Share a can of coke!?!?!

Now you can, well sort of...

Read the article and it becomes clear only half the can contains coke and the other half is basically a cup. So share half a can! Not so tempting.

http://mashable.com/2013/05/30/coke-social-can/

James M

Get your dancing shoes on!

Puma Dance Dictionary, is the latest project celebrating the release of the new Puma Sync fragrance.

Puma is proposing a new form of digital expression through movement rather than words. The brand has set up an interactive platform called Dance Dictionary, by which users can communicate with each other by encrypting specific sentences into physical dance moves. It ties nicely with the campaign’s slogan - “Don’t say it, move it."

There are a number of phrases like "Will you be my girlfriend?" or "Mondays make me want to scream" which are translated into a series of choreographed gestures undertaken by 25 of the world’s better-known dancers. Interestingly each word has a different move and certain words in each sentence are interchangeable resulting in 10,000 different combinations by Puma's count.

Each of the moves can be shared via Twitter, Facebook or e-mail. However, Puma is aiming for something higher - "Choreographing a new language" and within its target 16 to 24-year-old demographic, it’s reasonable to foresee these moves being practiced in real life!

In addition, the Dance Dictionary tool is also designed to be an inventory for any would-be freestyler to learn from. The words are broken down into their own videos incorporating definitions and easy-to-follow demonstrations.

http://www.pumadancedictionary.com/

Dorota

Turning the Page

Paper sculptor Justin Rowe makes action leap off the page

 

Monday 20 May 2013 to Friday 24 May 2013
The British Academy, 10-11 Carlton House Terrace, London SW1Y 5AH as part of the British Academy's 2013 Literature Week

Sculptor Justin Rowe explores his love of books in this mini-exhibition at the British Academy. In a digital age, when the printed word is ever threatened, Justin’s sculptures explore the importance of not just respecting literature for literature’s sake, but showing the tactile beauty of books as art and sculptures themselves.

FREE. Registration is required for timed slots

        

Puns

Hellmans

Hellmans shopping trolley mounted NFC enabled tablet

Get recipes for Hellaman's mayonnaise while you browse the aisle in Brazil. Clever stuff as it identifies products you pass and suggests recipes utilising Hellaman's.

Full story here!

http://www.springwise.com/shopping-cart-mounted-tablet-detects-nearby-items-offers-recipes-real-time/?utm_source=feedly

James

VW Winter promotion

Nice idea for VW featuring migratory birds!

http://www.creativereview.co.uk/feed/may-2013/13/the-migrator-bird?utm_source=feedly

The winter makes Sweden a harsh place to live, and you know it's coming when you see the birds migrate. But for those of us who has to stay here, Volkswagen has equipped their Skiteam edition cars with the 4MOTION four wheel drive, car heater and roof box – all the things you might need to face the Swedish winter – and made it into an affordable offer. 

Together with the University in Lund we used GPS to live-track an osprey bird during its winter migration to the southern hemisphere and back. TVCs, print ads, outdoor and banners led to the campaign site where you could follow the bird, read his comments (it's a bird, why wouldn't it tweet?!), learn more about the offer and the 4MOTION cars as well as guess the return date for a chance to win prizes. 

The campaign, and the offer, lasted until the bird returned. It's a winter adjusted offer for a winter adjusted car.

Creative review – May 

Share a Coke

Coke launches it’s “Share a Coke” campaign in the UK.

They’re going to print 150 popular UK names across their bottles, which you can buy and share with a friend.

http://www.psfk.com/2013/05/share-a-coke-uk-campaign.html

Puns

The Art of Pitching

There are hundred's of books on pitching and how to perfect your performance to guarantee success. Of the hundred plus books, only a very small percentage of them are written by people with a proven track record in business success. Very much a case of 'those that can't do, teach' in my view.

Someone in possession of an enviable, some might suggest unsurpassed, track record of entrepreneurial and business success is Sir Richard Branson. 

Here are his 5 tips for perfecting 'the art of pitching'

I think it's pretty compelling that hundreds of books running to thousands of pages have been written on this topic but for him its just five simple principles.  Save yourself some time (not to mention space on your bookshelf) and absorb these.

Be interesting to judge our pitches against them don't you think?

View the article here (via LinkedIn)

John Smith's Grand National On-Trade Activation

What fun we had in our Grand National Sweepstake (or Seb's Stake in Wax World of course). So easy - pick a nag out of the hat and job done, that's your horse. 

But when it came to the day itself and you wanted to have a little flutter, not so easy was it?? What do I know about form? I've never heard of any of the jockies – Lester Piggot? Is he still around? Plumping for the one with the best name always seems the best option.

This is where promotional marketing comes into its own – using insight into my experience (which will be true of millions of other once-a-year punters in the UK) John Smith's developed the 'Puntometer' to activate the brand as part of its sponsorship of the Grand National. A genius creative idea (the genius as ever is in its simplicity), the 'Puntometer'  is a beer mat that becomes a spinning top to stop beer drinkers wasting good drinking time agonising over their selection and chooses their horse to back for them. Promotional kits were distributed to 8,000 pubs.

The Puntometer idea was also activated at Aintree itself, with an experiential team wearing back-packs with a giant version of the Puntometer to enable attendees to spin the wheel and choose their horse. I don't know if Nicky Campbell was involved. 

Space have been working on the John Smith's brand for ages so I'm guessing that it's a constant challenge from the client to maintain the high levels of creativity in the activation campaigns they develop to support the brand. This one is a winner – I hope it worked for them. Round of applause.

Next year they must do something involving daschunds….

Matt

http://www.thedrum.com/news/2013/04/03/john-smiths-promotion-targets-pub-goers-help-choose-grand-national-horse

'So, what do you do for a living then?'

If you're anything like me (and if you are, you have my utmost respect and sympathy in equal measure), whenever you're asked this question you'll assess the audience before formulating an answer.

How much do they know about the mad world of marketing communications? Everything? A bit? Nothing? The outcome of this assessment, which probably takes a fraction of a second, will have a critical bearing on how the question is answered. 

They know everything

I run a promotional activation agency – we 'activate people' - get them to DO something, to try or to buy a product or service – for big blue-chip companies like McVitie's, Nestle, Batchelor's and Currys PC World.   

They know a bit

I run a marketing agency – we focus on getting people to DO stuff - to try or to buy a product or service – for big blue-chip companies like McVitie's, Nestle, Batchelor's and Currys PC World.   

They know nothing

I work in advertising.

This last invariably prompts a response around which is their favourite (and more often least favourite) TV ad 'of all time'. Guinness 'Surfer' comes up a lot. The gorilla – 'what was that all about??' they say. Michael Winner and e-Sure. Shake 'n' Vac (accompanied by song and dance).

They I get asked about my favourite ad. And I tell them about this one because it's the best and in my view hasn't been bettered:

A simple product truth brought to life in a dramatic, compelling and memorable way.

Add, 'that prompts an action' and that's what we all do for a living. 

Matt