What would you do if you had five more years of life?

Last week I wrote about how people from the developed world try to help people from developing countries, and how creative can be that attempt to help. This time, I bring you again an example of how creativity can contribute to solve a problem. However, in this case, the solution comes also from the developed world, but the problem is here at home.

Nike Foundation premiered at the annual Clinton Global Initiative earlier this week an emotional spot by the ad agency Wieden+Kennedy Portland, directed by Lance Bangs, which show us a group of kids talking about what they would do with five extra years. "Why are you asking me that?" That is what one of the kids wonders in the video. Unfortunately, the answer is so sad. As it can be read at the end of the spot, for the first time in history, this generation is expected to die five years younger than their parents. 

The creative concept of the spot is powerful. The kids are telling the things they would do during five years that they are not actually going to have because they will die young. Our society is getting lazier, and that includes our children. With the campaign Designed to Move, Nike is trying to make us aware of the fact that there has been a massive drop in physical activity among kids in recent years. In the U.S. alone, it has declined up to a 32 percent in a single generation. 

The video shows the kids, who are the victims of the problem, to target instead those who are direct responsible for it: the parents. Of course, they are not the only responsible for it. Unfortunately, the process is not that simple. However, the truth is that the solution needs to start at home and so juxtaposing the innocence of those kids with the clear possibility of death scare any parent straight. 

In my opinion, the power of the campaign is extraordinary. I just hope the campaign really helps to make a difference regarding the increasing laziness of our society. We need someone to be who removes the blindfold from our eyes when we do not want to see. Although what we have to see may be unpleasant. 

Keep reading on: 
http://www.designedtomove.org/ 
http://nikeinc.com/pages/the-nike-foundation/ 

http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/ad-day-nike-144025

Play Ludo!

Creativity is always great, although it is extremely subjective. We all have our own concept of creativity and so we may not agree on the greatness of either a photograph, painting, advertisement, or any other project that is supposed to be creative. However, there are some examples of creativity so exceptional that there is no possibility of disagreement. It is the case of Ludo, the new creation of Uncharted Play. 

To think out of the box focusing on thinking about how to help people seems to be the guideline of this young company founded in 2011 as a new kind of social enterprise. The founders of The Uncharted Play, Jessica O. Matthews and Julia Silverman, met each other during their junior year at Harvard College in 2008. They worked together on a class project that gave life to Soccket, their first revolutionary invention. Have you ever heard about it?

The Soccket is the world's first eco-friendly portable generator in the form of a soccer ball. It produces and stores energy during game play. The way it works is extraordinary simple: it harnesses the kinetic energy generated during play with the ball, and stores it as electrical energy that can be used to power different appliances like lamps or water sterilizers, therefore reducing the need for fume-generating kerosene lamps. 

Matthews and Silverman created the Soccket for resource-poor communities in the developing world because, when working on their class project, they realized that the world of play was truly 'uncharted' territory when it came to tangibly addressing real issues facing the masses, like it is in this case the need of power resources in developing countries. They took a practice widely popular in many countries of Africa as it is playing soccer, and made it useful. Indeed, it is possible to read on the website that the mission of Uncharted Play is «to create fun products and services that allow people to rethink the function of play both as a tool to address major issues facing society today and as a way to keep joy at the forefront of our lives.»

And so they did it again! But this time the ball is on the developed world. Uncharted Play has created Ludo, a new soccer ball that, in this case, racks up cash for the developing world as you play. How? The ball, made of the same ultra-durable shell from the Soccket, is powered by a chip that tracks pay time, which is wirelessly uploaded to Uncharted Play's online gaming platform, the Play Fund. When your play time has been uploaded, you can log onto the website and select a project that you think deserves your "play points." The expenses for the different projects are covered both by Ludo purchase price ($59.99) and money from corporate sponsors. 

Ludo is the way that Uncharted Play has found to thank those who were part of the success of Soccket. In words of Matthews, "this is about re-engaging the people who were so amazing when we first launched Soccket and saying 'Hey, thank you for this, we've now taken the time to design something for you.'"

Don't you think the initiative is amazing? Creativity is at its best when it is used to help people and make of our world a better place. 

Keep reading on: 
http://unchartedplay.com/home.html 
http://www.fastcoexist.com/1680562/the-ludo-a-soccer-ball-that-racks-up-cash-for-the-developing-world-as-you-play#2 

'OK Go' plays creativity.

One of my favorite ways of wasting my time is watching music videos. I love it. Indeed, I do not think it is actually a waste of time, I guess it is just a widespread belief. It is true though that sometimes I can spend hours on Youtube jumping from one video to another while I should be doing other things, but... Don't you get tired of doing what you should do instead of what you want?

I do, and I am sure of not being the only one. Indeed, I like to think I learn new things when I watch music videos, and so I do not like to waste my time watching stupid ones. Unfortunately there are actually many of them.

Rather, when I sit down on my sofa or in front of my computer to search for some music entertainment, what I expect is to discover new interesting and appealing videos. I consider myself a creativity consumer. If after ten minutes or so, any video has attracted me enough, there is no time to waste then. 

If you are lucky, sometimes you discover bands that create a really fascinating work. That is the case of OK Go. Have you ever heard about them? Maybe you know them as those four crazy guys who appeared in a video dancing on moving treadmills. You're right!

The best point about this Chicago-based band, officially formed in 1998, is that its videos amaze people not because of the use of impressive visual effects or expensive production techniques, but because of the captivating simplicity of its work. Millions of people are addicted to the extreme creativity that distinguishes the band's homemade music videos. 

The first time that the four members of OK Go delighted the audience with its creative personality was in 2005, through the growing popularity of websites like YouTube. "A Million Ways", a song from their album Oh No, quickly became the most downloaded music video in history. 

Several months later, OK Go most popular video appeared. "Here It Goes Again" featured the bandmates dancing on moving treadmills, performing extremely coordinated movements. The song became a Top 40 hit in America and the U.K., and the band took home a Grammy Award for the video. 

Most of OK Go videos are outstanding, but the last one is a real masterpiece. "Needing/Getting" is that kind of videos that catches your attention from the first second to the last one. 

In case you did not have enough, these are some of my favorites ones. Enjoy! 

Keep reading on: http://okgo.net/

Long live imaginat10n! By Canon.

“I believe technology is leading people to understand that creativity is not that mysterious. We’re all creative.”

Ron Howard

Project Imaginat10n is the successor of Project Imagin8ion. As it did in 2011, this year Canon collaborates one more time with Ron Howard in the development of a project that needs the collaboration of people as well. Project Imagin8ion was the first ever user-generated photo contest that invited consumers to inspire a Hollywood production, When you find me, directed by Bryce Dallas Howard, Ron Howard’s daughter. Project Imaginat10n is a new chance for people to inspire the creation of a new film production leaded by Ron Howard.

Canon fosters again consumers to think out of the box, take their cameras and photograph the world to participate with their original shoots in this new creative experiment of the Japanese company. However, unlike the first project, five different creative icons have signed on to collaborate this time: Eva Longoria, Jamie Foxx, Biz Stone, Georgina Chapman and James Murphy. The photographs that the public submit on the project’s website will inspire the filmmaking process of the five directors.    

The films will be created based on ten different storytelling themes: ‘mood’ (conveys atmosphere, tone or emotion), ‘goal’ (whatever the character is pursuing), ‘backstory’ (a history that promotes fuller understanding of the narrative), ‘character’ (can be anyone or anything), ‘obstacle’ (anyone or anything in the character’s way), ‘relationship’ (a relationship between anyone or anything), ‘setting’ (any location or environment), ‘the unknown’ (can be anything unexpected, a twist), ‘time’ (represents time of day or within history), and ‘?’ (a tenth mysterious theme that will be revealed at a later date). People have to submit their pictures according to the different topics that Canon proposes them in the different storytelling categories.

Project Imaginat10n was launched on August 14^th and people could start to submit their photos since that same date. Once the period of submissions is finished, which varies between the different themes, Canon will announce the finalists of each category, whose photos could be then voted by the general public. Six photo categories are already closed to submissions since September 3^rd, three others remain open until September 17^th, and the mysterious tenth will not be revealed until September 10^th. Depending on the photo category, the public voting periods start on September 11^th or 18^th until September 24^th and October 1^st respectively. And finally, on October 15^th, the ten winners will be officially announced.

This new project of Canon constitutes a clear example of how the brands try to engage with their audience through real experiences. With Project Imaginat10n Canon is trying to encourage people’s creativity by using a photo camera that supposedly will be one of the Japanese company’s products. Anyway, the truth is that this kind of huge communication campaign are creative themselves, and even more in cases like this one which content is in essence creativity and imagination. Indeed, hidden under the title of ‘About’ on the project’s website, it is possible to find an apology for human ability to create and imagine new possibilities, especially by using Canon cameras and senses (we cannot forget we are talking about a project based on advertising aims and brand strategy).

Keep reading on:
Project Imaginat10n - Official website
Project Imaginat10n - Official Youtube page
Project Imagin8ion - 'When you find me'