If you’re not aware, the term Internet of Things refers to the interconnection of everyday objects (large and small) via an array of sensors and radio tags that would allow for a vastly “smarter” world empowered through technology. The amount of information that would be generated is staggering, but innovators will find opportunities to leverage this data (in conjunction with data from your social profile) to create amazing experiences in every day life delivered through this new found insight.

Imagine how a person’s lifestyle enhanced through digital experiences might change if devices, applications, or even marketing experiences were able to pull from a massively expanded pool of data delivered by understanding the current state of things they interact with such as their car, their personal electronics and appliances, the buses their kids go to school on, all the items in their refrigerator, and even their clothing. If each of these items were tagged and at minimum reporting their “identity” and location but potentially even sharing their operating status, power consumption, fuel level, capacity, current activity, or history of use computer logic could understand and make intelligent and highly relevant recommendations based on these factors that could be used to enhance any digitally enabled experience.

Let’s re-imagine a great marketing as a service example from recent memory: Fiat’s Ecodrive. Fiats’s brilliant Ecodrive system allowed your car to monitor your driving behavior and via their website was able to make driving recommendations on improving your driving style to increase fuel efficiency. Unfortunately it wasn’t real time or wirelessly driven but it did demonstrate a clear value to consumers and marketers how rich insight into your behaviors could create valuable experiences. Now imagine if experiences like that were all around us and operating in realtime without the need for thumb drives etc.
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Ever heard of diminished reality? It’s much like the augmented reality, except instead of using computers to add visuals, it’s about taking things out in real time.

That easy enough with a still image, perhaps, but not so simple with video…  Technical University of Ilmenau’s figured it out, just draw a circle around the object you want to disappear and it practically disappears as the image synthesizer reduces the quality of the image drastically, removes your target and re-enhances in just 40 milliseconds per frame, using object tracking algorithms and guesswork to maintain the illusion as a camera moves around in 3D space. The framework’s presently running on Windows, but the team says they have plans to port it to Android soon.

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This is a smart move on Coke’s end. Everyone knows that Coke mainly targets teens, and what if instead of marketing to teens, you get teens come to you, promote you, share, chat, and advocate your brand? Dream came true …

Coke organized this experimental amazing hangout villa they called The Coca Cola Village. They’ve been doing it for a few years, or at least I found videos from 2008 and 2009.

This year’s was a little different though, an Israeli agency called E-dologic — part of Publicis, extended the event in effort to bring the Facebook “Like” to the real world. Not only they invited thousands of teens who talk about this through traditional word-of-mouth, but they used the Facebook Presence-like concept where they distribute teens a wristband, they link it to their Facebook account, and the village automatically digitalize, archive, organize, and share their experience. It makes it easy to re-live the fun, read the comments, see their friends, share activities, and for Coke? instant-massive-ultra-influencing system that leverages teens to promote Coke’s brand among their circles.

Really nicely done. As expected, Facebook will keep penetrating the real-world. Next efforts will probably use the open graph to describe more precise locations and describe relationships among people, places, and objects.


If you’re not familiar with the semantic web, the vision is that soon the web will deliver a personalized experience that not only is extraordinarily relevant to you but might also anticipate your desires before you even know them. How would it do this? By using the wealth of knowledge available via your social profile and other digital sources. This evolution of the web isn’t possible, of course, unless some centralized group with some form of open platform can share your social profile — and even, potentially, your location — with any other digital property. It is the inevitable future of our digital world and those who control it will dominate the next phase of the internet.

Facebook’s Open Graph offers far more than the ability to “like pages.” It’s Facebook’s play to power the semantic web.

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Sony 3D Projection Mapping In Madrid

Sony comes out with a new spin to 3d projection, now in Madrid. Instead of going all fancy with braking and shattering buildings, they went with a simple elegant experiences that is cool not only because it’s about 3d soccer experience just in time for the world cup, not only because it’s the first one with real 3d illustrations, but also because they make use of the building’s doors and windows to make it seem more real … it seems like the building is part of it, not just a massive projection area.

Really well done Sony. This projection was again created by NuFormer in the Netherlands and I must say these guys would have to be one of the top mapping agencies out there. The creative concept, mapping precision and execution are simply stunning! I will say that I think the Samsung 3D Projection was still more innovative in it’s concept and execution, but it’s good to see with just 3 concepts out there how different they can be. Now where is the US one? There’s a massive white building in Lincoln road with great exposure that would be ideal for it! Really, I’m sure Sapient will help negotiate and get all approvals to do it :)