This Friday Fix, experience the things you love in different ways: Urban Outfitters gets an Instagram makeover, outdoor ads are lit up with ‘Life After Dark’ and alternative Olympics-inspired artwork scores big. Plus new releases from Brit bands The XX and Mumford & Sons.
Have you ever been told you could be a model? Well, it’s time you started acting like it. Urban Outfitters is getting creative with the hashtag, becoming the first major retailer to integrate the social photo sharing phenomenon Instagram into their product pages. Consumers outfitted in Free People products are encouraged to upload their own denim-clad pictures to a designated Twitter hashtag, creating a digital gallery of stylishly free’d people. Check it out, and share your style:
Good beer doesn’t always lead to great ideas, but for the Australian brewmasters at Coopers, this time it’s paid off. With a product that promises -if nothing else – a colorful night out, Coopers created Life After Dark, an enlightening billboard that uses ultraviolet ink only activated after the sun goes down. The eye-catching initiative ended up being quite a crowd pleaser. Bright idea, isn’t it?
In the music world, London’s own The XX, the little indie pop band that could, follow up on the success of their self-titled debut with the forthcoming ‘Coexist,’ due out Sept. 10th. Earlier this week the XX previewed the hotly anticipated release with ‘Chained,’ whetting our audio appetite.
Sigh no more! Another UK-based Five33 favourite finally returns to the airwaves: Mumford and Sons. Debuting on BBC Radio 1 with Zane Lowe, the single ‘I Will Wait’ captures the signature sound of the folk rock foursome, led by the passionate vocals of frontman Marcus Mumford. The full album ‘Babel’ hits stores Sept. 24th, but you can give ‘I Will Wait’ an early listen here:
The omnipresent London Olympics have been electrifying the world of sport – especially the host country of Great Britain, boasting an impressive 3rd place standing in the overall medal count. But – much to our enjoyment – the inspiration of the summer games transcends the athletic world and has led to some fantastic art pieces coming out this week. Italian-based designer Leonardo Dentico has turned the iconic Olympic rings into events themselves, creatively capitalizing on each ring’s color and shape to capture the epic-scale competition taking place in London.
Meanwhile, Belgium’s Bram Vanhaeren zeroed in on the athletes themselves, with an illustrative series entitled ‘Legendary Olympians.’ The series focuses on track and field stars, both past and present, and helps to share their amazing stories in living color.
Finally, an exciting announcement. FIVE33′s Director of Innovation, Barnaby Legg, will be delivering an exclusive keynote at this year’s Social Media Week in Los Angeles. This will be a great opportunity to hear more about the work of FIVE33′s transmedia studio STROBE, in a talk entitled ‘SOCIALIZING ENTERTAINMENT’ on Friday September 28th. If you are interested in attending, all the details can be found here.
That’s it for another week: like what you see and share what you like. We’ll see you next time.
The Friday Fix hits the ground running as the new ‘Skyfall’ trailer drops, ‘Wreck-It Ralph’ raises a ruckus, ‘Boardwalk Empire’ blows us away, Nike goes for ‘Greatness,’ Louis Vuitton proves that actions speak as loudly as ‘Words,’ and one more thing… giant robots are real. Yeah, that just happened.
Now this is how you grab the world’s attention. Our favorite superspy James Bond suited up for London’s Olympic Opening Ceremony, where he accompanied Queen Elizabeth on a helicopter base jump over the stadium, parachuting onto the field. For a “secret” agent, he sure knows how to make a grand entrance. Between Craig’s suave heroics and the Queen’s cheeky humor, 007 grabbed the world’s attention just in time for the latest ‘Skyfall’ trailers to drop, revealing the always-brilliant Javier Bardem as the newest Bond (and Blonde) villain. The superspy is back… and the world will be watching.
Another highly-anticipated film going for gold in the 2012 games is Wreck-It Ralph. A series of Olympic-themed commercials finds the block-fisted buffoon, voiced by John C. Reilly, trying his (massive) hand at the Summer Games with comedically chaotic consequences. Co-stars Jack McBrayer and Jane Lynch make an in-person appearance to offer an exclusive look into the movie’s action-packed arcade worlds:
Movie stars may have caught Olympic fever, but let’s not lose sight of the athletes. Louis Vuitton found their own unique way to celebrate one of the world’s gold medal greats: Muhammad Ali (who also appeared at the opening ceremony). The boxing legend’s lyrical genius is brought to life with the spoken word performance of Yasiin Bey (the artist formerly known as Mos Def) and calligrapher Niels Shoe Meulman to deliver a knockout tribute. ‘The Greatest Words’ series forms part of the brand’s Journeys campaign, capturing the spirit some of the world’s most extraordinary personalities. Take the journey here:
Hollywood – along with the rest of the world – has long been fascinated with massive weaponized robots… but are they closer than we think? More intelligent than artificial, the cinematic ‘robo-lution’ will be taking over the box office with films such as the reboot of RoboCop, the Tom Cruise action-adventure Oblivion and the Guillermo del Toro epic Pacific Rim, to name a few. Now, thanks to Japanese tech company Suidobashi Heavy Industry, the world can live out its dreams of controlling a giant robot for the bargain price of $1.28 million.
The season 3 trailer for the Emmy-winning HBO series Boardwalk Empire is a slow-motion symphony of visual splendor and emotional provocation. Re-envisioning the heart-stopping Season 2 finale, the spot definitively proves who’s in charge. “You can’t be half a gangster,” and it’s quite clear which side of the line Boardwalk Empire falls on. (WARNING: Season 2 spoilers. Proceed accordingly).
With the finish line in sight, we end on a rousing note. Not surprisingly, every company involved in the London Olympics has released their own version of uplifting advertising ranging from proud Moms to official countdown, but here at FIVE33, we think Nike stands atop the winner’s podium. Maybe it’s the voiceover from Brit actor Tom Hardy (without the Bane face mask), or the clever use of global towns all called London, or the powerfully simple message that greatness is for everyone. Perhaps it’s all of the above. This ad perfectly sums up the spirit of the Olympics and the greatness it inspires us to achieve.
There’s always an abundance of greatness in the world… come back next week for the best of the best.
About
The FIVE33 Group is a creative communications agency known for its groundbreaking International campaigns.
With a global business and enviable client base in entertainment, fashion, retail and sport, FIVE33 combine quality of thought with quality of execution, binding them together in new and unprecedented ways.
