For years, David Bowie has been making good use of his 1977 techno hit, "Sound and Vision" to promote his own retrospective products. But finally, a consumer technology company has realized it's probably the best jingle they could ever have:
The classic song is remixed into a haunting nostalgia by by Sonjay Prabhakar, as retro visuals show us how iconic Sony products have been part of people's lives for generations. (No idea why the '70s roller girl has a late-80s Walkman, but anyway...) It's all to position their new Xperia Z smartphone as "the best of Sony in a smartphone".
"Two sides to touch. Twice the sensations." reads this French ad for the PlayStation Vita.
According to Adrants, English Sony people on the other side of the Channel have completely disavowed the ad, following a PR shitstorm on Twitter and elsewhere, stating "this advert is not creative that we are or would consider running in the UK."
Way to improve the image of gamers, Sony France. Now people will be convinced that your target market really is composed entirely of zitty 15-year-old boys who can only fantasize about what actual women's breasts feel like.
Every PD day at school (a school day when teachers do professional development sans students) I bring my son to the agency. As a result, he has grown up helping his dad make ads. Usually they're about environmental issues. And sometimes he comes up with the most marvellous ideas, like saving money on energy bills by having a tank full of electric eels generating electricity in your basement.
Wes Anderson, McCann Worldgroup and Sony took the amazing resource of unfettered childish imagination a step further when they produced a high-budget TV ad written and narrated by an 8-year-old actor from Long Island named Jake Ryan:
According to AdWeek, Wes Anderson discovered Jake and his magical concept after holding interview sessions in New York, Los Angeles and London, and asking more than 75 kids what they thought goes on inside Xperia phones.
As professional adult creatives, we can only dream of recapturing the absolutely wonderful and unexpected ideas kids have every day. (I guess that's why there are so many substance abuse issues in the industry.) After watching this, I'm starting to wonder if we should hire my little guy full-time.
Why? Because they are telling the truth about what these little boxes do to kids. They isolate them from normal external and social stimulus and make them into obsessive couch potatoes.
Many parents might love the convenience of plugging your kid into personal digital media. Hey, they aren't running around causing trouble. They aren't talking at you non-stop. They aren't really asking for anything, except the latest game and some Kraft Dinner once in a while.
But you know what? Kids are supposed to be hard work. They learn by asking, interacting, and getting into all kinds of real world mayhem.
Yes, some games can reinforce mental skills, coordination, etc. But so does being in touch with the outside world. Kids need the right mix of both to grow up healthy and happy.
These ads may be intended as funny, but they're way too close to the reality I see around me to make me chuckle.
High technology and the arts share a burning passion for creativity. So should it come as any surprise that a tech company would want to tap into popular music for inspiration?
That's exactly what Intel has done. According to The Drum, the processor giant has appointed Black-eyed Peas frontman (and hip hop solo artist) Will.i.am as its new director of creative innovation.
The article says that will.i.am "will collaborate with Intel on many creative and technology endeavors across the 'compute continuum' that may include such devices as laptops, smart phones and tablets."
Whatever that means.
“Nearly everything I do involves processors and computers, and when I see an Intel chip I think of all the creative minds involved that help to amplify my own creativity,” said the artist, real name William Adams.
“Teaming up with the scientists, researchers and computer programmers at Intel to collaborate and co-develop new ways to communicate, create, inform and entertain is going to be amazing," he added.
Well, okay then.
This isn't the first time someone has made the crossover from music to high tech. One of the most interesting examples was when former Iggy and the Stooges Guitarist James Williamson quit the music business in the late '70s, went back to school, and quietly rose up the ranks to become Vice President of Technology Standards for Sony.
Iggy Pop with James Williamson, in the glory gory days. (source)
