Curious Creative

Viral=Flash-in-the-Pan?

What is viral? Something unexpected, unbelievable never seen before, thought provoking, rude, funny or fun. Typically not all of these things at once but in most cases anything viral has one or some of these elements. In the past few weeks I’ve seen two viral videos that fall into the Unbelievable category. Amazing Catch and Popcorn producing mobile phones. So unbelievable that they have turned out to be staged. In a world where viral videos snowball into everyone’s in-box a breakneck pace, they are just as quickly de-bunked. I give the creators credit; unbelievable never seen before is a tall order. But here is my question. Are these flash-in-the-pan viral videos a mere spike in brand awareness and do they undermine the credibility of a brand when they turn out to be a hoax. Or not? A bigger question, is there a way to extend the campaign? Perhaps not if it’s a hoax

Airborne internet

So here we go. The much anticipated on-board internet is beginning its roll-out.

DALLAS (AP) -- American Airlines says customers will be able to test in-flight Internet access on two flights beginning Wednesday, with broader service expected to begin in the following couple weeks.

No mobile phones yet amid fears of obnoxious sales people as your neighbor.  I can wait for that as well. I have mixed feelings about the internet idea. One of the last places I can “go dark” and in many cases actually get something done.

Experience Getty Images

10 years ago Getty Images tapped into the growing interactive stock photography market. It now boasts over 70 million still images and illustrations and more than 30,000 hours of stock film footage. It was always a place for finding images and video to use to create content. But recently it has found another way for people to “experience” their assets. Rather than key word searches Getty Images has launched Moodstream, an interactive site tapping into all Getty’s assets that allows you to pick themes and fine tune your mood using sliders. The result is customized animated streams of mood-inspired photos, video clips and graphics culled from the Getty Images library and accompanied by Getty audio. Now Getty is the content creator.   Great way to showcase all they have in their library.

One Hen

One Hen is the story of Kojo, an African boy from a village in Ghana, who’s poised to teach the world a valuable lesson about microfinance. His tale—about receiving a small loan that afforded him great opportunity—is told by author Katie Smith Milway of Bain & Company, who wrote the colorful children’s book after a visit to Africa earlier this year. To support the book’s official launch and to help drive the message of microfinance, Milway reached out to Sapient Interactive’s Boston design team to create a website for the book. We came back with an environment where kids could play, learn and participate in Kojo’s story.

The challenge, of course, was incorporating the lessons in finance, a subject not inherently kid-friendly. But by pulling in the book’s rich illustrations and combining them with games, compelling interactivity, and guided philanthropy (helping kids allocate the “beans” they earn per game) the site effectively engages users of all ages and facilitates real learning.

The site also takes users beyond the theoretical through a unique partnership with Opportunity International, a non-profit micro-lender based in Illinois. The organization backs kids’ bead donations and makes them count in real life towards microfinance projects around the world. And in addition to the games and bead activities on its pages, OneHen.org acts as a curriculum planning resource for teachers and librarians, with links to classroom activities, author and illustrator information, and links to buy the book itself.

As Phase 2 launches we start to fulfill the promise of the strategy. Giving children the ability to learn about and participate in Microfinance. In this phase the games we have created in phase 1 will have a point earning structure. In the case of One Hen, beads. Donating beads to a micro loan will spark an evolutionary story of the loan’s impact. The story will come to life in a virtual world, illustrating momentum of growth, progress, and empowerment within a village enterprise community.

Check it out and enjoy. OneHen.org

Samurai Jack is back

Once a family favorite and then one day canceled from Cartoon Network without warning my son and I have finally found Samurai Jack on Joost. Joost is adding shows all the time. It's amazing how fast it has been adding content. As video and commercial programming become mainstream on the web and viewing behavior shifts, this site is headed in the right direction. Content is king.

RIA Discovery Engine

“Fifty-two present of online consumers have used highly interactive applications like Google Maps and Zillow. More importantly, the overwhelming majority of those who tried RIAs say that rich internet applications greatly enhance their WEB experience.” 2007 Forrester Research, Inc.
From a business perspective they drive higher conversion rates, increase margins and create loyal customers. But most importantly, they deliver on the expectations of the today’s internet audience. One that is rich, fluid, intuitive and in many ways, fun. One of my favorite sites creates a visual relationship map of related music and movies. It’s a great way to broaden your taste without going out on a limb. Type in an artist you know and love at Liveplasma and find something new to listen to today.

Evolving out of a design recession

For years we have lived in a world where design was an afterthought to the technology. As a designer it was frustrating times. Like an epic movie with wiz bang special effects but lacking character development or a plot.

Technology was what gave brands the competitive edge in the marketplace. It trumped the need for great design. The bank that had online banking was able to attract customers because of that technology. Today, you’re not a bank with out online banking. That’s the price of entry. Technology is mainstream and table steaks in being a player in today’s market.

Don’t get me wrong. It needs a solid technology stack. It needs to be built smart. It needs to deliver on the needs of the audience, and there are new technologies everyday that can make the experience better. But it also needs emotion. It needs personality. It needs to inspire, motivate and engage. It needs to be intuitive, informed and interesting. It is the design, the experience that engages the audiences. Keeps them coming back and turns them into advocates. Today it is the design and the experience that differentiates the brand.