So, you might not agree with me, but I am sick and tired of hearing about the word ‘Viral’. In a hectic world of advertising, brands continually want quick, simple, cheap solutions, that magically come out of no-where and become massive hits online, yet is this an unrealistic expectation?

In my eyes, yes! Viral campaigns can make consumers truly feel something, whether this is sadness, happiness, love or hate. This emotion leads to them actively viewing YouTube videos, liking Facebook pages and tweeting about brands. Hence the only way to achieve this is through meticulous planning, by providing real consumer insight, perfect timing and realistic budgets.

Before I rant anymore, maybe I should define what viral actually means. Well according to MarketingTerms.com it is a ‘Marketing phenomenon that facilitates and encourages people to pass along a marketing message’.

The ultimate aim of a brand is to circulate its message within influential social groups; hence the right people become instant ambassadors. As a result, brands can send out particular messages to individuals, different networking groups and even their competitors, fast and effectively.

When it comes to content, this is purely defined by the brand’s short & long term aim. It could be something as simple as a photo or article, a revolutionary website, video or above the line campaign. What they all must contain is content that really inspires people to share; online & through face-to-face conversation. This is hard, really hard, especially if you are doing it properly. Some people and brands occasionally get lucky, but for the majority, you have to work at it. If a brand tries too hard, then it simply won’t work!  A classic example is Sony’s ‘All I want for Christmas is a PSP’.

‘Old Spice’ advertising on the other hand is one of the most inspirational campaigns to date. By simply understanding their consumers (70% women), P&G were able to take ‘Old Spice’ viral. The final execution might look low budget, but it actually took a large amount of effort and resources to produce it correctly. The same can be said for Evian’s Roller Babies ‘Live Young’ and Volkswagen’s Dark Vadar Super Bowl advert.

So what is my conclusion? Well, brands need to stop asking agencies to produce ‘viral’ campaigns and concentrate on the bigger pitch. Viral campaigns naturally develop, they cannot be moulded. It truly takes time, so in the meantime, concentrate on your customers, their needs, desires and opinions.

The internet, in all its myriad forms, has been touted as the ultimate measurable medium. However, the digital landscape and indeed the entire consumer-to-advertiser relationship has changed so dramatically over the last couple of years that it has made it difficult for marketers and their agencies to accurately measure return on investment (ROI).

As with all emerging technologies, the return on investment (ROI) is a key guideline when considering an investment in digital advertising, as it enables companies the chance to balance the benefits of an investment against the overall costs associated with it, reducing room for error. In the case of digital advertising, this will largely depend of the brand’s main goal; increasing public awareness, profit or brand value.

This academic paper will break down the cause & effect procedure, using up-to-date motion capture techniques to visually explore the success of existing mediums against new innovations; reviewing campaign reach, profit & accreditation. From a brand’s prospective; should they be spending their budgets on traditional, yet safe above the line campaigns or opt for riskier, potential more expensive digital executions? We are always asked this question by our brands!

Alongside three of Clusta’s most prestigious brands; BCU & ClustaLabs will create a reliable testing procedure to review exactly what success is (per medium) and state potential areas of investment in the future.

Make sure you check into our blog and twitter site (@ClustaLabs) on a regular basis to review our findings.

Where do you look when you are on a plane, a bus, in a car or even walking down a street? Do you even notice what is going on around you? New adverts, buildings and shops are constantly popping up everywhere, but do you care or even pay attention?

In a brief discussion with BCU University, it soon dawned on us that there is no clear way of accessing whether social media, online & offline advertising, actually affects the decision-making process. Hence, can pre-digital campaigns really affect future purchasing decisions? How can we prove this?

Over the next six months, ClustaLabs will be testing this notion, with the help of Birmingham City University. We will be presenting our findings online, to our brands and through academic sessions, which you are all welcome to attend. So keep checking in and feel free to email us, if there is anything else that you would like us to review.

Graffiti is often used as tool of expression within Western Society. Since the beginning of time, it has been limited to walls of caves, train lines, buildings, but recently it has seen itself blown into the stratosphere with the likes of Banksy, Reverse Graffiti and digital advertising. Although some may argue that it cannot be categorised as graffiti, companies such like Chanel have embraced this art form, enabling consumers the chance to showcase creativity and communicate messages digitally, yet legally on the streets of New York, London and Paris.

Chanel arguably brought digital graffiti into the mainstream when they developed a ten foot high LED video wall that spanned 90 feet of the boutique’s façade on Wooster Street and 50 feet on Spring Street in New York; massive in the eyes of any advertising agency. The Graffiti Wall, which was used as an interactive application, consisted of a 23-foot wide expanse of video projection screen, onto which guest’s sprayed colourful digital video graffiti from elegant Chanel-branded cans. The central high-resolution core was comprised of 40 Barco Olite10 LED tiles, 380 MI Strips and a custom-fabricated steel chassis. As a result, Chanel was able to directly change people’s immediate perceptions based around the brand, encouraging them to enter into the store, whereas previously they may have felt like they would have been judged by their clothing or how much money they have.

Naturally graffiti is a great way of breaking down barriers, just check out Kinect’s Graffiti application, Graffiti Research Labs (Holland) 3D Projection Mapping and YrWall, who in particular, have made digital graffiti accessible to the masses, after there appearance on Dragons Den in 2010. Since then, they have developed customised interactive walls for Google, MTV, NatWest, Orange and Chevrolet, using infrared spray cans, yet where is this going? What place does graffiti have within our ever popular physical digital world?

Hektor Auto graffiti robot is a classic example of how digital advertising and graffiti can join together to form a powerful advertising campaign. As an interesting extension of the plotter concept, the robot moves around on a canvas, spraying paint to create a scene. Hektor’s light and fragile installation consists of only two motors, toothed belts and a can holder that handles regular spray cans. The can is then moved along a set drawing path, just like how an old plotter or human hand would. The result is something unique, engaging and interactive; just imagine this in your shop window.

Another application is Robotagger, an assistive tool for taggers working in harsh environments, providing long-needed relief for graffiti artists with RSI. The application has the potential to be used in-store to showcase latest twitter updates, like the Talay Robot from Sony, brand messages and even drawings of the latest fashion trends, taking it a step further than Nordstrom successful interactive installation in Seattle 2011. Here several Kinect cameras were installed to allow those walking by the opportunity to play with light and interact with their window display, simply by moving their hands. Viewers were only able to draw simple images and write messages, however maybe this could develop into a way of getting consumers to design the backdrops of retailer’s window displays or give feedback on what they are seeing on the mannequins?

Hence, the origins of graffiti are still relevant within today’s digital society; to communicate feelings, messages and stories to other people, therefore is graffiti advertising and if so, how will the relationship between the two evolve over the next few decades? I can’t wait to find out.

Projection Mapping has recently become one of the most effective and popular methods used in advertising to instantly attract consumers towards a brand, like BMW, Ralph Lauren and Samsung. It enables digital designers and architects to map sphere surface technology (projected images) onto three-dimensional objects, such as buildings and sculptures.

To achieve a successful projection, you first need to ensure that there are no trees surrounding the building. Sounds obvious, but you will be surprised by the amount of companies that create incredible moving motion pieces, only to be stumped by a tree that gets in the way. The next stage is to position the projector in the best possible location, ensuring that the selected point remains constant throughout testing and when executing the final show. Once the position has been marked, one can then create the initial grid using horizontal and vertical lines within Adobe Photoshop, before blocking out appropriate areas with easily identifiable colours. Then, in my opinion, the hard work begins.

Transfer the Photoshop image as a JPEG into 3D Max, positioning the plane at 0, 0, 0. Then set the render dimensions to coincide with the plane and final projected image size. Once this is achieved, one can create a targeted camera that can be positioned at the image plane’s origin, before setting the safe frames within the camera view. The camera can then be carefully pulled back so that the edge of the frame matches that of the plane.

After the camera has been locked, model backwards from the image plane before setting the appropriate lighting rig. As a result, one can experiment with transformations, material effects, dynamic animations and rendering, bringing the model to life.

Lastly, remember to save it as a video file, align with the projector and enjoy watching people’s extraordinary expressions as they stare in owe at what you have created. Sounds simple? It is! Though it can take time and definitely requires a wad of cash to get the ball rolling, hence is it really worth it?

In my opinion, projection mapping seems to be used left, right and centre at the moment, meaning that very few actually stand out against the crowd. Nevertheless, two are worth a mention; Ralph Lauren for classically introducing 4D into the notion, using smell to engage with consumers and Hyunda, who combined 3D projection with physical products (car and driver) to transcend the medium into a much more significant form of engagement for consumers. So where will it go from here?