7UP Free

I spotted the following ad today on RTÉ, for the new 7UP Free campaign. At first I thought it was a static GIF and there was obviously some sort of serving issue with their fully animated SWF. I happened to accidentally refresh the page and realised that this was not a static GIF but was in fact the full ad, as it was intended.

I was fairly surprised that this was the best that could be come up with, considering I think the campaign as a whole definitely has merit and could easily lend itself to ads that are not only interactive but pull in some of the rich content featured on the microsite. I mean, why would you not use all the creative at your disposal and only focus on the banner waving man?



I presume that this campaign has been done by Marketing Network but I am open to correction as I can't actually find any mention of 7UP on their website. Perhaps there are more ads out there that are more interactive and use some of the rich content, but I haven't found them. I know that RTÉ do have certain restrictions on the placement of rich media ads on their site.

Data Visualisation and Storytelling

I have always loved how people interpret data and visualise it to make it easier to understand. The very nature of one person trying to create an understanding of complex information through non-vocal expression can take so many carzy routes, and the fact that anyone is even able to achieve this is even crazier. Visual interpretation for an individual is based on their own personal experiences and their specific perspective on that visual at that time.

Two people look at Van Gogh's 'The Scream' and one sees a person screaming, while the other sees a person hearing a scream.

So whenever I see a new data visualisation tool, I get a bit excited. The last 6 to 12 months have seen a lot of really interesting directions and attemps by various people for various purpouses. I was going to write a round up of my favourite and just as I started I was sent this article by Garrick Schmitt, in AdvertisingAge. This is a great article and I would urge everyone involved in the digital world to read this.

Sunday Links

There were no Sunday Links last week as there were no sites that didn't make the Friday's Best of the Web. So instead there's a whole plethora of sites this week, all definitely worth checking out!

Watchmen Website: If you haven't seen the film or read the novel perhaps best to avoid for spoilage, but otherwise a fun site worth checking out
Speed Lessons: Novak Djokovic with some fantastic animation, presenting speedy solutions to some *often* asked questions
Vodafone Rugby Tribe: Purely from a technical and logistic point of view this site is really easy to navigate and use, definite learnings here
Slurpee - Brainfreeze Laboratory: fun stuff, chill out (pardon the pun) and check it out
David Armano's Critter - Twitter for Pets: While only a concept, I reckon there's a host of celeb types that would scream wildly for this
Sell Sell: really cool blog
Awesome Adverts
Awesome Adverts
Spacesick: Evil Corporations Rebranded: maybe it was just how they presented themselves?

Google Street View for Ireland

Slightly odd that I was only talking about this yesterday , but as it turns out the Google car has been cruising around Ireland since Monday last, getting ready to start Street View'ing next week. The black car with a giant panoramic camera (and Google logo on the side) will be adding Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway and Waterford to the list of Street View'd cities around the world, and bring the total number of countries to 10. Google's online, 360 degree panoramic map system will allow users to see Ireland (and its people!) as they really are.

Ed Parsons, Google's geospatial technologist, says it will take from three to four months to up to a year to complete the Irish addition. The actual areas covered will be city centres and suburban and outlying areas, but it will vary for each location depending on population density and business activity.

While there are many pedestrian areas in all these locations, Parsons confirmed that they too would be covered, but he would not divulge how. It has also been confirmed by Iarla Flynn, European policy manager for Google, that full use will be made of Google's advanced blurring tools to ensure both faces and registration plates are concealed.

Microsoft Surface

What you need is a big ass table! Funny stuff.