The agency's creative director takes a look at some of the newer work in the prolific industries of tech, experiential, gaming and social
I have been super inspired and super jealous by so much work this year that I thought I would not have any problem to distil my top five works from the past six months. But damn, was it quite the exercise. It was like choosing my favourite child, and it’s not even my child. So, I have decided to choose five recent ‘children’ / ads that are in the tech, experiential, gaming and social space that I wish I could have been a part of the creation...
Girls Who Code - 'Girls Who Code Girls'
Agency: Mojo Supermarket
As a woman of colour who has dabbled in the tech industry, I understand the importance of representation. You have to see it to be it. But what’s great about this project is that you get to try it too. 'Girls Who Code Girls' starts with a template player whose appearance can be changed with code, everything from their hair style to body size. The library of characters will be licensable and offered to gaming companies to inform their game development. I think this project is a great sequel to the Dojacode project Mojo Supermarket did earlier this year which I was pretty envious about too.
Visit Sweden - 'Spellbound by Sweden'
Agency: Weber Shandwick
Launched during Halloween, the spellbound project lets you experience Sweden in a supernatural way. Teaming up with author John Ajvide Lindqvist to create an audio story called 'Kiln' which can only be listened to while inside a Swedish forest, giving it a spellbinding quality. With 70% of the country covered in forests, forests are an integral setting for many of those haunting tales. The audio for this story has been geo-restricted, making it only available when you’re standing in a Swedish forest. It's a unique alternative to a haunted house and makes me want to travel to a Swedish forest for this otherworldly experience.
Intel x Dell - 'Intel / Dell Technologies: eCycleLand'
Agency: VMLY&R
Over nine million tonnes of e-waste have been disposed of this year, and it's a triggering stat that we go on every day not even pondering about it. But when the rusted parts shows up on our islands in Animal Crossing, we go ballistic. As an avid fan of Animal Crossing, I cant believe I never thought of how to use a real problem in the game to connect with a real problem in real life, and making it educational and entertaining at the same time.
Duolingo - 'Museum of Wonky English'
Agency: Ultra Super New Tokyo
As someone who speaks five languages and has to translate which word to use in which language to use every minute of every second, I love this project by Ultra Super New and Duolingo. It celebrates its learners’ mistakes as valuable steppingstones to acquiring knowledge by launching a real life ‘Museum of Wonky English’ (MOWE). It is the first institution in Japan to shed light on the art of mistranslations with hope that when visitors look at the signs, menus, clothes and other objects exhibited in the museum that can make them chuckle and reflect, they will notice there’s more depth to wonky English and become more emboldened to learn a foreign language.
Netflix - 'Human Hearts Vending Machine'
Agency: BBH London
Production: SocialVend x Bombas & Parr
To promote Netflix UK's latest young adult, witch-based drama series, we created and launched a vending machine that dispenses 'human hearts' at London Comic Con during Halloween weekend. Comic Con London attendees were asked a series of questions from the audio and visual vending machine that also measures your heartbeat, to ensure they obtain the right edible heart, based on the two kinds of witches in the series, Fairborn and Bloodwitch.