If you think you’ve seen it all – think twice and click the link that follows. Chatroulette.com is a relatively new website /a web service rather/ that will connect you to a random user, called a “partner” who could be anyone from the other end of the world or just two blocks away. The service requires you to have a webcam and mic, although there also the old-fashioned IRC-style chat window where you can use the recently learned new online slang. It will also ask for your permission to record the session in both audio/video and text so that you can play it back later. We have no doubts that there will be another copy for the database so be careful with you’re doing. The platform is simple yet ingenious and we think the idea is just great for all the lonely souls out there. It for sure has a lot of business potential as well, if only there were more personalization options and privacy controls. A cool video example of its usage follows after the break… (more…)
What are the trends, evolving platforms, strategies, new media and networks that are already paving the way for the new breed of marketing in 2010. You will most probably find the answers you were hoping for or at least draw your guidelines for the months to come from this very comprehensive survey, brought by the Society of Digital Agencies. Senior executives from various digital and traditional agencies are pooled, alongside their clients and partners to get an idea what the predominant trends in digital are heading this year. From what we found, we couldn’t say the outlook is all roses and clear blue skies, but at least the general feeling is that the field is moving in the right direction and more funds will pour into the sector for a third consecutive year. Check it out and give your feedback.
It’s not the first time that the Unilever global brand AXE/Lynx is causing us some stomach pain… laughing. And it certainly won’t be the last. The new campaign of the brand, launched in the UK under its local brand Lynx is relaying mostly on mobile and online means of creating a buzz. Combining a few mobile applications that have absolutely no use other than pure fun, with the use of traditional and viral marketing, it will surely have the intended “Lynx Effect” at least for some time in the office or at a party. Isn’t that what marketing is all about…?
Also check out the other videos in the series and the official website of The Lynx.Effect… (more…)
A great man once said: “May we live in interesting times.” And now we do. After the rapid expansion of the social networking phenomena in the last two years a new type of revolution has taken shape. You may call it “The Social Media Revolution” or “The Second .com Revolution”, but to really describe it in its full scale we needed something different, something to embrace the scope… So a bunch of guys just came out with the right term – Socialnomics. From whatever angle we look at it, it encompasses the processes that lead to it and continue to feed its momentum. The blue-chip revolution started it all, then it was the dot-coms, then a plunge for a little refresh, and now it’s the borderless virtual world of free sharing and tweeting. It’s The Socialnomic Revolution, man, and it’s just picking up speed…
Happy New 2010 – The Year of Socialnomics! (more…)
The symbiosis of virtual and augmented reality with the real world is gaining more and more prominence among the hi-tech marketers whose sole purpose is to engage the core fan/customer base of a virtual brand in a unique experience. Building the relationship with your digital brand have never been so much fun and excitement for both your audience and the people who are making it happen. In this case the latter are the Canadian digital arm of MacLaren McCann agency who created this amazing ARG campaign for the launch of Microsoft’s Halo 3 ODST game for XBOX 360. (more…)
Is your sleaky smartphone with that half eaten apple at the back ancient already?
Wrong answer… it is.
The future of mobile communications has arrived and it’s something Else. If you have already visited the aforementioned link than you must have been intrigued by the amazing viral video that promises a huge leap in the way we interact with our pocket devices. Now the newly established Israeli company Else Mobile (formerly Emblaze) has revealed how it meant to defend this statement and it really is impressive. Instead of focusing on the most recent advantages of technology and mobile applications the new device is focusing on you – the user. Meaning that this time around your smartphone won’t be enslaving you, but vice-versa. Multitouch is really fun, but see what usability is by using just one finger to control it all…
New functionality have been added to the beta version of GazoPa – the Similar Image Search Engine that has taken the online designers community by storm. Now you can upload your own image to be analyzed by the system and used for search or simply add the URL to it. In addition a Flickr service is now integrated with the search engine meaning you can search for a ton of similarly looking images straight from any Flickr gallery. For the more creative among us there’s now the ability to draw a graphic or shape and search for similar images. The engine is pretty accurate and the results are meaningful to an extend much greater than the competitive Google similar image search. For long time I’ve been waiting for the opportunity to search “by image” instead of “by word or phrase” and the URL option comes in very handy. Recommended next step will be the comparative image search – meaning finding shapes, places and even people by marking them on an image. Who’s watching SyFy
Wouldn’t it be super cool if you could try some of those Victoria’s Secret night gowns before you buy them from the other end of the world. Well, it’s SUPER COOL already with this new augmented reality application from Zugara. It let’s you try out various clothes by simply posing in front of your webcam instead of the mirror. On top of that, you can control the application by gestures with your hands instead of hopping back and forth to reach the mouse. The application is now been tested by the exclusive launch website tobi.com – an online clothing retailer but has a promising future. I believe the logical next step is to also embed a measuring functionality so you don’t have to bother returning your fancy new dress having messed up the various sizing charts.
Hey Zugara – how about me wanting to try the new Timberland boot collection from 8 timezones away?
Is this the bright future for print media that everyone involved is so desperately waiting for? Well, most probably not, as using barcodes in any form looks so old school compared to what will be on offer sooner, rather than later – organic foldable ultra thin displays, eMagazine readers, pocket e-zines for your mobile and many other geeky gadgets and technologies that are currently under accelerated development. But offering augmented electronic content within a print magazine is a brave first step in the direction of introducing some of the stuff mentioned above. As it looks, Esquire Magazine is aiming at the geeky digital community by trying to sell its print edition together with some 3D barcodes that open up a whole new level of funky content posted on the web, just by aiming the page with the code at your webcam. A slight inconvenience though is that you have to also install a custom software in order to use it. (more…)
It’s been a long 20 years since the fall of communism in my country on November 10, 1989. Although little has changed in the mentality of most of the people and especially those who do local politics, a lot had changed for the economy and living standards and in terms of various freedoms and rights – unfortunately not always to the better. Anyhow that’s a topic for another blog and right now I encourage you to visit this microsite, developed and published by the German newspaper Berliner Morgenpost, outlining the major events that led to the fall of the Berlin Wall. It’s not a coincidence that we have our anniversary just a day after the festivities in the German capital – these were cornerstone events in the history of all the peoples in Central and Eastern Europe. It’s a pity that the site is in Deutch only, but one can get the idea from the excellent graphics and application features as a whole. (more…)
