On The Ground Looking Up

In Case Of Emergency - The Physical Meme

Perhaps there should be a case for physical memes. Ideas that have existed in the real world, that over time, get adopted for other purposes, often in the use of humor or political statement. 

A quick search on the phrase 'In Case of Emergency' revealed quite a large number of offshoots from the original fire alert visual that we all know and have seen many times. 

But where this simple communication construct has evolved is reminiscent of how we have seen the meme-ification of other transposed ideas spread across the internet.

There is the political/activist:

There is the advertising spin:

The musical/artistic:

The humurous:

And like any good meme, you have the geek and zombie riffs:

There have been other physical memes before, but this is one of the most extensive I have found and look forward to where it brings us as the entire physical landscape becomes malleable as our digital world is.

 

The MarionetteBot Is Here

Whether you like it or not, the MarionetteBot is here. 

A store window, some mannequines, a kinect and some creative programing make this a fun execution. Seen on CGM, this Japanese execution claims to have people lining up to play with it, yet the video shows very little of the actual mannequins in action making me a bit suspicious about how well this worked, but I am sure we will be seeing this tactic come up again.

Keep Calm & Watch Youtube

In talking with my daughter after a recent trip to London, she asked the question about where the 'Keep Calm & Carry On' poster came from. My first response, "The Internet", did not seem to satisfy her, so I then told her I did not know, but would look into it. 

After a few searches here and there I came across this video describing the secret journey from war propaganda to meme. It is a lovely story in how a message travels across the globe, some a simple, humble beginning. Figuring that many of you may not know the history of this passed along phrase, I have posted the video below. Enjoy.

An Endless Stream of Elevator Virals

Today, the talented and lovely Chris Rojas posted this video on my Facebook timeline. 

Now this is not the first elevator stunt we have seen. There was this one, and this one too. They seem to pop up every year or so.

As someone who has done a lot of creative marketing over the years, I can't help seeing these and feeling like we are all being played a bit.

I know we wall want to believe they are real, and the fact is that they do get picked up and passed around so from a media and attention perspective, I get it. But as with this one and so many others, I have to call 'staged' because I do not see how one could, for a major motion picture or product for example, risk the fallout should someone have a heart attack or worse after being shocked as so. 

Perhaps I am the last person who should call fake on potentially fabricated situations, but there is something about them that at times, does irk me.  

Do you feel the same or do you enjoy simply for the entertainment they provide?

 

Creative Code x DJs x Gawker Media #Laterpost

A bit of a #laterpost of some tech we created while producing Gawker Media's HUSH Silent Disco event.  With a lot of DJ experiences these days there are elaborate visual shows that accompany the music. Since we did not have time to work with the DJs prior (DJ Kalkutta, Dapwell from Das Racist and Chris Keating from Yeasayer), we created a suite of creative visuals with all of the movement within them generated by the frequencies of the music itself that the DJs were playing. We then integrated social scraping with a simple iPad moderation tool and ended up with a dynamic and generative visual dispay that was as unique as the silent event itself. 

Generative Audio Visualizer With Social Integration For Gawker Media from SuperTouch Group on Vimeo.

The Silent Disco visual experience was coded in Cinder. 

Urban Garden Made From Recycled Soda Bottles

I love the way this simple idea not only changes the landscape but also sends an important message at the same time. I could see this being repurposed for brands looking to give a 'green' image to their events. Simple, cheap, beautiful and effective. 

More info here. 

TBS Goes Tear Off For New Nerd Show

I am always a fan of the Tear-Off campaign. Having done them here and there over the years for brands and art, they are a low-cost and often effective way of getting the word out.  

These, for the new show King of the Nerds on TBS were funny and clever. I observed a fair number of people stop and take note, tear a slip and whip out their phones to snap a photo. More than you can ever expect for something that probably cost under $.05 to print. 

The only sad part is that these are not real tear offs, as if they were, the LARPing community would get a much needed boost. 

 

Mark Jenkins FTW!

A

Artist Mark Jenkin's and his Street Toast.

Coke Zero Turns Everyday Consumers Into James Bond

Nice bit of experiential for Coke Zero and Skyfall, the new 007 movie about to take over the world.

Reminds me a bit of TNT's Drama Button idea, but still a super fun experience to both participate in and witness.

Thanks for the find Jessica Randazza / Jordana Bruner.

Naukri Goes Homeless To Promote Getting A Job

Every once in a while brands utilize homeless iconography (or the homeless themselves) to promote a new offering. Often it does not go over well. Perhaps this execution for Indian job site Naukri wentover a little better than some in the past.

What do you think?