Monthly Archives: July 2014

The Test of Time

Brands are aware that they must continually evolve in order to stay relevant in a society filled with noise. Gillette is an example of one brand that has already withstood the test of time. They make a testament to that in their new advertisement for their first ever men’s body razor.

The video takes an evolutionary approach to depict the different hairstyles of men over the last 100 years. The spot is a great nod to how Gillette has managed to handle the ever-changing landscape of product development and advertising.

Radioshack on the other hand is an example of a company that hasn’t managed to keep up with the world today, and is currently on the brink of failure. The dominance of e-commerce and competition from internet-based companies such as Amazon chip away at the profits of those companies that can’t keep up. Gillette has managed to do quite the opposite. And no matter how strange it seems that men want to shave more than just their faces, they embrace it.

What Sparks our Fire: The success of a brand that continually faces the changing times and excels at it.

What other brands can you think of that manage to withhold the challenges of change?

High Tech Parking

Ray

When we think about advances in technology and robotics we normally think about really revolutionary innovations, but in Germany robots are helping with something a little different – parking.

Düsseldorf Airport recently launched a new robotic airport parking system. The system saves customers a lot of time by providing the premium parking service. Customers park their car at the ParkingPlus station which scans the car for size and then you pay and receive a QR code for your car that shares your flight information through the associated app. The robot, Ray, then comes on over and picks up your car to park in one of the spots. The best part of the system is that it tracks your flight and will have your car ready and waiting for you once you land.

A robot moving a car into a parking space may not be as cool as a driverless car, but it is a really cool way to help save time at the airport.

What Sparks our Fire: Advances in robotics that help us save time at the airport?

What do you see as having a greater impact – self-driving cars or robotically parked cars?

Project Everything

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Today it seems like everyone is trying to “cut the cord” and get away from traditional television. With more and more internet TV providers, it’s becoming a much more viable option. But, the issue many people face is that they still need a TV to fill their big screen needs – because who wants to stare at their phone or laptop to binge watch a season of HBO’s Game of Thrones?

ODIN, a innovative projector that fits in your pocket and comes loaded with features, is currently fundraising on Kickstarter. It runs on the Android operating system, so it has easy access to many apps. It can also connect to your computer or phone to broadcast. Add in high quality speakers and this is truly a killer device.

Uses for this span beyond just broadcasting your TV shows, but it can also be used at work to project presentations onto any wall or screen. It operates with wi-fi connectivity and runs on a long lasting battery.

Apple TV, Google Chromecast, Amazon FireTV all offer similar features, but must run through a TV. ODIN has developed a solution for those who want access to their internet shows without having to purchase an expensive large screen.

What Sparks our Fire: Another product that gives us even more of a reason to finally cut the cord with cable companies.

Is this the product you’ve been waiting for to help you cut the cord?

Say Goodbye to Cash

lollapalooza

Okay, so maybe this only applies to those attending Lollapalooza this summer. It isn’t officially time to rid ourselves of those green bills just yet. But, that does seem like a reality we are getting even closer to.

It was just announced that attendees of the three day music festival will be given wristbands to replace their wallets. Festival attendees will log their credit card information into a system and receive a bracelet using near-field connectivity technology allowing them to touch their wrist to the screen, enter a pin number and make a payment at all vendors. The wristband also function as the entry ticket for attendees so there is no way around not having one.

This is a great move forward for mobile payment systems. Not only does it make it easier for concert goers not to have to worry about carrying cash and credit cards around with them, but it’s a great sign for the future uses of devices like smartwatches. We could be approaching a time where something like a wristband will completely replace the credit card and leave cash even further behind in the dust.

What Sparks our Fire: Seeing an organization take advantage of new technologies and paving the way for innovative payment gateways at music festivals.

Where do you see the future of payments going?