PlayStation Home is a ground-breaking 3D social gaming community available on PlayStation 3 that allows users to interact, communicate and share gaming experiences together.
Within Home, users can create and customise their own unique avatars and explore a real-time virtual community where they can communicate freely through text or voice chat.
Users are not only able to enjoy a variety of entertainment content such as mini-games, videos and special events along with their friends, but are also able to create their own community, creating clubs with other users who share the same interests.
PlayStation Home is unique to anything else in the gaming world, and by partnering with both global and regional gaming and non-gaming brands they are able to offer exciting and entertaining content that enhances the PlayStation experience.
Red Bull became the first brand to build a presence in PlayStation Home by creating a tropical island, featuring an airplane racing game based on their real world Red Bull Air Race series.
Diesel has just taken a key position as one of the first interactive advertisers on the new platform, accompanying contemporary furniture designers Ligne Roset, film studio Paramount Pictures, and video content providers Hexus TV and Eurogamer, by offering residents of Home virtual clothing and virtual accessories. Diesel is offering the latest men's and women's designer avatar clothing through the platform, with items ranging from free-of-charge to £1.30.
PlayStation Home not only offers Diesel an online retail outlet and the chance to engage with its target audience in a new way, but more importantly demonstrates how media can close the loop, moving from a communication to a distribution channel – in many ways the new aspiration for retail brands.
Home represents an opportunity for brands to create memorable and rich content, and gives brands the first opportunity to recreate in the gaming world what they to do in the real world - facilitating interaction, giving people stories, memories, experiences, and a really good opportunity to interact with the brand. Home also provides the opportunity for gamers and brands to generate revenue.
Home is starting to show advertisers and marketers how in-game advertising can be used effectively, and is opening up the medium to more brands as it’s an easy environment for brands to take that first step into gaming.
Monday
YouTube launches dedicated section for HD content
YouTube has begun a push of its new high definition (HD) content with the launch of a dedicated section of the site.
Visitors to the site are now also able to watch HD content from publishers including EA and Sega in a new large video player.
As part of the changes YouTube has also rolled out new sections such as News, Music and Movies, which are dedicated to presenting the latest uploads in each area.
The decision to launch a dedicated HD section follows the introduction of the format across the site earlier this month.
Visitors to the site are now also able to watch HD content from publishers including EA and Sega in a new large video player.
As part of the changes YouTube has also rolled out new sections such as News, Music and Movies, which are dedicated to presenting the latest uploads in each area.
The decision to launch a dedicated HD section follows the introduction of the format across the site earlier this month.
Barclays launches first "brand concept" bank branch
Barclays has launched what it is calling the first "brand concept" bank branch in the UK – a branch of the future piloting digital technology.
The branch at Piccadilly Circus, which opened its doors last week and officially launches at the end of January, embraces innovative technology and design.
Barclays has become the first bank in Europe to pilot Microsoft Surface technology, which allows users to grab digital content with their hands and navigate information with simple gestures and touches – a technique reminiscent of the film 'Minority Report'.
A major feature of the branch, and the first aspect visitors see is 'Being:London', an interactive and evolving installation representing London and it's people. The display graphically represents the city on a large video wall using content from blogs, showcasing Londoners' interests, ideas and concerns.
Personal consoles also allow people to contribute to the installation and explore relevant information from Time Out.
Outside of opening hours, the front of the branch is transformed into the 'Night Life' installation screen, which picks up the image of passers by using face recognition technology and cameras, and creates moving silhouettes on the screen with thought bubbles containing random messages.
Customers in the branch are also be met by floor-walking staff equipped with handheld PCs to answer queries without the need to wait in line.
The branch, or “store” as Barclays call it, has full banking functionality and has taken inspiration from retailers such as Apple and Nike in developing a space that attracts and engages individuals while conveying what the brand represents.
The branch at Piccadilly Circus, which opened its doors last week and officially launches at the end of January, embraces innovative technology and design.
Barclays has become the first bank in Europe to pilot Microsoft Surface technology, which allows users to grab digital content with their hands and navigate information with simple gestures and touches – a technique reminiscent of the film 'Minority Report'.
A major feature of the branch, and the first aspect visitors see is 'Being:London', an interactive and evolving installation representing London and it's people. The display graphically represents the city on a large video wall using content from blogs, showcasing Londoners' interests, ideas and concerns.
Personal consoles also allow people to contribute to the installation and explore relevant information from Time Out.
Outside of opening hours, the front of the branch is transformed into the 'Night Life' installation screen, which picks up the image of passers by using face recognition technology and cameras, and creates moving silhouettes on the screen with thought bubbles containing random messages.
Customers in the branch are also be met by floor-walking staff equipped with handheld PCs to answer queries without the need to wait in line.
The branch, or “store” as Barclays call it, has full banking functionality and has taken inspiration from retailers such as Apple and Nike in developing a space that attracts and engages individuals while conveying what the brand represents.
Thursday
Bebo’s Social Inbox
Bebo has just released a new social media tool, Social Inbox, which collects and organises feeds from Twitter, Flickr, Del.icio.us, together with other online services such as Gmail, Yahoo!, AOL Mail, and YouTube.
Bebo wants this new platform to solve the problem facing consumers online, namely, a cluttered and fragmented social networking experience that makes keeping up-to-date with others increasingly difficult.
Social Inbox pools updates and information from other sites into one place, based on technology from newly acquired company Social Thing. Social feeds can be organised in chronological order and grouped by person, and also include a localised RSS feed reader for global news. The site also provides one-click access to email servers, Gmail, Yahoo! and AOL, where users can preview their email without having to go from site to site.
A media favourites section also lists what friends are watching and listening to, pulling content from Bebo's extensive online media collection, with programming from over 500 media companies including MTV, ESPN, CBS and BBC.
Bebo wants this new platform to solve the problem facing consumers online, namely, a cluttered and fragmented social networking experience that makes keeping up-to-date with others increasingly difficult.
Social Inbox pools updates and information from other sites into one place, based on technology from newly acquired company Social Thing. Social feeds can be organised in chronological order and grouped by person, and also include a localised RSS feed reader for global news. The site also provides one-click access to email servers, Gmail, Yahoo! and AOL, where users can preview their email without having to go from site to site.
A media favourites section also lists what friends are watching and listening to, pulling content from Bebo's extensive online media collection, with programming from over 500 media companies including MTV, ESPN, CBS and BBC.
Wednesday
New world advertising - The Bubble project
What started out as an anti-advertising campaign by artist and art director Ji Lee in New York back in 2002 has now developed into an idea with the potential to take ads closer to consumers.
The original aim of the Bubble project was to “counterattack the one-sided corporate onslaught of marketing and advertisement messages that propagate public space”. But far from being subversive, it now it seems to be the way forward.
The Bubble project started when Ji printed 15,000 stickers, die cut into the shape of speech bubbles, and started pasting them onto posters. The passing public then started to add comments to these blank bubbles, of which he then photographed and posted on the web. Yes this could be seen as heavy socio-political stuff, but in our industry surely we need people to challenge us?
In 2006 Ji published a book on the Bubble project called 'Talkback', and rather than attack advertising, he embraced the new era of advertising. By filling in the bubbles, consumers were engaging in the idea and transforming “the corporate monologue into an open dialogue”. In the world of social networking and community engagement this is a brilliant idea. An idea which has now spread globally. In the UK you can join it through Facebook (or type in The Bubble Project (UK) into groups).
But as a brand, or a traditional agency, you could see it two ways. Old school – You are defacing my ad. New school – You are ‘enfacing’ my ad. (Enfacing is a new term for taking something dull, and making it more interesting). Those bubbles on the poster are designed to create social comment. And why not? Shouldn’t customers have a voice?
The idea that we just talk AT the public is fast becoming outdated and irrelevant, and will no doubt freak out many brands and agencies. But the few that want to be progressive will more than likely embrace this as a concept. Surely we should be looking to developed concepts that allow the public to make their message more important than the brands. In fact I think it’s only a matter of time before we see a campaign for a top brand that looks like it’s a victim of the Bubble project, but is in fact manipulating it.
These ideas are making the more innovative minds in adland think. We are living in a world of co-creation and collective thinking, so the idea that consumers can interact with ads has to be the way forward. The old style creative team can be replaced by consumer creativity and a creative director who filters, develops and manages the ideas.
The Bubble project may seem like a bit of fun, or even anarchist, but it’s more significant than that. What it really signifies is that the consumer is now in control, not the brands. And as a consequence the role of agencies as the ideas creator could now be questionable.
The original aim of the Bubble project was to “counterattack the one-sided corporate onslaught of marketing and advertisement messages that propagate public space”. But far from being subversive, it now it seems to be the way forward.
The Bubble project started when Ji printed 15,000 stickers, die cut into the shape of speech bubbles, and started pasting them onto posters. The passing public then started to add comments to these blank bubbles, of which he then photographed and posted on the web. Yes this could be seen as heavy socio-political stuff, but in our industry surely we need people to challenge us?
In 2006 Ji published a book on the Bubble project called 'Talkback', and rather than attack advertising, he embraced the new era of advertising. By filling in the bubbles, consumers were engaging in the idea and transforming “the corporate monologue into an open dialogue”. In the world of social networking and community engagement this is a brilliant idea. An idea which has now spread globally. In the UK you can join it through Facebook (or type in The Bubble Project (UK) into groups).
But as a brand, or a traditional agency, you could see it two ways. Old school – You are defacing my ad. New school – You are ‘enfacing’ my ad. (Enfacing is a new term for taking something dull, and making it more interesting). Those bubbles on the poster are designed to create social comment. And why not? Shouldn’t customers have a voice?
The idea that we just talk AT the public is fast becoming outdated and irrelevant, and will no doubt freak out many brands and agencies. But the few that want to be progressive will more than likely embrace this as a concept. Surely we should be looking to developed concepts that allow the public to make their message more important than the brands. In fact I think it’s only a matter of time before we see a campaign for a top brand that looks like it’s a victim of the Bubble project, but is in fact manipulating it.
These ideas are making the more innovative minds in adland think. We are living in a world of co-creation and collective thinking, so the idea that consumers can interact with ads has to be the way forward. The old style creative team can be replaced by consumer creativity and a creative director who filters, develops and manages the ideas.
The Bubble project may seem like a bit of fun, or even anarchist, but it’s more significant than that. What it really signifies is that the consumer is now in control, not the brands. And as a consequence the role of agencies as the ideas creator could now be questionable.
Monday
Twilert - Follow tweets about your brand
Monitoring the twitterverse has just become even easier with Twitter’s new free service called Twilert.
Twilert works in much the same way as Google Alerts and lets you receive regular email alerts containing tweets that contain specific keywords or phrases.
It's useful for those that want to track conversation and opinion on a brand, company or product on Twitter, but don't have the time to manually sit in front of a Twitter Search page 24 hours a day.
Twilert works in much the same way as Google Alerts and lets you receive regular email alerts containing tweets that contain specific keywords or phrases.
It's useful for those that want to track conversation and opinion on a brand, company or product on Twitter, but don't have the time to manually sit in front of a Twitter Search page 24 hours a day.
Flickr revamps mobile site with video function
Photo sharing site Flickr has finally revamped its mobile site to allow visitors to play videos via their phones.
The new functionality, based on the Yahoo Video platform, is initially only available to consumers accessing the site via an iPhone and iPod Touch, with wider handset roll-out planned in the near future.
Other updates to the site include the ability to add contacts, favourite images, and change privacy and permission settings.
This new Flickr mobile experience reflects the possibilities that today's advanced and rich mobile web has to offer.
Rival video sharing site YouTube launched on mobile in June 2007.
The new functionality, based on the Yahoo Video platform, is initially only available to consumers accessing the site via an iPhone and iPod Touch, with wider handset roll-out planned in the near future.
Other updates to the site include the ability to add contacts, favourite images, and change privacy and permission settings.
This new Flickr mobile experience reflects the possibilities that today's advanced and rich mobile web has to offer.
Rival video sharing site YouTube launched on mobile in June 2007.
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