Category: Videos

A Spot of Cat-Sourcing

Creativity, Crowdsourcing, Videos

We all love the idea of crowd sourcing – getting ordinary people to use their creativity, energy and skills to complete a task. But how does that apply to non-people based brands and products? What if you are, say, a pet food company like Purina Friskies and wanted to apply the principles of crowd sourcing? Maybe you could get the cats of the world to don cameras and shoot A Day in the Life of Mitzy. Well, that’s kind of what they have done.

Check it out.

Oh, and if you really are a cat person, don’t forget to download a cat ringtone from their website.

Gen Y – Where Did They Come From?

Videos

This interesting video from BOX1824, a Brazillian research company combines the data from several studies. It nicely weaves the story of Gen Y (“Millennials … whatever”)  by looking at where they came from, how they express themselves and what pressures, connections and disjunctures are shaping their sense of themselves and how and where they belong in the world.

As Zoe Scaman suggests, "it’s perfect for introducing clients to this demographic & their behaviours". Expect to see this coming to a presentation deck near you. 

We All Want to Be Young from box1824 on Vimeo.

A Cup of Chaos #49: The Single Origin Experience

Coffee Mornings, Cup of Chaos, Social Media, Videos

Regular readers will know that I love coffee. And that my favourite cafe is Single Origin in Sydney’s Surry Hills. Well, after talking about blogs and blogging during Coffee Mornings for the last four or so years, the good ship Single Origin are on-board with social media and doing a great job of it!

You can check out their What’s in the Hopper blog here or subscribe through an RSS reader here.

And to give you a taste of what they are serving up, check out this hilarious video review of Canned Coffees from the land of the rising sun. Awesome voice over, camera work and interpretation from Jimmy.

Would You Dare to Work Here?

Social Media, Videos

I can’t begin to tell you how much I love this video from Dare Digital in London. I love the way the story is told – the facts, the quirks, the humour. I love the self-deprecating style and the understated narrator. And I love the way that it draws us in and then gives us a call to action – and works across platforms (in this case from YouTube to Facebook).

Perhaps, most importantly, for a business attempting to attract young creatives (but the same applies to anyone), it does so in a way that demonstrates the company’s culture while remaining on message (you see, it can be done).

Would you want to work for a company that sells itself like this? Do you feel you get enough of a sense of the business culture to fit right into the business? Or equally, does it appear that you would not fit (perhaps you don’t own a checkered shirt).

The 10 Most Popular Topics on the Web

Social Media, Videos

The web has been a geek paradise for decades. There are massive sites focusing on technology and gadgets, places you can buy everything from desktop computers through to TVs and blogs/platforms dedicated to “tech stuff” in all its forms. So you’d think that technology would be the most popular topic on the web, right? Interestingly, in this episode of MonitorChat.TV, the first tech topic represented in the list comes in at #2 – gaming. But, by a significant margin, the most popular topic on the web is … health. And it seems this is universal.

Health remains the #1 topic in all of the surveyed countries. And – importantly – it’s not just “information” that we are seeking. We seek the input of others – of those in our social networks. So if you are in the business of health and you are not yet considering the social dimension of your patient, supplier, partner and practitioner base, then you may find your competitors leaving you behind. Interesting times indeed!

Oh and if you want to see the other eight topics, check out the video.

Google Ups the Ante this Instant

Pop Culture, Videos, Web/Tech

As we rush ever faster towards the latest thing we risk being overwhelmed – by data, life, connections – the to do list that sits threateningly at the edge of our consciousness. In an age where the act of doing – of performance – supersedes the act of being, we can sometimes look over our shoulders and realise that while only twelve months has passed, it seems like a lifetime. The pace of change is certainly accelerating.

How do we cope?

Despite our often pathological resistance to change, human beings are supremely well adapted. We can quickly and consciously change our behaviours, our environments and our ways of thinking. We can assimilate technology, create innovation and do so single mindedly.

Google Instant taps into these evolutionary traits, giving us instant matches to our search terms. Now we don’t even have to wait to press the I’m Feeling Lucky button.

And while I like the cleverness of this technology, I am more impressed with the video clip that Google are using to launch it. It’s a nice piece of high-tech high touch that John Naisbitt would be proud of.

A Cup of Chaos #44: Gruen Transfer Pitch Challenge Yields Results

Cup of Chaos, Videos

It seems that ABC TV's Gruen Transfer has hit a home run with their latest episode. The show, which provides a behind-the-scenes panel discussion of the advertising industry, is showcasing election-related advertising at present. One of the segments – The Pitch – sees two agencies go head-to-head over a creative brief. The team from Republic of Everyone created the ad below.

The Greens have asked whether they can run it as part of their campaign. Of course, the ABC cannot allow that to happen, as reported, but the clip is clearly an online favourite. It's certainly creating a cup – maybe even a cup and a half of chaos. Nice work!


My Kinda Sport: Puma After Hours Athlete

Social Media, Storytelling, Videos

What does it mean when we say that a brand “gets it”? I don’t necessarily mean in relation to social media – but in general? It means that we have reached an intuitive accord – that our values align. That there has been some form of exchange – I’ve been delighted unexpectedly by a purchase, surprised by the sales process, charmed by the account team.

In the world of advertising, we don’t see enough of this. It’s why the good work stands out so far. And while we should see more of it in social media, in reality it’s still rare. I think, in part, because we are still feeling our way – tentatively looking at the envelope rather than pushing it around.

But here’s something I like. It’s not necessarily social – but it tells the story of being social. Perhaps it’s the start of a story yet to unfold.

This ad (HT to Sean Howard), from Puma and Droga5 reminds us that sometimes, simply being social is the most challenging feat of athleticism many of us are likely to experience. Do we need special gear for that? It seems we do.