Engage and inspire the consumer
posted by Richard Smith, on 16/08/2011
It's often a line that is overused but the 'simplest ideas' tend to be the best ones. This old adage is more important than ever in today’s rapidly advancing, technology led world. Combine this way of thinking with the perennial question that creatives often muse; 'What if...?' or 'Wouldn't it be cool to do that...?' along with today’s cutting edge technology and you have the potential to engage and inspire consumers in many different ways.
From outdoor digital interactive games, environmental 3D projections to multi-touch surfaces, the possibilities are only limited by the imagination.
McDonald's Pick n Play
Who would've thought that the classic video game, Pong which is almost 40 years old, could still have relevance in today’s world? The video game itself is a classic example of a simple idea; two vertical bars on either side of a computer screen take it in turns to return a ball to one another - the first example of virtual table tennis. Pong is ubiquitous, with the simplest of rules, even if you've not heard of it, after 5 seconds of play, you immediately understand the concept. With this in mind, a McDonald's restaurant in Sweden used this classic game as a competition entry point for engaging their consumers in a fun, interactive way.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7u0ij9D5S4Y
The idea of having the general public compete against one another, outdoor on a large, digital display is quite inspired. Players have swapped the antiquated paddle controller of 40 years ago with their smart phones. Successful consumer participation resulted in digital promotional discounts which could be redeemed at nearby restaurants.
Toyota Auris Hybrid - 3D projection
You may have been fortunate enough to have witnessed the recent spectacular 3D projections, recently found around Sydney as part of the Vivid Sydney Festival of Light. It is interesting to see how Toyota utilised similar technology to showcase the benefits of their Toyota Auris Hybrid vehicle. The vehicle supposedly represents where automotive technology is heading in the future. Choosing a suitable method for delivering that message resulted in the 'Get Your Energy Back' 3D projection:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJ7E7uEZN00
Microsoft Surface
Touch screen technology has been around for a number of years now. We see it everyday with our smart phones and touch screen tablets. Gesture controls now allow us to explore, learn and interact with content in ways that are far beyond the conventional 'point and click' methods. This demonstration video for the Microsoft Surface explains this well:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zxk_WywMTzc
Think of the possibilities touch screen technology could offer in a conference environment or product demonstration...
If you'd like to see some of our 'simple ideas' to help you with engagement and cut through, please feel free to get in touch to arrange a demonstration...!
Engage and inspire the consumer
posted by Richard Smith, on 16/08/2011
It's often a line that is overused but the 'simplest ideas' tend to be the best ones. This old adage is more important than ever in today’s rapidly advancing, technology led world. Combine this way of thinking with the perennial question that creatives often muse; 'What if...?' or 'Wouldn't it be cool to do that...?' along with today’s cutting edge technology and you have the potential to engage and inspire consumers in many different ways.
From outdoor digital interactive games, environmental 3D projections to multi-touch surfaces, the possibilities are only limited by the imagination.
McDonald's Pick n Play
Who would've thought that the classic video game, Pong which is almost 40 years old, could still have relevance in today’s world? The video game itself is a classic example of a simple idea; two vertical bars on either side of a computer screen take it in turns to return a ball to one another - the first example of virtual table tennis. Pong is ubiquitous, with the simplest of rules, even if you've not heard of it, after 5 seconds of play, you immediately understand the concept. With this in mind, a McDonald's restaurant in Sweden used this classic game as a competition entry point for engaging their consumers in a fun, interactive way.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7u0ij9D5S4Y
The idea of having the general public compete against one another, outdoor on a large, digital display is quite inspired. Players have swapped the antiquated paddle controller of 40 years ago with their smart phones. Successful consumer participation resulted in digital promotional discounts which could be redeemed at nearby restaurants.
Toyota Auris Hybrid - 3D projection
You may have been fortunate enough to have witnessed the recent spectacular 3D projections, recently found around Sydney as part of the Vivid Sydney Festival of Light. It is interesting to see how Toyota utilised similar technology to showcase the benefits of their Toyota Auris Hybrid vehicle. The vehicle supposedly represents where automotive technology is heading in the future. Choosing a suitable method for delivering that message resulted in the 'Get Your Energy Back' 3D projection:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJ7E7uEZN00
Microsoft Surface
Touch screen technology has been around for a number of years now. We see it everyday with our smart phones and touch screen tablets. Gesture controls now allow us to explore, learn and interact with content in ways that are far beyond the conventional 'point and click' methods. This demonstration video for the Microsoft Surface explains this well:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zxk_WywMTzc
Think of the possibilities touch screen technology could offer in a conference environment or product demonstration...
If you'd like to see some of our 'simple ideas' to help you with engagement and cut through, please feel free to get in touch to arrange a demonstration...!
Touch technology comes up trumps
posted by Richard Smith, on 12/04/2010
On 28 January 2010 Apple launched (in the US) its new ‘magical and revolutionary’ offering to the world of technology – the iPad. As with all Apple products this newest gizmo has generated huge amounts of interest from many industries. But what’s all the hype about – isn’t it just another tablet computer or an oversized iPod Touch?
Ok, so the iPad may look like a giant iPhone/iPod Touch but it does a lot more and looks good/sharp at the same time. At 13.4mm thick and weighing in at under 0.7Kg, the iPad is slimmer and lighter than any other laptop or netbook. If you have fat fingers and find the Multi-Touch screen of an iPhone difficult to use, you’ll find the revolutionary 9.7 inch iPad screen a joy to use. The people with the brains have completely reengineered the screen technology so that the iPad will only do what you want it to do. To top it all off the special screen coating means you won’t end up with a screen covered in dirty fingerprints!
That’s enough about the superficial aspects of the iPad, what can you do with it? The iPad features 12 new innovative applications (apps), that function in both landscape and portrait format. Almost all the 140,000+ apps in the App Store will work on the iPad. As with the iPhone, you can surf the web, view photos, watch movies and listen to music, in addition to all this Apple’s new version of iWork office suite for the iPad allows you to create professional animated presentations, technical spreadsheets and much more.
With all its benefits there are of course some disadvantages to the iPad, the biggest being that Flash is not supported. This means that Flash-based websites and programs/applications aren’t supported by the iPad, the current limitation is political, not technical. Apple simply does not want Plugin-based RIA applications (Flash, Silverlight) to run on iPhone, for they compete directly with App Store. Other negatives are battery power and lack of a webcam.
So, is the iPad going to have an impact on the pharma industry? Epocrates Inc. conducted a survey of 350 US clinicians following the iPad’s announcement by Apple. The survey revealed that 9% of clinicians planned on purchasing an iPad immediately, and another 13% planning on purchasing one within a year.
Apps can be downloaded from the App Store by anyone with an account can’t they? In one word yes, but Apple’s Enterprise developer license allows for private distribution of apps within a company – no need to go through the App Store. With this option you can distribute sensitive information without your competitors or the general public getting their hands on it.
The Apple iPad is supposed to hit the shelves in Australia in late April, and we have a feeling that this sleek little gizmo is going to be magical and provide us with yet more ways to get in front of our clients customers in healthcare! If almost a quarter of all clinicians in Australia have one within a year there is a huge opportunity for marketers. Big Pink is currently developing software (HTML 5) ready for the launch.
Google Sidewiki – What the diggens is Sidewiki? Is it important? Do you have a Sidewiki digital strategy?
posted by Richard Smith, on 13/10/2009
We are all familiar with the concept of embracing change, it keeps things fresh, can be evolutionary or even revolutionary, however at the very least it will avoid us being left behind. We are equally familiar with the analogy of the ostrich burying its head in the sand. With this in mind, take a deep breath; prepare for things to be shaken up and think about how you are going to outperform all of your competitors who are going to act like our friend the ostrich.
On September 23 Google launched Google Sidewiki, a browser sidebar that lets you contribute and read information alongside any webpage. That’s right, your company and product websites are now social media sites with attached discussion boards that you.... yes you guessed it, cannot moderate or delete. Google Sidewiki is designed to let your customers contribute to any of your web pages allowing you to learn from others, share best practice and rate your company and products.
Introducing Google Sidewiki
Ok now is the time to remember the ostrich, we may lose some control but there could be a silver lining. If your online digital strategy is sound & your sites are meeting your clients needs you may find you are flooded with positive comments & ratings that will only help strengthen your brand. Comments can be easily disseminated onto social networking sites and may show up on Google searches thus assisting with traffic generation. You can carry out market research, monitor your customer’s comments, build insights and identify brand advocates. You may also be able to address incorrect information & drive traffic to educational resources.
If there’s good Chi there’s bad Chi. Google Sidewiki can reduce your control over your brand information, allowing negative comments to be posted & feature in Google searches. In responding to comments your interaction may attract additional unhelpful responses & open you up to adverse event reporting and therefore active monitoring.
Before you start reaching for the brakes, hold on, all control is not lost!
Google Sidewiki does allow you as the site owner to post the first entry displayed by Google Sidewiki on each page. This can be used to positively drive the conversation, allow disclaimers to be added and block space available to contributors. Dig even further and there are potentially other blocking actions available to increase control which may suit some companies and brands.
So what to do with the new ‘Sidewiki’ thingy?
Act like an ostrich and let your competitors steal a march or take the bull by the horns, seize the opportunities, combat the threats and build clear digital strategy for Google Sidewiki.
Google Sidewiki can be downloaded directly from Google: Google Sidewiki
13/10/09
Big Pink lands in Australia ready for action
posted by Richard Smith, on 07/10/2009
Today marks our arrival in sunny Australia, we are setting up home in our new offices in North Sydney. Servers are connected , phone lines are on and we are ready to make new pharma buddies and start a ‘Digital Revolution’ in the Australian pharma market.
06/10/09
