Tomorrow We Go.

Tomorrow we head to Austin, TX for SXSWi. We have set up a Posterous page for our notes, pics, videos and whatever else hits us while we are there. Check it out at http://thisisbeautiful.posterous.com

Wacky Pringles banner ad proves you shouldn’t always take company communications too seriously

Banner ads don’t have to be boring and neither does your copy.  Pringles recently proved that when it published an award-winning banner ad that keeps people clicking on the ad.

The ad features a chick with a Pringles can stuck on her left hand (no doubt b/c she was trying to get the last of the stack out … will Pringles make a wider can already?!) and a guy proposing to her. The ad proclaims that “Love can be complicated” and the mustached Pringles man in the corner urges you to “click.” That’s where the fun begins.

Once you start clicking on the ad, you’re pulled into an amusing storyline involving your boss, a joke about facebook and even acknowledgments of how crazy it is that you’re continuing to *click* on this seemingly pointless ad. Click here to see the ad in action.

None of these things have any direct correlation to Pringles, but you clicked through to the last screen, didn’t you? Even if you didn’t, I’m guessing you went at least 15-20 clicks deep, all because of the funny, casual copywriting. Which brings me to my next point: Lighten up!

The next time you’re writing copy for a company newsletter, advertisement, blog, manual, etc., consider whether you need to write for the suits in the conference room or if you can loosen your tie and write like how you talk to the IT guy in the break room.

Sometimes you need the jargon to be taken seriously. Sometimes jargon and formality make you seem stuffy and boring. Know your audience and don’t be afraid to write for them. You never know, it might lead your company to be an Internet buzz instead of Pringles.

Beef Jerky Meets Augmented Reality!

A lot of you guys know I have been obsessed with Augmented Reality and learning to code it using the Augmented Reality ToolKit. I have been working in Processing and experimenting with it in Flash.

Today, I stumbled across an incredible application from Jack Links Beef Jerky. That’s right. Beef Jerky! http://www.livingsasquatch.com/ Developed by Brock Davis, one of my favorite artists of the moment,  it makes great use of Augmented Reality and allows users to create short films with the app. If you have access to a printer and a webcam, you’re good to go. Go to the site, print out the footprint and activate your camera thru the Flash app. When your camera detects the shape (the “Hiro” image), the sasquatch comes to life using a series of 3d files performing the actions you select.

What’s the future for Augmented Reality? Have you experimented with it? Is it a useful tool or just another gimmick? How can we use it in our daily lives?

The Mannequins at Forever XXI