Archive for November, 2010
Japanese holographic popstar plays to sold out audiences
Posted on 16. Nov, 2010 by Jonathan Cherry.
Remember the day that you saw this video. The day that you will now forever question whether you actually saw U2 perform at the Cape Town stadium, or where they in fact just a hologram that some engineer just set up and hit the play button.
Holographic idol Hatsune Miku is the creation of the group Crypton Future Media, using software from Vocaloid, and the group has put the avatar on tour with a live band. The sight of thousands of screaming fans waving glow sticks while the the holograph “performs” on stage is straight out of a science fiction novel.
The avatar is huge and incredibly realistic. Check out “her” concert performance below. More videos can be found here. [more]
Gotta say however – we have no idea what this robot is singing about, but it’s pretty damn catchy and sounds a whole load better than any of the other garbage that’s coming from the leading studios in the West right now.
Thanks to robots, the future may just be in good hands.
[via Lauren Beukes]
9 Consumer trends for 2011
Posted on 16. Nov, 2010 by Jonathan Cherry.
Mintel, the market intelligence agency, recently released their predictions for trends in consumer behaviour in 2011.
The most important sentence we took from the report:
‘In 2011, brands may need to get more creative to lure consumers into stores, offering more than just retail and be a venue, not just a shop. Service may extend into advice and demonstrations, while exclusivity and environment may also be key aspects to engage consumers with real life, not virtual, shopping experiences.’
Real, memoreable experiences. That’s what it all comes down to at the end of the day. And it’s ironic that something so simple seems to be so difficult to achieve.
The rest of the points:
1. Prepare for the Worst With a heightened sense of what economic collapse looks like thanks to the global recession, a renewed emphasis on prevention will drive consumers to think defensively. In the UK, 43% of consumers say “Trying to add to my rainy day savings/emergency fund” is a priority for this year, up 15% from last year. In the US, a third of consumers say they’re using debit rather than credit, and debit transactions are forecasted to rise nearly 60% between 2000 and 2010. Consumers want to know what they’re getting themselves into: no loopholes, no hidden costs and no pricey upgrades. So 2011 may see the need for brands to demonstrate how a product or service delivers long-term benefits or prevents problems down the road.
2. Retail Rebirth With online experiences developing rapidly, for bricks and mortar retailers, discounting is a no-win battle against the internet. In the UK, 47% of consumers are only buying clothes on sale, offer or promotion and 35% say their choice of store is determined by special offers or discounts. In the US, 35% say their choice of store is determined by special offers or discounts. In 2011, brands may need to get more creative to lure consumers into stores, offering more than just retail and be a venue, not just a shop. Service may extend into advice and demonstrations, while exclusivity and environment may also be key aspects to engage consumers with real life, not virtual, shopping experiences.
3. Where its App With smartphones becoming the dominant mobile force, QR codes and app technology will pique interest, provide portals into unique experiences and improve our quality of life. In the US, sales of smartphones grew 82% from 2008 to 2010. In the UK, 28% of consumers own a smartphone and by 2015 iPhones will make up 11% of all total devices used in the UK. As consumers are empowered like never before, 2011 will see people take a deeper interest in where they are: from the city to a specific store. Geography and status can be redefined through retail, presenting savvy brands with an opportunity for increased location based services, promotions and solutions. To capitalise on consumer awareness of technology, brands will need to take QR codes beyond niche understanding, using it to explain and offer exclusive content. Rather than displacing our interaction with the physical, this technology has the potential to reinvigorate our relationships with brands, retailers and with each other.
4. No Degree, No Problem Economic uncertainty has changed the workplace and the meaning of job security for the foreseeable future. As a result consumers will continue to question higher education’s ROI and alternative channels for learning will gain credibility. In 2011 we may see more lifelong learning in the workplace, corporate sponsored degrees and companies investing in employees through education and training rather than salary or benefits. Meanwhile learning while doing, rather than learning in a lecture hall, may become a focus and with DIY education gaining steam, there’s an opportunity for brands to play host.
5. On Her Own Terms Women are earning and learning more than men, creating new gender roles in business and consumerism. In 2011, age is no longer an easy marker for lifestage. Opportunities lie for brands to focus less on the year the female consumer was born, and more on where she’s at with her life right now. In the US in 2008, 27% of men reported being the sole cleaner in their household, in 2010, that number jumped to 32%. Meanwhile, among under-35s, more UK women than men research financial products online. So, 2011 may see a counter trend to the ‘metrosexulaity’ of men in a ‘masculinization’ of women. Implications for how brands market to women will be big, especially in sectors such as automobiles and sports. With men helping around the house more than ever, there may be an opportunity for brands to cater household products, as well as retail experiences accordingly.
6. Retired for Hire People are working beyond retirement – either due to financial need, or because they have grown attached to a lifestyle of leisure and pleasure. With half of Americans having no retirement account, the number of over 65s working will reach nearly 20% by 2014. In the UK, 77% of over 55s plan to continue working after retirement age “in order to enjoy and prolong a better standard of living”. In 2011, this group may prove an untapped market for advertisers, affecting a number of consumer sectors. Vitality, energy and longevity become key product qualities in the food and drink sector, while health and beauty messages may need to centre on anti-ageing properties, nutraceuticals and older models to reach this target group.
7. The Big Issue Our attitude toward weight is polarising, pitting the rise of the super-healthy against the eternal appeal of indulgence. In the UK, almost a quarter of women wear clothes in sizes 18 and over, a third of men wear XL clothes or bigger and more than 30% of UK children are now classed as overweight. Meanwhile 34% of US adults age 20 and over are obese. Therefore, 2011 may see a wider array of products catering to an obese market: from portion control and more info on packaging to low-cost healthy fare and products to firm and salve chaffed or sagging skin.
8. Garden State Modern city dwellers have a growing love of gardening and a need for nature and with fresh, organic produce still economically out of reach for many, consumers are finding their own ways to bring healthy home. In the US, 26% of internet users purchased vegetable seeds in past year, 19% bought vegetable/flower garden fertilizer and 27% like to grow vegetables at home. While in the UK, 1 in 5 consumers grow their own fruit & vegetables and the UK Allotment waiting list has grown 20% in 2010. In the US, 40% of people with a garden agree “Growing fresh food to cook with” is important. In 2011, rural tourism, working farm holidays and garden leisure may benefit – while rising food and commodity prices may see a boost for seed sales as this trend develops.
9. Who Needs Humans As we move into an ever more digital era, automated technology has machines replacing people – for better or worse. While cashier-less checkouts have become common place, we’re starting to see machines creep into new territories, including hospitals, libraries, pharmacies and the home. Therefore, 2011 may see certain jobs permanently displaced by technology – that includes service jobs, not just manual or factory work. But backlash and balance seeking may lead to an increased cache for hyper-personal goods and services.
Source: Mintel
Here’s what to get the little ones this Christmas
Posted on 15. Nov, 2010 by Jonathan Cherry.
‘Cause you know how much the kids love to blow sh*t up – there’s Call of Duty ‘Black Ops’. Here’s the TV ad. Damn think just makes us wanna pump up a Beretta and take somebody’s head off with it. Yeeeehaaaa! War is rad!
BMW brings the mouse back in 2010
Posted on 15. Nov, 2010 by Jonathan Cherry.
Many moons ago, when television advertising was still what it used to be, BMW made an advertisement that would become a folk legend in the world of South African advertising. The idea was a simple one, the execution flawless and the performance of one white mouse – of Oscar standard. Now the mouse is back in its 2010 guise. Clever!
It’s just amazing how fresh that old ad still feels. Perhaps that’s the definition of a ‘classic’. Like an old Led Zepplin album that you find all dusty and forgotten in a cupboard. The black vinyl still cracks and pops like it used to and when the first few bars of ‘Immigrant Song’ plays, well… it takes you back a bit.
They just don’t make ‘em like they used to.
[thanks George]
Your life…courtesy of Facebook
Posted on 15. Nov, 2010 by Jonathan Cherry.
The story of a man told through his Facebook updates. Makes one consider what you put online a bit more carefully.
Fat Monkey spotted in Brazil
Posted on 12. Nov, 2010 by Jonathan Cherry.
We had our own share of public branded art during the World Cup [which hopefully wasn't just something we did to impress the foreigners during the event never to be see again]. From Brazil – this is a flip flop monkey:
The Fat Monkey is a site specific work which was created out of the question from the Pixelshow to make a sculpture during their conference in 2010. Made with the help of local students and made from the brazilian icon; the flip flop which obviously works as one of the 10.000 pixels. The fat monkey is a work in the series ‘Obeastitas’.
More
[thanks Steve Jones]
Ralph Lauren reinvents the fashion show with 4D spectacular
Posted on 11. Nov, 2010 by Jonathan Cherry.
The making of this 10- minute fashion show must have cost the same amount of money that was spent to make Avatar, but the result is simply spectacular.
“It’s game changing — it blows my mind — it changes the way we look at architecture; it will change retail, movies, advertising, everything,” says David Lauren, son of the brand’s founder, of the spectacle and the new technology that makes it possible.
On Wednesday, Ralph Lauren plans to offer the public a futuristic vision in which “architectural mapping” technology is used on the store facade, creating what the brand calls a “4-D” experience.
The effects are to include a vision of the company’s signature polo players, a giant horse-head belt wrapping the building and a lineup of vast neckties — a reference to the product on which Ralph Lauren was founded four decades ago.
This latest dramatic development is part of what the company calls “merchan-tainment,” the concept of commerce with entertainment, which it previously has offered through lifestyle films on RLTV, its own production operation, as well as initiatives with sports.
But the new “augmented reality” project is in another league.
“We put our hearts and souls into this,” says Mr. Lauren of the sound and light show created by superimposing optical effects created by pinpointed pixels of light over a projected 3-D replica of the building.
This sensory experience — complete with sound and even a mist of fragrance — will not be staged only in London. One of the brand’s New York stores also will get a similar eye-popping show. [more via NYTimes]
…and here is the official video of the show itself.
Product projection mapping from New Balance
Posted on 10. Nov, 2010 by Jonathan Cherry.
Projection mapping isn’t difficult to do, but the resulting experience it creates is startling. In today’s example, New Balance do some projection mapping on one of their smelly ol’ takkies – turning it into something Tron may have considered running the Comrades marathon in.
Simple and easy, yet effective. That’s what we like.
[thanks Sascha]
Miranda Kerr for Victoria’s Secret: Does celebrity endorsement still work?
Posted on 10. Nov, 2010 by Jonathan Cherry.
Yes.
