Digital Connections

Lionel Messi: He didn't have the hand of god, just his feet.

Fantastic example of simple and strong ad copy by DDP Paris,

..brought to attention by the chaps at Ads Of The World.

Advertising Agency: DDB Paris, France
Copywriter: Olivier Lefebvre

Creative Director: Alexandre Hervé
Art Director: Benjamin Marchal
Illustrator: Monsieur Barbe
Published: December 2009

3DTV, Changing The Game For Sports Consumption In 2010

January 2010 has been something breakthrough in world of 3D Television, no longer are we talking about cardboard glasses with red and white cellophane lenses, things have moved on and instead we’re talking about:

• James Cameron’s Avatar racing towards becoming the highest grossing film of all time.

• All of the major TV manufacturers launching 3DTV models at CES 2010 in Las Vegas. 

• O2’s announcement that they’ll be screening the Six Nations Rugby in 3D at Odeon and Cineworld cinemas.

So how big is 3D TV going to be in 2010, and which areas will see the biggest impact?

Many people are asking “Haven’t we been here before with HDTV? “. After all we’ve all stood in Dixons or John Lewis and stared at a bank of TV screens, desperately squinting to try and see the difference between conventional TV and HDTV – dismissing the extra cost as too great.

But that isn’t the case with 3D - the difference is obvious, consumers don’t need to be convinced, its genuine innovation and that’s why I’m convinced that 3D will succeed.

Unfortunately there is a shortage of 3D movie content for 2010, a few classics will be made available and the film studios will begin to make more 3D movies – but there is still going to be a shortage of 3D available for the home.

Not everything is suited to 3D, I’m pretty sure that we won’t be watching Eastenders or Newsnight in 3D –actually the thought of 3D Eastenders chills me to the bone.

Gaming is tailor-made for 3D, it’ll be cheaper and easier to create 3D content and gamers stare directly at the monitor in immersive gameplay for hours so they’ll really get the 3D benefit.

But the area that I’m really interested in is sport and 3D. Sports content is the without doubt the best broadcast content suited for 3D, and the area that consumers will really engage with 3D.

ESPN have announced that they will be showing 25 football matches during the 2010 FIFA World Cup, including the opening game, South Africa v Mexico, on 11th June.

Through ad agency AIS, O2 have also announced that they are screening some of the RBS 6 Nations in 3D. It’ll be interesting to see how many rugby fans actually wish to spend a Saturday afternoon in an Odeon Cinema rather than drinking with their mates down the pub. Perhaps the 3D cinemas will attract a younger audience.  And for O2 it’s a room full of brand receptive fans - putting O2 at the forefront of innovation.

Some sports will be more suited to 3D than others, and for 3D to be a success then rugby and football have to be successful. It’ll be interesting to see the TV manufacturers marketing campaigns behind 3D, sports sponsorship must look very attractive – I suspect we’ll see an increase in sport / team sponsorship with an increase in ground advertising during the World Cup and during the  2010/11 seasons.

So how big is 3D TV going to be in 2010? Well I’m not saying that 2010 is going to be the year of 3D, but it’s definitely going to be the birth of 3D.

LightLane: Using Lasers To Create A Boundary For Cyclists

As a cyclist and driver, I have sympathy with a) cyclists who feel that they are treated unfairly by drivers and b) drivers who find it hard to see cyclists. Its pretty hard to see a cyclist in busy traffic during the day, let alone at night. My commute takes me out of London into unlit country lanes, and as a result I don't commute during the winter when its dark for my entire journey.

Two designers, Evan Gant and Alex Tee, have designed LightLane, a product which would make life easier for cyclists. What started off as an entry into the 2009 International Design Excellence Awards, won Gold, is now patent pending, was picked up by Wired Magazine and fingers crossed that Alex and Evan can get it into production.

Using lasers affixed to the rear seat-post of a bike, LightLane projects a virtual bike lane around the rider creating a personal cycling lane and boundary for the rider.

Now whilst this isn't perfect, and many drivers still wont notice - its a great idea that should make drivers think and hopefully give cyclists a wider berth. Although I doubt it would protect cyclists from idiots like James Martin (Brad Wiggins v James Martin post is here)

So good luck to Alex and Evan at Lightlane, I hope they can get the LightLane product manufactured - its a great idea and I for one like it!

Come on guys - get it off the ground!

When Consumers Become Producers: Four Quentin Tarantino Video Mixes

Previously most media that was available for public consumption was produced by professionals, in special rooms with special hi tech equipment.

The interesting change over the last decade is that mass technology has allowed the former consumers to become the producers.

Of course while not everybody has the talent of Quentin Tarantino and the ability to generate original stylised movies,

Everybody does now have access to the library of content that he's generated.

So just for fun...here are my top 4, Quentin Tarantino video remixes

1) Eclectic Method: The Tarantino Mix Tape

2) Pulp Fiction Audio Mix: What you see is what you hear

3) James Hyman / Quentin Tarantino: Mash Up (Movie Trailer - Test Version 1)

4) Eclectic Methods: Kill Bill Remixed

Three Brand Logos with Hidden Symbolism

I'm definitely not the first person to blog about the design of these 3 logos, and I'm sure that I won't be the last.

These examples of symbolism in may be very obvious to some people, but I'd never noticed them until recently brought to my attention.

Toblerone

Toblerone was created by Theodor Tobler in Bern, Switzerland.

And Bern's heraldic animal for over 7 centuries is, the bear.

Look closely in the middle of the mountain... and you'll see a bear.

Amazon

I must have seen the Amazon logo millions of times, but have never noticed the arrow connecting the letters A and Z.

Signifying that Amazon stocks everything from A to Z.

The arrow is in the shape of a smile for customer satisfaction.

FedEx

If you look carefully between the E and the x, then you can see an embedded arrow.

The arrow is used as a symbol for speed and delivery, both FedEx communicative attributes.

There an interview with Lindon Leader the designer of the FedEx logo here at "The Sneeze".