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Writing On Virtual Walls

9 Mar. 12

What happens when you take the interaction of Facebook, combine it with the word count limit of Twitter and then top it off with augmented reality? Wallit. A new, free app released Tuesday that creates virtual walls in physical spaces.

Say you’re in a stadium or out somewhere site seeing, you would launch Wallit and see a radar function indicating that a wall had been created where you are (or point you to where other walls exist). You could then view the wall through your smartphone camera screen to see posts, photos, videos and other “marks” made by people who are there at the same time or got there before you.

The app only allows you to post if you’re actually at the place, but posts can be viewed from anywhere. The cool thing about Wallit is that you physically have to be at the place of interest to actively participate in the conversation. Apparently, Apple thinks it’s pretty cool too. The creator of the Wallit, Veysel Berk, says that Apple is already planning 326 Wallit walls to go up in their stores for the launch of iPad 3, all of which will link to a “Super Wall.” The idea is to get the people waiting in line to talk to one another about the product and their experience.

It’ll be interesting to see if, and how, this technology is implemented in other commercial spaces and if it catches on among users.

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Kony 2012: A Campaign For Change

7 Mar. 12

Kony 2012 is an amazingly profound documentary. It brings to light the war crimes of Ugandan Guerilla group leader Joseph Kony. Kony 2012 tells in disturbing detail the story of Kony, and the Invisible Children organization’s plan to take him down.  With social media creating such strong connectivity, the population now has the power to be heard and make change.

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TED: Ads Worth Spreading

1 Mar. 12

TED recently held their second “Ads Worth Spreading” challenge. The non-profit called for agencies, producers and brands worldwide to submit work that had the power to inspire ideas and change people’s worldview. They created a YouTube channel to house the content, and the panel of judges consisted of six teams of two, each with one TED speaker and one advertising guru.

The ten winners were announced this Tuesday at the TED2012 conference. They include, Canal+, Chipotle, Engagement Citoyen, L’Oréal Paris, Mazda, Microsoft, NTT Docomo, Prudential, Rethink Breast Cancer and Sharpie.

The spots are beautifully produced and extremely inspirational. A couple of our favorites are Sharpie and Engagement Citoyen. But all of them are worth experiencing.

Check out the 10 winning spots here.

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Tic Tac Is Shaking Up Times Square

15 Feb. 12

Tic Tac is one of the latest brands to embrace augmented reality to help enhance their marketing. Their new “Shake It Up” campaign can be found in magazines and on outdoor print. The idea is when you see one of their ads that reads, for example, “84% of People Always Sleep on the Same Side of the Bed,” you use a mobile app to activate a game where you have to avoid falling rocks by moving a man around on his bed.

But recently Tic Tac has brought the campaign to the heart of NYC in the form of billboards in an effort to “shake up” Times Square. Now, instead of using the custom app to active games, it actually puts you in the Times Square ad which appears in the form of a picture that can be sent to friends through Facebook. Check out all of the fun things Tic Tac has created to get you to “Shake It Up.”

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Printers That Produce More Than Just Paper

25 Jan. 12

Have we entered the Twilight Zone? Or maybe we’ve been transported by Scottie in Stark Trek. Either way, 3-D printing has become a reality. This technology creates 3 dimensional objects from digital files, and it’s currently being used to make prototype “mouths” for the upcoming animated film, “The Pirates! Band of Misfits.” This cool printing technique is saving the production company valuable time and money.

But 3-D printing technology isn’t just for making movies – it has the ability to revolutionize multiple industries with quick, efficient prototyping capabilities. Companies are beginning to use 3-D printers to customize and manufacture real, usable products. The technology is being adopted by medical, jewelry, shoe, car and mobile industries. Hold on to your hats!

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Subtle, Yet Clever, Ways To Tell A Story

16 Jan. 12

I think all of us on the business side of advertising hear the reoccurring phrase in our heads “What makes an ad good?” That voice nagging at the back of our minds is one that inspires not only good ideas, but fresh ideas. Sometimes there comes a brand that decides the fresh thing is to push their message in a more subtle way; allowing the audience to connect the dots.

The video clearly states it’s for Delta. You see the logo on the trucks, it’s uploaded by their YouTube channel. But it isn’t an in-your-face brand presence, and it’s not necessarily asking you to buy more tickets or love their airline more. They’re sharing an insight into the travel of your bag, and they want to tell you about a new service they provide. Simple, friendly, and you can decide for yourself if bag tracking will entice you to board a Delta plane.

Then there’s this video:

It’s not linked to the brand page, can’t be searched on YouTube with the company name… and it currently has 2.8 million views. After watching, most people probably figured it was too perfect to be anything else than an ad for LG, but the clever way they told a story about their product warranted shares around the internet.

So what have we learned? Every brand has a story to tell; make sure you tell yours the right way. Or maybe just that with a little extra thought, ads don’t have to always feel like ads. Or maybe I should head out and get myself an LG. They seem to have a nice, slim design…

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Sawtooth Holiday Round-Up

23 Dec. 11

With all this talk of holidays and end of the year celebrations, we hope all of you are more prepared than we feel (did someone say last-minute shopping?). For those of you who have a few spare moments before the ball drops for 2012, here’s a holiday round-up of Sawtooth finds from around the office. 

A commercial to make you go, “awwww” for the holidays: 

The quirky side of gift-giving.

Something (printable & free) for your own gifts.

Don’t forget the food or the drinks.

And a last farewell (Google style) to 2011:

Happy, wonderful, merry and safe holidays to you all. See you next year!

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Were we naughty? Or were we nice?

21 Dec. 11

We must’ve been really good this year because look who showed up at our Holiday Masquerade Party.

He even brought lottery tickets for all of us.

He gave lots of hugs…

He hung out with us in the photo booth for a while…

He recruited some elves…

Then it occurred to Mr. Claus that he was much closer to the beach than the North Pole. So he shed his arctic top…

And hit the dance floor.

He couldn’t stay long because according to Siri he had 3.7 billion appointments to get to.

But wait, it’s not too late to send a personalized call from Santa.

Isn’t it amazing how great Santa is? We could all learn a thing or six from this guy.

Thank you Santa!

For more pictures of this awesome night, visit us on Facebook.

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Google’s Latest Surprise

19 Dec. 11

Type “Let it Snow” in a Google search and you’ll see a snowy surprise on your search results page. It will actually get so white you won’t be able to see anything until you hit “defrost.”

Check out more about this and other Google holiday surprises on Mashable.

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Stickman: Be Creative Every Day

13 Dec. 11

Sometimes you just need a little Stickman to help you get creative. Take a few minutes and enjoy the simple things in life.

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