Inspiration: Reaching out to your target audience

How do you reach out to abused children without letting their aggressors find out?

This brilliant outdoor ad uses a simple lenticular layer to create a different message for adults and children, depending on the eye-level the ad is viewed from.

The adults, or the potential abusers, can only see “Sometimes, child abuse is only visible to the child suffering it.” But a different message appears to the children, offering them an avenue for help.

Well, as long as the adult doesn’t decide to crouch. 

Inspiration: Ben&Jerry’s Instagram Competition

The love of ice cream is universal.

With every bite comes a euphoria that’s comparable to cuddling with a fluffy puppy, lying on a tropical beach, or wrapping yourself in bubble wrap.

That’s why Ben&Jerry’s recently launched its Instagram photo competition “Capture Euphoria” to allow its fans to share their love of ice cream with one another. What got them really excited is a chance to be on Ben&Jerry’s ads, which will run in the local area of each of the 20 winners.

Inspiration: Girls, let’s Pin it!

 
For Kotex, there’s no better publicity than appearing on the pinboards of 50 of the most inspiring women on Pinterest.

And in case you haven’t jumped on the Pinterest bandwagon, it’s a social website that lets users ‘pin’ videos, pictures and other interesting stuff on their virtual pinboards and share them with the world.

From the women’s Pinterest page, Kotex found out what inspires them and turned their creativity into reality. Their Pinterest interests became gifts that were sent to them in a big parcel, resulting in numerous reposts, shares and impressions. 

While the campaign definitely generated a lot of buzz, did it translate into increased brand loyalty and purchases? We’ll let you be the judge.

Inspiration: Blick Apps – Everything in Your Palm

With our smartphones, we can literally find everything on the go and get to-the-second updates on things that we care about.

Blick, Switzerland’s most-visited news portal has recently launched Blick Apps. From football and ice hockey to leisure and tv, users get the latest news and recommendations right in the palm of their hands.

This creative series of print ads was launched and its message is clear: Download now and you’ll never miss a thing again. 

Trend Watch: Draw castles in the air with the 3D pen

Ladies and gentlemen, the future is here.

3Doodler is the world’s first 3D pen created by WobbleWorks. Using a cutting-edge ‘ABC’ plastic that cools instantly upon drawing, you can now create anything out of thin air.

Dinosaurs, plants, unicorns… the possibilities are endless. Let’s keep our eyes on this space to see what the new generation of 3D artists would come up with. 

Update: Adentity’s 10 Things to Watch in 2013 pt 1

2012 was an eventful year for the advertising world. Let’s take a look at what 2013 has in store for us in the world of brands, technology, social media and CSR.

Greenpeace launched its Detox programme in an attempt to persuade international clothing labels to sever ties with any manufacturer that is polluting the waters in the countries they are operating in. To date, 14 clothing giants have already committed to the cause, including Nike, Adidas, H&M and Zara. As Greenpeace continues putting more irresponsible corporations into the spotlight, we see Detox becoming a standard for 2013. 

Field Trip is Google’s latest venture in GPS-guided location-based advertising. It runs in your phone’s background and notifies you when you come close to interesting landmarks, restaurants and businesses. Given its huge potential, will more marketers jump on the bandwagon? Watch this space closely.

iPhone’s Siri, the artificial intelligence personal assistant, is a software that behaves almost like a real person. Other companies are now also developing apps with attitude. Toyota Friend, for example, helps connect Toyota owners with one another and with their cars. It can even alert you when your car is running low on battery. 

Responsible retailers are now letting their customers donate their old clothes and shoes in their stores. Puma started “Bring me back”, H&M launched its global recycling programme, and Marks and Spencer also initiated “Shwopping”. With companies becoming more environmentally and socially responsible, we are positive that many other retailers would soon follow suit.

Money can’t buy everything. In these promotional campaigns, you’ll see chocolate bought with promises, shoes exchanged for running kilometres, or products paid for with calories. These definitely help promote their cause and long-term customer relationships. “Go moneyless!” might just be the way to go in 2013.

Update: Adentity’s 10 Things to Watch in 2013 pt 2

Unbaby.me is the app to block out the millions of baby pictures we see on Facebook everyday and swap them with other awesome stuff instead. Welcome to the new age of content control, where you decide what you want to see on Facebook. 

With every purchase of Pepsi Next, fans get a free hour on Task Rabbit. So whether it’s cleaning the dishes, laundry, washing the car or mowing the lawn, Pepsi’s all yours for one hour. GAP has also given out $25 vouchers on Task Rabbit for every $75 spent in their stores. As brands try even harder to compete for consumers’ attention, it’ll be interesting to watch what other partnerships they’ll engage in.

 

It’s apps + accessories. Brands are empowering their consumers using the latest technological innovations, completely revolutionising the way we interact with the world around us. Project Glass by Google uses augmented reality (AR) to present live feeds, directions and recommendations through a pair of spectacles. Up by Jawbone and Nike+ Fuelband can even track your exercise and daily habits and help you better manage your health. 

Social media is a great tool to help connect with friends and family. But once in a while, it’s nice to take a breather from the tagging and checking in. This year, look out for services that can help social media users ‘disappear’ from the internet for a few hours.

Video games like Pac-Man, Mario and Zelda are today an integral part of pop culture. Game art is now exhibited alongside the works of Dali and Warhol at New York’s MoMa and the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington. And we’ll definitely see a more prominent presence across advertising, the arts and even the music industry.

Inspiration: A Better Valentine’s Day Gift

Looking for a present to wow your valentine? Forget overpriced roses, chocolates or plush toys. Give a gift with a heart.

PETA’s Valentine’s Day Presents actually help better the lives of animals. Pick anything from buying a toy for a lonely dog in a shelter, rescuing an animal in need, or saving rats from labs.

It’s time to show your sweetheart your big heart. Make the world a better place for our animals here. 

Inspiration: Sustainable Utensils – The Chopstick Tree

Here’s another reason to pick up a pair of chopsticks, besides sushi. Better known as the “To Be Nature Wood Chopstick”, this seemingly ordinary pair of utensils has a seed sealed to its tip in a degradable starch cap. Done with your meal? Simply stick your chopsticks in the ground and watch the seed come to life in a matter of days.

This is the brainchild of Korean designer Gyeongwan Koo, who has also come up with the Cushion Maker Paper Shredder. While this green alternative to disposable chopsticks might not save the world, it definitely sets the scene for more eco innovations in the future.

Read more about it here.

Inspiration: The Copywriter’s Holy Grail

The long copy ad. An engaging conversation with the target audience. The ultimate test for copywriters.

Over the past decade, with the advent of new media channels, the legendary long copy ad seems to have diminished in its presence and importance. In its place, visual puns with snappy headlines, viral videos, flash mobs and augmented reality.

In the fast-moving age of instant gratification, is the long copy ad still relevant?

Well, it depends. Surely, it wouldn’t work for a billboard. It wouldn’t charm a 5 year-old kid. And it’s certainly not suitable for Facebook advertising.

But at a train station, in a newspaper, or on a café table. With an eye-catching headline, engaging copy and a powerful message, you’ll see it work like a charm. A good long copy ad captivates its readers and allows the advertiser to talk to its target audience. And of course, it can be as convincing as your best friend telling you about his or her personal experience with the brand.

Sure, a picture says a thousand words. But a single word can inspire a million images. And stringing all these words together to form a compelling story? That’s long copy.

Today, we pay tribute to long copy and present to you a few gems we’ve found. Happy reading!

Ads of the world – ywca_work_for_free?

brandsimo – runners

justanadpinion – charmin number one

Lego – Red Brick

Inspiration: Street Museum of Art

Street art, as it name suggests, thrives on the busy pedestrian crossings, the grimy side alleys, the crumbling walls of the corner shop, or just about anywhere public.

To celebrate the spirit of the underground and the creativity of society’s underbelly, Brooklyn proudly presents the Street Museum of Art – an initiative to bring the museum to the streets. Yes, the curators have infiltrated the neighbourhood, and they are putting the raw talent of guerilla artists in the spotlight.

Against the law and against the mainstream, no matter what, street art is here to stay. So we might as well appreciate it. After all, admission is always free. Check out the latest exhibition here.

Update – Rivsalt now on Sale at DesignTorget

Turn your dining experience into an exotic gastronomical adventure with Rivsalt – pink rock salt straight from the mountains of Himalaya. Add colour and unique flavour to your meal with an elegant stainless steel Japanese grater, rested on an exquisitely crafted untreated-oak stand.

Adentity has helped the brand with its visual identity and packaging design. Rivsalt was launched at Formex 2012, the largest exhibition for Nordic interior design, and is now on sale at DesignTorget in Stockholm and on rivsalt.se.

Inspiration: Sony XperiaTM Acro S – Skyfall’s Ringing Drink

When your phone rings in the cinema, your frantic scramble to silence it is usually accompanied by critical looks and blaming fingers of other moviegoers. Not for this lucky group of James Bond fans.

During a weekend screening of the latest secret agent film “Skyfall” in Stockholm, Sweden, the audience was greeted with a free beverage from Sony Mobile upon entry. Little did they realise that it was part of an ingenious publicity stunt for Sony Mobile’s latest waterproof smartphone, the Xperia^TM Acro S.

 

Now what better way to communicate the phone’s waterproof properties than to demonstrate it? We’re sure Mr Bond himself would have been impressed by this idea.

Inspiration: MMM with H&M? Mmmm…

10 November 2012, Saturday. Tension lingered in the air as the hoards gripped their placards tightly, preparing to march. They weren’t allowed to make a sound, nor smile. No, not a single facial expression. A uniform sea of white, they began taking over the busy streets. Weekend shoppers were stopped in their tracks, instantly captivated by the powerful message on their placards: 

MMM with H&M. 15 Nov 2012. 

Yes, Swedish fashion retail giant H&M has once again challenged the boundaries of advertising to promote their collaboration with Belgian fashion design powerhouse Maison Martin Margiela. Crowds in white aprons, a trademark of MMM’s design lab, took to the streets from Vienna and Toronto to Berlin and Hong Kong, and gave the masses a deafening silent treatment. How effective was it? We’ll let the campaign speak for itself. 

Inspiration: #FirstWorld‘Problems’

Ever complained about how tough your life is because the iPhone 5 was launched right after you bought your 32GB White iPhone 4S? Well, maybe you shouldn’t.

Here’s why: