiet Street” — may well surpass “The Force” soon since one in seven people who saw “Surprise” shared it vs. one in 12 for “The Force.”

OSCAR DE LA RENTA TO LIVE PINNING OF BRIDAL SHOW ON PINTEREST:

During New York Fashion Week last September, Oscar de la Renta generated a flurry of user and press engagement when the fashion house used Tumblr to crowd source live coverage of its runway show. Now, the company is drawing attention by using the latest social platform du jour — Pinterest — to share photographs of its bridal show with followers in real-time Monday. Oscar de la Renta’s team began “live-pinning” photos of show preparations to a designated bridal pinboard on its branded account Sunday evening. The rate of uploads then steadily increased as programs were laid out on chairs and models went through hair and make up

ARE MEMES ART?

To Mike Rugnetta at PBS Idea Channel, memes are people “creating images and sharing them with strangers for the purpose of communicating their experiences.” Which, he says, “Is art. Plain and simple.”
 
AOL ADOPTS NIELSEN GRP FOR VIDEO ADS:

AOL will use Nielsen's Online Campaign Ratings product to guarantee audiences for digital video campaigns running across its properties. Charles Gabriel, VP of sales for AOL Video, told ClickZ, "TV buyers are now starting to look at the biggest outlets, like us, as channels - just as they would look at a channel on TV. Some agencies will make the move to where television buyers buy all video no matter what screen it's viewed on. Others will have separate buyers for broadcast and digital. But we need a common currency across both."

TUMBLR TESTS NEW TOOLS FOR USERS AND BRANDS:

This may be Instagram's week, but it has been Tumblr's year. On Wednesday, the social platform announced a partnership with Spotify. A few weeks ago, Tumblr released some staggering numbers: 20 billion posts, 50 million blogs -- many of them from the increasing number of brands and publishers using it as a hub for social-content efforts. One of the clues to Tumblr's future as a business came with the February launch of "highlighted posts," which let Tumblr users pay $1 to gain more visibility for their work.

In 2010, Tumblr CEO David Karp told the Los Angeles Times that the thought of ads “turns our stomachs”. But can it be a business without them? Next week, Mr. Karp will take the stage at Ad Age’s Digital Conference to talk about what he sees as the future of brands on the platform. Ad Age spoke with Mr. Karp to get a preview of that, some upcoming features and his personal favorite Tumblogs.

OGILVY ‘HELP’ THE HOMELESS IN PARIS:

A year ago, a homeless man decided to settle down in front of Ogilvys office in Paris, week after week, nobody really noticed him, talked to him, or gave him anything. They decided to use their creativity and their network to help homeless people, with a simple goal: help them directly, in their daily needs, without spending any money. They were looking for an idea so simple that anybody could reproduce it in their own city so they created unique cardboard signs for each of their 18 ‘new clients’ to see if a little creativity could get them noticed, it did, they got a few extra pennies.

I personally don’t think this is the best use of Ogilvys resources or talents, I actually see it as a cheap self-promotion effort more than anything else. I also don’t think BBH got it right with Homeless Hotspots at SXSWi, but it’s a start and definitely a problem that the creative industry could help to solve if we treated it with a little more sensitivity and smarts.

TOMS SHOES LAUNCH A WEDDING COLLECTION:

TOMS Shoes was founded on a simple premise that with every pair of shoes sold, TOMS will give a pair of new shoes to a child in need. Now TOMS Shoes is incorporating their trademark "One for One" gift of giving with a really exciting, special wedding collection just in time for wedding season. The TOMS Wedding Collection offers a selection of refined fabrics for brides, grooms and the entire wedding party. What better way to start off your married life together, in both comfort and in support of a good cause?

TUPAC RESURRECTED FOR COACHELLA:

The holograms have arrived! At Coachella this week they resurrected Tupac and he performed with Snoop Dog. Pretty cool they can take archive footage and make it so realistic like he really is on stage. Who’s next? Michael Jackson? Whitney Houston?

THE RANDOM ADVENTURES OF BRANDON GENERATOR:

Microsoft has enlisted Hot Fuzz and Shaun of the dead director Edgar Wright and Marvel and Lucas film illustrator Tommy Lee Edwards create an interactive animated story called The Random Adventures Of Brandon Generator. The HTML5-powered experience was written by Wright and illustrated by Edwards and narrated by The Mighty Boosh’s Julian Barrat. In an interview with Wired.co.uk, Wright described the experience as “somewhere between a motion comic, an animated short and a little internet head trip.” The story will be split into four episodes, released every few weeks until the end of June 2012. Wright explains: “Our hero Brandon is having severe writer’s block, and one dark night of too much coffee has a blackout and wakes to discover prose, sketches and ideas on his Dictaphone that he did not remember leaving. And you get to provide one or all of those elements.”

TIC TAC: SHAKE IT UP

The Idea: The Shake It Up campaign took basic human truths and asked people to shake them up. Using the TIC TAC VIEWR app, users could interact directly with the ads, which were also Augmented Reality markers. The AR experiences were all directly tied to the ad, and came with 3D graphics, SFX and music. The app was downloaded over 11,000 times (11x the average branded app) and was played with, on average, for over 10 minutes. The campaign generated more than 250,000 new Facebook fans and the marketing mix helped deliver a 9% increase in sales compared to one year ago. All within the first 2 months of launch

JULIANASSANGE’S TALK SHOW TO PRESENT WORLD-SHIFTING IDEAS:

Julian Assange, the founder of whistle-blowing website WikiLeaks, will premiere his TV talk show next week, though its producers are keeping the guest list under wraps. Assange has been able to make the programs despite being under house arrest in the UK as he fights extradition to Sweden concerning sexual assault allegations, all of which he vehemently denies. Called The World Tomorrow, the Australian Internet activist will present 12 26-minute episodes

LEARN TO CODE:

Learning to code doesn’t require expensive classes, instructors, or even textbooks. These free online courses and systems can get you up to speed in a hurry, and have you building useful projects in weeks.

Those who code have the power to transform their dreams into reality. If you can imagine it, you can create it. Whether it’s crafting a personal website, gaining an edge in the office, or building the next Facebook, a little programming knowledge goes a long way. You can learn enough to build a personal website in weeks and simple Web applications after only a few months.

JAFFA CAKES: THE LICKABLE LIFT

The doors have opened on the first ever lick-able lift in a unique advertising campaign targeting the taste buds of city workers. McVitie’s Jaffa Cakes has taken inspiration from Willy Wonka, Heston Blumenthal and Damien Hirst to create a Spot of Jaffa – edible elevator artwork comprising of 1,325 lick-able Jaffa Cakes.
The unique advertising campaign has taken food technicians and artists four weeks to develop and will be installed in a central London office block until Friday (13th April). The edible elevators are being trialled at Engine on Great Portland Street, a communications group with over 800 staff, with a view to rollout the activity in offices across the country.

CONFUSED.COM: PINTEREST DON’T DRIVE IN HEELS

As if drunk driving and driving while texting aren't enough, a U.K. website has found another road safety issue -- drivers in high heels. Best known for comparing car-insurance rates, Confused.com is highlighting the dangers of driving in heels with a film showing a woman walking along a busy shopping street in towering black shoes and a short skirt, admired by men as she sashays past. But when she gets into her car to drive home, elegance turns to clumsiness as she struggles with the pedals and battles to master the vehicle, shuttering forward in stops and starts.

The message, "Don't drive in high heels" flashes on-screen, along with a link for a chance to win a pair of Butterfly Twist lightweight folding flat pumps. To score the more-sensible shoes, people are asked to post a picture on a special Pinterest page of themselves wearing their most preposterous footwear. One pair of leopard-skin stilettos with a red bow is captioned "My favourite driving heels."

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