Morning Update: Zoolander’s ‘epic’ ads; The Independent to close?; NASA’s retro poster campaign; Google building standalone VR
AdWeek: Derek Zoolander Spoofs ‘The More You Know’ PSAs for NBCUniversal
Zoolander 2 might not be much of a movie—the upcoming Ben Stiller comedy has been “critically savaged” -but the movie’s marketing campaign has been epic.
In its latest masterstroke, Paramount Pictures has teamed up with NBCUniversal for a multi-platform, cross-portfolio series of PSAs parodying NBC’s ‘The More You Know’ campaign. In the series of spots, called The Outside Matters, Stiller’s male model character, Derek Zoolander, will tackle society’s most serious issues, like the importance of outer beauty.
The Guardian: The Independent ceasing to print would be the death of a medium, not of a message
If The Independent is about to cease appearing as a printed newspaper, as is mooted, we should be sad, but we also need to get used to that feeling, for sooner rather than later they will all go. No one can say in what order it will happen, but it will happen to the most venerable titles, even to the top-selling Sun and Mail.
Trace the downward curves of print sales over the past couple of decades and then extend those lines into the future: you will find they all hit zero at some point in the next 25 years or so – and of course they will have to cease publication long before that zero moment comes.
Creativity Online: NASA’s Gorgeous Retro Posters Show Space Travel Isn’t As Far Out As You Think
Promoting trips to Jupiter, Mars and beyond, these gorgeous retro travel posters would fit perfectly into displays at Disney’s Tomorrowland, but they’re closer to reality than you think. Following a cool series from last year highlighting trips to distant worlds, NASA and its Jet Propulsion Laboratories just released a new set of “space tourism” posters, which imagine the ever more real possibility of travel to planets not so way out there.
The images pitch trips such as a grand tour to Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune, and jaunts to the ‘historic site’ of Mars or planetary moons like Titan, Enceladus or Europa.
The Verge: Google reportedly building a completely stand-alone virtual reality headset
On Sunday, it was reported that Google is working on a new VR headset that’s far more advanced than Cardboard and closer to Samsung’s Gear VR. But Google’s upcoming virtual reality plans are in fact even bigger than that, according to The Wall Street Journal. The company is said to be working on a stand-alone VR product — one that wouldn’t need to be tethered to a smartphone or PC to function.
The unannounced device “will include a screen, high-powered processors and outward-facing cameras” according to the Journal’s sources. It is being designed to provide a “middle ground” experience; so while it may not be as powerful or capable as the Oculus or HTC Vive, it’ll offer the convenience of untethered operation.
Ad Age: AT&T Taps Fullscreen Influencers for Year-Long Mobile Video Campaign
AT&T is going to prioritise mobile video in 2016 as it looks to reach a younger audience.
The company is working with Fullscreen to create Hello Lab, a yearlong project featuring 10 digital and social influencers that will result in new video series as well as podcasts, concerts, meet-ups and giveaways.
These pieces of content will have a distinct emphasis on mobile – the influencers themselves will be creating their content by using their phones as mobile production studios.
Dentsu Aegis Network has appointed Shuntaro Tanaka, a Dentsu long-timer who has worked for the company since 1997, to lead its regional content offering, The Story Lab.
Tanaka, who is well known in the business for bringing popular Japanese TV format Ninja Warrior to markets in Southeast Asia and Europe, leaves his role as COO of Dentsu Media Vietnam and head of The Story Lab Southeast Asia and moves up to APAC president of the content operation.
