Social Media

Sure, it’s got a name that can be easily confused with bands young and old, but Urban Airship is actually a three-year-old mobile tech company that’s joined forces with fellow Portland-based operation Wieden + Kennedy to define what the hell a “good push” is. From what we gather, there’s good and bad mobile engagement that could be created via push notifications including social push, news alerts, geo-based, or traffic/weather events.

Well, W+K and Urban Airship, the latter of which was actually developed in the former’s Portland Incubator Experiment (why are we itching to watch the Prometheus trailer again?) and has now evolved into an agency client/partner, aim to illustrate what positive push entails. How else? Animation, of course, and the parties involved regale us with “Tales of Good Push” via a handful of clips featuring a variety of cartoon characters who, without the help of narration, can perhaps better explain the whole message here.

Launch a social media campaign that will build your brand and deliver results in our online Social Media Marketing Boot Camp starting June 7. Speakers include Abigail Cusick (Bravo Digital), Gregory Galant (Sawhorse Media), Alex Leo (Thomson Reuters Digital), Jim Tobin (Ignite Social Media), and many more. Read the reviews.

From here, 2010 seems like a much simpler time. Back then, jobs at marquee agencies could be attained by Google AdWords bids that targeted ad execs with a penchant for Google-ing themselves. While Alec Brownstein‘s digital stunt landed him at Y&R NY, many others who have followed in his tech-savvy footsteps have fallen short. But, one graphic designer’s recent job-seeking stunt is so utterly bizarre that it might inspire a whole new class of young ad professionals who seek creative respite beyond the typical portfolio, resume and cover letter trio.

Inspired by the late Jean-Michel Basquiat‘s SAMO style of street art, wherein key words and phrases are repeated throughout various artworks, graphic designer Shaun Gibson is hoping to attract the attention of CP+B by using the agency’s website Twitter feed as his own personal camera. In the image above, you’ll see that Gibson repeatedly uses the phrase “Van Skin” when he posts, establishing his virtual alter-ego while utilizing the fact that CP+B’s Twitter feed automatically pulls in any and all mentions of the agency. Along with the Twitter takeover, Gibson is supporting his campaign by creating James Victore-inspired images using the Van Skin tag, like the one below.

In addition, Gibson tells us, “The last part, and while I am not expert with video, I was planning to close this campaign out with a few youtube videos with a mock testimonial and maybe a mock ad then reveal who I am. Needless to say if the blogs pick this up I probably wont need to reveal myself, you will do it for me. Either way it’s been fun.” Well, either way, Shaun, we’re happy to give you an additional platform to make your case. Watch the very creepy video below, and consider how Van Skin might support your agency’s art department.

Believe it or not, 2012 marks a decade since Comedy Central canceled their robot fighting show, BattleBots. The show had it all, from destruction to hilarity to scantily-clad “correspondents” to cameos from Bill Nye the Science Guy. If you’re anything like me, and you consider these attributes the recipe for televised greatness, you were devastated when BattleBots went off the air.

So, understand that I’m a little biased when I call the above spot for Atlanta-based agency Fitzgerald+Co a wonderfully creative way to demonstrate the durability of Pergo floors. Not only do I get to see my old robot friends, but I suddenly have quite an affinity for a flooring product that I’d never heard of before. Of course, this begs the question: Do married women, who I assume are the ones generally responsible for making the purchasing decisions when it comes to flooring (as depicted in the spot), respond to BattleBots in the same way that I do?

The campaign also features a Facebook page where consumers can “Like” the video for a chance to win a new floor, learn more about the BattleBots featured in the spot, and browse different Pergo styles and key features. Credits follow after the jump.

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Perhaps James Joyce would be proud from the ether. Minneapolis-based ale brand Finnegans, which has been around since 2000 we’ve been told, has teamed up with fellow Twin Cities op Martin Williams to launch its own “confessional” of sorts on Facebook. Who needs a priest when an algorithm can play judge & jury and provide you with penance in the form of Irish Amber brew? We don’t know if you want to go all Michael Corleone and confess your deepest, darkest sins, but however you play, there’s brew involved as well as your Facebook friends. Feel free to give it a go, whether Catholic or not.

 

Even though this year’s ANDY Awards are said and done (and thanks for bucking the trend of the traditional ad awards show), R/GA would still like to help the winners gloat. The “agency for the digital age” has unveiled the myANDY app, which lets you, yes, download your trophy to your iPhone. If you’re feeling the need to rub your prize in a bit further, feel free to watch the video above. We’ve been told that only actual ANDY winners will get access to download the app, which makes sense.

It looks like the folks at Ogilvy Amsterdam had some spare time on their hands, enough so to create this little ditty called “You Rule,” which sounds like some cheesy motivational mantra but is actually a little tool that lets you put your foot down on certain annoying Twitter habits.

So far, the minds at O&M Amsterdam have come up with six different types of behavior that, we agree, can be cringe-worthy including tweeting quotes, tweeting in the third-person, posting a million check-ins a day and revealing TMI on Twitter. While we’re not sure if people are really clamoring to have a You Rule URL in their Twitter bio, you nonetheless can drag the listed behaviors into a You Rule box and save it by signing in to the microblogging service. This service from Ogilvy Amsterdam would be probably of better use to us were we on Twitter all day, but we certainly know people who are, so feel free to go to the site and see if you feel like playing Twitter king.

In a move that would make documentarian Morgan Spurlock start a vigorous slow clap, several Big Fuel New York staffers will attempt to live below the extreme poverty line for five days. Starting on Monday, May 7, Big Fuel managing director Holly Pavilka and several of her co-workers will be spending no more than $1.50 a day. The bottom line? No coffee (shudder).

The agency peeps are taking part in this social experiment as part of the “Live Below the Line” challenge, a charitable contest that has thus far raised over $44,000 for poverty-stricken citizens in developing countries. “Live Below the Line” is being co-sponsored by Unicef, the Global Poverty Project, and the United Nations Foundation’s Shot@Life initiative. According to a statement, Pavilka and co. are also using this challenge as a way to bring attention to social media’s impact on raising awareness for charitable initiatives.

Intrigued? Watch another video below that goes a little more in-depth about the challenge.

And now, a riddle: What do each of the men in the above dating video have in common? Stumped? Well, you’ll never believe this, but they’re all actually Two and a Half Men star and former Mr. Demi Moore, Ashton Kutcher! Oh, the headline of the article and the title of the video gave it away? Well, the press release we were sent along with this video said, “Viewers won’t believe it’s Ashton until they see his cameo!” We deeply apologize for ruining the surprise.

From L.A.-based agency Zambezi comes a series on online video spots advertising fake dating site WorldWideLovers.com. Interested viewers who follow the URL will actually find themselves at Popchips’ Facebook page, where a custom web app allows users to send personalized messages to their Facebook friends from each of Kutcher’s exaggerated stereotypes alter-egos. You can send a greeting from Raj, a 39-year-old Bollywood director, Nigel, a 24-year-old hippie stoner, Daryl, a German fashionista of unknown age, and Swordfish, a 29-year-old biker dude with a beard.

The “Play Matchmaker” campaign from Popchips follows last year’s popular and similarly vexing effort “Who Wants to be Ashton Kutcher’s VP?” where fans applied for a one-year gig and $50K salary to join Kutcher’s entourage. Watch each of the character’s personalized digital shorts on Popchips’ YouTube page. Credits after the jump.

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In agencies, the ol’ buddy system has its benefits. From agency head honchos to creative director teams to the traditional copywriter/art director duo, working in close quarters with someone ensures that strategies and ideas meld together in a cohesive who. Of course, sharing a creative brain with someone else can have different, unexpected consequences.

TBWA/Chiat/Day art director Lacey Waterman is documenting an interesting phenomenon occurring in agencies across the globe. Yes, agency partners are going so far as dressing in a similar fashion, and Waterman is compiling photos of these instances, done purposefully or coincidentally, on her Tumblr, “Partnerganger.” Above, you’ll see that McCann Erikson’s Linus Karlsson and Andreas Dahlqvist opt for a never-out-of-style black sweater/rolled-sleeved dress shirt combo, and my, do those gentleman look dashing!

See what happens when “TWINSIES!” goes wrong here. Really, did they call each other before work to coordinate their wardrobes or what?

And now, a little a capella–scratch that, “Likeapella”–treatment from CP+B and Kraft, who send this little musical love letter to their Facebook fans and thank them for all the “Likes” received this week. The musical guest in this latest effort is a group called the Yellow Jackets, which seems to be a rather fitting title. It’s quite the epic tune, but it’s almost lunchtime here on the East Coast. Enjoy if you can.