Random Culture

Virgin America: Let VA Fly

Virgin is trying to launch "Virgin America", but the US Department of Transportation has tentatively rejected their airline application. In response, Virgin America has launched a "grassroots" campaign called "Let VA Fly." It's very similar to the public opinion campaign that Southwest launched in Texas, called "Set Love Free." As you know... Southwest saw a great response, and that's why I can now fly Southwest from Dallas to Kansas City.

Virgin has set up a website at www.letvafly.com. Here's a screenshot.

One of the reasons I think this campaign will be successful is that the new Airbus planes they're using are friggin' AMAZING. Don't believe me? Check out this video they've postd on YouTube:

Mood lighting, technology... what more could you ask for?

The "Vend Trend"

Kevin Dugan at PR Blog has put together a a great video on his trend for 2007, "The Vend Trend." I feel a bit vindicated (no pun intended), because it's become a running joke in my office that whenever we talk about alternative ideas for offline marketing, I bring up vending machines... FOR EVERYTHING. Check out the video here:

Starbucks "Salon"

The Starbucks "Salon" is, according to the site, a "nomadic interactive coffee house, gallery and performance venue rolled into one." It just wrapped up in New York, and will travel around the world to other cities. Check out the great website built to support the Salon here.

Link via Influx Insights. Check out their post for more details.

Cool Hunting Video: July 2006

Check out the latest installment of the "Fresh Market" videos, from Nicolo Gorini at Chuco. They're the "cool hunting" practice at JWT. It's a nice video compilation of some of the latest and greatest advertising from around the world, with a heavy focus on outdoor and guerrilla marketing.

Starbucks Summer Pursuit

Starbucks has launched a summer "scavenger hunt" promotion, the Starbucks Summer Pursuit. Participants are asked trivia questions via a series of text message clues.

Here's the interesting part... they can answer the questions simply by submitting a picture taken on their camera phone. The technology that makes this possible is "intelligent image recognition", developed by a company called Mobot.

As the folks at Influx Insights point out... there are a ton of applications for this type of technology.

Cool Hunting Video: May 2006

Here's the latest installment of the "Fresh Market" video series from Chuco, the "cool hunting community" of JWT. Enjoy!

If you're interested in the April video I posted about last month, you can find it here.

Billboard Dispenses Posters

The folks at MIT Advertising Lab point to a street billboard in Argentina that dispenses posters with the push of a button. Watch it in action below:

More Manhole-covertising

Nothing says "get up!" like a steaming cup of New York City sewer... Great idea, but a weird association. The reported agency behind these Folgers ads is Saatchi & Saatchi New York.

Link via Coloribus.

Cool Hunting Video

Nicolo Gorini from Chuco, the "cool hunting" practice at JWT, sent out a nice video compilation of some outdoor and guerrilla marketing work from around the world. Nicola was kind enough to let me post it here... enjoy!

Wheelvertising 2.0

Forget generic images on the hubcabs of taxi cabs as advertising... there's something even better now. The "pimp star" from Dub Wheels is a new wheel with LEDs that allows you to load images on your wheels as you drive down the street. Learn more about it at Customwheel.com. According to the site:

"With the PimpStar's built-in full color LED lights, microprocessor and wireless modem, you can display virtually any image, including text, graphics, logos, and even digital photos!"

Make sure you check out this video of them in action. Pretty impressive, but they'll cost you.

The Onion vs. Stealth Marketing

"I'd Love This Product Even If I Weren't A Stealth Marketer" is a hilarious story from "The Onion", about a fictitious product called "Mountain Dew True Blue". From the article:

Honestly, this awesome beverage packs such a punch, you'd practically have to pay me not to pretend to talk about it on my cell phone when I'm in earshot of consumers in the coveted 17-34 demographic.

Link via the WOMMA Newsletter.

Hasbro High Art

Hasbro has launched The Pony Project, an exhibition of My Little Pony dolls customized by artists and designers. You can get a sneak peak at the website, and the exhibition opens October 21 at the Milk Gallery. Link via Dopefiend.

Louis Vuitton Guerrilla

Apparently, Louis Vuitton needs saving. Despite skyrocketing profits, they've enlisted the help of some very enthusiastic college students, willing to work for fee in the service of their guerrilla marketing efforts.

Here's a pretty good breakdown of how Louis Vuitton showed up at Yale, including some conversations with the people who carried it out. This raises some pretty interesting questions... I can't help being a little put off by the whole "save louis" theme, but I'd be interested to hear about student reactions in general to this particular incident.

Link via Agenda Inc.

Axe: Kidnapping as Marketing

Axe is capitalizing on the  Guerrilla marketing trend with staged kidnappings. AdLand posts in detail about the "random guy" kidnappings that Axe has been pulling in South Africa.