Monthly Archives: December 2013

Instarect Messagegram

Di-Insta Grammage. PersonalPics. Better Snapchat. Okay, maybe it’s good I didn’t name Instagram’s new feature. Long story short, you can now use Instagram to send pictures and messages to individual users. This is comparable to what Snapchat does now, only the pictures don’t disappear, and you can edit and refine them the way you normally can on Instagram. The new feature is available as a software update, so if you have Instagram, you can also have DiInstarect-MessageChatGram. Okay, okay, I’ll stop now.

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What makes this addition interesting is it adds another social layer to an important social network whose popularity is steadily growing, especially within younger demographics. The fact of the matter is that users 18 and younger are losing interest in Facebook as a network and are increasingly relying on others, specifically Twitter and Instagram. Facebook acquired Instagram in April of 2012 to the tune of $1 Billion in cash and stock, which was an excellent move, considering the popularity of the app with younger demographics. What Instamessage Directagram does is create a privately social aspect to network, similar to Twitter’s direct messaging. This can only increase the channels that users can interact over, and is a good improvement to the app.

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What Sparks Our Fire: Not fixing what isn’t broken, but rather improving upon a successful platform to make it more successful.

Do you see yourself using Instagram Direct? (There! That one! Use that one!)

Christmas in Canada

Christmas in Canada seems to be a lot more fun, at least on WestJet airlines. 250 passengers on flights from airports in Toronto and Hamilton were asked, via a live video feed to Santa, what they wanted for Christmas. The result was 175 WestJet volunteers rushing to complete the orders. Every. Single. One. From a toy train to a big screen TV, the volunteers completed every Christmas order. Check out the video below:

What Sparks Our Fire: A perfect example of small scale but viral marketing, which is both effective and heartwarming.

Based on this campaign, would you be more likely to fly WestJet if given the opportunity?

Donde Esta la Biblioteca?

Be honest. That just blew your mind a little, didn’t it?

There are several other language translation apps for smartphones, but Word App is the first one that translates word by word. Simply point your iPhone camera at the text and it  translates from one language to another and back in real-time. The app translates word for word, without detailed grammar or contextual considerations, so it’s not well suited for translating books or long sections of text, but for your basic sign or menu reading in a foreign country, you can’t do much better.

The app is available on iOS for free, and each language pack costs $4.99. Currently, the publishers offer Portuguese to English, German to English, Italian to English, French to English, and Spanish to English individual packs.

What Sparks Our Fire: Technology bridging language gaps in an innovative and interesting way.

Do you see this as a useful tool?

You Stay Classy, San Diego

I’ve been inappropriately laughing too much in preparing this post. I can’t help it.

Make it stop. Oh God, make it stop.

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It’s literally everywhere. The viral marketing for Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues is as ubiquitous as it is expansive. From Dodge Durango TV spots to appearances on local TV stations that quickly go viral, Will Ferrell’s most iconic character, 1970’s TV anchor Ron Burgundy is featured on every possible medium in a movie marketing scheme that simply has never been done before.

The success of the original Anchorman movie hinged mostly on the comedic improvisation abilities of the ensemble cast, featuring Ferrell, Steve Carrell, Paul Rudd, Christina Applegate, and David Koechner, and fans of the original are wary of a sequel, fearing perhaps that they won’t be able to capture the same magic again. This may be why such an extensive campaign is called for, as the the viral videos don’t use material from the movie and instead go out of their way to show that, yes, Will Ferrell has still got it.

What Sparks Our Fire: Honestly, we just can’t wait. We’re so excited we could punch grizzly bears.

Are you in a glass case of emotion?

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Insert Obligatory Skynet Comment Here

A few days ago, Amazon announced that it would be starting a delivery drone service that would ostensibly revolutionize the delivery of packages ordered online. With the shopping frenzy beginning last week with Black Friday and continuing with Cyber Monday and other sale events up until Christmas Eve, FedEx, UPS, and the United States Postal Service will be hard pressed to get all the ordered packages to their recipients on time. Amazon Prime Air may be a solution to the shipping bottleneck, because they should only take about a half hour.

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However, this process is going to come with a whole host of problems. The fact of the matter is that these are basically unsecured, unmanned package delivery systems that are unproven and essentially without precedent. The FAA have yet to approve it, and there are multiple safety issues to consider. For instance, the drone is an octocopter, which means that if one rotor fails, the remaining seven can maintain flight. However, what if more than one fails? What if they all fail? Will that mean that at any time a ten-pound flying contraption carrying textbooks could fall from the sky? Already, Twitter is full of comments on how people who are good shots now get free stuff, and essentially the idea has become a of joke.

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In our opinion, the concept needs a lot of reworking before it is implemented, and it may not be an entirely safe or practical delivery method. It remains to be seen.

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What Sparks Our Fire: Thinking outside the box is what is needed to solve shipping issues. Just maybe not this way.

Would you want to have your packages air dropped?