HTC Takes TV Ad Gamble

Technology Lab, Technology News

British actor Gary Oldman wants you to stop paying attention to slick ad copy and celebrity endorsements, and start listening to the Internet to form your own opinions about tech products.

Technology company HTC has imposed a gagging order of sorts on its star spokesperson, Gary Oldman. Most of what the famous British actor says in a TV commercial series that promotes the new HTC One (M8) smartphone is literally, “Blah, blah, bl[...] Tactics Subscribers Read More...

Westfield Labs Incubating New Retail Concepts

Apps, Technology Lab

Digital storefronts for Sony, Rebecca Minkoff and TOMS pop up on Westfield San Francisco walls, while Dine on Time food-ordering app debuts on iTunes.

OFF THE WALL… If you’re looking to increase tenant revenue in a fully occupied shopping center, start leasing the walls. We aren’t talking about funky advertising placements, but operating stores. A year ago that would have seemed like [...] Tactics Subscribers Read More...

Millennials: The Challenge of Understanding a New Generation of Consumers

Technology Lab, Technology News

The attitudes and habits of the generation that has grown up accustomed to technology and the digital world demand new communication strategies from corporations.

The attitudes and habits of the generation that has grown up accustomed to technology and the digital world demand new communication strategies from corporations. They are the hyper-connected, avid consumers of digital content, as well as its[...] Tactics Subscribers Read More...

Samsung, Paypal to Ditch Passwords for Fingerprints

Technology Lab, Technology News

Purchasing goods using the Samsung Galaxy S5 smartphones now truly at shoppers’ fingertips, thanks to cloud-operated system to launch around the globe at the end of April.

Having shopping capability at one’s fingertips is about to become more than a figure of speech. Consumers with Samsung Galaxy S5 smartphones will soon be able to use fingerprint authentication to buy goods at PayPal merchants. Samsung recently[...] Tactics Subscribers Read More...

Speed Dating for Fonts

Technology Lab, Technology News

Some fonts are a match made in heaven; others, not so much. Just ask Aura Seltzer.

Web designer Aura Seltzer’s Type Connection tool could speed up your next marketing collateral project. The online game allows you to test the compatibility of different fonts, just as two soul mate-searching singles would during a speed datin[...] Tactics Subscribers Read More...

All Sewn Up: Oakridge Centre, Langara College Seal B2B Deal

Social Media Campaigns, Technology Lab

Design Formation students given just three weeks to replicate designer dresses using such modest (and rather unusual) materials as coffee filters, pins, and packing tape.

They’ve been in the same neighborhood for years, but Oakridge Centre and Langara College have just crossed marketing paths for the first time. Having discovered a common interest in fashion and outreach programs, they collaborated on the Paper[...] Tactics Subscribers Read More...

Slam Dunk: Oreo Makers, Tech Firm Pull Off Twitter PR Stunt

Social Media Campaigns, Technology Lab

People visiting SXSW “printed” their own custom Oreo cookies, while others use touchscreen vending machine to select and taste a dozen flavors created based on Twitter feeds.

Messing with a classic product used to be a marketing no-no, but consumers’ push for personalized experiences has changed all that. Snack food giant, Mondelēz International indulged visitors at the South by Southwest (SXSW) Interactive Festiv[...] Tactics Subscribers Read More...

Help for the Fashion Blind

Technology Lab, Technology News

A.S. Colour’s digital color critic can set you straight on your style choice in just a few minutes.

We’ve always been told that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but one style expert doesn’t buy it. Meet Colourmatic, which Australasian apparel company A.S. Colour recently introduced to the world as the first-ever digital color critic. [...] Tactics Subscribers Read More...

Virgin Atlantic Tests Google Glass, Sony Smartwatch 2 for Customer Service

Technology Lab, Technology News

Pilot project beings at London Heathrow Terminal 3, where Virgin passengers enjoy a more personalized pre-flight experience, thanks to “teched-out” customer service staff who have access to their data files.

The upper-class experience might get better for some Virgin Atlantic travelers. The British airline has just wrapped up a six-week pilot project to test whether or not Google Glass technology could improve its customer service at London’s Heat[...] Tactics Subscribers Read More...

Social Favors

Social Media Campaigns, Technology Lab

This past fall, shoppers bagged some free £30 meal vouchers every week for re-tweeting some of the center’s posts.

Wagamama opened recently at The Academy Aberdeen (UK), so the center is trying to generate some word-of-mouth promotion on Twitter. After posting preview punch pictures on its network the day before the eatery’s launch, The Academy is askin[...] Tactics Subscribers Read More...