Microsoft Multimap

Microsoft UK’s specialist online mapping service, Multimap, has launched a digital ad campaign to raise awareness of new features following the redesign of its site, and increase traffic. Digital agency LBi have developed a creative, which is the first character-based advertising that Multimap have used. The ads were collaborated on by Aardman Animations, who were integral with Wallace and Gromit.

The campaign centers on a pair of dimwitted pigeons who become the site's Bird's Eye view feature. Through a series of less then perfect journeys, the two birds demonstrate the business and route finding services that the site offers. My favourite of the ads allows consumers to ask the pigeons to find "swimming pools in Barnsley", and shows them flinging themselves off a diving board into a puddle. Classic stuff, honestly! (links to follow)

Digital Marketing: The Present and Future

Check out this fantastic presentation by John Lambie (from Bates 141) on the Present and Future of Digital Marketing.

In this presentation John looks at how the internet has made the progression from a flat read-only collection of webpages to the fully customisable, user-centric wonder we now all take for granted.

Over 75% of UK Searches are Conducted on Google

[ComScore]......In June, Google Sites slightly increased its lead as the most popular search property in the U.K. to 75.3 percent of all search queries, followed by eBay (5.5 percent), Yahoo! Sites (4.3 percent) and Microsoft Sites (3.4 percent). AOL LLC’s acquisition of U.K. social networking property, Bebo.com, expanded its share of search queries to 2.3 percent, edging Facebook.com (2.2 percent) into sixth place.

Scary stuff - not long before there's a total monopoly I think

A little lighter please

I'm sure I absolutely do not understand (even a little) how someone can try and tell you that Beyoncé's image wasn't digitally manipulated for the new L'Oréal campaign.

In her latest L'Oréal ad, in the new issue of Elle magazine it is clear to see Beyoncé's miraculous change. Beyonce’s publicist said, “There is no doubt that anyone seeing that ad will know that it is Beyoncé.”

E-Paper Anniversary for Esquire

This year marks the 75th anniversary of Esquire magazine. Wonder if they're doing something special?

You bet they are!

This October's anniversary issue will be unloaded from refrigerated vans into the stands and racks. The magazine will be animated!

Admitedly it won't be fully animated. It won't have flash-style ads and graphics. In reality, the order of the words will change and there will be images that turn on and off. Currently the images are only black and white (or four shades of grey) and colour is added by a sheet of transparent, tinted plastic.

With a huge "Thanks" to Ford (due to an ad for their new Flex SUV) Esquire will be able to sell the anniversary e-paper covers at the standard cover price.
Looking forward to seeing a DM pack using this in the near future...

The company behind this wonder is eInk.