Smart brands today
recognize the power of BRANDED UTILITY - giving consumers something they
actually need without demanding an immediate return. Branded utility is about
creating something that people need. Something that makes their life
better, easier, or more efficient - any gadget, wearable, widget, app, or gizmo
that the consumer believes extends real, tangible, value (and seamlessly
integrates into existing platforms.)
This shift is largely
because, for the same budget and energy as we expend on current forms of
advertising, we could be making something more tangible, useful, relevant, and
reusable that plays a far more integral part in the consumer's life.
1.
Stiegl Beer - Free
public transportation ticket on beer bottles
2.
Vodafone
– Pocket Power – clothes that charge smartphone
3.
Scrabble – Scrabble
sponsored gamified (solve word puzzle) free WiFi
4.
IBM Smart outdoor advertising (curved
billboards/poster doubles as seat, ramp, awning)
5.
Brazilian Blood Bank “Donor Cable” donates
smartphone battery charge to a friend
6.
Audi
Start-Stop app – uses the same start-stop energy saving principle in
Audi cars to save battery life
7.
KLM
Your Must-See Map
– personalized travel map with friends tips
8.
Babolat Play +
Connect – a connected racquet that tracks technique and performance
9.
Nike Golf 360 – Nike+ for
golfers, score rounds, track stats, compete with friends
10.
Getty Images Watermark
Projects – not just the logo on previews, but useful image information
11.
Ray Ban -
Bright Light (Concept) – geo-locational app to find sunny spots in your city
12.
Starbucks
Early Bird (concept) alarm app that rewards early risers with coffee discounts
13.
Adidas
Runbase – branded showers and lockers near Tokyo subways stations
14.
KLM Meet and
Seat - stalk people on Facebook and grab a seat next to them on a
flight (perhaps not)
15.
Sherwin-Williams
ColorSnap – app that produces paint palettes based on photos (Adobe Kuler for interior
design)
16.
Clorox Glad
– Trash Smart – app from trash bag brand that locates nearest recycling centres
17.
Kodak Picture
Spot – real world signs showing photo opportunities (could an AR
version of this have saved Kodak?)
18.
Betty Crocker TV – YouTube
recipe channel
19.
Delta
Bag Tracker – Fedex style tracking of your luggage
20.
Kalles Kaviar
Egg Timer app - scan egg for info (provenance, metrics) and perfect cooking
instructions
21.
Adidas
miCoach – personal training app from Adidas
22.
Asics Marathoner app –
personalized messages from supporters on billboards throughout course –
triggered by RFID
23.
IKEA pop-up nap station –
sleep pods for weary drivers on the autoroute - featuring IKEA beds
24.
Jimmy Fairly
– French glasses brand take on TOM’s (buy one, give one)
25.
AT&T phone charging
lockerbox
26.
Google wedding planner –
uses Google tools to plan, budget, share a wedding
27.
Google person finder –
used after Japan quake in 2011, helps people reconnect with friends and
loved ones in the aftermath of natural and humanitarian disasters
28.
Nestlé
Dessert – Chocolate recipe idea app
29.
Maruti Suzuki – Indian
Suzuki car brand hosts second-hand buy/sell/exchange site
30.
MUJI productivity apps – branded calendar,
notebook and travel apps
31.
Google Teach Parents Tech
– helping children tech-educate parents
32.
Broke Bike
Alley – bike shop metal business card that works as a bike spanner
33.
Diageo – cocktail recipe site featuring Diageo
brands
34.
Nike+ – iOS running app, track performance
and compete with friends
35.
Toms - buy-one-give-one pioneer – shoes
and glasses
36.
Virgin Atlantic taxi2 – app links up people to
share cab from an airport
37.
Nestlé
– Devenir maman – pregnancy guide app
38.
Puma - clever little
bag, replacing bulky shoe boxes with bags
39.
Mini – roadside assistance
app for Mini owners
40.
Kodak share button –
didn’t save it from bankruptcy, but Kodak's 'share button' cameras was smart.
41.
Charmin -Looking for public restrooms when
you are out and about? Search, view, rate, and add bathrooms.
42.
Johnson & Johnson -
Bedtime baby sleep app.
[ via Digital Intelligence Today ]
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Goodbuzz is a digital
agency based in Toronto, Canada. We help brands create and capture value
from emerging trends in technology, society and the workplace. We prototype the
future - and believe the best way to predict it - is to create it. Follow
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