Category Archives: Coffee

The World’s First “Smart” Ad

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M&C Saatchi is experimenting with a new artificially intelligent advertisement for coffee brand Bahio, which uses a “Darwinian” algorithm to test different aspects of the ad like copy, layout, format, and image. The ad, monitored by a camera embedded in the poster, adjusts to the viewer’s reaction. Layouts that fail to engage are rearranged, and ads that viewers respond well to are reused and modified.

Chief Innovation Officer of M&C Saatchi David Cox says that although this software is experimental, “automated creativity” is quickly becoming the norm. The point of the exercise is to test the computer’s strength in determining the strongest creative execution, and to create layouts that may not have been conceptualized by the team.

If interactive ads become fully integrated in digital advertising, they could have huge implications in helping optimize viewer content and interaction.

What Sparks Our Fire: Brands coming up with innovative and tech-savvy ways to advertise to and engage with consumers.

Festivus Comes Early This Year

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This week, as an early Festivus present, thousands of people will cross one more thing off of their Dream-things-to-do-in-New-York bucket list, by stopping by their old pal Jerry Seinfeld’s place. His fictional apartment, that is. A re-creation of the famous Upper West Side apartment will pop-up thanks to Hulu on 14th street near Chelsea Market on Wednesday, and will be open through Sunday. This fan-driven activation will celebrate the introduction of ‘Seinfeld’ to the Hulu catalog.

Similar activations have been created to celebrate ‘Arrested Development’ and ‘Friends’. The ‘Central Perk’ pop-up cafe was co-sponsored by Eight O’Clock Coffee and Warner Brothers, and gave both brands a valuable way to connect fans with one of the most popular shows in television history. Both of these activations were incredibly popular and generated long lines just to get close to the action.

Activations like these allow fans to engage with their favorite shows in an exciting way– they can actually place themselves into the show they normally see through a television or laptop screen. The promise of a great selfie on Jerry’s couch might just be enough to make the long line worth it.

If you’d like to see if Jerry has a copy of Kramer’s coffee table book about coffee tables on his coffee table, the apartment will be open June 24th through June 28th from 10 AM to 7 PM at 451 West 14th Street.

What Sparks Our Fire: Seinfeld… enough said.

Coffee Of The Future

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Single serve coffee pots and their plastic pods are brewing up a lot of controversy, and Singapore-based designer Eason Chow has come up with a conceptual solution to the wastefulness. Instead of the plastic pods, the coffee pot uses sugar covered pods that dissolve in hot water. The pods would come in different sizes and flavors, and the amount of sugar would be adjusted by the thickness of the sugar coated shell. “Chow said he was inspired by sugar-coated candy from his childhood, which would reveal different flavors as the layers dissolved.”- Fast Company.

What Sparks Our Fire: Creative designs that help our favorite products become more environmentally friendly

Calling All Coffee Fanatics

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Ever wish your coffee would brew itself before you got out of bed? Or that you didn’t have to leave the table with your family and friends to go get the coffee started? Well Mr.Coffee has made our dreams come true. The WeMo® App makes possible for you to schedule brew times from your phone. You can also get reminders to your phone letting you know when a fresh pot is about to be brewed and when it’s ready. The Mr. Coffee® Smart Optimal Brew™ Coffeemaker also brews coffee 20% faster than the average coffee maker.

What Sparks our Fire:  Mixing the new digital world with old traditions.

Is the Mr. Coffee Smart Optimal Brew something you would use?

Coffee As Unique As Your Handprint

Memory-by-Wenyao-Cai-Electrolux-Design-Lab-2012-finalistA small but important part of many people’s lives is the intimacy of having a barista who remembers who you are and more importantly how you have your coffee. Memory is a coffee maker that uses hand print recognition to act as your personal barista and make the right cup of coffee for the right person. Set it to your preference of weak, medium or strong coffee or even an espresso to a ristretto. When you’re ready for your perfect cup of coffee, Memory will scan your hand and get it right every time. The machine was designed by WenYao Cai from China, an Electrolux Design Lab 2012 finalist.

No matter how hard we wished it wasn’t, Memory is still in the concept phase and isn’t ready to be on the market just yet.

What Sparks Our Fire: An innovative gadget that allows you to get your perfect cup of coffee with a simple scan of the hand.

Do you wish Memory was out on the market? Let us know your thoughts.