We spend a large part of our lives connecting with our favourite brands. They’re a part of defining who we are. I’ve also spend a large part of my own life developing ways to create a connection between brands and consumers. However, this film says more about that connection than any advert I care to remember. It’s probably the most effective piece of communication never written.
- Martin Homent, Creative Director of The Lounge Group
@mhoment
Description of the slideshow by its creator, YouTube user 42bill:
This is a photo story of my father's 1958 BMW R50:
Boy meets girl, gets married, buys motorcycle. Rides it for 60,000 miles and has accident when wife is pregnant with 3rd child. (me) Wife orders motorcycle to be taken off road until all her children are grown and on their own. One day when bike is moved to a different storage location, son sits on bike and dreams of being a Jedi Master like his father. Couple grows old together and bike is not ridden for 40 years. Husband is now a grandfather of 7 and married for 50 years, when he dies of a stroke at age 71.
Son looks over the old rotting machine and finds note attached to it from his father to him. Son decides to restore the old 1958 BMW R-50 as a tribute to his father. With the help of many friends, especially Peter Nettesheim, world renowned BMW collector, bike is restored to look even better than it did when it was built in Germany.
Friday, 28 January 2011
Monday, 24 January 2011
Immersive gaming
Immersive games, also called Alternate Reality Games (ARGs) take place in the real world using everyday life as a gaming platform. Players work together to solve a puzzle or challenge with the adventure lying in the sense that the game's events could be real. From a marketing perspecitve, it's a great example of social media integration with offline marketing.
The first true ARG was created by Microsoft in 2001 to market the film A.I.: Artificial Intelligence. The game, 'The Beast', seeded a trail of clues across various media channels over 3 months, which players followed to reveal a secret related narrative. With the mantra “this is not a game”, The Beast achieved over 3 million active participants and an online community that was still active for years after the game had ended.
Immersive games can also be simple treasure hunts or day-long action games. Some FMCG brands are creating campaigns that involve aspects of immersive gaming; for example the M&Ms Find Red campaign in Canada that has just finished hid in three Toronto locations and challenged consumers to find him by following clues and using Google Maps Street View.
The first true ARG was created by Microsoft in 2001 to market the film A.I.: Artificial Intelligence. The game, 'The Beast', seeded a trail of clues across various media channels over 3 months, which players followed to reveal a secret related narrative. With the mantra “this is not a game”, The Beast achieved over 3 million active participants and an online community that was still active for years after the game had ended.
Immersive games can also be simple treasure hunts or day-long action games. Some FMCG brands are creating campaigns that involve aspects of immersive gaming; for example the M&Ms Find Red campaign in Canada that has just finished hid in three Toronto locations and challenged consumers to find him by following clues and using Google Maps Street View.
Thursday, 20 January 2011
Cooler than the iPhone: Line Phone
Ok, well maybe it would be but it's a concept at this stage.
The Line Phone (video below) is, in essence, an ultra-sleek touch phone & therefore not wildly different but it's pretty damn awesome...
The Line Phone (video below) is, in essence, an ultra-sleek touch phone & therefore not wildly different but it's pretty damn awesome...
Tuesday, 18 January 2011
Monday, 17 January 2011
Kit Kat: Have a breakism
Kit Kat continues to offer consumers a break - this time from abstract art.
For some, abstract art can feel like a heavy topic but Kit Kat lightens it up with this playful parody, using unexpected humour to reinforce their brand message in an original way.
Ubachswisdrun/JWT created a blank red canvas 'with no meaning whatsoever' for Kit Kat. It's installed into the Abstract USA exhibition Rijksmuseum Twenthe in the Netherlands (which runs until February 2011):
For some, abstract art can feel like a heavy topic but Kit Kat lightens it up with this playful parody, using unexpected humour to reinforce their brand message in an original way.Ubachswisdrun/JWT created a blank red canvas 'with no meaning whatsoever' for Kit Kat. It's installed into the Abstract USA exhibition Rijksmuseum Twenthe in the Netherlands (which runs until February 2011):
'We’ve added one more work of art to the collection ourselves. A painting that has no meaning whatsoever. To give people a break from all the modern art with multiple layers and deeper meanings. It is what it is. A big red canvas. Have a Break, Have a KitKat.'
Friday, 14 January 2011
MD James steals angel's wings
This is The Lounge's Managing Director, James, looking very happy
because NOT ONLY is it his birthday today, he also gets to model the angel wings our Brand Ambassadors will be wearing for the next Lynx campaign.
because NOT ONLY is it his birthday today, he also gets to model the angel wings our Brand Ambassadors will be wearing for the next Lynx campaign.
Birthday cake gives you wings!Wednesday, 12 January 2011
Sol Cinema: cinematic caravan powered by the sun
Lounge Trend Hunter Lily (20) has brought The Sol Cinema to our attention this week. It's a 1960s caravan turned into a mini solar-powered cinema that seats 8 adults. It's a non-profit project created by the charity Undercurrents.
The Sol Cinema, or a a similar vehicle, would be a great component in experiential campaigns. Not only is it creative and fun, it is also bang-on trend reflecting both the macro Eco-cool consumer trend for all things green as well as the nostalgic vintage trend. It could also tie into the trend for Localism due to its mobile nature and if it screened local-interest films.
Imagine if... an energy provider toured fetes, festivals or seaside towns in the summer in a caravan like this. They could flag up their green credentials whilst screening short-films relevant to the brand - perhaps consumer-created.
Imagine if a close-to-nature healthy food brand (like Innocent or Dorset Cereals) did the same, highlighting their clean living, fun brand personality whilst capturing consumer imaginations. Brands could go exciting places in this caravan!
The Sol Cinema, or a a similar vehicle, would be a great component in experiential campaigns. Not only is it creative and fun, it is also bang-on trend reflecting both the macro Eco-cool consumer trend for all things green as well as the nostalgic vintage trend. It could also tie into the trend for Localism due to its mobile nature and if it screened local-interest films.
Imagine if... an energy provider toured fetes, festivals or seaside towns in the summer in a caravan like this. They could flag up their green credentials whilst screening short-films relevant to the brand - perhaps consumer-created.
Imagine if a close-to-nature healthy food brand (like Innocent or Dorset Cereals) did the same, highlighting their clean living, fun brand personality whilst capturing consumer imaginations. Brands could go exciting places in this caravan!
Friday, 7 January 2011
Amnesty campaign makes the invisible visible
Sometimes the choice of media is as much a part of the idea as the words and pictures. This is proved here by this wonderful piece of work for Amnesty International.
Created by Brothers and Sisters and Mentalgassi the campaign highlights the plight of Troy Davis, on death row in the USA for a murder he's always claimed he didn't commit and for which there is no physical evidence.
Davis' face appears on bars of fences at three locations in London. When you look at the fence directly the image is invisible, but when viewed from the side Davis' face eerily appears as though behind prison bars.
The campaign is a call to action for people to visit www.amnesty.org.uk/fence
Unhappy hipsters
Happy Friday everybody!
In celebration we thought we'd share the latest witty blog post from Unhappy Hipsters that our Trend Hunter Kate (Chicago & London) has shared with us...
The Ikea room so overwhelmed her that she abdicated all possessions (save a woven basket) and embarked on a journey of suburban foraging.
In celebration we thought we'd share the latest witty blog post from Unhappy Hipsters that our Trend Hunter Kate (Chicago & London) has shared with us...
The Ikea room so overwhelmed her that she abdicated all possessions (save a woven basket) and embarked on a journey of suburban foraging.
Thursday, 6 January 2011
We love Facebook but...
...can't ignore that there's a bit of a backlash.
Of course this anti-feeling is coming from a minority. With 27m users, Facebook is the UK's second most popular website after Google, so hardly at risk of a mass exodus. However, there is currently some kudos attached to deleting your account.
Part of the reason for this is Facebook's own success. So many people use it it often feels compulsory to have a Facebook profile now, especially for under 35 year olds. When a Facebook invite is often the only invitation to a party, it leads people to question if they want to rely on a networking site to organise their real-life relationships.
There is also some disillusionment as an increasing number of people start to wonder if there is any real value in having 500+ 'friends' (see our previous blog post about anti-social networks). Any majority behaviour is always going to encourage some 'rebellion' in the opposite direction, so there's also an element of a minority looking to distance themselves from the crowd.
We came across this video on YouTube the other day, You need to get off Facebook. Nicely produced, it summarises a lot of the reasons some people are choosing to leave Facebook. See what you think!
Of course this anti-feeling is coming from a minority. With 27m users, Facebook is the UK's second most popular website after Google, so hardly at risk of a mass exodus. However, there is currently some kudos attached to deleting your account.
Part of the reason for this is Facebook's own success. So many people use it it often feels compulsory to have a Facebook profile now, especially for under 35 year olds. When a Facebook invite is often the only invitation to a party, it leads people to question if they want to rely on a networking site to organise their real-life relationships.
There is also some disillusionment as an increasing number of people start to wonder if there is any real value in having 500+ 'friends' (see our previous blog post about anti-social networks). Any majority behaviour is always going to encourage some 'rebellion' in the opposite direction, so there's also an element of a minority looking to distance themselves from the crowd.
We came across this video on YouTube the other day, You need to get off Facebook. Nicely produced, it summarises a lot of the reasons some people are choosing to leave Facebook. See what you think!
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