Tag Archives: Campaign

Meet Your New Friend – JIBO

20140716062446-looking_up__1_

Let us introduce you to someone that will quickly become the best friend your family didn’t know you needed. This friendly little robot – which reminds us of the Pixar lamp – is ready to change the way you interact with your home and family. Presenting: JIBO.

Focusing on socially interactive capabilities, JIBO can really make an impact on your daily life. Watch the video to check out all of the amazing features packed into this little guy, which include video conferencing (that can switch between who is talking), interactive storytelling for children, reminders and updates that can be synced to come directly from your phone. JIBO also has some artificial intelligence features that will allow it to learn about you and your family, truly becoming a part of your home.

Is the home robot finally here? Probably not, but when JIBO starts shipping in late 2015, we imagine that it will be the first of its kind to actively interact with families. Indiegogo just started accepting pre-orders today for $499, but for $400, they are also offering the opportunity for you to donate a JIBO to Boston Children’s Hospital, where patients will be able to use them.

What Sparks our Fire: A cool robot for the family. But, also the simple ability to donate one to help children in need.

Are you looking for a social robot for your home?

Project Everything

d8d852b64eba4837c0adbc426fac4712_large

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?

Can You Smell Me Now?

I don’t know about you, but my Instagram feed is filled with people sharing pictures of their food. Sometimes a picture is not enough, these platters of chicken parm and fully loaded burgers look so great I wish I could smell just how delicious they are too. Well, this capability may be here sooner than you’d think.

Yesterday, Harvard professor David Edwards showed off his new product that allows you to share not just pictures and videos from your phone, but now the smell too. No, the smell does not come out of your phone. First, you snap a picture of the food. Then, as you would add filters on Instagram, you pick different smells to describe the picture you’re sending. The recipient, with their oPhone DUO device, can open your message and release the scent to experience it for themselves.

It may not quite be smell-o-vision, but it definitely shows forward thinking. A picture may say 1,000 words, but with the oPhone it will smell like even more. The device is not yet available, as they are currently raising money through Indiegogo, but you can check it out at the Museum of Natural History in New York City as of June 17.

What Sparks our Fire: Finally reaching the future with smell-o-vision.

Are you ready to share smells?

Super Jenga

Next, international disputes will be settled with spirited games of Risk.

Jenga is all about balance, delicacy, and finesse. These are words you normally wouldn’t associate with heavy earthmovers like the ones that Cat builds. However, this video demonstrates the fine-tuned capabilities these machines have, all under the tagline “Built For It”. This is a very clever idea for video advertisement. Everyone knows what Jenga is, and the moment you see that they’re going big with 600-lb. blocks you almost need to watch it, even if you aren’t in the market for an Excavator.

In essence, this isn’t only a decent advertisement but rather a very strong move to rebrand the concept of heavy construction equipment in the public mind. Not only can they push a lot of dirt around, they can finagle heavy blocks to balance on each other.

For more fun check out the “Making Of” video below.

What Sparks Our Fire: Creative rebranding of something we see on a pretty regular basis.

Did this video change your perception of Cat equipment?

Marc-eting 101: Type Cringe

The latest campaign from e-trade, “Type E”, has so many cringe-worthy aspects, it’s hard to watch. They’ve gone from one of the most memorable campaigns, to one that’s the exact opposite — simply forgettable. They’ve failed to adapt to the ever-changing landscape of financial marketing, and have opened the door for their rival, Scottrade, to grab more market share. The time and place for humor in an unstable economy may be gone, however, cute babies providing advice always seemed acceptable. And while I drew tired of those babies, as a marketer, I would’ve never substituted them for singing professionals. I look outside of the category at what Geico’s done with their brand by evolving the gecko and their tagline into strong campaigns that still hint to those iconic elements. GEICO’s taken a huge brand equity and refashioned it in a way that stays true to who they are, while delivering a “sticky” campaign. The ultimate question comes down to this for you folks at e-trade: What do you stand for? What’s your brand moment? How do you expect your target to internalize your brand? The list can go on and on. I know I’d have a hard time coming up with answers to these based on what I see today.