Financial Times Augmented Reality - the FT goes AR!

The Financial Times newspaper has a full page story today on the changing advertising / media marketplace 'long established agencies are floundering in a sea of social media, viral marketing, behavioural targeting and three-dimensional "augmented reality."'

The centre-piece of the story is a Financial Times Augmented Reality execution, which is also promoted on the front cover of the paper:

Financial Times front cover promotion of the FT AR Augmented Reality execution

Financial Times - FT AR Augmented Reality code

If readers go to the FT AR web page and hold up today's Financial Times to their webcam, a 3D rotating cube appears on screen - giving the page 3D interactivity:

Financial Times Augmented Reality - front view

Financial Times Augmented Reality - back view

To use the Financial Times Augmented Reality execution go here: http://www.ft.com/ar and to read the full article from this mornings Financial Times go here.

The Financial Times article is yet another sign of the progress that Augmented Reality is making and such a prominent article, in a title such as the FT, can only help drive increased use and penetration of AR (and the other 'new media' referenced in the article.

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Google on Fire - but making the most of the ad opportunity!

The Google offices in London had a fire this afternoon with all staff evacuated. The Telegraph (who have offices opposite) reported the story:

Telegraph report Google Fire

but while Google staff were on the street, the Google algorithm was making the most of the news opportunity, serving ads for Low Cost Extinguishers and 'Fire Extinguisher Courses' (!):

Google ad for 'Low Cost Extinguishers' served against Google Fire story

Google ad for 'Fire Extinguisher Courses' served against the Google Fire story

No-one at Google was hurt - I wonder how long it will be before this becomes a case study for contextual relevance and the power of the Google Content Network?!

See the ads for yourself on the Telegraph site here. Video footage below:

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Sean Kingston Augmented Reality - Karaoke with Virtual Sean!

The latest innovation in Augmented Reality is AR karaoke!

The Sean Kingston official site now has a section called 'Virtual Sean.' Users print off the AR code, hold it up to their webcam and then have Sean Kingston appear. Here he is on my desk:

Augmented Reality Sean Kingston - Virtual Sean on my desk!

There are various different dance moves that you can make Virtual Sean perform and if you have a microphone you can join him in a karaoke version of 'Fire Burning On The Dancefloor.'

There is then the opportunity to 'Record' your Augmented Reality Sean Kingston video, upload it to the Virtual Sean gallery and share it with your friends on Facebook, MySpace or Twitter. Virtual Sean users can also download their video recording to their own computer.

Virtual Sean gallery of Sean Kingston Augmented Reality karaoke videos

Augmented Reality is developing quickly and I think Virtual Sean is a great example of how interactive Augmented Reality can be. Virtual Sean is an interesting way of creating deeper engagement (and social currency) for fans and I'm sure others will follow.

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Twitter on Spotify - share the music you are listening to with your Twitter followers

Spotify functionality keeps improving and now you can share the music you are listening to with your Twitter followers!

Twitter on Spotify

Version 0.3.19 of Spotify now allows users to share what they are listening to with Friends and Followers on both Facebook and Twitter (and Delicious.) Social networking is becoming more integrated to other areas (see Facebook and Twitter integration on the XBox) and Spotify's social integration will drive awareness of Spotify whilst increasing appeal to users.

via Spotify blog

Follow me on Twitter @nickburcher

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@little_break - Eurostar Twitter promoted with print ads

Eurostar have launched a Twitter account called @little_break. This account is 'bringing together events and experiences taking place in Paris, Brussels and Lille to give you ideas to take a little break.'

The Eurostar Little Break activity is being advertised in newspapers with actual tweets forming the centre piece of the copy. Thus real tweets:

Tweet from @little_break (click for larger image)

Get replicated in the print creative:

Eurostar @little_break Twitter newspaper ad

Eurostar are therefore using a 'traditional' reach channel to drive traffic to an area where they can engage more deeply with the target audience.

This is also an example of 'just because you build it, doesn't mean they'll come.' The Eurostar Twitter activity is not a social media campaign, more of a socialising of a larger strategy - with Twitter acting as a hub that other media is driving to. This sort of strategy is becoming more widespread, whether it's Dance Flick driving traffic to a Facebook Fan Page, T-mobile promoting their YouTube channel, Pepsi Raw promoting Twitter on it's cans or Ben Stiller appealing to Ryan Seacrest to help him recruit followers, people are starting to understand that social cannot exist in isolation, social activity needs to be highlighted (and part of a wider strategy) in order to gain attention.

Follow me on Twitter @nickburcher

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Cockney cash machine - I found one! [PHOTOS and locations]

Widespread news coverage today of the 'Cockney cashpoint', where 5 Bank Machine cash machines in London have had a 'Cockney' language option added - the menus and commands are all displayed in cockney rhyming slang.

The majority of the news reports (like this one in the Times) seemed to have picked up the press release verbatim, but it is a bit difficult to establish where the cockney cash machines are actually located (the stories tend to just report 'five Cockney cash dispensers from East London to Barnet'.)

However, Andy has managed to note the 5 addresses of the cockney cash machines:

- Murco Service Station, Hatch Lane, Chingford, London, E4 6LP
- 447 Roman Road, London, E3 5LX
- 73 Commercial Street, London, E1 6BD
- 24 High Street, Walthamstow, London E17 7LD
- 197 Mays Lane, Barnet, EN5 2DY

I went to the cockney cash machine in Barnet tonight. More entertaining than a normal cash point visit, here are the screen grabs:

Cockney cashpoint - select your language, 'English' or 'Cockney'

Cockney cash machine - 'Enter your Huckleberry Finn' (pin)

Cockney cashpoint - 'Reading your bladder of lard' (card)

Cockney cash machine - 'some moolah for ya sky rocket? ya rattle & tank balance?'

Cockney cashpoint - 'we are contacting your rattle and tank' (bank)

Cockney cash machine - transaction Nigel Manselled (cancelled)

Cockney cashpoint - 'Tom Hanks Me Ol' Dutch plate' (Thanks mate)

The Cockney cashpoint livened things up by offering me some Welsh too:

Cockney cash machine - Welsh (!)

However, the cockney cashpoint had an 'out of order' sign over it when I arrived. The cashpoint light was flashing behind it though, so I took the sign off and had a look. At this point a shop worker from the shop next to it came out to inform me that 'it's out of order as it's all turned to goobledygook' (which I can only assume was in reference to the cockney!) I used the cockney cash machine anyway and took my photos, but the sign went back up afterwards:

Cockney cashpoint - out of order

On the drawing board the cockney cashpoint looks like a great idea (change 5 machines, get mass news coverage and prompt social media discussion) - and this stunt has received a massive amount of coverage from across the globe.

However, if members of the public who are actually using the machine don't know what's going on then the cockney cash machine is more likely to cause anxiety rather than enjoyment - and if they are all signed as 'out of order' then revenue per machine may actually go down rather than up. The news stories state that the cockney cash machine experiment may also be replicated in other parts of the country, with Geordie or Brummie cash machines in the pipeline. If this does happen, until word of the stunt has spread properly, I would firmly recommend that there is something on the machine itself to let people know what is happening + a briefing to those working in the vicinity.

The cockney cash machine is another great example though of how the new word of mouth / social environment works. Stunt / event to fuel discussions, with journalists, tweeters and bloggers amplifying the message for you afterwards - one press release and five altered cash machine have generated huge coverage!

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Virgin Trains Ashes Ponting tactical ad

Virgin trains have previously run tactical, sport related ads - see the Liverpool / Robbie Keane ad here. Running something Ashes related has proved too hard to resist so in today's London Lite Virgin Trains ran this:

'Quick single for Ponting' - Virgin trains ad

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Dance Flick ads drive traffic to Facebook Fan Page

New Wayans Brothers movie Dance Flick is using a Facebook Fan Page (with vanity URL) as the hub for their online promotion. Traditionally theatrical releases would use ads to drive traffic to a microsite, but we are starting to see social networks used as the hub for release activity (like Bruno previously) and this is an interesting development.

Dance Flick actually have 2 Facebook fan pages. For the US www.facebook.com/danceflick, but for the UK www.facebook.com/funnydance - with both of these pages showing up on Facebook Search and looking very similar.

Furthermore, in the UK Dance Flick are running radio advertising tagged with the Facebook URL - the ad finishes with 'go to Facebook.com/funnydance'. Google ads are also being used in the UK show and show the URL www.facebook.com/danceflick, but actually redirect to www.facebook.com/funnydance:

Google ad for Dance Flick promoting Facebook URL
(click for larger image)

UK visitors to facebook.com/funnydance then land on a Dance Flick competition page. Fans are offered the chance to win a trip to Ibiza by uploading a video or photo with the winner being the one with the most 'Likes':

Facebook Dance Flick Funny Dance competition

(NB to date there are only 16 videos with a total of 164 Likes between them - but the competition runs until 5th Sep)

So not only are Dance Flick driving to a personalised Facebook address, but Dance Flick have created different Fan Pages (and content) for US vs UK. Other brands could learn from this. Rather than just having one global Facebook Fan Page, having an individual Fan Page for each country gives greater opportunity to localise content and make it more relevant for the audience. Promoting the Fan Page in local market advertising is also worth exploring.

This seems to be the direction that brands are heading in when trying to capitalise on the Facebook opportunities (create Facebook page, drive traffic to page, maintain ongoing relationship with consumers) - if this continues then microsites could well be consigned to history.

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Ben Stiller explains Twitter to Mickey Rooney

Slightly surreal video with Ben Stiller trying to explain Twitter to Mickey Rooney:


Even though Twitter has become more mainstream , (as this film shows) it is still not easy to explain the value of Twitter to the 'uninitiated.' Twitter use the phrase 'Share and discover what’s happening right now, anywhere in the world' but I think this needs expanding?

Twitter 101 for Business is a start, how about Twitter 101 for users?

Follow me on Twitter @nickburcher

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Fendi QR code print ad in today's Times newspaper

In today's Times newspaper Fendi (handbags) are running a print ad with a QR code on it. No other call to action mechanic, just a QR code.

Fendi QR code print ad

This is the first time I have seen this in a UK newspaper - another sign that QR codes on traditional media executions are becoming more ubiquitous?

(NB: As Helen has pointed out, the Fendi QR code in UK newspapers takes you to the Italian version of the site. UPDATE: Users can select an English version but the 'ENG' option is not easily visible.)

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Yahoo! - Ashes related newspaper ads in the UK

There are a number of tactical Ashes cricket ads in the UK press this morning with the most unexpected coming from Yahoo! who are using print to promote their cricket services - seen this morning in the Times and Telegraph newspapers:

Yahoo! Ashes cricket ads in UK newspapers (click for larger image)

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Lego '8-bit trip' video - 1500 hours of moving bricks to create a 3 minute YouTube film

Have seen this starting to appear on Twitter - Tomas Redigh and Daniel Larsson's Lego 8 Bit video (created from 1500 hours (!) of moving Lego bricks):

Not exactly sure what the Lego 8 Bit film is for / what it is about, but think it really shows how polished UGC content is becoming!

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'Cricket in The Park' - nPower big screen Ashes cricket in Regents Park

For this Ashes series we have had the (ever-dependable) Test Match Special BBC radio / online coverage and the Five daily highlights (with invaluable online catch up service), however the only UK live TV coverage has been through Sky.

This has acted as a barrier to many, but over the summer cricket sponsor NPower have been running 'Cricket In The Park' public big screen events in across the UK. This weekend the 'Cricket In The Park' big screen came to Regents Park in London and we enjoyed ourselves immensely today!

Regents Park 'Cricket in The Park' - entrance (click for larger image)

Thousands of people attended the Regents Park 'Cricket in the Park' event and by mid-afternoon a capacity crowd was in place and watching England win back the Ashes:

Regents Park 'Cricket in The Park' - view from near the back (click for larger image)

Regents Park 'Cricket in The Park' - view from the side (click for larger image)

Regents Park 'Cricket in The Park' - view by the screen (click for larger image)

Regents Park 'Cricket in The Park' - view from the screen looking back (click for larger image)

NPower event staff added to the atmosphere by wandering the crowds distributing various NPower-branded cricket paraphernalia including inflatable kangaroos, picnic mats, 'bangers', scratch cards (where every one seemed to win a 2005 Ashes DVD) and more:

Regents Park 'Cricket in The Park' - NPower gifts (click for larger image)

Buxton water ran a Kids Zone play area and a giant screen hosted an Ashes Cricket Wii competition:

Regents Park 'Cricket in The Park' - giant Ashes cricket Wii competition (click for larger image)

However, the best thing about today was the action - and being able to watch it with thousands of people outdoors added to the excitement:


Cricket In The Park (Regents Park, London) - Ponting out!

Great day, one that we'll remember for a long time - and I'll guess we'll also look back favourably on the brands that helped make it happen!

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The Guild - 'Do You Wanna Date My Avatar?' hits number one in the iTunes charts

The latest example of web culture crossing into the mainstream is The Guild - 'Do You Want To Date My Avatar?' We've seen raps about Twitter, now it's time for pop based around MMORPG's!

Written by the creators of cult online comedy series The Guild, 'Do You Want To Date My Avatar' is a tongue in cheek track that aimed to create buzz around the third series of the show. However, the response has been huge with 'Do You Want To Date My Avatar' becoming a YouTube viral hit and, according to the BBC, going straight to number one on the UK iTunes chart.

'Do You Want To Date My Avatar?' is a great demonstration of how the world, and popular culture, has changed. In the not too distant past I don't think I could have envisaged a song at number one with lyrics including:

"Check me out, cloth armor
Fits me like a glove
Just twitter a time
I'm ready for love"

"Hang with me in my MMO
So many places we can go
You'll never see my actual face
Our love, our love will be in virtual space"

What's next?!

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NYSE - GAP to dress New York Stock Exchange traders and ring The Closing Bell

To celebrate the GAP 40 year anniversary (and kickstart a new GAP@work campaign), GAP will today outfit the NYSE trading community!

The 1200 people on the New York Stock Exchange trading floor will 'dress down' for the first time and NYSE traders will all wear GAP's new 1969 Premium jeans. At the end of trading today members of the GAP board, alongside GAP founding family members John Fisher and Bill Fisher, will ring The Closing Bell at 3.59pm ET (this will be done remotely from GAP HQ in San Francisco.)

[A live webcast of The Closing Bell can be seen here on the NYSE site (with an archive available shortly afterwards.)]

GAP are also holding 2 hour long, free, acoustic music concerts in their stores across America this evening and offering 'limited time' discounts on the new 1969 jeans.

For me though, the GAP activity with the New York Stock Exchange is the most interesting (media) aspect of the GAP 40 year anniversary celebrations. People have done things before with Facebook, free music events etc, but the NYSE 'casual Friday' activity is unique. GAP facilitating the first dress down Friday at the NYSE + GAP ringing The Closing Bell are powerful ways of bringing to life the 'American-ness' of the GAP brand - creating great photo opportunities and news coverage.

Interested to see how it turns out!

more here

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MINI iPhone Road Assist app - another example of a 'useful' mobile application

iPhone apps are getting more useful - no longer just games or gimmicks, iPhone app designers are using the functionality offered by iPhones (especially the latest model) / Blackberry etc to deliver helpful applications (see the iBurgh pothole reporter) as well as brand experience.

Mini have previously created an iPhone game and an Openness app to make life more interesting and MINI USA have now launched the MINI Road Assist application.

MINI USA Road Assist iPhone App

MINI Road Assist users download the app to their phone, enter their Vehicle ID number and personal information - even uploading a photo of their car if they want to.

MINI Road Assist iPhone App personalisation

If the MINI owner then needs breakdown assistance they can then activate the Road Assist app, select their need and press the "call" button.

MINI Road Assist iPhone App - select service

The Road Assist app then transmits all the relevant information about vehicle, location and need directly to the relevant help centre. The MINI app then delivers an estimated arrival time for help and follows up to ensure everything has been resolved.

MINI Road Assist iPhone app - confirmation of assistance

A YouTube video has also been created to demonstrate the MINI Road Assist app:

(Note: The Mini Road Assist app is free to download, but service assistance is only free to vehicles that are under warranty.)

Download the MINI Road Assist app here. (download only available to US).

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Gorillas on the streets of London!

As I left the tube this morning I was confronted by a man in a gorilla suit who offered me a flyer:

Great Gorilla Run 2009 flyer

The back of the flyer then gives details of 'the Great Gorilla Run 2009':

Great Gorilla Run 2009 - flyer with details (click for larger image)

This is a fun run where participants cross '7km of urban terrain..... in a gorilla suit.' The flyer goes on to say 'join 100s of gorilla runners on the streets of London and help save an endangered species from extinction.'

The Great Gorilla Run leaflet promotes the event website at greatgorillas.org and this also has links to various other social areas such as Flickr, MySpace, YouTube, Facebook and Twitter.

The Great Gorilla Run YouTube channel has a promotional video:

However, my favourite promotional video has been created by one of the Great Gorilla Run participants. Under the strapline 'Rocky has a montage, so why can't I have one?' Fergus has created a clip montage showing him dressed as a gorilla while he runs past various London landmarks including Buckingham Palace, Covent Garden, Lords, Abbey Road - finishing up at Alexandra Palace:

I never thought taking a flyer from the street could reveal so much! Worthy cause and could be an entertaining day.

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DJ Hero - Tiesto and Paul van Dyk added to the line up, with Facebook, Twitter and YouTube used for promotion

DJ Hero is coming to Xbox 360, Playstation and Wii shortly.

Featuring some of the world's top DJ's (with Paul van Dyk and Tiesto now added to a roster that already included legends like Grandmaster Flash and DJ Jazzy Jeff), DJHero is a music game that lets users 'DJ' across 100+ songs using a specially designed turntable / crossfader game controller. Players can then scratch, blend, crossfade, sample and also create their own tracks.

Social media is a major component of DJ Hero promotion with a number of platforms and mechanisms being used to raise awareness. Video is a key medium in sharing game functionality with various instructional videos and demos now available to view online. For example:

Marvin Gaye 'I Heard It Through The Grapevine' vs Gorrillaz 'Feel Good Inc':



or Tears for Fears 'Shout' vs Eric Prydz 'Pjanoo':



The DJ Hero YouTube channel then aggregates all of the DJ Hero promo / demo videos (and links to the pre-order site):

DJ Hero YouTube channel

The DJ Hero Facebook Fan Page allows conversation / discussion and also offers the demo videos, screenshots and integrates the DJ Hero Twitterfeed:

DJ Hero Facebook page

The DJ Hero Twitter is another source of information for consumers:

DJ Hero Twitter

Everything is then aggregated on the main DJ Hero website at www.djhero.com.

First of all I think this looks great fun, but it is also demonstrative of how the physical and virtual worlds are fusing together. DJ Hero is not just a game with a strong player 'experience', it is also provides tools of production. Guitar Hero is about playing along, but DJ Hero offers the opportunity to create too. DJ Hero effectively offers a low cost entry point to music production and future plans for social networks to be linked into gaming will make it even more interesting.

If gamers can use DJ Hero to create and collaborate, and then easily share with a wider audience (via mechanics like Facebook Connect), how long before the first DJ Hero user created track becomes a viral hit?

I'm looking forward to the release of this!

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'Harmony Floralscapes' continue the promotion of the 2010 Toyota Prius

As part of the continuing activity in support of the new Prius, Toyota have created a 'floralscape' in downtown Los Angeles.

Toyota Prius Harmony Floralscape

The display is made up of more than 20,000 live flowers and yesterday Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa unveiled the 'Harmony Floralscape' on the side of the Pasadena Freeway (SR-110) in downtown Los Angeles.

This is one of nine oversized floral designs that will appear alongside California freeways with seven Harmony Floralscapes planned for the Los Angeles area and two in the San Francisco area.

The 30'x60' Toyota Prius "Harmony Floralscapes" are comprised entirely of living seasonal flowers. The flowers used in each Floralscape are grown by local businesses in special modular "Eco-crates" made from recycled plastic. Several different designs have been developed, and the displays will be changed and updated several times during the next four months. (Federal regulations require that the Floralscapes be non-commercial in nature so abstract images of the new Prius are being used to communicate the eco-values of the new car.)

Los Angeles-area Floralscape locations include:

- the west side of the Pasadena (110) Freeway, just north of the 101 Freeway.
- north side of the Santa Monica (10) Freeway, east of Lincoln Blvd. exit
- east side of San Diego (405) Freeway at Orange Street
- north side of the Ventura (101) Freeway, west of Balboa Blvd.
- south side of the Santa Monica (10) Freeway, east of Overland Drive exit
- north side of the Pomona (60) Freeway at Lorena Street exit
-south side of the Foothill (210) Freeway, at the Los Robles Ave. on ramp.

San Francisco-area Floralscape locations:

- south side of the Redwood (101) Freeway at Novato Blvd. in Marin County,
- north side of the Junipero Serra (280) Freeway at the Winchester Ave. exit in Santa Clara County.

The Harmony Floralscapes are highlighted on the Toyota Prius Facebook page and also publicised on the main Toyota US site. These displays are an innovative use of outdoor and mark the continuation of a series of interesting initiatives to promote the 2010 Prius.

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Championship Manager 2010 - Pay What You Want!

In a first for the gaming industry, Eidos have announced that customers will be able to pay what they like for the digital download version of the new Championship Manager 2010 football computer game (subject to a £2.50 download fee being paid.)

Championship Manager 2010 - "Pay What You Want"

The Championship Manager 2010 download offer runs until midnight on September 10th and in this period prospective players will be able to pre-register to buy Championship Manager 2010 for £2.50 (to cover the download admin) + whatever they feel like adding. From Sep 11th registered users can then download the game to their PC.

Championship Manager 2010 has attracted widespread attention today with over 1000 references to 'Championship Manager 2010' returned by Google Blog Search for the 24 hour period across today. This news has also been discussed extensively on Twitter and other social sites - creating significant buzz for the new launch.

However, the Pay What You Want version of Championship Manager 2010 is a basic version of the game and does not include online functionality or extras that are available in the full version. The assumption is therefore that Pay What You Want players will be able to add additional features for supplementary cost at a later date.

More and more brands are doing things to create a splash with consumers then amplifying the message as they talk about it with friends - a low cost, high profile entry offering with additional revenues delivered through physical sales or upsell of functionality at a later date. Radiohead released their 'In Rainbows' album in this way (achieving great success) and, the Chris Anderson driven, debate around 'Free' is fuelling further experiments of this nature.

Will there be wider adoption of this model across the gaming sector?

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Viral Squirrel!

This weekend a squirrel became an international celebrity after gatecrashing a holiday photo:

The gatecrasher squirrel

Melissa Brandts and her husband were on holiday at Lake Minnewanka in Banff National Park, Canada and after setting their camera on timer a squirrel decided to take a starring role in their photo.

The photo has gained international attention after being submitted to the website of National Geographic magazine, however after featuring in various news reports the squirrel has taken on a life of it's own.

Facebook has seen various activity including the creation of a group called 'Nuts the squirrel is a legend!'

Various Squirrel Twibbons have been set up allowing Twitter users to add the squirrel to their Twitter picture (with the most popular Squirrel Twibbon currently having 312 supporters):

Squirrel Twibbons

and there is even a website called The Squirrelizer which allows the Squirrel to be added to any photo:

The Squirrelizer

It's August and the news 'silly season' is upon us so obviously this sort of story appeals to journalists. However the gatecrasher squirrel is also a good example of how a small piece of user generated content can quickly travel the world (unless of course this is a viral tourism campaign for Banff National Park!)

UPDATE - More viral squirrel stuff:

- @Banff_Squirrel on Twitter

- The Viral Squirrel promotional video:

- Quip-art allows internet users to overlay the Squirrel on any webpage and send / tweet the link: http://www.quip-art.com/overlay/18005

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Usain Bolt YouTube coverage - examples from around the world

Every now and then a sporting event captures the world's imagination - and Usain Bolt smashing the World Record for 100m this weekend was one of those events.

'Usain Bolt' is still a trending topic on Twitter and YouTube is full of race uploads from around the world. It's interesting to see the different Usain Bolt coverage and hear the different race commentaries - some of them give you goosebumps, others don't:

Usain Bolt World Record - Swedish coverage:



Usain Bolt World Record - British (BBC) coverage:



Usain Bolt World Record - Polish coverage (?):



Usain Bolt World Record - German coverage:



Usain Bolt World Record - Brazillian coverage (?):



Usain Bolt World Record - Dutch coverage:



Usain Bolt World Record - French coverage

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xa6pl8_usain-bolt-958-nouveau-record-du-mo_sport

Usain Bolt World Record - Spanish coverage:



Usain Bolt World Record - NBC US coverage:

(*Please correct me if I have the wrong language detailed above!)

It's a really strange feeling to watch an event like this with a commentary that you don't understand, especially to see how you react differently to the film depending on how it's presented - and if anything it heightens the excitement to watch the Usain Bolt race in a 'foreign' language. Interesting way of demonstrating that different 'packaging' (commentary) effects how you receive the same content.

(Note: I assume that YouTube will kill these videos before too long and I'm not condoning copyright infringement)

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The Social Hotel - Creators Inn by Elvine, Stockholm

This looks awesome! Swedish clothing line Elvine have just opened their second 'Creators Inn' in Stockholm, Sweden - "offering free, short-term accommodation for visiting creators." (The first Creators Inn is in Gothenburg, Sweden.)

The Creators Inn website states: "An overnight at Creators Inn offers all the standard features and comfort associated with a modern hotel, but the crucial difference is that you as a guest do not have to pay anything. It's totally free. No hidden fees. The aim with Creators Inn is to promote the local area and give something back to travelling creators whose presence contributes to a more interesting city, whether they are in a band, DJ, designer, artist, writer etc."

But this isn't for everyone, a selection process is applied to guests - as the website says "you need what we call a “valid reason” to stay at our Inn. A valid reason is some sort of creative activity, preferably together with local creators or something that incorporates the city in some way. For instance, meeting up an old friend to go clubbing is (unfortunately) not a valid reason to be granted a free stay." (!)

However, this is not just a clothing brand creating a hotel. In the same way that Electrolux hope to benefit from the restaurant experience they have created in Paris, the Creators Inn is about bringing to life the essence of the Elvine brand, engaging the key role models who (they hope will) act as brand ambassadors and generating word of mouth promotion for the Elvine brand.

Every detail of the Elvine Creators Inn has had attention paid to it and wherever possible ideas are collaborative and crowdsourced. Suggestions from the Creators Inn Facebook discussion board, web page comments and Twitter have all been incorporated into the final design.

Some of my favourite touches:

- Decor - a map of Stockholm and the local area of Södermalm covers one of the walls in each room and guests are encouraged to mark out their favourite spots using pins and pre-printed notes to create a collaborative city guide

Elvine Creators Inn collaborative room map

- The wardrobe contains Elvine clothes that the guests are free to use

Elvine Creators Inn wardrobe containing Elvine clothes

- Creative concierge service - in the room is a list describing eight different people guests can call up if they need someone to go out with or other less traditional tourist information

- Guests can use an in-room record player with vinyl on loan from 'management and friends private collections.' (These also have an attached note that says 'if you're interested in keeping any of the records we'll speak to the owner and see what we can do.' Also a space to 'tell us what you think about this record.')

Creators Inn By Elvine - record collection sticker

- a fixed gear Elvine branded bike that can be borrowed

- 'The Story of Elvine' printed on the shower screen

Creators Inn by Elvine - 'Story Of Elvine' on the shower screen

- various other stickered articles including bananas and notes encouraging guests to become a 'Friend at www.elvine.se')

As you'd expect there is a heavy Elvine social media presence (main website with the relevant links here) and there is even a tongue in cheek YouTube video explaining the background to the brand:

The Creators Inn by Elvine displays an acute understanding of how Word Of Mouth is generated / spread and is a great example of an engaging brand experience - immerse the few rather than target the many. Unfortunately not sure if 'having a blog' will fulfil their creative criteria though.......

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