GoPro’s Spherical Panorama Timelapse

This is not necessarily advertising, but the content speaks for itself. Over time, GoPro has mastered the art of advocating what a brand stands for through their actions instead of their messages. How people actually use a product or a service is great for both brand and viewer to know as the realized potential can make a person wonder about what else might be possible. This short video was creatively executed with 6 GoPro cameras taking constant panorama shots to provide the illusion of traveling on a tiny planet. Although I came across this a couple days late of 4/20, the perspective is still appropriately mind-bending.

(via LA Egoist)

The NPR Voice Experience

Anyone’s who listened to All Things Considered sometime in the last decade should be able to recognize the familiar voices of Audie Cornish and Robert Siegel; NPR is also quite famous for hosts enunciating softly (and almost uncomfortably) close to to the microphone. One this note, NPR is looking to bridge a more intimate relationship between marketer and listener. Accordining to Bryan Moffett, NPR’s Vice President of Digital Strategy:

With these ads, you simply speak. When our test group heard [the call to action] ‘say download now’ or ‘say learn more,’ we universally heard them respond with ‘huh,’ sounding pleasantly surprised.

The hope is that a more interactive call to action will engage listeners to dive deeper beyond the surface of a radio ad. NPR and its tech partner XappMedia are banking on their audiences to embrace the chance to open a dialogue with brands such as Lumber Liquidators and not be creeped out at all. Reach more at Adweek.

The Thirst Is Real

We’ve reached the point where meteorologists and weather scientists can play an active role in commerce. Weather FX has aligned itself as an influencer in climate data marketing; the new spin-off of The Weather Company has ambitions toward advertising on non-weather related platforms and channels for services that are tied to temperature and other climate factors.

The latest initiative from Weather FX has do to with the science behind increased beer sales and higher temperatures. According to Adweek:

WeatherFX data will be utilized by the new Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company in a partnership with The Weather Company. Desktop and mobile ads will use local conditions to make suggestions on weather-appropriate activities in the area—and give hints on when the best temperature to sip on a Leinie’s Summer Shandy might be.

People tend to drink when the weather’s nice out. This is no secret to anyone that has ever enjoyed a beer garden. That being said, perhaps the potential for this partnership might be able to reveal which specific beers and brands are being sold according to the weather or the week.

(via Adweek)

Obama Taps “Between Two Ferns” For Digital Credibility

Obamacare’s launch has experienced prolific and volatile ups and downs, but the President’s signature piece of legislation during his administration has been criticized for being a failed square of the digital mosaic. Although things may be looking to improve for Obamacare’s homepage, the White House still felt compelled to reach out into the digital landscape and produce content for some genuine promotion.

This was a solid choice for a platform by the White House; mobile and tablet viewership for content is rising, while traditional broadcast is stagnant at best. Suffice to say, this gained quite some buzz online. The skit was performed naturally by the two, and it was your typical “Between Two Ferns” banter: positively awkward, clever, and funny.