Creative Technology Archives - Page 2 of 3

Jon Jones, Creative Technologist

As the resident Creative Technologist at Grand Visual, I am always looking for creative and innovative ways to increase interaction and dwell time for our campaigns. Surely one of the best ways to achieve this is to give people a perk to attract their attention?

Now that Apple has jumped on the wireless charging bandwagon, the rate of adoption for wireless technology is going to surge ahead and it seems like a great time for me to explore this technology a little deeper.

The mission, that I chose to accept, was to link digital OOH and wireless charging technologies together and I found a pretty great implementation, if I may say so myself. Teaming together an Arduino, current sensor, QI wireless charging pad, Node.js, and some HTML5 wizardry it’s possible to interactively alter any content that’s being displayed on the screens in our office.

So here’s how it works… when a compatible mobile phone is placed on the charging pad, the Arduino measures an increase in the power being used. When this happens, it communicates to a Node.js server on our player, which then instructs the HTML5 application to change the creative displayed on-screen.

We’ve now instantly created extended dwell time where the guest is waiting for their device to charge – a great captive audience to display long-form content to.

This is definitely something I’m looking forward to building upon more. This method isn’t tied just to wireless charging – it can be any USB charging device, such as headphones, thus opening up the target audience even further. It’s exciting to think of more creative applications with adding more charging pads; how can the content be changed depending on the number of devices charging?

Cool idea, right? Let me know what you think via Twitter! @GrandVisual

At Grand Visual we are always searching for new, creative uses of technology and original campaigns. The intention of this new monthly instalment is so you get to know people from GV a little better. Each month varying people from around the business will be sharing things that we’ve worked on and loved, new technology we’ve been looking at and thoughts on how it could be applied within digital OOH.

LEGO Star Wars – COLLINS, SYSTEMS ADMINISTRATOR

“The cool aspects of the Star Wars movies was being able to use “the force” (telekinesis) to move things around and of course the space battles.

With this game, it has incorporated both aspects and combined it in an organic way. If you’re feeling heroic you can select the light side and help build lego ships to defeat the evil empire and if you want your inner Darth Vader to be revealed you can join the empire and help defeat the rebels.

What I found about the game was how smooth the camera was able to capture you and your movements. The icon would snap to your marker and the longer you held it the more points you gained.

The sound /effects also play a big part as it helps to make you more engaged in the game and you find yourself becoming quite competitive especially when playing with others.

There’s also a nice little selfie you can take of yourself with the characters which I think kids will love.”

All about real-time motion capture – STEVE, CREATIVE

“Real-time motion control systems are extremely close to becoming an affordable reality. Whilst researching for a brief that came in, I’ve found some really interesting products.

A small team in Cambridge, England worked on the motion capture for a PS4 game called Hellblade. Seeing the game I thought the motion capture was amazing… now I’ve learnt that it can be done in real-time!”

The real-time motion capture behind ‘Hellblade’ – endgadget

Qlone; 3D scanning app – ADAM, MGFX DESIGNER

creativity digital ooh

“This 3D modelling technology is incredibly cool. To go from clunky scanners to a super-fast, scalable, real-time app is quite unbelievable. And the fact that you can use the AR view to beam your models back into the real world feels very futuristic.

It’s really exciting thinking about how this technology can be applied on a larger scale in digital OOH. Because the app is so quick, it could potentially improve production speeds or even be gamified.”

Key features of Qlone scanning app – Qlone

Evolution of the World Cup ball – RIC, CREATIVE DIRECTOR

“For all those wrapped up in World Cup fever, did you ever wonder why the design of the football looks the way it does?

Well… even if you hadn’t thought about it, here’s a lovely bit of motion graphics from the people at The Guardian, in one of their great explainer videos.”

T-model to Telstar 18: the evolution of the World Cup ball – video explainer – The Guardian

AR demo integrating with real-world objects – ED, PRODUCER

“If some people are willing to make long treks to obscure places to catch rare Pokemon, why not go one step further and have them run around to try and catch them when they get there? Looking at Niantic’s latest demo at least it seems that could be the case.

What makes this demo particularly exciting of course is that the technology driving this is more aware of the environment, particularly the depth (or z-axis) allowing the Pokemon (or whatever augmented item is placed in the scene) to be obscured by any real-world object that is placed between it and the camera. Up until now, a common problem is that the illusion of augmented reality can be easily broken by such objects and so special consideration to avoid this had to be made when designing AR experiences. With this limitation potentially removed more exciting opportunities that were never possible before could become an option.”

Niantic shows off a stunning AR demo that lets Pikachu hide behind real-world objects – The Verge

Integrated Systems Europe is the world´s largest AV systems integration show, taking place in Amsterdam from 6-9 February. Jon Jones, Creative Technologist, and Dan Dawson, CCTO went along to check out the latest cutting-edge technology. We hope you enjoy the social commentary from their time at the show.

#ISE2018

June was a busy awards month for Grand Visual with wins across multiple categories at Cannes Lions, Outdoor Media Awards and the Creative Tech Awards. A total of ten awards across the board with Waitrose Spring and Age UK the most successful campaigns overall for the month.

Waitrose Spring was the standout winner at the Outdoor Media Awards, taking home The Innovation Award, and both the Grand Prix and People’s Choice. Additionally, it also collected a Bronze Media Lion at the Cannes Lions Festival. The campaign was an out of home media first, with live streamed content filmed at the brand’s dairy and free range hen farms, and distributed to digital screens in 9 cities across the UK.

Another big winner for June was Age UK, whose No One Should Have No One campaign scooped up a Gold and Silver Media Lion at Cannes Lions, and the Data Award at the OMAs. It was created to raise awareness by the charity about the plight of loneliness amongst older people, in particular over the festive period. The nationwide digital OOH campaign was a great example of smart linear delivering effective creative.

Our final winner at the OMAs was for start-up brand Tailster, which came away with the SME award. Working with Talon, Tailster targeted audiences at rail and tube stations close to green parks and spaces in London, Glasgow and Edinburgh. Using a tactical approach to OOH, they were able to successfully boost their brand awareness, more than doubling their online visits in London and Scotland.

Finally, at Campaign’s Creative Tech Awards Grand Visual received a Silver for Integrated Campaign of the year for UKTV Play and a Silver for International Technology Powered Campaign of the Year for Google Play, both delivered via OpenLoop.

Overall it was a very successful month for Grand Visual and our partners, and great to be recognised for our work.

Last week Advertising Week Europe descended upon London for its 5th year. The event brings together an estimated 30,000 people from the advertising industry, attending 160 events held throughout the week.

A few of us from Grand Visual made our way to Piccadilly’s Picture House to hear the latest opinions in ad land…

A standout theme that emerged was hearing brands, agencies and creatives talking about the need to focus on storytelling and ‘humans’ rather than data and algorithms.ms.

On Monday we attended “Reinventing the Real World”, where panelists discussed connections – to people and to things. They made the point that brand communications need to enhance, rather than interrupt consumers lives and brands should be really clear on the role that their comms take.

On Tuesday we saw the Dentsu Aegis session “Renaissance: A New Creative Value System” where the panel discussed how the world is now more than ever powered by technology and data. They discussed the power of ideas and the changing roles that creativity and technology are playing when it comes to advertising. Tracy De Groose (CEO, Dentsu Aegis) mentioned a study by McCann Japan who pitted an AI Creative Director against its human counterpart – the human won. The panel agreed that it was best for the industry for technology and creativity to be ‘happy bedfellows’.

Our final highlight was “Realising The Human Potential: Technology’s Cognitive Capabilities” hosted by Microsoft. Ravleen Beeston kicked things off with some stats on how technology is changing adoption rates. It took TV 38 years to reach 100 million sets sold mark, Smartphones 3 years, and PokemonGo took just 33 days. The discussion explored voice, image and emotion recognition and what opportunities these technologies present for marketers.

The main takeaway this year was the shift towards ‘people based advertising’, a refreshing change after years focused on data & technology.

Grand Visual Creative Technologist Jon Jones, along with CCTO Dan Dawson made their annual pilgrimage this month to Integrated Systems Europe (ISE). Jon has shared his thoughts and some of their highlights from this year’s show.

As with most years at ISE, screens took centre stage. However, rather than just being a race for the best resolution and pitch a couple of extra elements have started to make a more prominent appearance this year.

The main notable enhancements were around mirrors and transparency for screens.

With the introduction of smart homes and virtual assistants, ‘magic’ or ‘smart’ mirrors have been gaining attention. ‘Smart mirrors’ are simply computers attached to monitors behind a mirror film. Meaning that when the machine is idle, it looks like a standard mirror, but is able to display information in a non-intrusive way when activated. For example, in digital OOH this could be utilised to give shoppers feedback or support in a retail environment. When it comes to creative and experiential executions, hiding screens behind mirrors can be used to surprise & delight audiences in unexpected ways.

Transparent screens were more prevalent this year, and it was interesting to see how the technology has developed over the course of the year. Transparent screens are nothing new of course… But the OLED screens look amazing in all light conditions. Sadly, Samsung decided to discontinue [before the official launch] the amazing T-OLED displays last year due to market forces…. But they are sure to attract a lot of attention. These ‘Minority Report’ styled screens are transparent when idle, like a window – but when activated using touch or action can display graphics or animations.

output

And of course it can’t be a tech show without some VR on display. We sampled various versions but developments within this space seem to be relatively slow going.

output2

This year we got to meet up with Scala for the first time since they were purchased last year by Stratacache. At their stand they were showcasing a range of solutions that reinvent the retail space and appeal to today’s tech-savvy shoppers. From Interactive fitting rooms, connected cafes, smart mannequins and ‘lift & learn’ technologies, it was exciting to see the practical application of technology within the retail environment.

The Home Distribution/Automation section of the show has expanded significantly over recent years as people look to develop integrated solutions for ‘Smart Home’ appliances such as Amazon Echo and Google Home AI hardware. Whilst the ‘virtual assistant’ has been around for a few years now, the application of this technology within the ‘smart home’ environment is a new dimension. With voice activated technology and virtual assistants becoming more common in our personal lives, it will be interesting to see how this mode of interaction plays out within the advertising space.

Elizabeth Arden have launched an intelligent data-driven Digital Out of Home campaign to introduce their new high-tech invisible skin shield: PREVAGE® City Smart Hydrating Shield SPF50.The dynamic campaign uses live pollution data to alert Londoners when levels are high and emphasise the benefits of using PREVAGE® City Smart Hydrating Shield SPF50 for neutralizing the impact of environmental and oxidative stress on the skin. The 2-week campaign runs on Exterion Media’s Digital Escalator Panels at Oxford Circus Tube Station, alongside a Digi-Wall domination from the 1st August.

Created by Grand Visual, the campaign provides pollution facts and statistics, with the call to action to “Outsmart the City” and protect skin against pollution with PREVAGE® City Smart Hydrating Shield SPF50. Delivered through OpenLoop, real-time pollution data is pulled from LondonAir, which provides pollution readings pinpointed to Oxford Street.

The DOOH activity was planned and booked by Talon Outdoor and PHD and supports a broader campaign including video on demand, print, and digital.

Janine Fernandes-Havenga, Senior Brand Manager from Elizabeth Arden, commented

“As the leading authority in high-tech environmental anti-aging solutions, it is befitting that we are introducing PREVAGE® City Smart Hydrating Shield SPF50, with a bespoke, high-tech Digital Out of Home campaign. What better way to drive home our message than with the immediacy and context of real-time, location-specific pollution readings.”

Dan Dawson, Chief Creative Technology Officer at Grand Visual said:

“This campaign harnesses the context effect by providing a tailored and compelling reason to pay attention. The data provides the relevance and justification for buying a product that is designed to combat the ill effects of pollution that each person is experiencing, in that location, and at that moment, delivering Elizabeth Arden’s message with much greater impetus.”

AMV BBDO’s promotion for Walkers ‘Spell and Go’ invited people to collect the letters from special packs and spell a destination to win one of 20,000 holidays.

As part of the campaign for this promotion, Walkers launched an interactive poster that invited passers-by to add select letters to their collections by making the shapes of those letters with their bodies. The letters to create are automatically served up by the poster and users are guided through the process with playful and humorous messages of encouragement.

The poster uses a bespoke creative technology solution, combining touch-screen, real-time gesture recognition and state-of-the-art machine learning to identify the postures replicating each letter. It is a truly innovative use of this technology for the brand.

Planned and booked by Talon, the campaign was live on with Signature Outdoor in Manchester on 9th – 10th May and on 19th – 22nd May.

Watch the Video here

Now in its fourth year, Advertising Week Europe is the event where people from across all areas of advertising come together. At first glance, the four-day agenda can seem daunting but key themes emerged as the week progressed.

Data, Data Everywhere

The topic of Data weaved through many sessions across the week. In a stand out session hosted by iProspect, looking at Data, Creativity, Media & Content, Will Gompertz, Arts Editor, BBC, argued there’s just as much creativity happening in data and math as in advertising and when thinking about data & creativity, context is the differentiator to determine success or failure. Rick Hearst, CEO McGarryBowen, proposed that data should be seen as a tool to be harnessed and as a key element in creative ideation. The panel concluded that by having data infiltrate the advertising ecosystem it will lead to smarter, targeted, more relevant and effective campaigns.

Creative Technology

When it comes to technology, IPG’s “Evolution or Revolution” session highlighted the importance of tech being implemented to support the creative idea and enable you to impact your audience with greater effectiveness. One example given to illustrate the alignment between creative, technology and brand strategy was the Loreal Make-Up Genius App, which provided an innovative creative tech solution, user experience and garnered great results for the brand.

Creativity in a changing ecosystem

Facebook’s session on creativity, “Stop the Scroll”, examined the ‘one size fits all’ approach to creativity. The panel urged the industry to be smarter with creative production, by having all channels baked in at the production phase, to ensure we can deliver the best content & results for our clients. The panel suggested we need to evolve from old practices in order to generate better creative solutions.

Exterion Media’s session was one of the few from the week looking at the role of Outdoor and posed the question “are we making enough of digital creativity in outdoor?”. Alan Brydon from Outsmart argued that we need to communicate more about the creative potential of Digital Outdoor. Further, he urged the industry to move towards personalisation at scale through the use of dynamic creative. It was great to hear Outsmart championing a cause we are also passionate about at GV.

The Exterion session concluded by announcing the winner of their Creative Idol Competition. We were shortlisted with Rapport for our Kung Fu Panda 3 Mobile Game concept for Fox, along with campaigns for Capital FM & Norwegian from Trigger Buzz, Jerrard Wayne and Posterscope. The GV creative team were absolutely thrilled to be announced as winners! A great way to top off a week of thought leadership & creative excellence at Advertising Week Europe.

Integrated Systems Europe (ISE) the annual tradeshow held in the Amsterdam RAI, is the gateway to discovering the latest technology in professional AV and digital signage industries. This year, Jon Jones, Technologist, and Dan Dawson, Chief Creative Technology Officer, attended and have shared their highlights from the event.

isemainphoto

In keeping with previous years, screens take the centre stage at the event – especially those that are flexible. The screen shown above (with Dan for scale) was produced by Lang. At first glance, you’d be forgiven for not realising that it is, in fact, a screen and not a print. Content at 8K x 4K was being presented and looked phenomenal – even close up. Screens of this quality, teamed with a touch interface, would provide greater immersion in the application.

discoball
Flexible screens were one of the main focus points at this year’s ISE.

Dataton’s Watchout were showing off their extensive projection mapping technologies. Using approximately 6 points within the viewport, their software is able to pinpoint particular parts of the model do the maths to complete the mapping process. Utilising multiple projectors, physical 3D structures and LED panels, creates a very cool and captivating experience.

Easescreen demoed their gyro technology that can reconfigure a screen’s output on-the-fly. Whilst it was a mesmerising demonstration, it is also a really intelligent piece of kit that would make reconfiguration of screens a breeze. Additionally, it could also be automated through other systems.

3D LED Cube from Seekway can turn a 3D model into an eye-catching display. As you move around the cube you are able to see the model from all angles. These cubes are not limited to any particular size, so can be made to own a large space.

Using three mini projectors and an impressive rig, Optoma created a fully immersive Formula 1 driving experience. Unfortunately, the queue was remarkably long so we didn’t get to have a go!

3m-touch
For a bit of fun, we got to play a game of pinball using 3M’s PCAP system. This is a touch-foil with a metal mesh design. This application proved to be very responsive and attached to a curved screen was very inviting to use and looked great with a matt finish.

This year is was great to see the advances in touch interfaces as well as flexible LED screens. Dataton Watchout’s 3D projection mapping especially stood out. With the recent evolution of VR technology, it will be very interesting to see how it will be made more consumer-friendly product in the future.

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