In a nutshell: while you are concentrating on driving you can become blind to events that you would normally notice. This “inattention blindness” is in most cases the reason why motorists collide with cyclists.

Never heard of “inattention blindness”? Try yours at Do The Test or watch this video very carefully.

Now you can answer the question: why would this video never work on TV?

The campaign is sponsored by Transport for London

Well, history repeats. A couple of weeks ago I found a gem on YouTube called Daft Hands, where a couple of hands with text on it danced to Daft Punk’s Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger (over 16 Million views as I’m writing this). The video spawned dozens of replies of people with text all over the body dancing to the tune.

My surprise was when a week ago I saw a commercial on TV by Spanish telecom Telefónica, where two hands with the terms of a special offer danced to a copycat of Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger.

Talking about Web 2.0 changing traditional media!

Here’s a nice video where you can see both and judge for yourself. First the commercial and next the original version.

Here’s a link to Daft Hands on YouTube.
Marvel yourself at Telefónica’s website (the 4th telecom in the world). God!

Web 2.0 Company Name Generator

In December 2007, McDonald’s had agreed to sponsor the report-card jackets for the county’s elementary schools (27.000 children) to cover the printing expenses of $1,600.

In exchange the report jackets would carry coupons redeemable in any McDonald’s restaurant, so any student with all A’s and B’s, two or fewer absences, or good behavior in a given academic quarter would be given a free happy meal.

Is this a sort of equal-fat-rights for the more gifted students? As we all know (and so does McDonald’s) there’s a correlation between education level and fast food consumption, so when they grow up, the A students wont be eating as many Bic Macs as the F students. “We’d better get them while they’re still don’t have an education”, must have thought Ronald McDonald.

After more than 2.000 complaints from enraged parents, McDonald’s decided to cancel the campaign. An end to the story that will no doubt make Naomi Klein and Morgan Spurlock happy.

More at Advertising Age

BTW the site is done in flash so don’t expect too much of the interface. Watch the video to the end if you want to see the upcoming iJam nano.

Here’s the website

I bet the Adbusters guys must be really happy with this impulse purchase temptation right on the palm of our hand!

But it doesn’t stop here. A while ago there were some rumors about iTunes booths on Starbucks so customers could download via WiFi their favorite songs. Well it got actually way better (or worse) than that. Consider the following scenario:

You’re sitting in a Starbucks and you hear a song. You fire up your iTunes app on your laptop or on your iPhone and “boom” there comes the artwork for the current song plus the ten previous ones. One click or one tap and the song is yours forever (and your dollar is Apple’s).

Check Apple’s info on the matter.

The system could be generalized to any web based radio station or broadcasting platform for the matter opening new marketing opportunities in the music distribution arena. I bet Steve is on the job already.

Bonus 1: here’s the longest Starbucks order: Double Ristretto Venti Nonfat Organic Chocolate Brownie Frappuccino Extra Hot with Foam and Whipped Cream Upside Down Double Blended

Via Laughing Meme

Bonus 2: You get free WiFi if you own an iPhone or a laptop with iTunes.

Imagine an advertising world where… spending on interactive, one-to-one advertising formats surpasses traditional, one-to-many advertising vehicles, and a significant share of ad space is sold through auctions and exchanges. Advertisers know who viewed and acted on an ad, and pay based on real impact rather than estimated “impressions.” Consumers self-select which ads they watch and share preferred ads with peers. User-generated advertising is as prevalent (and appealing) as agency-created spots.

Based on IBM global surveys of more than 2,400 consumers and 80 advertising experts, we see four change drivers shifting control within the industry.

A hint: IBM’s articles in the Press Room have links to post to digg and to del.icio.us. Times are-a-changing.

Link to IBM Press room - 2007-11-08 IBM Predicts the End of Advertising as We Know It - United States

Direct link to The End of Adverstising as We Know Iit PDF

Does this sound familiar to you? I bet it does if you’re a graphic designer.

To all my graphic designer friends: Make My Logo Bigger Cream, a hilarious video about a too well known situation. Enjoy!

So in this internet time, if you want to bluff your way in the advertising industry you just have to find good ideas online before others do, stamp your flashy corporate logo on them and sell them to a big brand. Ideas are important but if they’re for free and you get payed a large sum for them even more.

Three TV commercials that are currently on Spanish TV will prove my point.

Volkswagen Polo copies Kyle McDonald’s story
Kyle McDonald started by trading a red paper clip online for anything. The goal was to get a house in one year. After 14 transactions including a role in a Hollywood movie he got his house.

Volkswagen creates a TV campaign with the same concept (although they’re honest about telling Kyle’s story) and launch a blog written by Kyle. It looks like Kyle is blogging in perfect Spanish and encouraging people to trade stuff to get a Volskwagen Polo. Neat.

Here’s the commercial

Audi copies Brazilian roller
A couple of months ago I saw an amazing video of a Brazilian guy rolling down a long street hitting an endless row of water filled glass bottles tuned to different notes resulting in Mozart’s Symphony n.40.

Obviously Audi’s agency liked it and ripped it off without any problem. I hope I’m wrong and that guy got payed for the idea but I doubt it.

Watch the original idea
Watch the copy

ONO copies the Free Hughs campaign
It all started when Juan Mann got back to his native Australia after a time in London and nobody was there to hug him. He decided to write a sign with the words “Free Hughs” and hug anyone that wanted it. He later created the website freehugscampaign.org and people all over the world started to organize free hugs gatherings.

Again a smart creative saw potential and blatantly turned something spontaneous and non-commercial as Juan Mann’s initiative, into a TV commercial for the ONO telecom. By the way, at the beginning of the original free hugs video you can see a Vodafone shop in the background.

Watch the original idea
Watch the copy

There are probably more examples but I guess I should watch more TV to spot them.