Cherryflava

iCatching: The future of things

Posted on 28. Sep, 2007 by Jonathan Cherry.

- Credit cards are very old school. That little magnetic strip and the 80’s technology behind it could soon get an extreme makeover just like this Visa Micro Tag key which uses RFID chips to debit your account and render signatures irrelevant at a distance. No prizes for guessing where this will get us.

More: Engadget

- The future of home entertainment has officially arrived. The numbers are in and Microsoft’s Halo 3 Xbox 360 video game sold more than $170 million worth of games in the first day of its release.
It’s the highest grossing launch day title in entertainment history.

More: AFP

- Ok…so transport for the workers of all but 2km has been sorted out now, but have they even thought about branding the stadium? The coming trend, like the Allianz stadium in Germany, is for all big stadiums to be branded…like this design for FC Barcelona’s home ground. A concrete block built on time just ain’t gonna cut it.

More: Dezeen [via] 

One day version of The Amazing Race

Posted on 27. Sep, 2007 by Jonathan Cherry.

Have you ever watched that TV show ‘The Amazing Race’ and thought that it must be a radical way to see a country?

Well a new urban game project / tour company have set up something new and exciting in the US called Urban Dare. 

Essentially it’s a competition that takes teams of two and sends them out into a city to
complete various challenges in what is essentially a modern scavenger
hunt. Part photo hunt, part trivia, part dares, teams solve clues to
reach checkpoints where they must complete challenges and document it
with a digital camera before receiving a ‘passport stamp’ and moving
onto the next checkpoint. [via PSFK]

Great idea and beats the pants out of sitting in a bus and seeing a city go by. We always had a bit of a dream to take part in the Amazing Race, but if Urban Dare started in Cape Town we’d be just as happy.

See: Urban Dare
Previously: City running tours – Cherryflava

Arthur Goldstuck gives props to Cherryflava

Posted on 27. Sep, 2007 by Jonathan Cherry.

Internet guru Arthur Goldstuck has awarded us…and the team behind our projects…the status of his blogging player of the week, for which we are humbly grateful. Thanks Arthur.

Apart from writing a smashing article about our various online adventures over the past while, it was enlightening and invaluable to get an alternative perspective on what we’re busy with.

See the post on the Thought Leader blog here.

The All Blacks Haka – calling on the fallen to pound the opposition into submission

Posted on 26. Sep, 2007 by Jonathan Cherry.

This year’s world cup has really seen a massive increase in the amount
of supportive marketing communication surrounding the teams…like this
brilliantly illustrated All Black / Adidas print ad.

Although watching the All Blacks perform the Haka is a hugely entertaining part of world rugby, it does however give them a massive advantage over their opposition.
According to the related TV ad – the haka is performed by the team to resurrect the All Blacks players [...and fallen Maori warriors...] that have worn the jersey before them to help them defeat the enemy.

With sport-themed video games, fantasy marketing campaigns and more professional sportainment on offer, going forward the line between theatre and sport is becoming blurred as international sporting events must compete for an ever increasing number of entertainment options. Professional sport commands big bucks promoted by an increasing amount of marketing material to keep it that way.

BTW ref – there are more than 15 players on the field here.

[via Ideate]

Pong transforms into a Drive In

Posted on 26. Sep, 2007 by Jonathan Cherry.

In May this year we posted a story about a retail store in NYC, which was expected to morph itself into a different store every three months.

At the time it was called Pong – and was a tiny garage-sized table tennis hall. Now it has finally transformed and has reinvented itself as a very small drive in.

What was formally a sporting arena, is a cinema
fitted with a 1965 Ford Falcon convertible and widescreen. Starting
with films from 1960 and progressing chronologically each night, DRV-IN
speeds through four decades of cinematic achievement.

There’s even a mandatory popcorn machine available for viewers.
Is that old go-kart track at Canal Walk still vacant?

More:
Grand Opening – Drv In – The Cool Hunter
At the Drive-In in NYC – PSFK
Previously: Cool business idea: Pong – Cherryflava

Rising levels of awareness

Posted on 25. Sep, 2007 by Jonathan Cherry.

As the sun moves through its daily trajectory, so to the hidden message of this billboard is revealed.
Very clever idea for a country that gets lots of sun. No information available for where, when, by who for this example.

[thanks Jayson - via]

Create your own social network

Posted on 25. Sep, 2007 by Jonathan Cherry.

Remember when blogging was big? Everyone had a blog….blog this, blog that…blog, blog blog.

Things have moved on…and now having your own social network is the way forward. That’s right..you too can command your very own Facebook killer…for free. Like what Blogger.com and Typepad did for the blog – there are a whole host of new systems which you can use to create your very own social network.

The best one at this stage seems to be Ning – which is free and very easy to use.

Social networking online is clearly a growing trend, so perhaps it’s time for your business to create a space of other like minded people to play in. Maybe one day you too can sell it for $10 billion.

More:

Social networks are the new blog – Adrants
Nine ways to build a social network – Techcrunch
10 Most beautiful social networks – Mashable

Eskom wasting billboard space

Posted on 25. Sep, 2007 by Jonathan Cherry.

Although other commentators have accused this billboard of only being effective 50% of the time [that being at night...when it's dark and the lights go on], because it’s sponsored by Eskom (the South African state electricity provider), it makes sense.
You clearly only use lights at night – so to us it makes perfect sense…and in winter in Joburg more people are driving home at night in anycase.

However…it’s all very well not to waste electricity, but what about all that paid for advertising real estate that they’re wasting instead?

Our Spanish is a little rusty, but apparently this won a Grand Prix at the Loeries?
[via]

Wanted: Are you hungry?

Posted on 24. Sep, 2007 by Jonathan Cherry.

Copy:  Hungry designers wanted

Verdict: Cherryflava Grand Prix winna [if we had such a thing]

[via]

Roundup: This week…

Posted on 21. Sep, 2007 by Jonathan Cherry.

This week on the network:

- It’s your last chance to see a South African side hopefully win something for a change. Our Feverpitcher RWC with double tickets to France competition ends this Monday – check it out here.

- On the subject of tragic losses – Joburg got nice smoke filled T20 billboards which we in Cape didn’t get to see. But then we all saw the team throw the match together. See the Natural Born Hitters billboard.

- On Jetstreaker…we remembered that some people still watch TV and that Chelsy Davy has finally left the country for good.

Finally much thanks to this week’s sponsors on the network Euromillions and Yeigo for keeping us in champagne and faux fur.