One radical solution to the boost excitement within the fashion world and introduce an edgy element into retail is Ann Sofie Back’s “hostage store”.

On October 31st, Kodak will launch its first new TV brand campaign since 2005 – “It’s Time to Smile” will focus on the moments and relationships that define people’s lives and are captured in photography, via TV and web ads.

New Balance Lifestyle has launched a campaign around a limited release of 480 of their 574 Clips running shoes in a direct attempt to solidify its standing with influential sneaker fans and bloggers.

Taking a page from their customer friendly food service model, Burger King recently took “Have It Your Way” into the realms of D.I.Y. fashion.  A collaboration between 5 designers and artists tasked with reinterpreting elements of Burger King’s icons and logos culminated at an event held in Chicago on October 24th.  The gathering invited participants to take part in the studio creation process by silk-screening the final designs onto their own clothing in any combination they chose.  Essentially, a clever form of marketing that allowed Burger King to subvert their own image, while at the same time maintaining recognizable aspects [...]

  
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The way we influence and interact through the internet is constantly changing. We’ve all witnessed how user generated content has brought new creative potential to consumers and opened up the doors of online collaboration. But while UGC’s impact on marketing and the way youth consume and create web content is significant, some believe it still has a long way to go. Screenplay’s Strategic Director Helge Tennø offers a compelling argument on the limitations of the current means for online collaboration, deeming them too rigid and presenting “artificial barriers” [...]

Want to be Kanye West (and who doesn’t, really)? Dial 1-877-BeKanye and choose from the following options:

Press 1 to begin the registration process to become a groupie
Press 2 to join Kanye’s absolutely fabulous entourage
Press 3 for the absolute summertime cocktail
Press 4 for the BeKanye tablet, which “unleashes the superstar within” and “turns you into Kanye West for a few hours or the rest of your life” (more at www.bekanyenow.com)
Press 5 to be directly connected to Kanye West’s cell phone

This is a pretty smart mobile database campaign, as each option prompts you to enter your cell phone number (and [...]

We reported earlier on the viral marketing campaign of Absolut vodka that put Kanye West in a cheesy infomercial-style ad. On a morning commute to Manhattan we noticed a poster ad had gone up, with only a subtle reference to Absolut hidden in a chunk of text. One passenger took out her camera phone and snapped a picture, while all other riders studied the poster looking confused. Nobody else knew what the ad was for and didn’t look like they would bother to find out. We’ll be curious to see how this campaign expands to reach [...]

Skype has launched a new advertising campaign based on one of the most basic human emotions. Dubbed the “Skype Laughter Chain” it is the latest in the growing pool of viral marketing. The concept is simple, you record yourself laughing and if it is deemed contagious enough you will be added to the chain. The first video is just a sample of what’s to come and it seems straightforward enough, if not a tad lengthy. The preview video features a lovable baby, a woman trying to hide her unique chuckle and arguably the internet’s only laughter [...]

Skype has launched a new advertising campaign based on one of the most basic human emotions. Dubbed the “Skype Laughter Chain” it is the latest in the growing pool of viral marketing. The concept is simple, you record yourself laughing and if it is deemed contagious enough you will be added to the chain. The first video is just a sample of what’s to come and it seems straightforward enough, if not a tad lengthy. The preview video features a lovable baby, a woman trying to hide her unique chuckle and arguably the internet’s only laughter [...]

Hoping to turn out a series of adrenaline infused commercials for Nissan, professional surfers Jon Rose (US), Mar Ohno (Japan), Sergio Laus (Brazil) and an entire film crew were flown down to one of most isolated and unique breaks in the world.
The wave, called Pororoca, is a tidal bore at the mouth of the Amazon River. It’s created when the leading edge of the incoming tide from the Atlantic forms a wave that travels up the river. Still a secret to most, the wave has developed into somewhat of a legend amongst surfers and an annual championship has [...]

Earlier this month, in an interview with CNBC, Google CEO Eric Schmidt said, “We believe the best [YouTube] products are coming out this year. And they’re new products…much more participative, much more creative…much more interesting in and of themselves.”
As part of their continued efforts to experiment with new ways to provide value to YouTube advertisers, Google have announced buzz targeting. The press release reads:
“One of the greatest aspects of YouTube is how it has democratized the way in which videos are discovered and promoted,” said Shiva Rajaraman, YouTube Product Manager. “On any given day, a video from a top-tier content [...]

Politics isn’t our thing, but this is an interesting mash-up that’s taking the web by storm.

A while ago on PSFK we posted on a new Innocent ad which we thought was ‘rather odd’. Well it turns out it wasn’t actually an Innocent ad at all. Dan Germain the Innocent creative director picks up the story:

“A little while ago, a Swedish agency called Peacock visited our office in Copenhagen to offer their services. They’d even made an advert, which has since been named ’suicidal orange’. It’s really good, but maybe not quite us.
“After we met them, they posted it on youtube. We posted it on our own blog too, seeing as we liked it. We wanted [...]

The last few years have been all about herds, the wisdom of crowds and tipping points. The latest edition of Trendwatching focuses on Crowd Clout; the ease with which groups of likeminded individuals can connect online and exert influence on a global scale.
They define it as:
“Online grouping of citizens/consumers for a specific cause, be it political, civic or commercial, aimed at everything from bringing down politicians to forcing suppliers to fork over discounts.”
You can read all about it here.

The Guardian have a really interesting article about the ethics and success of various word of mouth campaigns. This is all in the context that a report by Deutsche Bank in 2004 found that ‘just 18% of television campaigns in the US actually generated a positive return on investment. In the long term this figure rose, but only to 45%, suggesting that most TV advertising is little more than a fun way for a company to waste its money.’
Sneaky campaigns such as one for a Premiership football club where actors pretended to be fans and told other fans that they’d [...]