Athlone Towers Blasted Early for the Right Weather

This is such an awesome video by Adriano Bottega of the experience in Cape Town. On the 22 August 2010 the two Cooling Towers at the Athlone Power Station fell to the floor in about 9 seconds (from video). Nicely recorded man, epic tune and slow motion replay! The towers were built in the 1960's and have now marked another permanent move toward better infrastructure and a faster moving South Africa. Congratulations and respects to all who helped bring them down smoothly (looked like was going to tip..), safely and providing an area for public viewing.

Virgin Atlantic Plane Makeover Time-Laps Movie

Virgin Atlantic plane livery time-lapse movie from johnson banks on Vimeo.

This is an exceptional piece of art and you will never look at another plane the same again after seeing this. The chaps propped cameras around the hanger and recorded their progress. When played back at an accelerated speed it really is something brilliant to see, on a plane I mean. You know when you about to board a Boeing 747 or even an Airbus and you walk toward the plane (best when it's outside) - planes are HUGE pieces of mechanic genius! Watch this video and tell me you are not proud of what man-kind has achieved during our time on earth. Virgin Atlantic is a company that one can admire. Click on Richard Branson to find some more about him. Strange he does not own his name.com web address.
Catch Richard Brandson on twitter
Catch Virgin Atlantic on twitter

Source: Dan from an idea and creative generating place Idea Bounty

Chatroulette: Scary Approach to Brand Awareness (Parental Guidance?)

The hype is starting to build around the release of The Last Exorcism in August 2010 and with a radical approach, this time on Chatroulette. My take on it is simply this. I never knew the movie was coming out until today, this is how I got notified about the movie and this is what got me talking about it. I think they utilised the ability to pull off something shocking, perfectly matching the theme of the movie (kind of matches Chatroulette too). The two kids in the single frame looked too young for the movie, but if you watch the kid (in the blue, not the red), he says "what the f*c*" when surprised.

Imagine we could measure the amount of views and it's conversion rate of who saw the movie. The total number of views for the original video is just under 3000 so it's not massive, but I'm sure the total reach is far more and at what cost? Next to nothing.. enjoy and catch the website/trailer from here (as above)

Source: DigitalBuzzBlog

Dexter Series - Season 5 Video Trailer (what is going to happen now)

If you have not seen to the end of session 4 or are not a Dexter fan, then this is not for you (sorry, but have a look anyway if you are a fan or not). Dexter Morgan plays the role of a 'blood splatter expert'  for the Miami Police forensics department, while carrying a very 'dark passenger' through his everyday life. Tallying up trophies and taking out the trash should disgust most, yet it keeps me hooked and on his side (most of the time). I understand it to be released in the US on the 26th September, so may be a while before on South African television. What is he going to make of things this time round? I can't wait!

Catch the other Dexter trailers here: one | two | three | four

Subaru Drifting / Gymkhana by Ken Block (best driving I've seen)

This video blows my mind and if you are a car fan, this is really for you. Ken Block shows his skills in his wick'ed 2006 Subaru Impreza WRX STi. Let the movie load and then enjoy, 1 minute intro is worth it all in the end. It is really impressive to watch among all the millions of movies out there in its class. Fast corners with the back end out, crazy big donuts, tight maneuvers and look out for the 360 through the hanger! The action continues in the video below too.



Ken Block takes to the snow with the action of snow boarders along side. I have been water skiing, wake boarding, knee boarding etc. since I was a kid and when I saw a snow boarder being towed into a kicker ramp, I had a huge "oh yes" moment. Subaru recently launched the "get more g's" campaign with awesome short drifting clips driven by BMX legend Dave Mirra.

Pablo Francisco's Mexican Music in 2006 (prepare to laugh)

A classic performance by known comedian, Pablo Francisco. Pablo does the 'preview guys voice' better than the 'preview guy' does his own voice! After hearing that Pablo was performing in Jo'Burg, I sat waiting to hear if our souls in Cape Town would bear witness to the stomach ache from laughing so hard, of Pablo Francisco's funny voice impersonations. This video is a classic of his sounds, music and singing talents. I heard last night on "Tonight with Trevor Noah" that Pablo would be coming to Cape Town in about 4 months time. That is around December time, so still hopefully this year! Looking forward to seeing him at the Nandos Comedy Festival. I for one am very excited to see the show. I went to the last Nandos show and it was brilliant!

Catch @Pablo_Francisco on twitter.

Infographic - How The Internet Works

[Via: OnlineSchools.org]

Audi's Augmented Reality A1 and Ford's Facebook Explorer (car reveals)

Source: Digital Buzz Blog

Audi launched the A1 with an Augmented Reality calendar for 2010. A calendar that is carless, yes that means it has no cars displayed throughout the calendar. Coming from a brand such as Audi, it could be seen as highly risky for non-tech lover customers, who would just see landscape pictures for the whole year. However for those who enjoyed the iPhone app, have a beautiful calendar that will interact with you and your mobile for the whole year (probably on your wall somewhere.. around the awesome section). On the February 2010 calendar page, the Audi A1 was revealed through the app. People who engaged with the brand in this way received the first sneak peaks at the new Audi A1

 To quote the video, "The Results, Vorsprung durch Technik came alive"

Similar to this, Ford tried a completely different approach to releasing the Ford Explorer coming out in 2011. The first reveals of the new model will be made available to those involved with the community of just under 60k people on the Ford Facebook page. Mashable.com published an excellent article covering the story further.

Both cases above illustrate an exceptional leap into the future of brands focusing on relationship forming advertising. These companies clearly have a strategy and must have done tons of research before venturing into these brave social media campaigns. I wonder how effective each were in aquiring and attaining new clients, but I do like to see reputable car brands using these marketing platforms. I encourage you to jump in and add your view points or related facts in the comments section!

Un-F**k The Gulf

Oil Spill Charity "F-Bomb-A-Thon" from UnF--kTheGulf.com on Vimeo.

The unfortunate event of the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico on 20th April shocked us all. Everyone turned anti BP, yet we all at some point suck their product with our motor vehicles and anything that has an engine. This is a brilliant campaign that is socially aware and community orientated as a good cause. A vulgar taste, but I do not think I would have given it much attention otherwise. A massive attempt to get the gulf cleaned up as soon as possible. Get a $13 t-shirt ("$5 of which benefits gulf wildlife rescue and eco action"), vote for the charity you think the money should go to and share the message.  I tried purchasing a t-shirt and got the, "...does not deliver to that address via Google checkout (Cape Town, SA)" message, but this is me sharing it. Today the @unF--kTheGulf twitter account said they will be looking into shipping to areas outside of the US due to demand. 


Visit the website unf--kthegulf.com
See an infographic timeline of events

Buddy the Boxer and Junior Travel Memory Lane (advert)

Buddy is back and this time with his little pal. They sit in the lounge, whilst traveling through the history of Toyota vehicles. A feel good advert that for one minute is a real brand enforcer for Toyota drivers. How many of you with Boxer dogs will buy a Toyota next after seeing this? Buddy tells Junior how to keep Toyota in the family for years to come, "the next generation are in great paws". See more Buddy the Boxer adverts.