To promote its social network Google+, the Internet giant Google is launching a new competition for up and coming photographers, inviting them to upload their visual works to the new platform. For the contest entitled Google Photography Prize the company has teamed up with Saatchi Gallery, London, which will provide the finalists and the winner with hilarious prizes, which are sure to help them boost their photography career.
Author: Anna Rudenko
This fall, Smirnoff is treating its fans with a bunch of treats, both entertainment and drinkable. The iconic vodka brand, which has launched spinoffs of its two successful projects, The Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange and Master of the Mix, is now introducing two new flavored vodkas, Whipped Cream and Fluffed Marshmallow—to toast the highly anticipated second installments of the initiatives. According to the brand, the new additions to its portfolio are “to offer adult consumers a line of premium spirits that, similar to that memorable bachelorette party or a classic guys’ night out, are fun, sophisticated, and cleverly wicked.” These new products are all about sweetness and female nature, which can be both sassy and gentle.
Starbucks is bringing more fun to consumer experience this holiday season by launching its first major augmented reality smartphone app featuring five Starbucks Holiday characters from the brand’s red coffee cups, Christmas Blend bags, in-store and more. This app, developed by Blast Radius, will be launched on November 15—it comes as a hilarious addition to the range of Starbucks’ applications, which includes the mobile payment and Card e-gift apps. It will allow consumers to play with the animated characters (they perform somersault and jumps when get tapped on) and win a prize for activating all of them (so far, the brand doesn’t unveil what exactly it will be).
Brands, which represent after-hours life, often provide its fans with a detailed partying and dating guide (usually, alcohol brands embark on this mission as the example of Carlsberg proves), but technological giants also have something to tell the world when it comes to interpersonal relationship. Sony Europe has teamed up with French agencies Reflex Virtual and Point-Barre to release a hilarious webseries entitled ‘A Geeks Guide to Get Girls’ starring Bruno Sanches, Loïc Bartolini and Loïc Fieffé as nerds who are trying to turn into machos in the eyes of the girls who live next door. The time has come when technology helps improve personal life.
Supporting emerging artists is in DNA of the Mountain Dew bubble drink brand, which never misses an opportunity to get together with younger creatives on various projects or occasions. One of the most energetic PepsiCo’s brands (by nature and style, not by containing caffeine) has teamed up with 19-year old genius of rap Mac Miller, described as “Twitter sensation” by Rolling Stone (now, he’s got over 1,120,000 followers and counting), who released his debut album Blue Slide Park yesterday, November 8. The iconic drink to support the artist’s first headlining US tour (click here to see where it is going to stop), which will be rolling across 32 cities of the country with 35 concerts this fall, produce a range of promotional merchandize to be sold at each of the show and more.
Brands use a plethora of ways to tell the world that they support sustainable practice and manufacture their products with nature in mind. They launch related campaigns, team up with global environmental organizations and release specifically certified products. Promoting the ecological philosophy around the globe, some brands are also targeting youngsters as consumers of tomorrow. PUMA has recently unveiled its new mascot Marmo and released a book about marine life featuring the red creature, and following the sportswear brand, Kimberly-Clark’s Kleenex Cottonelle is also presenting a new children’s book dedicated to the theme of saving orangutans.
It’s quite a usual thing for brands to release festive or commemorative editions when it comes to some big dates or holidays like the Royal Wedding or Christmas or any other notable occasion. But adidas decided to go further and created a new pack to pay tribute to a song—Run-DMC’s 1986 track My adidas, which has become the anthem of the sneaker brand. To pay tribute to the song about the iconic sneaker, which is celebrating 25th anniversary this year, the brand is releasing DMC x adidas Superstar ‘My adidas’ sneaker, which will cost $150, in just a few days—on 11.11.11 at 11 am PST at Shopadidas.com, adidas Originals Stores, and select adidas accounts.
Personality tests aimed at figuring out one’s way of thinking will never be out of fashion. Building on the success of such questionnaires, Hyundai has launched a new global campaign New Thinkers Index on online platform to provide visitors with a chance to explore the notable thinkers’ outlooks (ones of actors, musicians, outstanding athletes and other notable people), read articles and watch a series of short 4-minute videos revolving around the think theme and take a test online to figure out how well they do in eight major areas of thinking ranging from natural and interpersonal to music and visual.