Contagious Mgazine's Report on the Best Contagious Ideas of 2008

1. MOST CONTAGIOUS / 2008

2. most contagious / 2008 / p.02
/ MOST CONTAGIOUS / 2008
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‘If 2006 was about user-generated content and 2007 about social
CHAPTERS /
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media, then 2008 is about the conversation.’ So predicted
01 /
Contagious editor Paul Kemp-Robertson in The International Herald
LANDMARKS
Tribune back in January. ‘In other words, brands will have to steel
02 /
themselves to the idea that marketing is a two-way street, not just a
TECHNOLOGY
conduit for directing their messages toward pliant consumers.’
03 / Welcome to Most Contagious 2008. Lasting way longer than a
GAMING
Christmas card, this is our review of the most talked-about trends and
04 / technologies that have influenced the global marketing industry over
ENTERTAIN
the past 12 months. Contagious Magazine’s mission is to spread the
05 / gospel of non-traditional media and innovative thinking, so please feel
MUSIC
free to pass this on.
2008 highlights for Contagious included speeches and consultancy
06 /
DESIGN trips to Athens, Bangkok, Brussels, Copenhagen, Dubai, Helsinki,
Hong Kong, Madrid, Meribel, Miami, Moscow, New York, Oslo, Paris,
07 /
SOCIAL MEDIA Parma, Prague, Seattle, Seoul, Stockholm, Toronto and, er,
Dunstable. In June, the Debussy Theatre in Cannes was so packed
08 /
WEBSITES before the Leo Burnett/Contagious ‘Wildfire’ seminar, the people
with the clipboards had to lock the doors and relay the footage onto
09 /
screens outside. And we loved the childlike reaction outside the
APPLICATIONS
Gutter Bar each midnight when we plonked down four gigantic
10 /
Contagious cushions for festival goers to chill out on until dawn.
INTEGRATED
www.directnewideas.com/index.php/2008/09/16/cushions?sw
11 /
Elsewhere, we launched a new series of Special Reports to inject
VIRAL
expert insight into some of the ad industry’s hottest topics, like the
12 /
metrics of Social Media and the ‘Goodvertising’ trend.
MOBILE
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16 / Contagious / London T: +44 20 7575 1886
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3. most contagious / 2008 / p.03
01 / MOST CONTAGIOUS /
LANDMARKS
Barack Obama / Presidential Campaign / / Branded utility / Obama's team launched an Result - a collective gasp from an adoring media,
CHAPTERS /
The New York Times has only ever opted for the iPhone application one month before the election, around 7m views on YouTube, some utterly
01 /
use of 96pt font four times in its illustrious history. boasting a 'call your friends' feature which deflated opponents and most importantly,
LANDMARKS
The moon landings. Nixon's resignation. 9/11. organised contacts by key swing states, allowing renewed hope for 'a more perfect union'.
02 /
These gargantuan headlines are reserved for you to hassle them individually. The app also / Celebrity tie-ins / Black-Eyed Pea Will.i.am
TECHNOLOGY
seismic shifts in the global landscape. All the more provided the location of your nearest polling took Obama's iconic 'yes we can' speech and set
03 /
fitting, then, that the fourth incidence of this rarity station, and last minute news from the campaign. it to music, hosting it online, enlisting some A-list
GAMING
was reserved for the election of Barack Obama, / Radical transparency / You follow Obama on chums and allowing for mobile downloads. 14m
04 / not only the first African-American to take up Twitter, he follows you. You ask your question views on YouTube and a whole new bunch of
ENTERTAIN
residence in the White House, but a man doing so online, his team responds. More recently, the registered voters later…
05 / on the strength of a campaign predicated entirely informal tone of the Obama campaign has been / Relentless consistency / Obama's warm
MUSIC
on the concept of epic change. taken to YouTube, where his fireside chats will be words for former opponent Hillary Clinton were
06 / As you can see from this Most Contagious PDF, broadcast, and http://change.gov, from where his dismissed by some pundits as pandering to the
DESIGN
the Contagious team divides this annual round-up presidential transition period can be followed. female demographic, and a democratic party still
of blistering phenomena from the worlds of
07 /
/ Giving power to the people / Obama's dominated by Clintonian politics. He ignored them
SOCIAL MEDIA technology, media, design, pop culture and brand
campaign was majority funded by small donations and made her Secretary of State.
strategy into sections, in order to make it easier to
08 /
from enthused individuals, 65,000 of them And all this whilst shaking hands, holding
WEBSITES navigate. However, much like his political
newbies to political donation, giving what they babies, fighting off rabid opponents and at times
philosophy, Barack Obama's campaign strategy
09 / could afford to bring about the change he flagrant racism, and running the kind of traditional
APPLICATIONS refused to be divided. Let's tick them off, shall we?
promised. media campaign that would put an FMCG
10 /
/ A big idea / They don't come much bigger than / An eye for the experts / Obama's chief speech behemoth to shame.
INTEGRATED
'Yes We Can'. writer Jon Favreau was 26 years old for most of the For such a perfect understanding not only of the
11 /
campaign, yet proved himself more than capable
/ Use of non-traditional media / From the public mood but of the ways in which the public is
VIRAL
with the crafting of lines such as: 'It was sung by
moment the Obama team hired one of Facebook's now connected - Barack Obama, we salute you.
12 / immigrants as they struck out from distant shores
original founders to run my.barackobama.com, the
MOBILE
and pioneers who pushed westward against an
die was cast. Videos, messages and campaign
13 / unforgiving wilderness. Yes we can.' *shiver*
information were posted online and Twittered to
OUTDOORS
more than 140,000 followers. His team blogged, / Some smart PR / Facing criticism for his
14 / Twittered and YouTube'd their way to the win. They friendship with divisive religious figure Jeremiah
PLACES
even placed Vote For Change ads in videogames Wright, Obama issued no panicked denials. He
15 / like Madden NFL ‘09. Less 2.0, more 2.0bama. simply waited for his next public appearance and
CONTENT
gave a speech addressing the reality of racism
16 / whilst acknowledging his own position within it.
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4. most contagious / 2008 / landmarks (cont.) p.04
Apple / iPhone Apps Store / iPlayer / Links /
If the iPhone's sleek design and touchscreen interface The BBC's one-week catch up service was launched http://change.gov
weren't enough to convince the Apple cynics, the July later than rivals from ITV and Channel 4 - but with over 20 www.apple.com/iphone/appstore
2008 launch of the Apps store probably did the trick. As million streams a month of BBC programming across TV
www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer
soon as the iPhone's API was released to developers, and radio, the iPlayer is the first service of its kind to prove
CHAPTERS / www.hulu.com
the store was flooded with apps to tell you how to get a runaway success. Launched with a catchy, simple
home. Which train to use. Who was winning at golf. tagline ('Making the unmissable, unmissable') and tie-
01 /
LANDMARKS Football. Baseball. Where to have dinner. Who to play ins with BBC stalwarts such as EastEnders and Top
poker with. You could be Mario. Record your voice. Find Gear to illustrate exactly what you would be missing, the
02 /
TECHNOLOGY out what song you're listening to. Check Google Earth. iPlayer came into its own during sporting events like the
GOOGLE EARTH, for God's sake, is now available in 2008 Beijing Olympics and the Wimbledon tennis
03 /
GAMING your pocket. Despite Apple being unhappy with the use tournament. Instead of two weeks spent grumbling about
of the term 'smartphone' to describe its little miracle, it missing the action, the Contagious team simply plugged
04 /
now boasts a 17% share of that particular market, and in their headphones en masse. Thanks, Auntie Beeb.
ENTERTAIN
as a result, Apple hit 100 million app downloads within
05 /
three months of launch, and 300 million by December Hulu /
MUSIC
(the last 100 million was apparently achieved in a space Lacking the luxury of a licence fee but raking in the cash
06 /
of six weeks). Even Microsoft took the plunge, adapting nonetheless is Hulu, which made $148m (€115m) in
DESIGN
its image software Seadragon for the handset. advertising revenues in its first full year of operations
07 /
The iPhone Apps store is the steroid-pumped following its launch by NBC Universal and News Corp
SOCIAL MEDIA IPLAYER /
evolution of the long standing twin trends of in 2007. Content providers include Fox, Universal, Sony
08 /
personalisation and convergence. Now - if only we Pictures Television, Warner Bros. Television, Comedy
WEBSITES
could use the iPhone to cut and paste. Steve! Featured Central, Bravo, FX, Sci Fi and Sundance, which means
09 /
in Contagious 16. shows like Family Guy, The Simpsons, The Daily Show,
APPLICATIONS
Saturday Night Live and The Office - ratings winners
10 / Online TV / every one. Suddenly, YouTube and all its camcorder
INTEGRATED
In recent years, several services have claimed to have capers looks a bit wobbly. Research company Screen
11 / cracked the thorny issue of online TV. All of them were Digest has predicted revenues of $180m for next year,
VIRAL
lying, scuppered by a lack of subscribers, a lack of and recent statistics indicate around 64 million streams
12 / content partners, or simply having no discernible per month.
MOBILE
business model (not that that ever stopped anyone.
Users can also watch Hulu content at many other
Twitter, we're looking at you). Now, the combination of
13 /
places across the web (eg AOL, Comcast, MSN,
OUTDOORS the BBC's phenomenal iPlayer service and the work
MySpace, and Yahoo!), and viewers can share episodes
done by Hulu in the States on cajoling content providers
14 /
or clips via email, or embed them on other sites, blogs
PLACES is threatening a sea change. Even short-form video's
and social networks. The full service is currently only
gone all grown up as Vimeo and now YouTube start
15 /
available in the USA. Come on Hulu! The good people of
CONTENT providing content in high definition and widescreen.
Europe and Asia deserve some free entertainment too.
Ladies and gentleman, do not adjust your sets. The era
16 / See Contagious 16. •
of online TV may finally be upon us.
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5. most contagious / 2008 / p.05
02 / MOST CONTAGIOUS /
TECHNOLOGY /
CHAPTERS /
to be an important platform; that the browser wars of
Google / Chrome /
10 years ago were right. The browser matters.'
Forever innovative, the big giant of the valley declared
01 /
LANDMARKS rainbow-coloured war on rivals Microsoft earlier this
Despite the fluffy comic strip Google used to market
year with the official launch of Chrome, its first
02 / Chrome prior to its launch (see right), there's an evil
attempt at a web browser. Ostensibly sticking one in
TECHNOLOGY undercurrent to all this. If Google controls people's
the eye to the cumbersome Internet Explorer and
email and their browsers, not to mention a recent offer
03 /
rattling the cage of an increasingly bloated Firefox,
GAMING to provide free national wi-fi, they would have
Chrome uses Google's own open source 'Gears' tool,
unprecedented and unfettered access to a huge
04 / allowing desktop applications and online applications
portion of the western world's information. Minority
ENTERTAIN
to talk to each other. Put simply, this means that the
Report was right. The future is chrome-coloured.
browser could be the only operating system you'd
05 /
See Contagious 17.
MUSIC ever need. How many Windows would that smash, do
we think…?
06 /
DESIGN
Of course, it's not without its glitches. No version is
currently available for Mac OSX or Linux users, thus
07 /
SOCIAL MEDIA depriving Google of the subset of creative and techie
visionaries/wannabes who would adopt it in their
08 /
droves. Further competition will come in the new year
WEBSITES
with a new version of Firefox, whose popularity rests
09 /
on the plethora of independently created plug-ins
APPLICATIONS
available for the system. At time of writing, there are
10 / no plug-ins for Chrome but the architecture, along
INTEGRATED
with Mac and Linux versions, are promised for 2009.
11 /
So far adoption has been steady, but by no means
VIRAL
an overnight success. Web analytics GetClicky
12 / estimates that Chrome boasts a 1% share of the
MOBILE
market, with IE at 60% and Firefox at 30%. However,
Google's CEO Eric Schmidt has explained Chrome's
13 /
GOOGLE / CHROME COMIC /
OUTDOORS importance to the company in no uncertain terms.
'The thing that changed in the past couple of years ...
14 /
is that people started building powerful applications
PLACES
on top of browsers and the browsers that were out GOOGLE / CHROME /
15 /
there, in particular in Explorer, were not up to the task
CONTENT
of running complex applications,' he told The
16 / Financial Times. 'We think that the browser continues
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6. most contagious / 2008 / technology (cont.) p.06
Cloud Computing / adidas / Bonded by Thread /
Google's maneouvrings take us nicely onto another buzz Nanotechnology as marketing? Get outta here. Last
phrase of 2008 - cloud computing, or the use of a web year, WhybinTBWA launched their Bonded by
network to host information so it can be accessed from Blood campaign, in which the New Zealand All
anywhere around the world. Think GoogleDocs, or Blacks gave samples of their DNA to be woven into a
CHAPTERS /
Gmail. You log in, you have access, thus finally slaying the promotional poster for sponsor adidas. This year, they
01 /
irritation of that bastard file being on the desktop at home. used nanotechnology to etch fans' names and
LANDMARKS
The notion of the cloud lends itself neatly to Google's messages of support onto an 'Adithread' which was
02 /
vision of a browser-based future, and behemoths such as then woven into a rugby jersey worn by captain Richie
TECHNOLOGY
Amazon have allowed third party developers to McCaw. The campaign mantra? 'This is not a jersey.
03 / contribute to their own cloud in order to ensure a slicker This is a legacy'. Two thumbs up for bringing the fans
GAMING
service. and the players closer together.
04 / See Contagious 16.
Not to be outdone, rivals Microsoft have now entered
ENTERTAIN
the fray with Azure. This service has been described as
05 / Guinness Rugby / RFID /
'Windows for the cloud', and will be offered alongside the
MUSIC
Over in Ireland, the Guinness team in conjunction with
next release of Windows, 7. In a huge shift of policy for a
digital strategists Red Urban in London is doing
06 /
company which has dominated the desktop since
DESIGN
some staggering things with RFID (Radio Frequency
forever, you'll be able to store your documents/
Identification Technology). The brand's positioning -
07 /
photos/files/whatever on the cloud, which will be hosted
SOCIAL MEDIA 'It’s Alive Inside' - has been literally and beautifully
on countless giant data centres around the world.
interpreted by the addition of RFID tags to rugby balls,
08 /
WEBSITES It's all a bit Terminator - if you remember, James and an intricate camera monitoring system capable of
Cameron's notion of a centralised system through which measuring the speed, power and accuracy of passes ADIDAS / THIS IS NOT A JERSEY /
09 /
all beings were connected was called Skynet, and it led
APPLICATIONS and player. Ultimately, this world first could give
to the near extinction of mankind. Plus, the amount of everyone from coaches to fans access to detailed
10 /
money you need to host the information means that only metrics of gameplay, creating the kind of obsessives
INTEGRATED
big, slightly sinister players with track records in and media coverage currently dominating football and
11 /
monopoly need apply. Despite the obvious and exciting baseball. In our humble opinion, this is pretty much the
VIRAL
potential of the cloud, one of the earliest laws of sport activation to end all sport activations, and
12 /
computing states that data doesn't exist unless it's in at definitely one to watch for the year ahead.
MOBILE
least two places. Microsoft and Google will have
13 /
backups - but God forbid your log-in details should ever Plastic Logic /
OUTDOORS
fail. With media attention focused on the travails of a
14 /
wheezing music industry, the publishing industry has
Now might be the time for anyone with doubts as to the
PLACES
been quietly facing its own digital revolution. After
future of society to start putting a down payment on that
15 /
Amazon's Kindle digital reader and the Sony
GUINNESS / RFID /
shack in the woods. If anyone will give you a mortgage,
CONTENT
eBook Reader, the new kid on the block is Plastic
that is.
16 / Logic. The size of an A4 piece of paper, no thicker
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7. most contagious / 2008 / technology (cont.) p.07
than a pad of it and weighing under 1lb, this flexible
digital parchment can display newspapers and books
as well as other documents from PDFs to Powerpoint
presentations. You'll also be able to connect to it
wirelessly. Is this the newspaper of the future?
CHAPTERS /
Featured in Contagious 17.
01 /
LANDMARKS
Radiohead / House of Cards /
02 / So beautiful we put it on the front cover of our
TECHNOLOGY
magazine. Complaint rock innovators Radiohead shot
a video for House of Cards using 360º laser scanners
03 /
GAMING
instead of cameras and lights. They also premiered it
on the Google code content platform. Shot by James
04 /
ENTERTAIN Frost of Zoo Films, the video plus widgets and a
making-of film can be viewed here:
05 /
MUSIC http://code.google.com/creative/radiohead
Featured in Contagious 16.
06 /
DESIGN
Google Streetview /
07 /
Google's Streetview is an additional feature of
SOCIAL MEDIA
Google Maps and Google Earth that provides data
08 /
PLASTIC LOGIC /
taken from street level. Forget top down or GPS
WEBSITES
harassment. Go forth and stalk face to face. •
09 /
APPLICATIONS
10 /
INTEGRATED
RADIOHEAD / HOUSE OF CARDS /
links /
11 /
VIRAL
www.google.com/chrome
www.guinness.com/ie_en
12 /
MOBILE www.thisisnotajersey.com
http://plasticlogic.com
13 /
OUTDOORS http://code.google.com/creative/radiohead
http://maps.google.com/help/maps/streetview
14 /
PLACES
15 /
GOOGLE / STREETVIEW /
CONTENT
16 /
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8. most contagious / 2008 / p.08
03 / MOST CONTAGIOUS /
GAMING
2008 spawned one of the biggest media launches of all advertising. Instead, revenue was created using more
CHAPTERS /
time when Grand Theft Auto IV hit the shelves, followed progressive and inventive business models. For
01 /
by a second wave of virtual worlds and Sackboy, the example, thanks to a new technology called ZiT, players
LANDMARKS
cutest little critter from Sony…. can use the main character's mobile phone to dial a
02 /
number when they hear a track which they like on the car
TECHNOLOGY LittleBigPlanet / radio. Much like the real-world service Shazam, the title
LittleBigPlanet launched on Sony's PlayStation 3 in
03 / and artist of the track then gets sent to them via SMS
GAMING November. Developed by small British company Media message. If the player has already pre-registered on the
Molecule, the game puts players in control of plucky
04 / Rockstar Games Social Club website, they are able to
ENTERTAIN hero Sackboy. Facilitated by Sony's online gaming compile a playlist of all their favourite tracks from the
service PlayStation Network, players are encouraged
05 / game and by visiting Amazon.com, purchase every one
to explore each others' worlds and even collaborate in
MUSIC
of these tracks for under $1 each.
the evolutionary process, making LittleBigPlanet as See Contagious 15.
06 /
much a hybrid social network as an ultra-playable video
DESIGN
game. The beta trial alone - among 24,000 people - saw Spore /
07 /
5,000 levels of the game being created over just three
SOCIAL MEDIA The Sims designer Will Wright of Maxis Studio spent
days. Despite a sticky launch due to some soundtrack three years creating Spore. The game allows players to LITTLEBIGPLANET /
08 /
issues and heavy-handed moderation, the game has
WEBSITES develop a character from a single-cell organism fighting
since received a 95% rating on Metacritic.com. against the fluid dynamics of a tidal pool, into a member
09 /
Sackboy in spaceman mode also graced the cover of of an advanced civilisation and eventually a space-
APPLICATIONS
Contagious 17 and page 40 of this report. conquering demigod.
10 /
INTEGRATED
Grand Theft Auto IV / Prior to the game's release in September, parent
11 / The only title to score higher than LittleBigPlanet on company Electronic Arts made a stripped-down
VIRAL
Metacritic.com is Rockstar Games' Grand Theft Auto version of Spore's creature creator available for free
12 / IV. GTA IV has done nothing but smash records all year: download. This lets users get to grips with the interface
MOBILE
in its first week, it shifted six million copies worldwide, and their character by playing with an infinite number of
13 / amounting to total sales figures of over $500m. This body parts, colours, textures and appendages.
OUTDOORS
eclipses the $300m taken by Halo 3 last year and even Furthermore, an awesome video showing comedian
Hollywood's biggest grossing film Pirates of the and actor Robin Willams bungling his way through a
14 /
PLACES Caribbean: At World's End which took $460m in the six tutorial of the application was launched online. In San
days following its release. Much to the frustration of Francisco, a micro billboard measuring 14quot; x 6quot; was
15 /
CONTENT prospective advertisers, Rockstar was vehemently placed on a roof top; a fixed telescope helped passers
SPORE /
against the emerging trend of featuring in-game by to check it.
16 /
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9. most contagious / 2008 / gaming (cont.) p.09
controller setup, has also been going great guns
The game has not gone without its fair share of
supported by its own celebrity collaborations. Guns
controversy however. Electronic Arts, which
N' Roses released the first single from their long-
owns Maxis, recently lost a reported $25m
awaited comeback album Chinese Democracy
through illegal downloads by consumers who felt
‘ Shackler's Revenge’, via Rock Band. Also, exciting
CHAPTERS / that their ownership rights were being abused
news for 2009 - creators Harmonix are set to release
when they found that the game could not be
01 /
a special Beatles edition of the game featuring the
registered on multiple PCs… More power to the
LANDMARKS
entire back catalogue of the Fab Four's hits and fully
console, eh? See Contagious 17
02 /
endorsed by Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Yoko
TECHNOLOGY
Ono Lennon and Olivia Harrison. If this doesn't make
Rock Band / Guitar Hero /
03 /
your mum want to play video games, we don't know
Apart from the emergence of collaborative, online
GAMING
what will… Featured in Contagious 16.
initiatives such as LittleBigPlanet, the other video
04 /
game trend which characterised 2008 was
ENTERTAIN
Ones to watch /
undoubtedly the rise and rise of casual gaming.
05 /
Football Superstars /
Started by the industry-subverting Nintendo Wii
MUSIC
Created by Nottingham-based CyberSports,
console in 2006, the casual gaming market has been
06 / Football Superstars combines the appeal of
steadily growing as girlfriends, parents and
DESIGN
games like EA Sports' FIFA and Konami's Pro
grandparents discover the joy of the joystick. The one
07 / Evolutionary Soccer with the virtual world platform
genre which has profited most from this trend is that
SOCIAL MEDIA
found in Second Life and the massively multiplayer
of music-simulation - most notably titles such as
08 / online role-playing game (MMORPG) experience
Activision's Guitar Hero franchise and Rock Band
WEBSITES
offered by Vivendi's World of Warcraft. The game
from Harmonix.
is free to download and once players have
09 /
Something of a cultural phenomenon, Guitar Hero
APPLICATIONS completed training, they can join a virtual team.
invites you to 'Unleash your inner rockstar' -
However, as well as playing matches, users are
10 /
something which apparently over 23 million people
INTEGRATED encouraged to interact off the pitch where they
worldwide have done, resulting in $1.6bn at retail.
can indulge in a whole host of decadent extra-
11 /
Bands and advertisers have clearly recognised the
VIRAL sporting activities. So far, over 219,000 have
penetration of the franchise; most recently, The
registered for Football Superstars and
12 / Killers marked the release of their third album, Day &
CyberSports have claimed that a further 3000 are
MOBILE
Age, with an appearance in Guitar Hero World Tour.
signing up every day.
13 / Day & Age was released on 25 November and the
OUTDOORS
Las Vegas rock quartet is releasing two singles, CyberSports has signed up a number of brands
14 / Human and Losing Touch, as downloads into the for in-game placement including Puma. The
PLACES
game. 2004 smash hit Mr Brightside will also form revenue model also includes micro-payments,
part of ‘The Killers Track Pack’.
15 / with CyberSports estimating that each player will
CONTENT
spend around £3.50 ($5.4) a month on items
Rival series Rock Band, the first game of its type to
16 / such as clothes, locker space and refreshments.
add drums and vocals to the traditional guitar-
GREEN
See Contagious 17.

10. most contagious / 2008 / gaming (cont.) p.10
LEGO / Universe /
Set for a 2009 release, LEGO Universe is another new
MMOG. Developed by NetDevil to be a seamless
adaptation of the LEGO philosophy, the concept
behind the subscription-based LEGO Universe is
CHAPTERS /
simple – if you can imagine it, then you can build it. The
traditional play experience will transfer online, requiring
01 /
LANDMARKS a creative and collaborative approach to accomplish in-
game goals. Contagious 17 contains a case study on
02 /
TECHNOLOGY LEGO.
03 /
IFTF / Superstruct /
GAMING
ARG-guru and gaming genius Jane McGonigal
04 /
(formerly of 42 Entertainment) has headed up the
ENTERTAIN
development of a new online project which could well
05 /
save the world. Superstruct, from the Institute for the
LEGO / UNIVERSE /
MUSIC
Future (IFTT), is a future-facing affair which pits players
06 / against a host of daunting new-world threats such as
DESIGN
disease, global warming and hackers. Championing the
07 / power of gaming as a unifying force, McGonigal also
SOCIAL MEDIA
believes that companies could benefit from
08 / understanding the role that gaming could play as a
WEBSITES
business tool. For more details and an interview with
McGonigal, check out the link below to an article in
09 /
APPLICATIONS BusinessWeek…
http://tinyurl.com/64womr •
10 /
INTEGRATED
11 /
links / GTA IV /
VIRAL
www.littlebigplanet.com
12 /
www.rockstargames.com
MOBILE
www.spore.com
13 / www.guitarhero.com ROCK BAND /
OUTDOORS
www.rockband.com
www.footballsuperstars.com
14 /
PLACES
http://universe.lego.com/en-us/Default.aspx
www.superstructgame.org/Home1
15 /
CONTENT
16 /
GREEN
SUPERSTRUCT /

11. most contagious / 2008 / p.11
04 / MOST CONTAGIOUS /
ENTERTAINMENT
Quantum of Solace /
CHAPTERS /
Despite the long-cultivated suspicion that the Bond franchise might
01 /
be metamorphosing into little more than a series of beautiful, big
LANDMARKS
budget commercials, the latest effort, Quantum of Solace,
02 /
eschewed heavy placements in favour of some impressive tie-ins and
TECHNOLOGY
product integration around the action. Smirnoff Black, Bond's
03 / original tipple, underlined its placement in the film with an appealing
GAMING
integrated campaign based around a limited edition bottle of the spirit
04 / with a cocktail shaker, through Edinburgh-based Three Brand
ENTERTAIN
Design. Coca-Cola also introduced special edition bottles of Coke
05 / Zero, renaming the fizz Zero Zero 7. A global TV campaign through
MUSIC
Wieden + Kennedy featured music from Jack White, who penned
Another Way To Die, the film's disappointing theme tune.
06 /
DESIGN
Sony's electronic offerings featured prominently. Digital agency
07 /
Dare London launched Bond in HD - an immersive microsite to
SOCIAL MEDIA
showcase High Definition products which saw users set challenges
08 /
based around various HD products. Players were required to
WEBSITES
manipulate content, analyse narrative and test awareness and
09 / memory to succeed, honing their spy skills along the way.
APPLICATIONS
To celebrate Sony Ericsson's Cyber Shot as Bond's mobile of
10 /
choice iris Digital, London, launched Directive C902 - an integrated
INTEGRATED
campaign based around a rich content microsite hosting an
11 /
interactive movie, complete with missions integrated into the plot.
VIRAL
Each mission completed delivered a code that unlocked an exclusive
12 /
mobile phone app and granted access to the next level of the game.
MOBILE
Microsoft’s Surface technology also found a home in the hi-tech
13 /
OUTDOORS offices of MI6, and just to mess with the system, Ford's dominant
sponsorship of the film saw not Bond, but Bond girl Camille (Olga
14 /
Kurylenko) behind the wheel of its key placement, the new Ford Ka.
PLACES
Featured in Contagious 17.
15 /
CONTENT
16 /
GREEN

12. most contagious / 2008 / entertainment (cont.) p.12
The Dark Knight / online. The characters were given MySpace pages and
We were delirious with excitement back in 2007 with anticipation reached fever pitch when fans excitedly
anticipation of the release of The Dark Knight. (Just see logged on to http://lillyandjason.com only to discover a
Most Contagious 2007 for proof.) This was thanks in no couple's wedding invitation site, seemingly unconnected
small part to 42 Entertainment's epic alternate reality to the film. Finally, in November, Paramount released the
CHAPTERS /
game building up over the 18 months prior to the film's official trailer and the film's name was made public, but
release. One particularly great stage in the hints surrounding the monster still remained minimal.
01 /
LANDMARKS comprehensive ARG was Operation Slipknot, a game Cloverfield's US opening was the biggest ever for January
focusing on corruption in Gotham City Police Dept and so the slow burn word of mouth effect came good. Oh, and
02 /
TECHNOLOGY the apprehension of 30 fugitives. Commissioner Jim it helped that the film itself was pretty decent.
Gordon sent out an email with the assignment and all Featured in Contagious 14. •
03 /
GAMING slots in the game were reportedly taken within 45
minutes. The ARG is too monstrous to document in its
04 /
links /
entirety except with the help of obsessive players / wiki
ENTERTAIN
www.sony.co.uk/article/high-definition-hd
contributors. If you fancy a flutter, the smart money’s on
05 / www.sonyericsson.com/bond
a Cannes Lion or two for the creators in 2009.
MUSIC
http://batman.wikibruce.com/Home
http://batman.wikibruce.com/Home
06 / www.cloverfieldmovie.com
DESIGN
The film's box office takings are edging towards the
golden billion dollar mark, where it would join the
07 /
SOCIAL MEDIA esteemed releases of Titanic, Lord of the Rings: Return
of the King and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's
08 /
WEBSITES Chest, the only three movies to date to have achieved THE DARK KNIGHT /
such a feat. The Dark Knight will be re-released in the
09 /
APPLICATIONS US on 23 January, the day after Oscar nominations are
announced. Featured in Contagious 14, 15.
10 /
INTEGRATED
Cloverfield /
11 /
Cloverfield opened the year's box office excitement in
VIRAL
January after a six-month viral campaign building up to the
12 /
opening night. The monster flick follows five young friends
MOBILE
in New York through their own video footage of the night a
13 /
monster hits the city. The fun began in July 2007 with an
OUTDOORS
unbranded trailer at the end of Transformers, the last frame
14 /
of which stated 01-18-08. The first step encouraged
PLACES
people to search online where they found a website with
15 /
nothing but two dazed faces. The next few months saw
CONTENT
spoof videos and rumours as fans tried desperately to THE DARK KNIGHT / CLOVERFIELD /
16 / unlock clues to the film which were sporadically released
GREEN

13. p.13
most contagious / 2008 /
05 / MOST CONTAGIOUS /
MUSIC /
In a year when the global music trade body IFPI released figures
CHAPTERS /
showing that digital music sales now account for 15% of all sales -
01 /
30% in the US - brands became more aware of opportunities that
LANDMARKS
could link them to artists. Meanwhile, the ratio of unlicensed tracks to
02 /
legal tracks sold is about 20:1, so live music and merchandise are
TECHNOLOGY
becoming areas of focus for the music industry and artists. The UK
03 / festival industry alone was worth about £900m in 2008 - around 700
GAMING
festivals. Can this be sustained throughout an unpredictable 2009?
04 /
ENTERTAIN
05 /
O2 / Live Nation /
MUSIC
At the heart of the thirst for live music was O2, which linked up with
06 /
Live Nation, replacing Carling as the brand behind Brixton and 10
DESIGN
other Academy Music Group venues from 1 January 2009. O2
07 / reckons the partnership will reach more than 3.5 million music fans,
SOCIAL MEDIA
extending across the UK the same priority ticketing benefits that O2
08 / customers currently enjoy with the London-based O2 venue: the
WEBSITES
chance to buy tickets 48 hours before they officially go on sale. And
09 / despite some ugly rumours to the contrary, the O2 Wireless Festival
APPLICATIONS
will take place in Hyde Park in 2009. Bring back Daft Punk!
10 /
INTEGRATED
Nokia / Comes With Music /
11 /
Nokia launched Comes With Music (CWM), a download service
VIRAL
bundled in with a Nokia phone package, most notably the 5310. Any
12 /
music fans happy to shell out €199 for a CWM-enabled handset
MOBILE
could then enjoy unlimited tracks from a catalogue bulging with two
13 /
million tracks. Users must buy another CWM-enabled handset after
OUTDOORS
the year has elapsed. Warner Music, SonyBMG and Universal are
14 /
partnering Nokia, which will extend the service throughout Europe
PLACES
and Asia in 2009. On the back of Apple’s December announcement
15 / that it will be dropping DRM from the content of three major labels sold
CONTENT
through iTunes, will this caveat-loaded approach be enough to
16 / compete in the download wars? See Contagious 17.
GREEN

14. most contagious / 2008 / music (cont.) p.14
TAG / TAG Records / Miller Genuine Draft / The Mill /
TAG, a male body spray owned by P&G that chases the Miller Genuine Draft diverted its entire marketing
same young demographic as Unilever's Lynx/Axe, budget into creating a platform for unsigned bands in an
hooked up with Def Jam Music on TAG Records. Q, a attempt to reflect the brand's 'genuinely different'
rapper from Brooklyn, was the first artist to be signed to positioning throughout Scotland. Via Leo Burnett
CHAPTERS /
the hip hop label. For more on brands such as TAG, London, the platform gave unsigned acts maximum
01 /
Vodafone and Bacardi identifying fresh points of entry coverage and consumers free content. Venues in
LANDMARKS
into the music industry, read this article from Edinburgh and Glasgow staged live performances from
02 /
Contagious 16 by Jack Horner, co-founder and creative a selection of 108 bands. Each act had a unique poster,
TECHNOLOGY
director of music marketing agency Frukt, London. imagery from which is used on packaging. Gig-goers
03 / www.contagiousmagazine.com/resources/music.pdf download free tickets to their mobiles via the website
GAMING
where 540 tracks have been recorded and distributed.
04 / Umphrey's McGee / Further mobile content is available via dedicated
ENTERTAIN
bluetooth units in the venues. Media partnerships
Prog rock fans will be counting the days until 19 January
05 / struck with The Skinny magazine and Xfm Scotland, as
2009 when Mantis, the new album from Chicago outfit
MUSIC
well as with e-newsletters and social networking sites,
Umphrey's McGee is released. But how rich an
built on the buzz . See Contagious 17. •
06 / experience the album is relies entirely on how involved
DESIGN
fans have been in the lead-up to its release. In a smart
07 / initiative by Connecticut-based design and branding links /
SOCIAL MEDIA
agency Plaid, if fans visit a special website and pre- www.o2.co.uk
08 / order the CD, they help unlock a treasure chest of free MILLER GENUINE DRAFT / THE MILL /
www.nokia.com/comeswithmusic
WEBSITES
content which includes alternative studio recordings www.umphreys.com/mantis
and remixes. What's more, fans who pre-order Mantis
09 /
www.gunsroses.com
APPLICATIONS will be drip-fed even more content over 2009 every time www.themill-live.com
they play the CD on their PC.
10 /
INTEGRATED
11 / Dr. Pepper / Chinese Democracy /
VIRAL
Dr. Pepper promised a can of Dr. Pepper to everyone in
12 / the US if the long-anticipated Guns N' Roses album,
MOBILE
Chinese Democracy, was completed in 2008. Yet the
13 / execution of this marketing masterstroke was shabby:
OUTDOORS
servers crashed on the brand's website, meaning users
were unable to log on and download their voucher for
14 /
PLACES
the free drink. Guns N' Roses front man Axl Rose then
issued legal proceedings against Dr. Pepper, accusing
15 /
CONTENT it of tainting Guns N' Roses by association… still, we
raise a can of, and to, Dr. Pepper for its audacity.
16 /
GREEN

15. most contagious / 2008 / p.15
06 / MOST CONTAGIOUS /
DESIGN / PRODUCTS
Speedo / LZR /
CHAPTERS /
2008’s most impactful piece of product design is arguably the now
01 /
infamous Speedo LZR swimsuit, most famously worn by record-
LANDMARKS
breaking Olympic Gold Medallist and general human fish Michael
02 /
Phelps. Developed by biomechanical engineers in one of NASA's
TECHNOLOGY
wind tunnels, the suit has had such a profound effect on the sport that
03 / Alberto Castagnetti, coach of the Italian national team, referred to it
GAMING
as 'technological doping'. How profound, you ask? Since its launch in
04 / March, no fewer than 74 world records have been broken by swimmers
ENTERTAIN
wearing the LZR. It also caused chaos in the run-up to the Olympics
05 / as several swimmers not sponsored by Speedo attempted to wriggle
MUSIC
out of their own deals in order to hitch a ride on the bandwagon to
medal glory. It's just like Contagious has always said - nail those
06 /
DESIGN oxygenating hydrodynamics and the rest will fall into place…
See Contagious 16.
07 /
SOCIAL MEDIA
08 /
Nike / Zoom Victory /
WEBSITES
Almost as big news as Speedo's LZR has been Nike's Zoom Victory
09 /
running shoe. By dispensing with the elements previously needed to
APPLICATIONS
hold a sneaker together (stitching, material) in favour of a suspension
10 /
bridge design with merely a coating of fabric, the shoes weigh in at
INTEGRATED
less than a chocolate bar. What's more, because the design is so
11 / pared down, the Nike team can use rapid prototyping - computer
VIRAL
aided design - to manufacture unique versions in a fraction of the time
12 / it would take to knock up a regular sneaker. The cheap production
MOBILE
process could enable Nike to shift some of its manufacturing out of
13 / China and back to its home in the United States, thus creating jobs in
OUTDOORS
an otherwise exhausted marketplace. This unexpected side effect is
fascinating: a product design innovation, led by technology, with
14 /
PLACES immediate, first hand repercussions for a country's economy. Top
marks to the Nike Tech Lab.
15 /
CONTENT See Contagious 16.
16 /
GREEN

16. most contagious / 2008 / design (cont.) p.16
Electric Cars / vision involves drivers plugging in their vehicles whilst at
2008 has undoubtedly been the year in which home or work, with longer journeys catered for by a stint
alternative fuelling and the use of sustainable at one of 150 larger charging stations dotted around the
materials in the automotive industry has turned from country.
mere novelty into a necessity. With the global
CHAPTERS / Financial backing has come from Morgan Stanley
economy furiously struggling to keep its head above
(yes, really) and, rather ironically, the owner of Israel's
01 / water, and car manufacturers seeking more hand-outs
largest oil refinery, Idan Ofur. Clearly these investors
LANDMARKS
NIKE / ZOOM VICTORY /
than Oliver Twist, motorists the world over are looking
share Agassi's optimism for a global roll-out, should
02 / for ways to justify and afford their daily drive.
Israel prove a successful training ground. This is
TECHNOLOGY
Obviously, US companies producing traditional gas-
supported by the recent news that interest in the 'Better
03 / guzzling beasties have been worst hit, but even the
Place' initiative has already spread to the US, where the
GAMING
smallest are now seeking to change. Step forward
mayors of San Francisco, San Jose and Oakland,
parent company BMW and the MINI E.
04 /
California have all approved a test period for the
ENTERTAIN
The German car manufacturer has launched an network of electric cars. See Contagious 17.
05 /
electric version of its iconic small British car, but limited
MUSIC
production to just 500 vehicles. Furthermore, these will Netbooks / ASUS Eee PC /
06 / only be available for lease to drivers in Los Angeles and There’s an odd rule of technology which states that the
DESIGN
New York who have a lockable garage where the car the price of a gadget is inversely proportional to its
07 / can be re-charged from a wall-mounted unit. All the cars physical size. Therefore it is with open arms (and open
SOCIAL MEDIA
are silvery grey and come with the distinctive yellow plug wallets) that the PC-buying public has welcomed the
08 / insignia announcing their electric credentials. BMW is new trend for affordable versions of the mini laptops
WEBSITES
aiming to mass-produce an electric car by 2010. known as netbooks. Statistics published by
BMW / MINI E /
techEBlog.com show that sales of netbooks are
09 /
We like this softly, softly approach from MINI. Not only
APPLICATIONS
expected to rise from one million units sold in 2007 to a
are they subtly vetting the initial 500 customers -
projected total of 14 million for 2008. Leading the
10 /
reinforcing the feeling of joining a select club - but also
INTEGRATED charge was Taiwan-based ASUS with its range of oh-
securing at least a year of free advertising from these
so-cute Eee PC laptops. Available with a screen size as
11 /
lucky few as they scoot about in their distinctive silver
VIRAL small as 7quot;, these start at under €231, with an almost
and yellow cars. By the time the brand does scale up its
infinite range of tech-specs to suit every user.
12 / production on the electric MINI, the buzz around the
MOBILE
vehicle will be at a peak and demand will be high… If this wasn't enough to confirm the product as the PC of
13 / the people, ASUS has recently teamed up with the Intel
In other news, entrepreneur Shay Agassi has been
OUTDOORS
Corporation to launch wePC (see page 19), a website
backed by the Israeli government to start
14 / tapping into the crowdsourcing trend to influence the
implementing a network of electric cars, apparently
PLACES
design of the world's first community-designed laptop.
resulting in 'sustainable transportation, global energy
See Contagious 15 and 17.
15 /
independence and freedom from oil'. Using a concept
CONTENT
developed with French manufacturer Renault, Agassi's
16 /
ASUS / Eee PC /
GREEN

17. most contagious / 2008 / design (cont.) p.17
Red /
If you haven't heard anything about Red yet, be aware
that its amazing hi-tech cameras are shaking up the
entire movie industry whilst costing around one third of
the price of equivalent big brand offerings. Scheduled
CHAPTERS /
additions to the range - the sub $3000 Scarlet video
camera and the high end Epic model - have been
01 /
LANDMARKS delayed, with CEO (and Oakley eyewear founder) Jim
Jannard posting enigmatically on the company's forum
02 /
TECHNOLOGY that 'we have changed everything about Scarlet
because the market has changed and we have
03 /
GAMING discovered a lot of things in the process. We have a new
vision'.
04 /
The forum is buzzing and speculation is ripe; definitely
ENTERTAIN
a brand to keep an eye on as belts are tightened
05 /
worldwide. Director Steven Soderbergh's two recent
MUSIC
films Guerrilla and The Argentine were shot entirely
06 /
using Red cameras, as was Peter Jackson's Crossing
DESIGN
the Line. All our lunch money is going in the Contagious
07 /
piggy bank for one of these (and a communal Speedo
SOCIAL MEDIA
LZR to share…ewww).
08 /
See Contagious 17. •
WEBSITES
09 /
APPLICATIONS
10 /
INTEGRATED
11 /
VIRAL
links /
12 /
www.speedo80.com/lzr-racer/
MOBILE
www.nike.com/nikelab/site.html?en_US#/product/
13 /
aerofly/detail
OUTDOORS
www.minispace.com/en_us/projects/electric-mini-e
14 / www.betterplace.com
PLACES
www.wepc.com
15 / www.red.com
CONTENT
16 /
GREEN

18. most contagious / 2008 / p.18
07 / MOST CONTAGIOUS /
SOCIAL MEDIA /
Facebook (again) /
CHAPTERS / It will come as no surprise that comScore declared Facebook the
biggest and fastest-growing social network: over 132 million people
01 /
LANDMARKS visit the site every month, a year-on-year increase of 153%. Smart
investment in translation tools saw the site take off in Latin America,
02 /
Asia, the Middle East and Africa, and advertisers were quick to
TECHNOLOGY
develop apps and widgets. Pizza Hut even developed an app
03 /
enabling users to order a pizza without leaving the site (although we're
GAMING
lukewarm on the facility that tells Facebook friends that you ordered a
04 /
stuffed crust Hawaiian). And best of all, GetThemIn allowed
ENTERTAIN
Facebook users to buy drinks via the social network which could be
05 /
cashed in for real booze at over 1,500 off licences in the UK.
MUSIC
Bebo /
06 /
DESIGN
Teen-friendly social networking site Bebo saw 32% growth in 2008,
07 / from 18m to 24m total unique visitors, and was snapped up in March
SOCIAL MEDIA
by AOL for the princely sum of $850m. One of the site's stickiest
08 / features proved to be original drama, with Bebo repositioning itself as
WEBSITES
a media platform and offering a combination of entertainment and
social media, providing brands with opportunities to integrate
09 /
APPLICATIONS naturally into the plot. Audience approval of placement and the fact
that the Open Media platform allows users direct access to
10 /
INTEGRATED thousands of hours of premium content has proved a leading strategy
so far. KateModern - which attracted advertisers including Toyota
11 /
VIRAL and Cadbury - set the ball rolling in 2007, but this year, Sofia's Diary
captivated Beboers and advertisers including Unilever's Sure Girl
12 /
and Pearl Drops. The show, in five-minute daily segments, was also
MOBILE
syndicated to the Channel 5-owned digital channel, Fiver. Bebo
13 /
followed up with The Secret World of Sam King, a joint venture with
OUTDOORS
Universal Records, which followed the adventures of the
14 /
eponymous hero working at the record label and averaged 600,000
PLACES
views a week. Finally, comedy series Chelsey OMG!, the story of a
15 /
young American in London, launched in October, backed by the likes
CONTENT
of fashion website Glam.com and haircare brand Paul Mitchell.
16 /
GREEN

19. most contagious / 2008 / social media (cont.) p.19
Crowdsourcing / BA / Metrotwin /
Crowdsourcing has become a welcome trend among British Airways launched Metrotwin, a social media
PC brands, with Asus and Intel joining forces on platform to link Londoners and New Yorkers. The online
wePC.com - 'a place where users like you come community provides expert suggestions on the best
together to share ideas, images and inspiration about places to visit, shop eat and drink in both cities, and
CHAPTERS /
your ideal PC'. The best ideas will shape the design of makes recommendations based on user behaviour à la
01 / what wePC.com is touting as the world's first Amazon. BBH worked with the London-based
LANDMARKS
community-designed laptop. wePC.com came hot on agencies Made By Many on the design, Headshift and
02 / the heels of consumer electronics retailer Best Buy Agency.com on development and delivery.
TECHNOLOGY
working with Toshiba and HP on a similar project which See Contagious 17.
03 / invited consumers to contribute ideas for its Blue Label
GAMING
laptop range. Yet both were influenced by Dell which Penguin / BEBO / UNIVERSAL MUSIC / SAM KING /
launched its crowdsourcing concept Idea Storm in
04 /
We Tell Stories from UK book publisher Penguin
ENTERTAIN 2007. Today, Idea Storm has over 9,000 contributors
enlisted six authors including Toby Litt and Nicci
who have suggested 10,779 ideas.
05 /
French to use a classic Penguin book as inspiration for
MUSIC
a new work. Created with help from ARG specialist Six
Crowdsourcing wasn't limited to IT brands.
06 / To Start, the initiative was part social networking, part
Mystarbucksidea.com saw the coffee chain inviting
DESIGN
ARG, encouraging book lovers to enhance their
suggestions for improvement from its customers. One
07 / experience online with greater connectivity and
of the most high profile ideas to be implemented was a
SOCIAL MEDIA
interactivity. Users could contribute to the texts,
free coffee for everyone on US election day. And
08 / evolving their own story, and also follow clues to unlock
Splitwheel launched as an online project to design
WEBSITES
more content. See Contagious 15.
and build a new performance car based on collective
decision-making. The car is being built by Britain's
09 / BA / METROTWIN /
Over at penguindating.co.uk, a partnership between
APPLICATIONS
Caterham Cars; a full, dedicated website launches in
Penguin Books and dating site match.com enabled
January. See Contagious 17.
10 /
users to start romantic flirtations based on a shared love
INTEGRATED
of literature. And then buy each other a drink on
Twitter /
11 /
Facebook, presumably... •
VIRAL
Twitter's growth was well-documented - up 422% in 12
months, to quote Nielsen Online figures. Brands started
12 /
links /
MOBILE to jump on the bandwagon, with one of the most
www.ning.com
memorable campaigns for the Sci Fi Channel's Eureka
13 /
www.facebook.com
OUTDOORS show which saw S.A.R.A.H., the talking smart house
www.getthemin.com
from the show, have its own Twitter account in a bid to
14 /
www.penguindating.co.uk
PLACES build buzz. More than 1,300 Eureka fans followed
www.bebo.com
_S_A_R_A_H_'s Tweets. Contagious naturally is now
15 /
on Twitter too - www.twitter.com/contagiousmag.
CONTENT
PENGUIN / WE TELL STORIES /
16 /
GREEN

20. most contagious / 2008 / p.20
08 / MOST CONTAGIOUS /
WEBSITES /
UNIQLO / Since the UNIQLOCK, Projector has continued to
CHAPTERS /
study the behavioural patterns of internet users -
Contagious doesn't write case studies on any old brand
01 /
concentrating on that initial moment of uptake and how
you know, and our issue 16 was no exception. Whether
LANDMARKS
content is absorbed. As a result, UNIQLO DRY IN
it's clearing up at Cannes, or finding ways to blend CRM
02 /
MOTION focused on the way in which neurons fire in
with progressive data visualisation, there are few
TECHNOLOGY
the human brain when we observe the actions of
brands that have matched the Japanese retailer
03 / another human on screen. More recently, Projector
UNIQLO in 2008. To start, there was the UNIQLOCK,
GAMING
developed UNIQLO MEETS CORTEO - a campaign
created by Projector, Tokyo. This year it has scooped WORLD.UNIQLOCK /
04 / featuring cast members of the Cirque du Soleil
the Innova Lotus Gold Award at ADFEST, two Gold
ENTERTAIN
rehearsing whilst wearing the clothing. Each new
Awards and the Grand Prix at the One Show Interactive,
05 / sequence counts down to a live action event called 'The
a Grand Clio for Interactive, a D&AD Black Pencil for
MUSIC
Colour Show'.
Online Advertising as well as a Cyber Lions Grand Prix
06 / and the prestigious Contagious-sponsored Titanium
The last UNIQLO digital campaign which merits an
DESIGN
Lion award at Cannes 2008.
honourable mention is UNIQLO TRY. All the brand's
07 /
digital trademarks are present (quirky interfaces, frantic
Designed to build a global community around the
SOCIAL MEDIA
multiplicity) but rather than displaying any product line,
brand, the UNIQLOCK can best be described as
08 /
they aggregate customer feedback. For each product,
somewhere between branded entertainment and utility.
WEBSITES
hundreds of small testimonial video clips are arranged
The delightfully distracting microsite features a clock
UNIQLOCK /
09 / in an assortment of shifting shapes - from spirals, to 3D
which marks passing moments with five-second clips of
APPLICATIONS
spheres and even gigantic words. Users can click and
female dancers performing micro-routines clad in
10 / view any individual video, or wait for the sequence to
UNIQLO clothing. It operates 24/7 for 365 days a year
INTEGRATED
finish. At this stage, the advocates are sorted according
and will also go to sleep at night, with sequences on the
11 / to their opinion of the product and displayed as
hour and an alarm clock function in case you keep your
VIRAL
percentages. There is even a search option which
laptop next to your bed. And a downloadable version is
allows you to narrow down your research via product,
available as a widget. By viewing WORLD.UNIQLOCK,
12 /
MOBILE customer age and body type - so the results of each
users can link to all the embedded sites via a global map
sequence are tailored to your interests. Not only is this a
which lets you see at any given time exactly how many
13 /
OUTDOORS mind-boggling data visualisation and metrics tool, but it
people are watching the UNIQLOCK and in what
displays an extraordinary level of transparency. By
countries. This is perhaps the most literal realisation of
14 /
PLACES providing users with an engaging way to hear real
the UNIQLO global community to date - proven by the
opinions from real people, this application places equal
fact that so far the site has been viewed 200 million UNIQLO / TRY /
15 /
emphasis on the individual and the global community as
CONTENT times in 214 countries.
a whole. See Contagious 16,17.
16 /
GREEN

21. most contagious / 2008 / websites (cont.) p.21
Doritos / Hotel 626 / Orange / Balloonacy /
Goodby, Silverstein and Partners in San Francisco Orange's digital balloon race saw competitors assign
created a wonderfully spooky interactive experience their names to one of thousands of balloons racing
just in time for Halloween, to celebrate the resurrection around the internet this summer, building awareness of
of retired Doritos flavours Four Cheese and Taco. As Orange's animal-represented tariffs. The game had its
CHAPTERS /
part of Snack Strong Productions, the brand's digital own distribution mechanic: one internet mile was
platform, the ghostly online Hotel 626 was only open gained every time websites which had signed up to the
01 /
LANDMARKS from 6pm to 6am and engaged consumers in a series of initiative were visited. Bloggers and website owners
eerie puzzles. Users navigated their way through the could add their page to the race track via a snippet of
02 /
TECHNOLOGY hotel's 13 rooms unlocking plotlines and completing a code. Via Poke, London.
series of interactive challenges with a camera, headset Featured in Contagious 16.
03 /
GAMING and microphone. Brrrrrr. Online content produced by
DORITOS / HOTEL 626 /
B-Reel, New York. Becks / Music Mixer /
04 /
See Contagious 17. As part of the 'Becks Fusion' ongoing art and music
ENTERTAIN
initiative, the Music Mixer website was preloaded with
05 /
Absolut / Machines / six dance tracks including efforts from Moby, Dystopia
MUSIC
Absolut Machines combines interactive music making and We Are Rockstars. Each song is broken down into
06 /
with a selection of weird and wonderful online rhythm, bass, hooks and atmosphere, and an addictive
DESIGN
contraptions. Building on Absolut's strong tradition of mixing desk is presented to users, with the timing taken
07 /
collaborating with artists, the inventions showcased at care of. Highly addictive stuff via Dare, London.
SOCIAL MEDIA
absolutmachines.com were developed by M.I.T.
08 /
graduates Dan Paluska and Jeff Lieberman over six Brand Tags /
WEBSITES
months, including one which shoots rubber balls at the Noah Brier's side project Brand Tags is one for every
09 /
keys of a marimba and another which uses robotic planner to keep an eye on. The site asks users for their
APPLICATIONS
fingers to 'play' a set of wine glasses. A separate impressions of brands using free association. • ABSOLUT / MACHINES /
10 / machine was developed by a Swedish company,
INTEGRATED
Teenage Engineering, and uses a chorus of ten
links /
11 / singing robots, aptly named the Absolut Choir. Visitors
VIRAL www.uniqlo.jp/uniqlock
to the sites could control and compose their own
www.uniqlo.com/meets
12 / mechanical musicals, and the end results (both audio
MOBILE www.uniqlo.com/try/uniqlotry.swf
and visual) can be downloaded, streamed and shared,
www.hotel626.com
with the devices themselves touring different cities
13 /
www.absolutmachines.com
OUTDOORS around the world. The campaign was masterminded by
www.playballoonacy.com
Great Works, Stockholm. TBWAChiatDay, New
14 /
www.becks.co.uk/mixer.aspx
PLACES York, was responsible for a series of print ads.
www.brandtags.net
See Contagious 14.
15 /
CONTENT
16 /
GREEN
ORANGE / BALLOONACY /

22. most contagious / 2008 / p.22
09 / MOST CONTAGIOUS /
APPLICATIONS /
Sprint / Now Widget /
CHAPTERS /
Part of a wave of 'just because-branding' triggered by the
01 /
UNIQLOCK, the Sprint Widget by Goodby Silverstein was
LANDMARKS
designed to reinforce its positioning for the telco brand's Now
02 /
Network: the notion that customers can get to whatever they want,
TECHNOLOGY
whenever they want it on a high-speed mobile broadband service.
03 /
The widget itself is a planner's wet dream, offering a mini snapshot of
GAMING
what's going on in the world right now; from eggs being produced by
04 /
the ton, units of energy being used, babies being born, forests being
ENTERTAIN
cut down, people stuck in elevators and shopping days ‘til Christmas.
05 /
An 'internet buzz-o-meter' provides at-a-glance comparisons
MUSIC
between, say, hip hop and rock'n'roll, or hockey and baseball. With a
06 / webcam, you can add yourself to the impressive data-dense
DESIGN
dashboard, which also offers live news feeds, facts and stats that
07 / change in real time, and like any self-respecting widget, can be
SOCIAL MEDIA
embedded and shared in any number of places. See Contagious 17.
08 /
WEBSITES FIAT / eco:Drive /
As the automotive industry splutters to the end of its annus horribilis,
09 /
APPLICATIONS innovation has never been more important. With this in mind, AKQA
London took the Microsoft-produced Blue&Me in-car telemetry
10 /
technology that comes in the fabulously relaunched FIAT 500 and
INTEGRATED
Grande Punto and used it to launch 'eco:Drive'. This app links cars to
11 /
PCs and evaluates driving performance with a view to reducing carbon
VIRAL
emissions by up to 15%. eco:Drive uses a USB stick that can be
12 /
plugged into Blue&Me and then transferred to a PC. The user-friendly
MOBILE
app then analyses acceleration, deceleration, gear changes and
13 /
speed to score a journey out of 100 for fuel efficiency. Next, it offers
OUTDOORS
advice on how to improve - possibly more constructive than other drivers
14 /
(often in the backseat) yelling 'slow down' or 'speed it up, grandpa'.
PLACES
Targeting consumers on green issues in terms of self-improvement
15 /
as opposed to finger-wagging is a no brainer. Without any media
CONTENT
spend, some 6,000 unique visitors log onto the eco:Drive website
16 / every day, and 30% of them download the application.
GREEN

23. most contagious / 2008 / applications (cont.) p.23
Featured in Contagious 17.
Check out Contagious' forthcoming issue 18 for
more on the new 'Chip on Wheels'.
CHAPTERS /
01 /
Carling / iPint /
LANDMARKS
A cautionary tale - if you see something that looks
02 /
fun and want to make your own version, make sure
TECHNOLOGY
you get the creator's permission first. Carling's
03 /
now infamous iPint was forwarded to friends
GAMING
36,000 times in a week, and swiftly became the
04 /
number one free game on the apps store.
ENTERTAIN
However, Molson Coors Brewing and creative
05 /
agency Beattie McGuinness Bungay, London,
MUSIC
now face a $12.5m (£7.1m) lawsuit for allegedly
06 / pinching the idea from a remarkably similar paid-
DESIGN
for app entitled iBeer created by indie developer
07 / Hottrix. What's more, BMB had allegedly been in
SOCIAL MEDIA
contact with the makers of the iBeer, and then
08 / opted to make their own free rival version…Ouch.
WEBSITES
09 / Trend to Track / Superconnected Products /
APPLICATIONS CARLING / IPINT /
Connected products are tangible items that are
10 / given a more profound existence through
INTEGRATED
addresses belong to farmers, growers, pickers, drivers
technology - the seamless link between shelf and
- real people who own the responsibility for their goods.
11 / web. Think Nike+. It's not just a shoe, or a website.
VIRAL
The rest of the world would probably stop here, but in
It's the way they interact that makes it what it is.
Japan, the products also carried one of those new
Contagious columnist Martin Lindstrom recently
12 /
MOBILE generation barcodes. All you need to do is photograph
noticed this trend taken to the next level in a
it with your mobile phone to be taken to a website where
Japanese supermarket. Writing in Contagious 17,
13 /
OUTDOORS the person I'd seen as a cartoon appeared on camera as
he said: ‘The majority of products' packages bore
a real person. In the video, the guy explained how he
a cartoon figure. Next to the head of the cartoon
14 /
PLACES handpicked the particular product I was observing. The
figure was the name of a person, his title, age and
video went on to show me the production line that
even the address of where he lived. This
15 /
manufactured the item, and to reveal the transportation
information fell under a title which stated: quot;I'm
CONTENT
FIAT / ECO:DRIVE /
that brought the product from factory to store. The video
responsible for this product.quot; The names and
16 /
GREEN