Morning update: Morris the cat trials wearable tech; Virgin Media introduces the Sofa Bear
Morning everyone, from a wind and rain battered Sydney. Here’s what’s been happening overnight internationally.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Df1qxtJuUmw
AdWeek: Morris the cat of nine lives leaps into the future with wearable tech
Morris the Cat, whose 9Lives cat food ads from the ’70s and ’80s are all over YouTube, shakes off the cobwebs and joins the 21st century in the brand’s new campaign—becoming the first cat to wear goofy smart-cam glasses in “Cat’s Eye View,” a sort-of-ARG interactive experience from agency EVB.
There’s a video trailer, but the full experience is at 9lives.com/CatsEyeView, where a short introductory video that introduces Morris’s wearable technology and invites you to join him on a journey around the house.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKFhEsbeiEw
Creativity Online: Fresh from ditching its alien family, UK retailer Argos comes up with a new-style ad
U.K. retailer Argos is hoping to transform its image with this vibrant new TV commercial in which bursts of color and geometric patterns accompany the track “How You Like Me Now?” by The Heavy. The film, created by CHI & Partners and directed by Fleur and Manu via Caviar — in a style reminiscent of Target’s recent work — also features energetic breakdancers, skateboarders, BMX bikers and more.
Argos has traditionally been known for its low prices and low-overhead retailing format. Its last campaign, also through CHI & Partners, featured a family of aliens.
Campaign Live: Virgin Media has created a lazy sofa bear to advertise its TV and movie packages
Virgin Media introduces the sofa bear as a means to show off its TV series and movie packages in a new campaign. Bartle Bogle Hegarty created the spot, in which Ed the sofa bear watches The Wolf Of Wall Street as his flatmate tidies around him.
The Guardian: Twitter and Groupe BPCE to offer payment service
Twitter is to team up with one of France’s biggest banks to allow customers to transfer money via tweets.
The move by Groupe BPCE, France’s second largest bank, by customers, coincides with Twitter’s own push into the world of online payments as the social network seeks new sources of revenue beyond advertising.
Twitter is racing other tech giants Apple and Facebook to get a foothold in new payment services for mobile phones or apps. They are collaborating and, in some cases, competing with banks and credit card issuers that have run the business for decades.
