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Following the huge success of our Lurpak sprout teatowel giveaway last year, we’ve continued the activity to offer fans the chance to win an ‘Homage to Summer’ Apron designed exclusively for Lurpak by British designer Stuart Gardiner. The apron features handy tips, recipes, seasonal ingredients and facts about summer foods.

Each week there are 100 aprons up for grabs, and the promotion runs for 4 weeks until early August. Consumers can enter via Facebook tab here.

The activity will be supported by bloggers, media and influencers across lifestyle, design and food in an outreach campaign, and has already received coverage in Brand Republic and Campaign.

The campaign is also supported by Facebook media spend and ongoing activity across our owned channels.

Here’s a round-up of the things that impressed us, sparked our curiosity, and made us laugh last week.

The thing we most want.

The trusty mouse and keyboard combo have served us well for the past few decades, but it seems our dreams of Minority Report style gesturing are finally a reality.

http://leapmotion.com/

An innovative use of a QR code (just when we all thought they were dead)

The same technology, used in an interesting and innovative way. When empty, the glass looks like it’s etched with a fancy pattern. Once filled with the black stuff, it becomes a useable QR code which is fully integrated with social channels.

http://www.psfk.com/2012/05/guiness-qr-code-pint-glass.html

An immersive 360 degree experience, on YouTube.

Whilst you might not appreciate the music, it’s hard to deny the 360 degree, multiple camera-angled views available on some of 02 Academy’s live music videos aren’t impressive. It’s great to see the evolution of YouTube as a platform.

http://www.youtube.com/o2academytv

Yet another incredible Google Doodle.

Google continue to impress with their doodles, and this one’s up there with the best (including our Freddie Mercury doodle http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xe0gIFxYhrk though we may be biased…) It celebrates the birthday of Robert Moog, inventor of the Moog Synthesizer. We possibly enjoyed this a bit too much in the office…

http://www.google.com/doodles/robert-moogs-78th-birthday

A song dedicated to the Facebook IPO. Yes, really.

Amongst the bombardment of IPO articles, news and rumours, it’s nice to take a step back and enjoy some absolutely ridiculous musical nonsense.

A few weeks ago we lifted the lid on some notable hashtag disasters that went down on Twitter over the past couple of months. As embarrassing as these were for the brands involved, by and large they were caused by internet naivety rather than genuine poor customer service, and as such the lasting damage was little more than a spot of wounded pride…. And the odd irreverent blog post.

Recently, however, there have been a spate of far more serious lapses in twit-judgement – ones that have generated real anger and resentment towards the brands in question and will take a lot longer to erase from internet memory. These episodes involve a brand being willfully obstinate and refusing to engage with the public over points of grievance, all ending in disastrous results…

The first instance involves the major gym operator LA Fitness, who recently found themselves at the centre of a public relations nightmare after The Guardian publicised the story of one of the gym’s former members who had fallen on hard times.

The member in question was a woman eight months pregnant, who had just moved to a house 12 miles away from the gym and whose husband had just been made redundant. The couple had been members of the gym for six years, but with the change in circumstances they simply couldn’t afford to maintain their payments. LA Fitness didn’t accept the excuse, and demanded a cancellation fee of £360 (even after much haranguing by the Guardian).

The result? The full force of the newspaper’s readership attacking LA Fitness publicly on Twitter, along with a campaign for existing members to cancel their membership as protest. Eventually the company relented, but not after untold amounts of damage to their public image and lost membership revenue. Not a good look for their social media team…

The second two instances are remarkably similar, which would suggest brands aren’t learning from each other’s mistakes. Within the space of a month, both H&M and Claire’s Accessories were accused of plagiarism over products sold in their stores. In both cases the companies feigned ignorance, with Claire’s going one step further and making the shocking decision to go on full media blackout. Needless to say, this did not help their situation.

The result? Again, a torrent of incredibly public abuse and complaints leveled at each brand for all to see on Twitter, not to mention coverage of the situation in untold national newspapers and media outlets. H&M eventually acknowledged their wrongdoing and agreed to a profit-sharing deal with the artist in question. The Claire’s Accessories debate is ongoing…

So what can brands learn from the online spills of these three companies? Above all, that in this modern age of digital conversation and increasingly transparent communication, good customer service must remain a priority. One disgruntled user can very quickly become an army of righteous indignation, and there is no telling how far things might spiral out of control if handled badly.

As a brand, your reputation is paramount; strip that away and your are simply trading air. With that in mind, keep your friends close, and your Twitter followers closer!

The advertising space during Superbowl Sunday is famously the most expensive on the planet.

The price of a 30-second slot can run to more than $2.5million – a figure only justified by the event’s equally gargantuan viewing figures. Last year’s Superbowl officially became the most watched piece of television in history with a staggering 111 million viewers, so there’s no denying the prestige of the slot. However, when you’re spending over $83,000 a second, you’d better make sure that what you’ve got is worth watching.

Historically, Superbowl ads tend to be some of the most flamboyant and outlandish ever created. This year, however, it seems major advertisers are jumping aboard the social bandwagon, using interactive methods to bridge the gap between traditional TV advertising and its cutting edge digital counterpart.

Outside Line’s own Ronnie Crosbie has just written a piece on the subject for online marketing gospel The Wall. Click here to read it in full and see what everyone will be talking about come Sunday 5 Feb.

Contagion via Max

To promote Steven Soderbergh’s latest film, Contagion, microbiolgists and immunologists created a bacteria messageboard in an abandoned storefront window. On 28 August, two large petri dishes were inoculated with live bacteria including penicillin, mould and pigmented bacteria, and almost overnight have revealed the true Contagion.

This caused a pun-infection around the office that quickly spread until everyone was at it:

“Going viral” – Max

“Petri-fying” – Matt

“Whoever thought of that idea is one fungi.” – Jamie

“This makes marketing look diseasey” – Tom

Androp – ‘Bell’ via Rob

To promote their new single ‘Bell’, Androp have released this game which creates an animal from your tweet. The longer your tweet, the bigger the animal (from a mouse to a giraffe) and that becomes your character within the game… for every obstacle you hit you lose characters from your tweet. Try to get through the game with your tweet intact, or failing that, send a friend a nonsensical one.

ASOS Urban Tour via Wisker

We’re loving seeing the increased sophistication of interactive videos and this example to promote ASOS’ latest menswear line is a great example! These videos travel to different cities to showcase different subcultures of some of the world’s major cities… featuring dancers in London, to skaters in Paris.

Onefeat via Amy

Choose a mission. Do the feat. Share the greatness.

Variations of this have been done before, but this is the nicest version we’ve seen. Complete missions, post photos of yourself doing them and score points… and we all know points mean… very little, but it’s fun and you can compete with friends. Get involved.

We are looking for a Senior Motion Graphic Designer to join our online video content team here at Outside Line, an award winning full service digital agency.

The role includes overseeing all design elements of our video production, and some video editing (FCP advised).  Some of our work is produced in collaboration with our digital studio, therefore a good understanding of interactive design and technology is essential. Photography, film (even just DSLR) & directing experience will count in your favour.

Submissions without a portfolio or showreel will not be considered.

Our Agency ( Make sure you know what we do ) :

http://outsideline.co.uk/

Our Motion and Video Work (Look through these to make sure you are suitable):

http://vimeo.com/outsideline/videos/sort:plays

How to Apply

Please contact kris.cook@outsideline.com.

On the whole, we’re a bunch of geeks here at Outside Line. It’s fair to say, with some random exceptions, that we’re not the types to be found in the VIP section of some hot new club launch. Luckily, the internet offers similar, but completely different, and yet just as exclusive scenarios in the form of beta trials – where you’re invited to be the first to try out something that everyone else (at least in the industry) is virtually clambering over themselves to get access to. There’s also great satisfaction in being the one to invite the rest of the office in on the action – like reassuring the doorman that your mate is ‘alright… honest’.

Beta [pronunciation like the old SEGA intro] trials are notoriously hard to get onto. The smart and talented folks at internet start-ups have a whole heap of things to consider when seeking people to test their product. Can you sacrifice the need for feedback in order to get maximum buzz from the cool kids? How many people do you invite without your company becoming last minute’s news?

So how do you become a beta tester? There’s definitely an element of luck involved. These are normal people you’re contacting when you request access. They might just like the cut of your jib at that exact moment. If there is an email option, always take it, and make sure you personalise your message.

If it’s purely about reputation and Klout (a realistic tool for start-ups to select beta testers) then a lot of us, myself included, wouldn’t stand a chance. But start-ups know they need people who will actually try their products. Can they expect decent feedback from someone so in demand for their influence 24/7? Demonstrating a genuine interest in what you are registering for and being prepared to give both positive and negative feedback is surely a key reason you are selected.

Recently I’ve been lucky enough to be included on two beta trials.

First up was the Forecast app for Android. Upon learning a colleague was using the iPhone equivalent, I was tweeted an Android version was coming soon. One email later and I was included on the trial.

Forecast is a nice extension to Foursquare. Using its API it allows you to Forecast when you’ll be at a Foursquare location. It’s a genuinely novel and useful app. Will it catch on? That all harks back to the debate we’ve always had raging about location based check-ins (I will continue to be a fence sitter). Being in the beta does let you see genuinely substantial changes being made at short notice. Your suggestions sometimes get considered and each version does show an improvement on the last. Forecast has improved their Android app on a near daily basis, which is great to see.

Vizualize.me – Firstly, annoying spelling for my UK spell check, but a really strong and visually appealing service. Sure to be popular, it syncs with your LinkedIn profile and instantly produces a series of funky looking CVs that you’ve always wanted, but always known you’re incapable of producing. Infographics have changed the way we look at many things. With the increasingly popular trend of sexing-up of the dull (CVs are rarely that interesting), it will get popular fast, but will need to produce more and more templates that are practical as well as nice to look at. It’s important that it remains new and unique rather than just becoming the new version of a Word template, and this is the kind of feedback I intend to give the creators.

Above all, be a good beta tester. For starters, playing around with the app will help a lot. Don’t ignore the opportunity you’ve been given and make sure you deliver some feedback. There’s probably nothing worse than not receiving anything from a tester. Assume your praise/criticism has never been noted before, at this stage the developers aren’t necessarily looking for you to massage their egos, instead they’re looking for ways to make their app even better, so be honest. It’ll make you feel like a pioneer, promise!

It seems like only yesterday everyone was going mental for MySpace and the role it played in helping talented folk like Arctic Monkeys ‘make it big’.

The true power of the internet was on display, as bands ‘bypassed’ traditional routes and promoted themselves directly to the fans, and had great success doing so.

But as MySpace sits alongside other struggling virtual ruins, bands have naturally moved to where the kids are at.

How do new and smaller bands make the best use of these channels?

Facebook didn’t initially light up the music industry with its design and functionality, but with the creation of tabs there are options to show off the music behind the band ‘brand’. But what’s more interesting is the total dedication and intimacy bands are creating with their followers on Facebook and Twitter.

I recently discovered a band from Norway called Blood Command (I thoroughly recommend you check them out). Leaping onto their social media channels I was happy to see numbers weren’t enormous, it gave me a sense of ‘discovering’ a band early.

But what is so impressive about Blood Command, is their open attitude to these channels. The difference to Myspace is staggering. Leave a message on their wall and they’ll happily (or begrudgingly based on the enquiry) get back to you with a personal reply. When we first discovered them there was even a Twitter discussion with the band about getting them to play a local pub in London.

Add to this, I’m increasingly seeing members of bands set up their own personal page on Facebook (Twitter has always been the case). Greg Puciato from the Dillinger Escape Plan for example is active across Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr. Impressively all these accounts are generally used uniquely to each other but again, the interaction level is really decent.

It’s often the case to get the most exposure is to do something controversial. Social media sure isn’t hampering bands in this respect. Take iwrestledabearonce. In a move that was considered a huge leap, the band announced to their fans and through a carefully circulated press release that they would now be a black metal band. This was naturally picked up on music blogs and discussed. Fans on the whole recognized the gag but the metal community covered the news en masse with a surreptitious ‘O Rly?’.

Successful troll was successful!

When the band’s new song with its much promised new direction was leaked through a partner blog the site crashed through the demand of fans and haters alike. A brutal new track it was, but black metal it was not. This deception gave them even more coverage, especially from those who didn’t take to kindly to being trolled (see Gun Shy Assassin). As a fan, it made me love them even more!

Myspace was a revelation. A free service to connect your music to the masses. But it was one way, old-school communication. A service that could pump your music, news and events out to your adoring fans.

Facebook and Twitter, when used well, are building stronger ties between the artists and their fans. It’s no longer about one-way communication and purely promoting your own stuff. It’s far more personal.

Metal has always prided itself on a loyal and passionate fanbase. For a smaller band, what better way to forge ties with fans early than being human and responsive? It’s natural that those embracing social media are winning.

Greenpeace vs Mattel via Tom

The biggest news of the week is that Ken finally dumped Barbie and he’s really letting her know it with a nationwide poster campaign and a viral video.

Greenpeace find a fun way to bring their campaign against Mattel to life.

Perrier’s Steamy Party via Rob

Perrier have created an interactive YouTube experience that, as they put it, gets sexier, steamier and wilder as the number of views goes up. We’re currently half way up the temperature gauge so there’s certainly room for the party to get hotter.

Evan Roth for Mozilla’s Mark Up Project via Stu

“An open Net embraces free culture. That doesn’t mean disrespecting the copyright of others. It means instead enabling others to share and build upon the work you want the Net to love. Practice the freedom you expect from others, by licensing your work as freely as you can.” – Lawrence Lessig for Mark Up

Intel’s Museum of Me via Gem

Great use of Facebook Connect to create a museum all about your Facebook life. Narcissistic? A little. Cool? Very.

Anatomy of a Mashup via Andy

At first, this looks nauseatingly like the old Windows Media Player visualisations, but it turns out it’s a mashup visualisation tool that rivals Girl Talk’s Mashup Breakdown…

Danger Mouse Interactive Music Video via Janaina

3 Dreams of Black is a great interactive music video created for Black, which comes off the upcoming album Rome, presented by Danger Mouse and Daniele Luppi, featuring Jack White and Norah Jones on vocals. Users can steer themselves through the narrative of the video. Watch the technology behind the video below and test it out yourself at http://www.ro.me/ In the creators’ own words: “This is very exciting”.

Central Line Stickers via Gem

There have been some great hacks lately, some on Kinect, some on Android, but the one really deserving of a FWD mention… a sticker hack. Central Line Stickers is a great project where creative stickers are added to the usual tube line’s map.

The Nightjar – Wrigley’s Gum via Rob

Wrigley’s 5 Gum have taken their first step on an ambitious five year campaign exploring the five senses, with The 5 Experience. The Nightjar represents the first sense – hearing, with an immersive iPhone game, containing no video…

“You’ll have to see with your ears, using only sound to survive all that deep space has to throw at you — “The Nightjar” has world-beating sound design and incredible 3D audio technology. From the moment the crew of the Nightjar run for their lives (leaving you behind in a malfunctioning airlock), you’ll find yourself immersed in one of the most realistic game worlds ever created.”

Land Rover USA – Pathological Liar via Wisker

It’s nice to see amongst the projection mapping, flashmobs and CGI animals, that a simple, well written ad can have a viral effect…

“Everything I’ve ever told you is a lie…”