An iPad, why would you be needing that for? Today you hold a little square in front of your webcam, not anymore tomorrow. Sure you are ready for the future? ;)

This looks a bit like it could be Capital 4.0. If you don’t know Capital, check it out below (blogged about this long time ago).

‘Kun det bedste er godt nok’ (‘Only the best is good enough’) is the LEGO company motto.

“Since its first interlocking brick was launched in 1949 it has become more popular than any toy in history. Every second, seven new boxes of Lego are sold; for every person in the world, there are 62 Lego pieces; Lego people – mini-figures, as they’re known – outnumber real people. You’d think it would be impossible to to go wrong with a brand as beloved as that.”

Yet five years ago, they almost went bankrupt.

“The problem lay not with the product, but with the company’s attempts in the Nineties to make itself more modern and relevant in the age of video games. It had attempted to broaden its appeal to the young female market; it had tried to become a lifestyle brand with its own lines of clothes and watches; it had built more theme parks. But in doing so it had neglected its core business.”

This is a fascinating story of a company that reinvented itself by going back to the core. With some incredible pictures from the inside, great stuff.

To quote a recent report of Trendwatching.com – let’s start with a definition:

“Consumers’ ingrained lust for instant gratification is being satisfied by a host of novel, important (offline and online) real-time products, services and experiences. Consumers are also feverishly contributing to the real-time content avalanche that’s building as we speak. As a result, expect your brand and company to have no choice but to finally mirror and join the ‘now’, in all its splendid chaos, realness and excitement.”

Call it nowism, instant gratification, realtime, … if there’s one apparent trend that came out of 2009 it’s this one. Can you find a way to integrate the core idea behind this into your consumer communication, you’ll definitely be a step ahead of your competitors.

Here’s a good presentation that tells a bit more about what realtime really means, good stuff.

Here’s a nice promotion our colleagues from the Antwerp office created for Alfa Romeo. During the Brussels Car Show they used their own ad space to give people a chance to put their current car for sale … so they can go buy an Alfa after obviously. Thanks Alfa.

Gosh. Would I love to see what we could do with this at the agency, out the current ‘review’ table – in the new one ;)

[Via my buddy Steve]

Same country (same city even), same campaign idea, different brand, different agencies… 10 days apart. Like I said, what are the odds? Do like the idea though :)

[Via adland.tv]

Wanted: experienced security personnel.

[Via @heldenmerk]

This is how the Urban Dictionary defines this: “(adj) something that is so baffling only goggles could understand”. I suppose that is how you got to think of Google Goggles, a mobile tool that allows you to take a picture of something to get instant search results based on the content of the picture. Sounds cool, check this out.

It did remind me of a Microsoft project I read & blogged about 3 years ago, a side project of Photosynth at that time. They talked about a very similar tool but don’t remember hearing from this after that.

Question to ask the Photosynth guys maybe? Or Steve, maybe you know (can find out)?

Really nice work from designer Jason Dean from Orlando, who designed this alphabet based on some of the most important brands identities of today. There are only 500 copies of this limited edition so be quick if you want one.

And? Did you do the test? How many brands could you name instantly?

[Via fubiz]

So you’re watching a movie, enjoying your night out at the movies, and then some nitwit in the audience projects the price tag onto the furniture in the scene you’re watching. WTF?

I find it hard to believe that this is true, but apparently it is. According to Buzzing Bees this is a campaign by DDB for IKEA which took place in cinemas in Berlin. The cinema visitors received IKEA catalogues when they left the theatre… so they could throw it back I suppose?

What do you think?