something in the way

One of the most iconic studios in the world — and surely the one that led a lot of us to embrace a creative career — closed its doors last Tuesday. Ian Anderson revealed a few details about it in a short interview with Creative Review.
The Republic is dead. Long live the Republic.

Sumo Paint is a new web based image editor with over a million
users from 190 countries. The service has grown to have it’s own
active community. With the release of version 1.0 the software
takes a huge step forward.

This could be the next big thing out of Finland after Martti Ahtisaari’s Nobel Peace Prize or Nokia’s mobile phones!

Go nuts with Sumo Paint: www.sumopaint.com

Awu / Amazing World of Unexpected
O designer Victor Afonso cria e desenha, e a designer Susana Martins executa as maquetes: porta-chaves e pins totalmente feitos em Portugal. O resultado é “monstroso”!

Contacto:
Victor Afonso – vicafonso@gmail.com
Susana Martins – susana.lcmartins@gmail.com

This week i commented at work the fact that some blogs rival in terms of online audience with same major newspapers, with marketers needing to review their traditional media planning. On a happy coincidence, today the Wall Street Journal writes why many marketers are lagging behind consumers in terms of social media.

Illustration by Matt Hamm under a CC License

Some highlights:

Don’t just talk at consumers — work with them throughout the marketing process.
The conversations consumers have with each other, result in “some of the most interesting insights,” including gift ideas for specific occasions, such as a college graduation, and the prices consumers are willing to pay for different gifts.

Give consumers a reason to participate.
Other companies provide more-direct incentives: cash rewards or products, some of which are available only to members of the online community. Still others offer consumers peer recognition by awarding points each time they post comments, answer questions or contribute to a wiki entry

Listen to — and join — the conversation outside your site.
monitor relevant online conversations among consumers and, when appropriate, look for opportunities to inject themselves into a conversation or initiate a potential collaboration.

Resist the temptation to sell, sell, sell.
When consumers are invited to participate in online communities, they expect marketers to listen and to consider their ideas. They don’t want to feel like they’re simply a captive audience for advertising, and if they do they’re likely to abandon the community.

Don’t control, let it go.
“You have to let the members drive. When community members feel controlled, told how to respond and how to act, the community shuts down.”

Like it or not, the old way of doing (push) marketing is on its final days. Or has i heard yesterday on the Campus Party panel about Advertising and social media, your homepage is now Google.

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“Whiskas. Longer life for your cat”

Advertising Agency: Sancho BBDO, Bogotá, Colombia
Creative Directors: Giovanni Martinez, Hugo Corredor
Art Director: Diana Obregón, Diego Santamaría, Mauro Silva
Copywriter: Felipe Salazar, Fredy Méndez
Illustrator: Guillermo Valencia

Noisy interactive posters for Saxofunny sound production company. Every image has a sound.

Check the video here: Saxofunny

Advertising Agency: DM9DDB, Brazil

Yesterday (21st Jan 2009) Sumo Paint version 1.0 was released. In my opinion this is the best online Photoshop. And it is FREE!

Just some of its features:

1. Layers with blending mode
2. Layer effects
3. Shape tools
4. Brushes
5. Clone stamp
6. Filters
7. Symetry tool
8. Gravity

More about features: http://sumopaint.com/web/#/features/

A new video with Sumo Paint in action can be viewed bellow:

You can access the application here: http://www.sumopaint.com/app
Sumo Paint website: http://www.sumopaint.com/web/