Unexpected signs on the tube

Here are a few funny fake signs that have been placed on the London Underground over the years.

You can see many more by clicking here.

Packaging that lights up when you pick it up

This great packaging design by Webb deVlam illuminates when you pick it up.

It features an illustration by Yehrin Tong  in electroluminescent ink which lights up when a hidden switch is activated on the bottom of the pack when lifted from the shelf.

A high impact way of engaging customers at point of sale.

Surprising ad for Samsung

This is a rather surprising ad for Samsung. Not one for those scared of spiders.

Enjoy!

World Building 2012 award announced

The World Architecture Festival has announced the winner of its World Building of 2012.

The festival was held at the winning building at Marina Bay Sands in Singapore, which is a key project in delivering the Singapore Government’s vision of transforming Singapore into a ‘City in a Garden’.

At a total of 101 hectares, the Cooled Conservatories at the Gardens by the Bay project comprise three distinct waterfront gardens – Bay South, Bay East and Bay Central.

The project was awarded the prize from over 500 entries and was designed by Wilkinson Eyre, Grant Associates, Atelier One and Atelier TenSitting.

It's quite an impressive structure and more can be seen here on Arch Daily.

The changing nature of news

There was a great article in the FT’s Inside Business section by the paper’s media editor, Andrew Edgcliffe-Johnson.  Describing how newsrooms have shrunk, he looks at how services such as PR Newswire (owned by UBM plc) are responding and how it sees its future being driven by digital syndication, social media and search engine optimisation.   

As we have commented before in our blog, a rethink has started for press releases as multimedia content to help feed the growing number and variety of news outlets online.  Edgcliffe-Johnson argues that “search and social media trends suggest corporate content will only grow”.   

So not only do we now need to be aware that the majority of news is ‘broken’ online, but that how we package up that news into deeper content will increasingly make a difference. This will have an impact not only in how this might be facilitated both client and agency side, but also that the content must be credible and ‘watchable’.   

There will be a need  closer integration of advertising, digital marketing, PR and investor relations concludes Edgcliffe-Johnson.  

See the article in the FT here. (registration required)

The impact on brand of social media mistakes

The Think Tank has recently been taking part in a series of seminars, talking about issues surrounding the use of social media in the workplace and the impact that it can have upon brand and reputation.

These have been very well attended and judging by two recent Twitter abuses in the United States it is becoming a very important factor for businesses, both internally and externally.

Last week a disgruntled employee at a company called Stub Hub sent out a tweet riddled with profanity, which the company subsequently had to apologise for and issue a withdrawal. We have added an image of this below but it does use quite strong language - you are warned!

Another business, Kitchen Aid, mistakenly retweeted an offensive joke about President Obama's grandmother - possibly as a result of social media automation. Again, this is below but the content may be deemed as offensive.

These types of social media interaction may be mistakes or they may be on purpose but the problem is the same; Social Media poses new challenges to business as to how they and their employees interact online and the increasing possibility of damage to brand and reputation.

If you would like to discuss any of these topics and how they could impact upon your business then please get in touch.

Miniature street scenes

These amazing miniature street scenes are very life like and are created by Alan Wolfson, a master of the miniature.

He focuses upon mundane city landmarks that people interact with on a daily basis but in the most amazing detail.

You can see many more of his creations here on Web Urbanist.

A fluffy cloud of Guinness

Guinness unveils an inspiring ad following a cloud that breaks away from the pack and finds itself travelling across New York.

Directed by Peter Thwaites at Gorgeous and produced by AMV BBDO for Guinness it is part of the brand's "Made of More" campaign.

See it for yourself below and tell us what you think.

Iceland as you have never seen it before

These stunning aerial photographs of Iceland are by Russian photographer Andre Ermolaev.

We do not know a great deal about him as his website is limited however his portfolio of photographs are very impressive, especially these aeriel shots.

See more of his work here.

Charming chalk drawings by David Zinn

These charming chalk drawings by artist David Zinn have been popping up all over Ann Arbor, Michigan since 1987.

David has also created posters, book illustrations, educational cartoons, museum signage, t-shirt designs, murals and even hand-painted dump trucks.

You can see more of his work here.

Google starts filming underwater Street View

Mapping the world is a goal of Google and to take it to the next level they have started to map what is beneath the seas as well.

They have unveiled their first  images of their "underwater Street View" covering the barrier reefs in Australia, the Philippines and Hawaii, with more to come.

You can view and interact with some of the beautiful images here or take a look at the video below.

Tweet Shop opens in Central London

Kellogg's has opened a pop-up shop in SOHO, London that bridges the gap between social currency and real-life money.

The shop offers you a menu of Special K Cracker Crisps and accepts Tweets as currency to buy them. Combining social media and real-life interaction the promotion not only engages those that tweet to buy a special pack but also across social channls as the word spreads.

The response has apparently been very positive, always a gamble when asking consumers to Tweet about your business, as Waitrose found out recently.

If you missed the shop I'm afraid that it closed yesterday, 28th September, but you can find out more about this interesting multi-media experience below.

Samsung attacks Apple in mobile phone battle

Samsung attacks Apple in new ad for the Galaxy S III.

Whilst iPhone fans queue for the new iPhone 5 Galaxy users demonstrate why the new big thing is already here.

Enjoy!

A new taller iPhone 5

With the much heralded launch of the iPhone 5 there had a to be a few parody ads around.

Panoramic views, full body 'face time' and apps to die for - we think that this could really catch on.

Enjoy!

A little 'Hangman' distraction with the Guardian

If you fancy a little distraction then check out The Guardian's weekly Hangman game - simple, vintage fun!

Click here to get started.

The way journalists use social media

Global public relations software and media tools provider Cision has conducted a study into the use of social media by journalists.

In the 2012 Social Journalism Study they asked journalists how they use social media, and how it impacts their work. A summary of the very interesting results can be seen in the infographic below or you can download the full study by clicking here.

It's a must for all PR professionals and marketers.

A musical swinging experience

An unintentional Montreal theme continues with this post looking at a new installation of 21 Swings that combined to create beautiful music.

21 Swings offers a fresh look at the 'idea of cooperation and the notion that we can achieve more together than separately'. In essence it is a giant instrument that is made of 21 musical swings with each swing triggering different notes when in motion.

All the swings together compose a unique piece of music, but some sounds and notes can only emerge from cooperation and synced movement to reveal the installations true potential.

The project was created by Daily Tous Les Jours who are developing a travelling version of installation to take around the world.

See more of this great installation below and read more here at http://dailytouslesjours.com/

21 Balançoires (21 Swings) from Daily Tous Les Jours on Vimeo.

Multimedia show lights up Gaudi's Sagrada Familia in Barcelona

The Moment Factory, an internationally renowned new media and entertainment studio based in Montreal, Canada, has created a stunning multimedia experience in Barcelona to be displayed during La  Merce festival.

They were invited by the City of Montreal to create a seven-act multimedia show to be launched on 21st September and running at various times for three days.

The work is called Montreal signe Ode à la vie and is a combination of animation, images, film and sound projected onto the Nativity façade of the Sagrada Familia basilica. It was inspired by Gaudi, for whom “creation continues incessantly through the media of man,” and based on an original idea by Renaud Architecture d’événements.

For three nights the show will illuminate – for the first time – the Nativity façade of the Sagrada Familia with an ode to the creation of the world, humanity and life!

It is simply stunning and a preview can be seen in the video below. Alternatively a live feed will be shown here from Sunday 23rd September.

Sagrada Familia (Ode à la vie) - Démo officiel from Moment Factory on Vimeo.