I, Telenoid

One sometimes wonders if the whole effort to create humanoid robots that will fulfill various household tasks is actually derived out of necessity, or some sort of Popular Science-Fiction/fantasy wish-list. Sure, various types of robotics and machines can, could, and do make our days more convenient, but making it into some sort of cyborg android seems more in line with frivolity than utility.

It is this thought that occurs to me as I look at the Telenoid R1, a nightmarish, android, alien baby with a body like a semi-formed tad-pole. Designed and constructed by roboticist Hiroshi Ishiguro, in collaboration with Osaka University and Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International, the Telenoid is intended to aid in long-distance communication. Functioning somewhat like a telephone, you speak to the Telenoid, and as the person on the other end of the line replies, the Telenoid program picks up their facial cues and physical language and mimics it.

Apparently, speaking to the alien from Cocoon, who has inexplicably assumed your friend’s voice, eases the pain of distance more than Skype does. And this is precisely the question, sure the Telenoid is terrifyingly neat, but is it (and would future ancestors of it) be truly more effective at personalizing long distance communication than future incarnations of a service such as Skype? I think, in the future, I would much rather speak to that ridiculous CNN hologram of Will-I-Am, than I would C-3PO with Will-I-Am’s voice.

That is, of course, until Apple gets a hold of it and creates an entirely new, hip, lifestyle changing, tech product, that they tell us we need, the iPerson.

The Wilderness Beyond Boundaries

A couple months ago, Radiohead lead Thom Yorke prophesized the music industry’s imminent and not-too-far-off downfall. The cause of this would be related to reasons that have been heard before, those being primarily the industry’s player’s unwillingness and inability to adapt to more innovative models of distribution, and lack of embracing the possibilities inherent in new technologies. Yorke encouraged young artists not to sign with the sinking ship labels, and instead, explore these new possibilities on their own.

In terms of embracing these new possibilities, artists need to look no further than Arcade Fire. Though still represented under label Merge Records, the band has not been shy about experimenting with everything from distribution to music videos in the lead up to the release of their new album, The Suburbs. Earlier in the summer, the band not only webcast their Madison Square Garden show on YouTube, but had auteur director Terry Gilliam (Brazil, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas) direct the project. As well, in terms of the album’s release, aside from traditional methods and among other things, the band also made the songs available to listen in full off their own website.

Now the band has launched one of the most fascinating projects associated with The Suburbs, The Wilderness Downtown, the interactive short-film/Google Chrome and street view project that blasts the boundaries of the traditional music video. Directed by Chris Milk, the video, for the song “We Used to Wait,” prompts the viewer to enter their home address and then proceeds to lead the viewer through an abstract narrative set in their own neighbourhood.

Nearly three months since Yorke’s declaration, the industry still remains standing, but at least bands that matter, like Arcade Fire, are continually testing new waters.

The Undead Book

Books currently "developing character" in my bag: A Confederacy of Dunces (John Kennedy Toole), Chief Culture Officer (Grant McCracken), Wikinomics (Don Tapscott and Anthony D. Williams).

“Death of” media predictions have persisted for some time and in reference to many different types, notes a recent New York Times article. For example, TV was supposed to kill the radio and the movies, and the internet was supposed to kill TV. However, as the article goes on to detail, none of these forms of media have ever truly died, but rather, have evolved to fulfill other roles or, particularly in the case of vinyl, re-emerged to fulfill new niches.

Yet, a question still remains as to how literature will evolve. Certainly we see obvious indications as to the future of non-fiction print, the increasing prevalence of online news sources, the decline of the literal newspaper, the popularity of topical blogs. Such media has well begun carving out its future existence as widely available, short-burst bites of information. Nevertheless, and at least for me, the future of long-form non-fiction and fictional literature remains less certain. I say at least for me because, though some may roll their eyes and say “obviously, they’ll be translated to ebook formats to be read on the iPad or Kindle,” I, honestly, want nothing to do with those formats or products.

Now, I am not saying that the iPad or Kindle are non-functional or pointless products that I would never use, but they are products that I would prefer not to use to engage myself with a book. A couple summers ago I went on a Cross-Canada train trip for roughly a month. Going from Toronto to Vancouver, back to Toronto and then to Halifax with a number of spots in between, takes a lot of days aboard a train, and unless there are Aussies aboard doing it too, reading material becomes your best friend for the long stretches between great views, destinations, arrivals, departures, and daylight.

The novel that most notably accompanied me on this trip was Michael Chabon’s The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay. As a piece of literature it provided an amazing escape from train induced boredom (which, despite the views, is bound to happen), but more importantly, as a solitary traveller, it became an appreciated companion. Physically, its appearance and development matched my own, the less I shaved, the more creased its covers became, the more thoughts I had while reading it, the more notes were jotted down inside its cover. It became less a book in my bag than it did a partner, accompanying me on my journey and developing its own character along the way.

It seems unrealistic to me that an iPad or Kindle could ever provide such appreciated (and durable) company. The sterile, glowing screen aside, even if I were to decide to bring one on any form of rugged adventure, I sincerely doubt that I would view a broken or chipped screen as proudly (or, at least, indifferently) as I would a ripped, coffee stained cover.

I guess the point to be made is that literary print, as it exists and has existed for centuries, remains a much more flexible format than those that are vying to be the next link in its evolution. Looking back at the aforementioned examples of TV and Radio, in their evolution their ease of use and application has been increased. Radio has gone from large, immobile, wooden units to personal devices that tune into digital signals (which can also be personalized). TV has gone through very similar transformations. Books, on the other hand, have always been a highly personalized experience (personalization being a decidedly central concern of all media evolution). If anything, those products trying to push the medium forward seem more like a step back. I’d rather lose a single, beat-up paperback worth $10.00, than my entire library contained on a pristine, plastic device worth $500.00 alone.

Of course, and as the article further points out, the real question in literature’s evolution is not necessarily “is the print format dead?” But rather, “is our attention-span?” Certainly, having all your social media available on the same medium as your book is not conducive to dedicated reading time.

So, books, what’s next?

March of the Bags

A new project, by Californian environmental group Heal the Bay, builds a bridge between humourous viral videos and environmental campaign awareness.

The Majestic Plastic Bag is a mockumentary, narrated by Oscar winner Jeremy Irons, that parodies various nature documentaries as it makes believe that plastic bags are an indigenious species of Californian wildlife. The short video details the epic journey of a plastic bag, from the grocery store to its final, migratory home in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, a clump of consumer waste, ranging in size estimates from the state of Texas to the whole of the contintental United States, and located in the North Pacific Ocean.

The film was made to function as a viral video, funny and easily shared, so that it might also raise awareness about the push to have Calfornia's congress pass bill AB 1998, a piece of legislation that would significantly reduce plastic waste (such as banning the use of plastic bags) in the state.

Tailored Back to the Future

Last week, at a local pub, I had a conversation with a fella about “old-world” professions, such as cobblers and tailors, and their (often diminishing) translation and presence in the modern world. The conversation, largely focused on the admirably persistent cobbler that still operated a shop a block away, was concerned with a question of whether we should, as a society, be dismayed over the loss of such practices, or recognize their greatly lessened necessity and be comfortable with their products more streamlined production.

Now, two things, first; though tailors were discussed, it would be wrong to put it, as a profession, anywhere near the modern status of cobblers. Despite the “mall-ification” of mainstream fashion, with designer brands and template “fitted” clothing, tailors are still a very essential, everyday profession. Second; New York based tailoring company Second Button has quite adequately addressed the above questions and taken an entirely novel approach to re-translating an old-world profession into the new world of fashion.

How Second Button works is a person would first custom order a shirt through the company’s website, selecting from five different styles (classic, alternative, western, military, utility), and then from a variety of details, buttons, fabrics, and colours. Upon checking-out online, you are prompted to enter your measurements, if you do not know them, visit a tailor or follow the site’s how-to videos. Shortly thereafter, the customer would receive their bespoke shirt for the relatively (considering the services involved and high degree of customization) inexpensive price of $70-$85.

Second Button takes its name from the issue its founder had taken up with the placement of the second button on most men’s shirts, and the difficulty in its look when the top button is left undone (either showing off too much chest, or running right up into the neck.). To this end, the company’s primary mission is to produce comfortable, customized shirts, with an impeccable male neckline when worn casually undone.

The one conceivable minus to Second Button, is that despite the innovative reinvigoration of the ancient craft of personalized clothing, under the site’s FAQs it is noted that all shirts are precisely tailored in Hong Kong. Issues regarding working conditions aside (as I cannot say whether or not there would be any here), the obvious issue to be legitimately concerned with is that this does little to revive this old, and necessary, profession on a “main street” near you. Very little can compare the face to face service of a locally dedicated (and talented tailor), so it is always recommended to find one in your own town and start building that relationship.

Now, how do we revive the art of cobbling?

Sterling-Cooper Lands Mattel

In a promotional tie-in, that kicked off the fourth season of the TV sensation MadMen (now in full-swing, having premiered Sunday, July 25), toy-maker Mattel teamed with the show’s production company, Lionsgate, to release four, very limited edition, MadMen Barbie dolls. Being translated into doll form, sharp suits, high retro fashion and all, are the characters Joan Holloway (Christina Hendricks), Roger Sterling (John Slattery), Don Draper (John Hamm), and, most appropriately, Betty Draper (January Jones).

Though every TV show, movie, video-game, and their aunts seem to have collector’s edition action figures/dolls tied into their promotional/product strategy, the MadMen partnership with Barbie stands alone in that it is a very well suited one, no pun intended. As Robert Thompson, professor of television and popular culture at Syracuse University put it in a New York Times article, “Mad Men’ represents so beautifully the universe that created Barbie.” This is particularly evident when considering that Barbie was introduced to the world in 1959, and the first episode of MadMen takes place in 1960.

Further bolstering this is simply taking into consideration the character of Betty Draper, the conflicted and seemingly soul-less, Barbie-resembling, ‘50s/60s housewife. Not to overly simplify the Betty character, but she does often come across strikingly doll-like, blonde outside, hollow plastic inside. One wonders if perhaps this partnership better serves MadMen and the themes it presents, rather than Barbie and the, continuously, under-fire image of females that it represents.

Nevertheless, this strategy continues to cement MadMen’s place as a modern, pop-cultural phenomenon, and though I would never fork over the $74USD to purchase any of the dolls anyway, I do find it unfortunate that the Betty Draper doll doesn’t come with an air-powered rifle and her neighbour’s doves to use as target practice (remember that? Wow! Craziest/funniest way to end an episode).

Design Advancement in Frog-Leaps and Bounds

How does someone in Shanghai reduce the power cord clutter in their workspace? Does someone in Seattle have an interesting way of organizing this chaos? And, what are the many ways in which bikes are used for work worldwide?

A new site, Frog Mob, aims to make an instant ethnographer out of all who visit it. Through crowdsourcing people’s creative solutions to common obstacles, a visitor can instantly research how these problems, circumstances, or obstacles may be addressed by various cultures.

Essentially, a topic is created on FrogMob, and then visitors are prompted to submit simplified pieces of media pertaining to the topic, primarily photographs and a brief note. In regards to submissions, FrogMob maintains the following rules:

"1. Keep it visual. A primary goal of this study is to get as many photos as
possible.
2. Be original. All photos must be your own: no stock photography
or published database images.
3. Make it conversational. Whenever possible,
talk to people. Save notes/quotes along with your pictures.
4. Keep it
simple. No reams of notes or audio/video recordings to help us streamline
analysis and synthesis.
5. Make it quick. All photos and insights due back
within one week.
6. Share your findings. Upload and tag your photos to the
active frogMob.
7. To see examples, please view the synthesized results of
past frogMobs"

Beyond the stated ethnographic intent, FrogMob also aims to provide inspiration to designers and manufacturers to aid them in the creation of products and services that are of greater benefit to the user/consumer, on this, FrogMob states that:

“At frog, design research is a tool we use to make sense of human behavior. It
helps us to find those nuggets of insight that lead us to create products and
services that make people’s lives better. With this in mind, we are opening up
our design research process. And we want you to join in.”

Despite the prospects that FrogMob holds for intellectual inspiration and design research potential, it is still in its infancy, with only three topics to date (the third, power solutions, is still open for submissions). Nevertheless, its functionality is still there for anyone looking for creative solutions for the existent topics, whether it be cluttered power cords or the ways in which people effectively take part in social contexts, despite differences in place and time. Moreover, the future potential for crowdsource-inspired easing of humanity’s daily experience, certainly makes it a website to watch and continually check in on.

Enjoy the Sorrow

At a four-movie, dusk ‘til dawn show at East Hamilton’s Starlite Drive-In, I once again, and quite happily, saw Get Him to the Greek. In what has been a very dismal cinematic summer (thank god for the arrival of Inception), the quasi-sequel/spin-off comedy Get Him to the Greek has been a hilarious saving grace.

Staring Russell Brand, reprising his role as Aldous Snow from Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008), and Jonah Hill, not reprising his role from Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Get Him to the Greek is about Hill’s character’s struggle to get “off the wagon” again Aldous Snow from London to a live show at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles (and convincing him to revive his washed-up career along the way).

For those who remember Forgetting Sarah Marshall, you may recall a number of faux-rock singles performed by Aldous Snow and his band Infant Sorrow, such as “We’ve Got to Do Something” and “Inside of You.” What is great about Get Him to the Greek is that not only did the makers continue with this idea, but the entire film soundtrack does, in fact, double as an Infant Sorrow – Live at the Greek album, enticing the audience to believe that Infant Sorrow, and front man Aldous Snow, do actually exist.

The album is comprised of a number of Infant Sorrow’s supposed classic hits, such as “Going Up,” “the Clap,” “F.O.H.,” and the ill-received “African Child.” And, to ensure the correct sound (90s inspired Brit-rock), the album is actually a collaboration of established contemporary British rockers such as Carl Barat of the Libertines and former Pulp front man Jarvis Cocker. As well as influences from Russell Brand, and Jason Segel - who wrote the songs that were featured in Forgetting Sarah Marshall and make appearances in this film.

Not unlike Flight of the Conchords, these quirky songs sound great while giving a sort of cheeky wink to the listener. Yet, what is particularly interesting with this album is that despite being, at face value, a fictional band with false singles made for the soundtrack of summer comedy and all tied into a clever marketing strategy, it’s actually a much more enjoyable listen than a good amount of what’s currently heard on mainstream radio.

Unfortunately the Infant Sorrow live-shows were a very limited engagement, however, to further suspend your disbelief (and gladly so), check out the Infant Sorrow website. Or simply buy the album here.



Infant Sorrow "Going Up."

Super-Shorts

As I excitedly bought a Marvel Superheroes McDonalds Happy Meal toy yesterday, on a road trip home from Montreal, I was reminded of an item that I had wanted to post a couple weeks ago...

With the well of popular characters to make films out of beginning to run dry, Marvel Comics’ film studio (Marvel Studios) is rumoured to be exploring an interesting idea to both introduce audiences to less popular, or “B” list characters, and to gauge their potential success if translated into films.

For those who care, it goes without saying that Dr. Strange, Luke Cage, and Black Panther do not have the same draw as Spider-man, X-Men and Iron Man. Therefore, Marvel may produce short films, featuring these characters, that will be roughly 10 minutes in length. These films will appear before upcoming movies featuring their more famous characters (such as Thor – 2011, Captain America – 2011, The Avengers – 2012, and the Spider-man reboot – 2012). In doing this, Marvel expects to get an idea of what characters’ films might fly with audiences, without risking too much financially.

This approach would continue to set Marvel apart from its rival DC and their canon of heroes. Already their film approaches are distinctly different, with Marvel focused on making film adaptations of its stable of popular characters, where as DC (excluding the Batman, Superman and the upcoming Green Lantern film) has tended to focus on its more off-beat characters and graphic novels, such as The Watchmen and Constantine (from Hellblazer).

Of course, the successful testing of a character does not guarantee that its film would be a success, whether critically or financially. Particularly critically, for every Iron Man 1 & 2, Spider-man 2, and X-Men 2, that Marvel has had, there has been a Wolverine, Daredevil and Fantastic Four 1 & 2, and many other lukewarm, at best, films to name.


The lesser known Dr. Strange, Black Panther, and Ant-Man.

Denim Futures

Now, I do not want to get into the habit of talking about the same topics/organizations within short time spans (see Urban Outfitters last week, and now Levi’s), but sometimes curiosity is peaked by interesting ideas worthy of being shared.

Braddock, Pennsylvania was once a thriving municipality with an economy built around the steel industry. Following the decline in the North American steel industry in the 1970s and 1980s, and an influx of drugs, Braddock saw such a fall from prosperity that by 1988 it was declared a financially distressed municipality. However, since 2005 Braddock has seen growth in its creative sector with the targeted attraction of artists, urbanists and other creative individuals, and it is because of this that the city has begun to see a grassroots driven reversal of fortune.

Enter Levi’s Jeans and their We Are All Workers campaign. Telling the tale of how work is in everything (and presumably, how such various workers enjoy Levi’s clothing), Levi’s has invested in Braddock, both physically, in providing urban infrastructure funding, and public relations wise, through its short film episodes detailing the story of Braddock and its citizens, (see We Are All Workers: Episode 1 –Seeds of Change).

Related to my previous post on Levi’s jeans, the marketing goal here seems to be in linking the story of Levi’s being a pioneer of cool to the grassroots pioneers of a reinvented community that are the current citizens of Braddock. Such investments in social causes are not rare for large corporations; Nike, for example, has in the past put much in the way of resources towards sponsoring inner-city athletic programs (among many other things). What is particularly interesting here is the promotion of the city, and results that the seemingly selfless short films could yield. As well as the inspiration that the activities of the citizens of Braddock, as documented in the film and its following episodes, could provide to likeminded individuals in similarly afflicted municipalities.

Many in Hamilton, Ontario could likely sympathize with the residents of Braddock, PA. Some may even feel that they could directly and understandably identify with them, though luckily, Hamilton’s fortunes did not reverse to the same tragic extent. Nevertheless, Hamilton, like Braddock, is a city of proud citizens, new and old, that are working to rebuild the city under a new image and with a vibrant creative sector.

As stated, an important component of Levi’s investment in Braddock is the public relations contribution made through the short film and its following episodes. In doing this, Levi’s has made less a public service announcement than it has a declaration that creative labour and gentrified communities are cool. As far as attraction and development are concerned, it is this partnering, of the work going on in Braddock and the iconic brand image of Levi’s, that may be the most resounding effect offered by the We Are All Workers film. Moreover, it is this identification of grassroots, sleeve-rolling, creative community development work as cool, that similarly afflicted municipalities may want to leverage (properly) as they look to push things forward.

Digital Incubation

Yesterday the Imperial Cotton Centre for the Arts’ Cossart Exchange ran an “e-Commerce for the Artistically Minded” workshop, located in their Jackson Square office in Hamilton, Ontario. The open event had guest, author, technophile, and Personal Computer Museum curator Syd Bolton, discussing the various means by which an artist or artisan can go about making a living (or at least generating some measure of monetary return) off their works/crafts.

Pointing out that, for many, e-commerce marketplace participation can be a full time job, Bolton illustrated how sites such as eBay, Etsy, iStockphoto, and Lulu can be important tools in the effort to both make a name for oneself, and make some coin off one’s passion. Additionally, that greater usage and participation in social media facets, such as facebook, twitter, digg and blogs, can bolster this awareness and transform the aforementioned marketplace sites into electronic check-out counters.

The commercial potential of digital media/marketplace platforms is increasingly recognized, yet, despite this, participation, particularly from those for whom independent success and low overhead costs would be of great benefit, is still not what it could be. Such participation is often still portrayed in popular media as a novelty. What is important to recognize is that, in an increasingly globalized culture, a creative-entrepreneur’s audience and prospective customer may be on the other side of the world. Therefore, participation on such electronic platforms enhances potential awareness and bridges that commercial gap.

The Cossart Exchange, overseen by program director Steph Seagram, functions as an incubator, specifically aiding creative industry entrepreneurs, artists and other innovators in transferring their ideas from theoretical interests/hobbies into creative sector careers. For more Cossart events click here.

An Authentic Facade

Speaking of Urban Outfitters (see last Friday’s post), and the cyclical nature of styles, trends and looks of different sorts, the ironic-chic retailer has taken a unique approach to one of its new New York City storefronts. Finding its inspiration in NYC's streets of decades past, Urban Outfitter’s new store will stand out from traditional forms of street-side retail presentation and assume the identity of imaginary storefronts, mimicking the way the street would have once looked.

In keeping with the store’s strategy of ironic nostalgia, this new storefront will be comprised of a bodega, a hat store, a hardware store and a bar. Designed by creative advertising, design, and brand strategy firm Pompei A.D., who has had a 25 year working relationship with Urban Outfitters, the new storefront maintains current advertising trends by creating a story related to the brand. Creative Director Ron Pompei said this to PSFK in reference to the design:

“The whole idea was to do this kind of ironic statement of lining the building with storefronts that would be reminiscent of independent businesses. It’s the story about the streets of New York as they once were.”

Additionally, the following statement was found on Pompei A.D.’s website and refers to the firm’s design strategy for the retailer broadly:

“The selection of finishes and materials all reference the regional climate and aesthetic, and establish a foundation of authenticity for every project.”

Despite the inspired imagination behind this design, a challenge could be posed that the inherent irony runs a bit too negatively deep, even outside of the fact that authenticity in this instance is an impossible goal. Being a retailer of various goods, from clothing, to books, to furniture, housewares and other odds and ends, the design could be construed as Urban Outfitters thumbing its nose at the independent retailers of the aforementioned goods that could have otherwise existed in this space.

Munny Munth!

The Munny is five years old this June, and Kid Robot is celebrating its customizable vinyl action figure with some sweet deals and contests.

Founded in 2002, Kid Robot specializes in designer toys, among the most famous of its product selection are Dunnys and the aforementioned Munnys. Mimicking a hybrid of cartoon animals and graffiti/stencil art characters, these figurines, which can be acquired in a variety of sizes and colours, are part of a broader collection that includes Trikkys, Raffys and Rooz'. Typically Dunnys are bought predesigned, but Munnys, Trikkys and others come blank, ready to be designed by the owner.

In celebration of the Munny's birthday, Kid Robot has declared June to be Munny Munth, and deals such as "buy one Munny, get a mini-Munny free" are being offered at most Munny retailers.

Here in Hamilton you can find Munny's, and the birthday deal, at Mixed Media located on Cannon St. and James St. North, and what a better time to go check them out than tonight! Being the second Friday of the month tonight is the June 2010 edition of the monthly James Street North Art Crawl, wherein Mixed Media will be displaying Munnys designed by various local artists.

Among the Munnys featured tonight will be those designed by yours truly. Starting last spring, I thought it would be a fun project to design personalized Munnys for friends and family on their birthdays and other special occasions. To date I have done about 15 or 16, and a photo collage of 12 of them will be set up at the store. Additionally, given that I took advantage of the "BOGO" deal, before the day is done I will design, paint and set up a big Munny (pictured above) to accompany the photo collage. What will it be? Good question, I have no idea yet, so make sure to get out to the Art Crawl tonight and check out the Munnys at Mixed Media!

And for extra interest, simply Google image search "munny" and check out the insane designs that people have come up with all over the world.

My favourite of the Munnys I have done, this is my baby cousin George.

"These aren't the Fly Kicks You are Looking For"

Ask any fan of Star Wars/child of the late 70's and early 80's "what happened at the Mos Eisley cantina?" And you will be regaled with tales of bargaining for a trip to the Alderaan system, aliens that look like devils, a farm boy being threatened by space pirates, and bounty hunters being pre-emptively shot under a table (depending on version), if lucky, you might even be treated to a tune, one of Figrin D'an and the Modal Nodes' greatest hits.

You likely will not hear anything about Beckham, Snoop Dogg, Ian Brown, Noel Gallagher, Jay Baruchel or Daft Punk (among others). That is until now, in a new Adidas ad to be aired during the World Cup, the athletic apparel company has found promotional inspiration in events that took place "...a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away."

With seamless editing, the various pop culture figures effortlessly appear in this famous film setting, as though it were any other pub (on this world) airing a World Cup match. What is particularly interesting about the ideas inherent in this ad, is that it more or less defies typical modern marketing strategies of encouraging individualism and instead focuses on a sort of collective/generational identification with Star Wars. Though comparable to celebrity endorsements (which, obviously, it does include) this spot pushes further by recognizing a collective experiential enjoyment, if not nostalgia, for Episode IV: A New Hope, and specifically this scene.

Of additional interest is that current branding trends see firms wanting to create stories surrounding their brand identity. This begs the question, if Adidas is following this trend, then what is the story here? Perhaps it is the retro significance of 1977's A New Hope, and its era-relation to iconic Adidas imagery. In using the Trefoil Adidas symbol that emerged in the early 1970s, and tying it to the original Star Wars, there is undoubtedly an inference to the symbolic retro-cool imagery associated with the brand, immediately recalling, among other things, ringer-tees, tri-striped canvas sneakers, Bob Marley, and of course, football (read soccer).

Regardless, for any undercover geek, this is just one of the coolest things, ever... ever! Well, maybe not, but it is fun nonetheless, particularly given Adidas' dedication the strategy, to the extent of creating Star Wars themed athletic wear and packaging shoes in blister packs remarkably similar to the old action figure packaging. The whole approach simply makes me feel "strong enough to pull the ears off a Gundark" just to get at a Vader track jacket.

Beauty is to the Beholder as... Sexiness is to Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation

Education, first-aid, and pulse-racing, libido revving, life-saving are all brought together in an innovative viral marketing video produced by Red Urban for Canadian based Fortnight Lingerie.

The lingerie advertising world as we know it typically consists of (in print):
a) Attractive woman (or women).
b) Attractive male (or women).
c) Lusty colours/black and white.

d) Nice, but expensive looking bedsheets.
e) Moisture.

or in media:

a) All of the above, but moving.
b) Quick shots of naughty body parts.

The Super Sexy CPR campaign does not so much turn the lingerie marketing world on its head, as it does appropriately tilt the head back and apply the proper pressure in well timed chest pumps. This video, which had CPR professionals on-set ensuring proper instruction, intends to not just express the allure associated lingerie, but rather show that Fortnight's lingerie can make anything sexy, even mundane instructional videos - as expressed by a Red Urban representative.

Red Urban will be continuing this strategy for Fortnight, as displayed on the Super Sexy CPR website, audiences can expect to be enticed by proper instruction on abdominal thursts starting next month.

The "super sexy" campaign is proving itself to be cheekily effective, with a staggering, over two-million viewings since its posting on May 12th. Though it's reminiscent of the "Ms. Taken" Lonely Island parody video introduced last year, this is only because of its viral intent/strength. The real brilliance of Super Sexy CPR, is the creativity and humour inherent in the idea of making the mundane desirable, and pushing the typical advertising boundaries of a fairly form-promoted product category.