Technology began as an austere, cold concept. Technology as we understand it going into 2010 has evolved so far from those fearful notions of Y2K in 1999. In 1999 computers and technology were helpful parts of life, yet still feared. Uncertainty, uncontrolled-lest we forget the sheer terror of the clock striking midnight December 31, 1999? What is this machine capable of when the numbers changed?  But times are a changing as we shift into a new decade. Technology is yet again re-born with a more human face. And no, I’m not talking about Max Headroom.

But how and why did this happen? Well, it started when innovation found a soul and beating heart. And then the magic began. The machine became less…machine-y. Thanks to brands like Apple, technology became approachable and easy.  Designed FOR humans and the way they interact and behave rather than just pure utility. Techno-phobes, who were plagued with deep-set fears of being unable to program a VCR began to dissipate. Technology became our friend and trusted partner.

Then this little thing called social media emerged. And suddenly (actually not so suddenly) technology wasn’t so scary any more. It became what connects us to other people, places and things in our lives that truly matter. “Googling” became the way to answer life’s great questions. And soon enough, life without technology was a distant memory.

I don’t often write about a single campaign persay, but this is going to be an exception. The Google Chrome work is just too good to not talk about here. BBH Labs London/NYC and Glue have put together a fabulous series of video vignettes in support of Google Chrome-bringing to life the heart and functionality of the Chrome browser.

Click here to view the embedded video.

This is a case study epitomizes so many things that illustrate the “best in show” of campaigns: storytelling, a “big idea” (and to some degree, a series of smaller ideas that build into a big idea) and extraordinary creative execution.  Watching “the making of” is quite an experience. The meticulous (and potentially dangerous!) use of mercury, harpists delicately interpreting the finest motions (wearing a mask) and the absolute passion of the crocheting director is awe-inspiring. And it made cold technology something warm and inviting. It was a human experience. In that beautiful notion of life and art meeting technology. In a very Google sort of way.

Click here to view the embedded video.

What is a “google experience” –to anyone who attended the recent planning conference reading this, let’s go back to that session building apps for Chrome. We learned that everything about google is about solving user problems without ever disturbing the user experience. Seamless integration. But it always comes back to being about appealing to the most human needs in technology. This campaign is an artful, fun and approachable manifestation of that idea.

You MUST read this article from BBH Labs to get a true appreciation:

http://bbh-labs.com/google-chrome-behind-the-scenes

Quirky.com is a delightfully smart website that allows dreamers, inventors, creative people alike to bring their best and biggest ideas for the marginal cost of $99. Not bad for market research, product development and ultimately potentially even product development. And then there’s the collaborating–it’s essentially built on the same kind of social framework we know and love from our other social activities on the web. It allows for comments, and as the product gets closer to development ALL who contributed to the final product will get a “portion” of their final earnings.

www.quirky.com

Quirky in 30 Seconds

Now are any quirky members gazillionaires off of their inventions? No. Or should I say, not yet.  But the mere ability for this kind of collaborative creativity is endless. This is but the first step in a world of boundless innovation. It’s an exciting time!

A few very gorgeous little inventions. Very interested in the split stick–so smart! One side your personal, the other your work info–if only we could compartmentalize ALL of our lives that easily…

Twitter is changing the way we get the news. Good or bad, the real-time updating is quickly replacing the “breaking news” on CNN. There are so many factors that contribute to this ease of information sharing–the very nature of twitter, the lack of restrictions, the 140 character bite size of information doesn’t require hours of pontification and long winded explanations, and on and on. And anyone can do it. Heck, if I felt so compelled I too could start a trending story. Which is how the crazy stories start as well-like on the day Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett passed the story of Jeff Goldblum also passing came up…it’s simply a derivative of the madness. We as viewers/listners just need to become more astoot and discerning when it comes to taking in information.

But does this mean that you or I will be the next MSNBC? Not so fast.

Slowly news organizations are getting smart to this and starting to take notice. In a recent example, Minneapolis/St. Paul TV station WCCO tweeted about Brett Favre coming out of retirement (the non-sports girl scratches her head) before their article went up to reduce the risk of being scooped.

In an interesting piece on Mashable ( http://mashable.com/2009/08/18/mainstream-news-twitter/ ) outlined three core reasons to “give in” to the ways of Twitter.

To avoid being scooped.

Because there is value in awareness.

To reach new audiences.

In reality, news organizations have to take part in the conversation. And sooner the better. Or else this gal may scoop your story.

@thaz7

(Image via: toothpastefordinner.com)

Thinking Space: http://thinkingspace.economist.com/

In this shrinking voyaristic world, there’s something oddly intriguing about peering into another (creative!) person’s work space. Thinking Space does just that (in a beautiful seamless experience) offering up not only visuals, but descriptors of why the space is important, interesting links, and more information on the individual. The last (and possibly most critical inspiration!) is a playlist that the individual uses to inspire.  And it’s not “just” the famously fabulous creative minds of our world. Anyone can submit their space. Look for me some day soon.

sputnik observatory: http://sptnk.org/

The Sputnik Observatory for Contemporary Culture is a New York not-for-profit educational organization dedicated to the study of contemporary culture. Their mission is to ” …by documenting, archiving, and disseminating ideas that are shaping modern thought by interviewing leading thinkers in the arts, sciences and technology from around the world” There is a fearlessness that fuels this immense collection of thought. This mind-boggling experience challenges you to think in ways you may never have thought before. As you go on the journey through this expansive experience, you can choose themes to explore, or people to “converse” with through these short video monologues.

Ideas are energy.
Your brain is a satellite.
Out there is your mind.

(Sputnik Observatory)

And it’s not what you’re thinking. No, it has nothing to do with re-usable grocery bags or hybrid cars (even though I’m in love with the new Prius. That’s a different post). In a show of solidarity in the “tweetsphere” tweeters are around the world encouraged to “go green”, give your avatar on Twitter a greensish hue through Helpiran.org.  Why is going green so important? Glad you asked.

There are so many people who hate the idea of twitter and believe it’s the next fad–”who cares about if you just ate a hamburger?” But wait a minute–it’s changing the world. In the days of the Cold War, Tienanmen Square and thousands of other times in history when we wish we could just have a glimpse of what was going on on the other side. And now we can. In 140 characters.The idea of real-time is finally a reality.This generation “gets” it. Communication is now about free-flowing ideas and instantaneous information. Anything less is simply unacceptable.

Technology is changing the course of history. Political factions and technology haters can fight it all they like. Like it or not, the world is a very different place because of “social media”. In fact, using that term feels so incredibly dated and irrelevant I hate to even use it. It trivializes it to something that will come and go. Newsflash: it’s not about Myspace, Facebook, creating widgets, apps, or whatever else. If it was that simple, things like the CNN backlash would never have happened:

“When CNN failed to give the Iranian election the attention it deserved, Twitter users bashed the network with the #CNNFail hashtag, which trended on Twitter for an entire day. CNN subsequently revised its coverage, making the Iranian political situation one of its most prominent stories (while failing completely to acknowledge that they’d failed to do so in the first place).” (www.twittown.com)

The world is changing kids. Hold on. We’ve only begun.

If you would like to show your support of our the Iranians please click here and “go green” with me and thousands of others: http://helpiranelection.com/

So if you follow this blog, you’ll know that I love these new fangled terms that pop up in well, popular culture. My latest obsession is the idea of sustaethics-new category of artfully designed products coupled with sustainable materials and/or building processes. Ever since the “green movement” began, there has been talk of how this movement was about more than just being a “crunchy” green–I hate the phrase, but I’ll use it here — “birkenstock wearing tree huggers” (and for the record I have owned birkenstocks and come rather close to hugging trees), this iteration of the movement has been decidedly modern and I daresay, stylish.

Alfredo Häberli has worked for companies like Alias, Camper and Kvadrat and is able to blend – as his name implies – two very different cultures. Born in Argentina, he now works and lives in Zürich, has designed some great pieces of sustainable furniture. His simple designs are not gratuitous, overly designed pieces, rather have a unique and simple feel that have a really honest, yet luxurious feel to them.

“For me, sustainability is to create designs that are fun and honest. Thoughtful, expressive design has always been sustainable… Switzerland used to be considered boring because of its careful, eco-conscious culture. Now this is sexy!”

Source: http://www.carbodydesign.com/archive/2009/05/08-bmw-design-talk-villa-d-este-2009/

When I first saw Zulu Alpha Kilo’s “Thinking Inside the Box” experiment, I immediately drew this connection…they were acting as a modern day Lucy!

Thinking Inside the Box, had them set up a 9X14 box in the middle of downtown Toronto, and offered up creative problem solving for passers by. Questions ranged from the mundane (how do I convince my husband we should go on vacation?) to the complex (How do we use art to help bridge the gap between classes and cultures?) The result? An incredible online archive of creative thought and one heck of a PR move for the agency. And I would venture a bet, a feeling of camaraderie amongst agency creatives that would be difficult to rival anywhere else.

Their founding principle is the world could use more creativity and what a truly beautiful manifestation. It’s thinking like this that makes an ad girl PROUD to be a part of this wonky, wonderful community.

Go on. Think inside the box. I dare you.

Check out their work:

http://thinkinginsidethebox.ca/

1. Jobs are the New Assets
2. Recycling the Suburbs
3. The New Calvinism
4. Reinstating the Interstate
5. Amortality
6. Africa as Business Destination
7. The Rent-a-Country
8. Biobanks
9. Survival Stores
10. Ecological Intelligence
(Time Magazine, March 23, 2009)

Of course the underlying message is one that echoes our current economic conditions. But beyond I have to believe that everyone has got to look beyond. It’s not going to be downward forever. And if it is, then how are we just going to learn to DEAL and make the best of the situation rather than just wallow in what could have been. Times like this are on record for being the times for greatest INNOVATION. A few of these allude to it, but I believe that what’s missing is this link of faith in great thinking and great minds. And thankfully we don’t have to look much farther than our new president…

Ah, the eternal battle-which gender is better, stronger, faster. Leave it to Nike to take on the challenge of figuring out who owns the title. Regardless of how “athletic” you are, chances are you can relate to this primal call to action-come on, we’ve all been doing it since preschool. Boys versus girls. It works globally. It works on the most local of levels. Now this is what I call a “big idea”.

The program has already had more than 10,000 people sign up-even before traditional media hit! Star-studded ads are merely one component of this TRULY integrated campaign. It literally makes every consumer an ACTIVE (haha) participant in the communication. Social media is a huge component of this campaign, but cannot be looked at in a vacuum. Every piece of the puzzle is crucial to the ultimate success of the program. The fascinating thing is that EVERY communication feels like it’s part of a whole-not merely checking off a box on the integrated wheel. It’s purposeful and the message resonates every step of the way. Simple. Clear. Conversational.

Time to open up the conversation brands, Nike’s leading the way…

The underdog? The runt of the litter? Maybe all of us can relate to it or what it stands for in a bigger realm of understanding. Whether its Mr. Bean getting caught up in in his copious escapades down the streets of London in his yellow mini or me just going through my everyday life-MINI allows us to be quirky. And it’s not only socially accepted, but cool…

Let’s couple this quirkyness with the ultimate in quirky cool-the laid back surfer. And what do we get? Pure genius. Thanks to the Republic of Fritz Hansen- the mashup of MINI and Airstream…a little something I’ve heard called “Retrofuturism”. Two (truly!) iconic brands, (Airstream has been around since the 1930s and MINI’s roots to the 1960s) unite with an interior consisting of all the modern luxuries we’ve come to enjoy and revel in.

Amazing.

Source: Republic of Fritz Hansen,
Source: http://www.autoblog.com/2009/03/12/retrofuturism-mini-and-airstream-team-up-for-one-off/