People spotted flying over New York

Is it a plane? Is it a bird? No, it's people flying through the air above New York City.

Actually these human-shaped RC planes were part of a viral marketing stunt for the launch of a new superhero movie, ‘Chronicle'.

Amazing video and would have been even better to have seen it in person.

See the video for yourself below:

All cooked up in the microwave!

Ever wondered what would happen to a watermelon, CD, egg or lightbulb cooked in a microwave. Well this ad for Moes Southwest Grill lets you find out.

But please don't try this at home.

A great ad for Bounce? Or is it?

This is a great ad for Bounce with a few surprises! We'll leave it at that.

Good viewing.

View in full screen for the full impact.

How PR stunts can go horribly wrong

German advertising agency Sassenbach came up with what appeared to be a great idea to create awareness for the 'wind and weather proof' messaging for the Mini Cooper.

The problem is that the stunt involved paying to name the cold front, now sweeping Europe, 'Cooper' after the Mini Cooper - a cold front that has claimed many lives.

Germany's meteorology institute allows the sponsorship of weather systems and the advertising agency says on its website that naming the front after the open-air vehicle was a "wind- and weather-proof idea".

It encouraged people to follow the path of the weather on meteorological websites and has also named a warmer weather front that will follow this one "Minnie".

This just shows how careful you need to be with PR stunts and how they can back fire! A great shame as it was a good idea.

By the way, can you get weather insurance for naming a weather front?

Click here for more info on the BBC

'Trendfear' and how it's impacting upon communications

There was a great article on the BBC website earlier this week by Tom de Castella looking at ‘Trendfear’ – the nagging anxiety at the back of your mind that you are missing out on something.   

While marketers traditionally referred to such groups as early adopters, in the digital world, where many of us find ourselves now living and working, just keeping up with what’s new is often a challenge. There is a potential for information overload, and conversely for only sharing information within or between specific groups.   

Tom cites the circumstance of finding yourself baffled by the rise of ‘dual screening’ – ie watching television and posting instant reactions on Twitter. However, for ardent fans (or critics) of a programme it's probably just the outlet they have been looking for.  What if you do feel left behind when you read a story in the newspaper when you could have been watching it unfold through digital media?

In communication terms it adds a layer of complexity to how we, as professionals, need to approach media strategies. But as consumers we also becoming more aware that trends, like some products we may have experienced, can fail to live up to the hype? 

For example, we’re keeping a watching brief on Pinterest* here at The Think Tank, and we think it will be great for sharing design ideas and inspirations. We’ll keep you updated.  

*An online pinboard where you can post images and inspiration (already in the top 10 social networks in the USA). Find out more here.

The latest installment in the VW saga - 'The Dog Strikes Back'

We feel that we are posting a lot of VW items but anyway, here is the latest installment of the VW saga - keep watching at the end!

360 degree view from the top of the Shard, London

Will Pearson has taken an amazing 360 image from the top of the Shard, London Bridge, 310m above London, on the night of the student protests in November 2010.

Will says 'You can see the police helicopters hovering over London above the demonstration. Technically this was a very difficult shoot, I was on the crane at the top of the Shard, and I had to wave at Andy the crane driver so he knew when he could rotate 45 degrees between the exposures.

The temperatures were well below freezing and if you look in the distance behind Canary Wharf you will see the snow on the hills. Technically this image is not perfect but I find it fascinating nonetheless.'

Find out more and see the 360 image here.

Getting ready for a crisis

We recently ran a crisis preparedness workshop for one of our clients which sparked lots of interesting debate.

One outcome was the development of a ‘crisis manual’, one that is comprehensive but also succinct, avoiding the danger of becoming so ‘big’ that no one will read it when it should be a useful, easy reference tool.   

For multi-site locations, the development of a common core element of company best practice can easily be supplemented with pertinent local information, added into each site-specific manual. Any organisation operating internationally should also ensure that appropriate ‘early warning systems’ and international information networks are in place that operate across borders.  

Another key outcome was the importance of your organisation being the principal trusted source of information for your own affairs, i.e. ensuring ‘ownership’ of your stakeholders through provision of information. This is increasingly a challenge in today’s networked world, with social media and ‘citizen journalists’, meaning there is little time before an issue becomes live and spreads across networks, potentially out of control.  

Lots to consider, and thanks to Magnus Carter of Mentor Ltd for all his input into the day too.

Volkswagen takes to the skies for parking

This amazing feat of engineering is Volkswagen's temporary vertical parking lot at their production facility in Wolfsburg, Germany.

16 storeys high, the silos are composed of glass and galvanized steel and are illuminated by night. A conveyor belt system transports finished cars directly from the adjacent manufacturing plant to the towers' basement and then lifts them into position via mechanical arms that rotate and run along a central beam.

Each silo can hold up to 400 cars at a time and deliver, with fitted number plates, around 600 vehicles to customers each day as well as acting as part of VW's Autostadt visitor attraction.

Find out more on DesignBoom