Nike and Skype have launched new activations revolving around human faces. The online ‘Free Face’ game, which was kicked off by Nike in Japan, is designed to promote Nike iD, the brand’s branch which is focused on customization and adjusting to consumers’ preferences. The new digital Flash platform, developed by Wieden+Kennedy Tokyo, invites fans to give their faces a workout and (with the help of the web camera) put them next to Nike ID’s sneakers, which can easily mimic the facial expressions thanks to their flexible soles.
Photo: A snapshot from the www.nikefreeface.jp website
The shoe’ wildest and oddest expressions are based on numerous lines that define each of the face’s movements (for instance, the horizontal line define the position of your mouth and the vertical line help the platform calculate the degrees of flex between the forehead and the chin). The smart platform selects a shoe in the colorway, which fits both the user’s clothing and the settings of the space she or he is in. The brand is offering weekly prizes to those, who will get the most votes for his or her twisted face, and will give it a Nke iD gift card. Only Japan residents are eligible to take part in the competition (it is running through May 31), but anyone can turn the webcam and try making the weirdest faces just for fun.
Skype has also launched an app centered on the faces theme. The new application dubbed Skype Humoticons, which is part of the recently launched ‘humanity’-oriented campaign, has been recently revealed on Facebook. With the new app, users can upload their faces mimicking the well-known Skype characters (but some of the images uploaded by users are not relevant at all). The app also creates animated versions of your Skype faces: “Take up to 5 individual photos and we’ll stitch them together to create your very own animated image to share with your friends,” it says. The gallery features a plethora of various faces, which are categorized by Skype emotions (blushing, in love, angry, etc.). Each face goes with a link and a ‘like’ option, so users can both share and vote for the faces and “download animated Humoticons, or copy its URL, to share it in an instant message,” says Skype official blog.
Photo: A snapshot from the Skype Humoticons app