Monday 22 October 2007

Introducing the Giant Argos Cookie Jar Web Viral...


I am fascintated by the power of the internet as a way of communicating. I love the way that information shoots across global networks. Serious news, for sure, but the really silly stuff too. YouTube has been a constant source of entertainment over the last year and a half. Can you remember your first faddy, YT moment? I can. It was that video clip that did the rounds called "Evolution of Dance" of the chap dancing to a 'Stars on 45' type mix of classic pop from yesteryear. It is still hilarious in a weird kind of ploddy, geeky way and I heard the other day it is the most watched video on YT - 61,780,947 views and rising.

It was great to be asked by Meteorite, a direct marketing company, to produce a web viral for their client Argos. It came online on Friday (19th October 2007). Meteorite (http://www.meteorite.co.uk/) had this idea to create a giant cookie jar which would be filled by 5 storeman with tons of Argos stuff. The public are invited to guess how many items are in the jar and also get a chance to see the film of how we filled it. Intrigued? This is what the Xube team (http://www.xube.co.uk/) came up with:

1. The YouTube version - http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Rpybk5tL5QM

2. The Argos version - http://www.giantjar.co.uk/
Click on "Behind the scenes" button on the top menu bar and then click on "The Making of".

3. Another version - http://visit4info.com/details.cfm?adid=51293
This is a site for the advertising industry where you can see the viral as a "Full Screen Version".

Making the film was great fun. It was all filmed in one day. My colleague and I, director Jeremy Henderson, knew we had to fill the jar by 5pm at the very latest. This was a tight deadline with so many items. I thought we were going to get through the whole day without any breakages and then I went snapped a fishing rod into my arm whilst trying to reposition it behind the giant plasma screen. Could have been nasty but it was only a scratch as they say in the movies.

Go on enter the competition! A prize of £10,000 worth of Argos goods - who can say fairer than that. I certainly won't give away how many items there are in the jar (but there are more than 10).

Creative London - E2 is where it's at

The Soho House people have set up in East London. They’ve got a five-storey block on Ebor Street [E1] and have called it Shoreditch House. I believe it has an infinity pool on its rooftop terrace. The manager of The Old Truman Brewery on Brick Lane [E1] tells me all units are full...

http://www.uel.ac.uk/risingeast/currentissue/journalism/woolfenden.htm