Tapping into the truism that one's phone is, in a sense, one's life, Nokia is out with an interesting online promotion for what appears to be a new phone. Two playful videos (Anna, Luca) do the montage thing to illustrate the lives of Anna, Jade and Luca, all of whom, of course, have accompanying Facebook pages.
On the promotional site, somebodyelsesphone, where the symbiotic relationship between a person and their phone is further explored, people can sign up to be notified via email when the phone will be unlocked...in other words, released.
Or, or, or...it's not a promotion for a new phone, rather, a playful promotion that attempts to make everyone love Nokia even more. Or hate their friends for even thinking about stealing a person's little secrets out of their phone. In 5.5 days, we will know. W+K London created the work.
Just in time for Halloween, Doritos launches Hotel 626, a haunted virtual hotel that's only open between 6pm and 6am. (You'll literally have to make a reservation if you try to penetrate it before then.)
Users are encouraged to visit the site in the dark with headphones, a camera and a microphone, which can be used to complete challenges. The hotel is 13 rooms big, including a morgue and a dark room (like, for developing photos?).
Part of Doritos' sponsor-heavy online universe, Snack Strong Productions, the effort will be promoted on specially marked bags of Doritos. By Goodby, Silverstein & Partners.
- A handful of rich-ass celebrities use reverse psychology to cajole MySpace users into voting. What, does Jennifer Aniston not do it for you? Maybe Leonardo DiCaprio's poverty-ridden excuse for a blog will.
- The wife of David Warthen, founder of Ask.com, is facing tax evasion charges on money she made while working as a hooker to pay for law school.
The Swift Kids for Truth, a group of weebies that can't form complete sentences without lisping adorably, take the piss out of Sarah Palin in a video called "Maverick." The description's about as infantile as the content: "The kids are in awe of that lady who looks like their Mommy when she's mad."
Palin's status as "maverick," the munchkins argue with subtle irony, doesn't go much deeper than the frameless glasses on her nose.
With a vibe very much like Twin Peaks, Wawa coffee is out with a new website which makes it easy for people to create their own personalized cup of coffee and then have the creation analyzed in terms of what the creation says about the person's personality. The navigation is a bit clumsy and it appears the only way to get the analysis is through email thereby allowing for the possibly undesirable collection of email addresses. Wilmington Delaware interactive agency, The Archer Group, worked with Wawa and Dallas based Richards group on the online campaign.
- Folksy new site for Kubler Absinthe. The "Creativity" tab suggests an upcoming CGM effort where people can "contribute to the myth of Absinthe." See videos for preparing mixed drinks. They're cool, and don't you love that background music? Also check out "fact and fiction" and the how-to-drink, which I thought was really neat. By Decon/NY.
- M. M. McDermott is not impressed by Millennials, but he'll cater to them on the Baltimore Sun'shipster spin-off. While reading a stylebook and wearing a nametag labeled "COCK."
To promote the work of painter brother Marc Dehareng, Belgian 'net junkie Renaud Dehareng launched GrowingBuzz.com. One painting -- and unfortunately, not the most charming one -- was chosen to become "the future most expensive painting in history." To hike up the dollar value, advertisers bid to have their sites represented when users mouse over the art.
Two advertisers have bid since the launch two days ago, bringing the painting's value to ... drumroll, please! ... $11.50. When we clicked on the painting today, it brought us to ProFish-Technology.be, "studies and consulting in aquatic environment."
Decapitate bears, blow Barbies to bits and deflate giant orange balls in Teddy Bear's Picnic, a disturbingly engaging game for Wicked Uncle.
Seems like the kind of game Hugh Grant's character would've enjoyed playing in About a Boy, shortly before getting told off by eight scowling mothers. Those good enough to make the leaderboard get a five pound (the currency) voucher and enter a sweepstakes to win an iPod touch. Generous.
Wicked Uncle helps the hapless "buy the perfect present" without busting their balls or getting bent over in shipping costs. But it's only available for UK residents, so you can relegate this convenience to other fun British stuff you can't have, like Cadbury Almond Apple Banana bars.
Patsy, a little potato-faced woman, doesn't know how to talk to her kids about drugs. But she knows that she should, so she finds ways to unearth drug use in ways they won't expect: ambushing them in the shower, patting them down mid-embrace, and stripping labels off the family's prescription pills. (Don't ask. I was clueless about the logic of that.)
In the end, well-meaning Patsy only alienates her kids and bamboozles her husband into accidentally taking female hormone pills. (No labels on the drug bottles, remember?) The moral of this story? "Don't be a Patsy."
