We’re an inventive agency obsessed with turning complex information into simple, creative communication. Obsessed.
This ain’t your grandma’s barcode for tomato soup. The evolution of identification codes continues and we now see new applications for the not so new technology popping up everywhere. If you don’t know what that funny looking black and white box above this text is, stand by. If you do, feel free to skip past the history lesson. Continue reading ‘Is “QR” Code for Happiness?’
Evidently Toronto is a good place to be right now. Especially if your intent is to create engaging video content for a hungry Canadian Internet market. The jury is out, and the verdict is that Canadians watch online video more than any other country in the world. The crazy Canucks just can’t get enough. Continue reading ‘Canada’s Internet Video Addiction’
Today marks the YouTube premiere of Evidently’s latest project -- Smober Up -- work of which we’re crazy proud.
I’ll describe it quickly to you here, but I encourage you to click the link just above to see it in its natural surrounds…
First off, some context.
One in 5 Canadians smoke. Two-thirds of them report that they’re desperate to quit. And once they’ve decided to quit, most will fail (repeatedly) before they succeed.
Smober Up is a 10-part docu-reality series that chronicles the real life experiences of eight Canadians as they try to quit smoking. Continue reading ‘Evidently’s latest creative launches: Smober Up’
It all started in April 2005 when a 19-second video clip was uploaded to an unknown website. A year later, that same website had over 100 million daily hits. That website is YouTube, an internet giant and household name across the globe. Continue reading ‘The rise and rise of YouTube’
Anyone else thinking what I was thinking when they first watched the latest Lady Gaga video extravaganza? Continue reading ‘Lady Gaga & the art of product placement’
Over the weekend, Demi Moore and Nia Vardalos may have helped keep a Florida teen from committing suicide. A teen neither had ever met. Continue reading ‘Twitter Saves Lives (?)’
I clearly have a strange obsession with Lady Gaga.
After writing the below blog post, I have found myself eagerly checking LadyGaga.com on an almost daily basis in anticipation of her new video release for Telephone. So how excited was I to find out it has its world premiere on her site tomorrow? Very.
It’ll be on here as soon as I’ve seen it…watch this space!
Gaga? I don’t think so. The woman is the opposite.
Lady Gaga is so hot right now. From zero to superstar in a matter of months, she’s a self-styled marketing Queen. And the secret of her success? Two words: Social Media. Continue reading ‘Gaga ooh la la!’
I watched this video for the first time yesterday. It had about 109,000 hits at the time. Today, more than 1,200,000.
Could this be OK Go’s triumphant comeback, having relinquished their most-insanely-highly-watched-music-vid-on-YouTube title to Lady Gaga…Miley Cyrus…Vanessa Hudgens…and umm…Susan Boyle?
You be the judge.
p.s. I think yes. I loved it. But weirdly, I can’t really remember how the song goes…
So far, little has been covered in the mass media over here in the UK about the internet’s most recent and shamelessly chaotic (and hellish/hilarious) addition to the social ‘interaction’ cauldron.
This is despite the fact that its numbers have reportedly soared from a few hundred into the dozens of thousands since its launch last December. Why, it’s chatroulette.com of course and it’s based on the simple premise of bringing complete strangers face to face via webcam until one or the other decides they’ve had enough of you..and clicks onto the next.
Wonderful. Or is it?
Well no, it isn’t…because of the few who spoil it for the many, or in this case the many who spoil it for the few.
Enter at your own risk!
I have a confession to make… I like learning. I’d much rather watch a documentary on some ancient society I’ve never heard of than watch any of the useless reality TV drivel that pollutes our screens these days. That isn’t to say that TV is all rubbish. Shows like QI and University Challenge are brilliant ways to learn interesting pieces of trivia but you’re never in control of what you’re learning. For tailored intellectual stimulation I recommend one of the most amazing online resources I’ve ever come across… TED.com. Continue reading ‘Like school…but better’
You didn’t misread the headline… I’m deadly serious, after 23 years of spending millions on Super Bowl advertising Pepsi has decided to opt out this year in favour of putting their money into a social media project they’re calling, The Pepsi Refresh Project. Continue reading ‘Pepsi Ditches the Super Bowl…’
Obama
H1N1
Stimulus
Vampire
If, hundreds of years from now, some lucky anthropologist were to stumble across the above list…what do you think they’d make of 2009? Hmm. Deadly virus mutates online swallowing up the world’s first internet President in 140-character bites? It’s interesting this – tracking our word trends. There’s lots to keep a handle on too…apparently English gains almost 15 new words a day.
You can find out more here at the Global Language Monitor. They’ve got 2009’s ‘most used words’ ranked for you. And it goes well beyond the top 5 I’ve given you, above.
Clever colleague of mine just remarked that if we all wrote nothing but “Obama” on our blogs and Twitter feeds until the end of December…we might well turn the tide.
Who’s in?
As the year draws to a close, it’s time to reflect back on what’s gone before. If you’re winding down at work and look for a 5 (45) minute diversion, check out WhattheTrend.com for tracking and analysis of tons of this past year’s trends…intersting: between “BBQ,” “TGIF” and “Swine Flu,” which do you think ranked most active in 2009?
Cool. Though webcam-driven AR apps can still be a little tricky/painful to use…this one from AKQA/USPS is actually a great leap forward in justifying their utility.
Yes it would be handy to know what size box I need before I go ahead and set up a shipment…thanks (but only in the US)!
On December 7th, Starbucks and (RED) gathered musicians from all over the world to join in the first ever global sing-a-long in support of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS. At exactly 8:30am ET voices around the world joined together to sing The Beatles classic, ‘All You Need is Love.’ Continue reading ‘Starbucks Spreads the Love…’
In an industry like comms, riddled with everyday cliches, it’s nice to come across a few brave souls willing to push the envelope, challenge the norm and really take it to the extreme.
So, if you want a 10-min break before escaping work, check out photocliches.com, a site set up specifically to showcase those special photos from the far corners of the internet that most perfectly embody the spirit of cliche.
A refreshing look at, well, totally unrefreshing ideas.
p.s. I think the photo comments were the highlight for me.
p.p.s. I take no responsibility for having exposed you to this site if you decide it’s offensive!
News today that the rocker and his son have made a deal: son gets 1 million fans on Facebook, dad finally quits smoking. Can it work?
We’ve seen fan/follower targets before – CNN/aplusk, Drew Carey, and more recently Gilbert Arenas…but is this new twist going to effect the behavioural change Mellencamp’s son is ultimately after? Popularity is one thing…fundraising for charity another…but quitting smoking is a personal commitment & a daily challenge. Can social influence stretch so far? Continue reading ‘Mellencamp’s son starts Facebook page to stop him smoking’
As a kid, I was always itching to get my hands on a violin. I’m not even particularly musical; I just really wanted those violin lessons. A decade later, I can definitely see why my parents might have wanted to avoid the screeching sounds of tortured cat gut floating serenely through the house. Nowadays though, it looks like parents might not have to fork out to enable their children to take lessons from professional musicians.
I don’t have words left to express my horror. So I’ll lazily share a YT vid instead. Good lord.
p.s. I wonder how many people walked out of the store with Zunes in their pockets while this was going on. Probably none.
Upon discovering this month that I am a mere two degrees from Kevin Bacon I’ve wondered what else I might be degrees away from… Continue reading ‘Six Degrees of Honda?’
Seriously. It’s happening. Bring chips.
Crop circles are no longer fodder for terrible Mel Gibson movies and the stories of small town America…at least they won’t be if Google has anything to say about it. The mysterious crop circle logo showed up again on Tuesday of this week, the second alien reference this month, only this time Google employed Twitter.com to share a set of map co-ordinates leading internet users to: 51.327629, -0.5616088. According to Guardian News, the co-ordinates lead to a small town in Surrey, Horsell, made famous by H.G. Wells as the location of the first UFO landing in the classic 1898 novel “War of the Worlds”.
Canadians all over the country enjoyed a small victory yesterday when the iconic Tim Hortons brand announced that they would not, after all, be sponsoring “Marriage & Family Day” hosted by the National Organisation for Marriage (NOM) an American association that campaigns against gay marriage.
OK, so I may be a bit behind the times with this, but hey, it’s a real revelation.
I recently came across a piece of software that, when you download it to your computer, causes it to produce ultraviolet rays. Gone are the days of shambling home pale and wan from hours in the office: you finally can put all that time spent staring at your screen to good use, and will emerge sun-kissed and glowing in no time. Yippee! Before I knew where I was I’d clicked on the free trial, I’d aligned my face with the designated markers that appeared on my webcam, I was all set for calibration to kick in and begin my tan-tastic experience. Seriously. Continue reading ‘Computer Tan’
I always wonder when I see YT videos like this — will this get him a job? Or some sweet contract? Or his big break? (in the cut-throat world of Rubik’s Cube resolution)
Well, whatever happens -- you have to be impressed with this dude. Even if he memorized every move by rote, the dexterity and coordination required to do this are pretty phenomenal. God I hope you watched the video before you read that last line.
I recently came across a re-worded version of Bonnie Tyler’s classic music video, ‘Total Eclipse of the Heart.’ I couldn’t stop laughing and I’ve noticed more and more of this style of ‘music video’ are cropping up. Check it out -- genius!
TWEET TWEET
Policy be damned: social media happens anyway
Google’s SideWiki (currently in beta) lets you to post a comment on any webpage. Literally – any one. So don’t worry if your favourite brand hasn’t quite caught up…if they’ve turned off the comment function or they refuse to engage with their sweet sweet FB fanpage…now you can give your opinion wherever they give theirs. Well, just to the left, actually. But still.