PTC | THING EVENT
PTC makes software used to design complex objects, like cars. After carefully considering how they might address the future of objects, PTC made a series of acquisitions in foundational Augmented Reality and Internet of Things technology. THING EVENT was their first announcement about how they had integrated those technologies to create an almost magical way of seeing objects, their histories, how they are made, and how to repair them.
SMITH was asked to develop a film to open the THING EVENT conference. We used objects constructed from paper as a metaphor to communicate the magic of the technology—how it brings complex systems to an easily understood, human scale. As they saw the world that the film opened up, the clients realized that there were many other places and ways to tell this story. SMITH suggested social media components and then the floodgates opened, with large format posters and a 20 foot sculpture of a jet engine resulting from their requests.
This was all possible to do ‘on the fly’ because of SMITH’s process which involves hi-rez image capture and data acquisition. This makes downstream executions for virtually any platform, possible.
KELLOGG'S NYC
Can an ad be a restaurant? Last summer, Kellogg's worked with SMITH, Journee and Christina Tosi from Momofuku Milk Bar to create a cereal bar in Times Square and an icon to brand it. By rethinking how you might eat cereal, Kellogg's created a destination restaurant. To help it stand out in the future world of Times Square, Smith designed and built them a 7 foot sculpture which fills their front window. The sculpture represents what happens when you mix Kellogg's cereals and Christina Tosi's cereal creations - an explosion of bowls and spoons in ceramic and metal. Journee estimates that news around the restaurant garnered over a billion media impressions for the Kellogg's brand.
COBRA PUMA GOLF TECH VIDEOS
INTERCONTINENTAL HOTELS
InterContinental hotels has developed an online magazine and content hub in support of their broader “Live the InterContinental Life” campaign. The content hub features a series of podcasts highlighting different cities and connecting them to brand attributes like Worldliness, Fascination, and Empathy. SMITH was asked to explore ways of with making these podcasts stand out through film and animation.
We worked with illustrator Greg Betza to establish a subtle and sophisticated visual style for the animated pieces that would reflect InterContinental Hotel’s brand values and convey a sense of luxury and urbanity. Meanwhile, SMITH director and CD Niko Courtelis travelled to London and Beijing to shoot the films. The client loved the illustrations and ended up requesting versions for use in print and online advertising.
EXPEDIA DREAM POD
Virtual Reality has proven to be one of the most effective technologies in the treatment of depression and other psychological issues encountered by those enduring extended hospital stays. For children with many forms of cancer, however, the goggles normally used for VR journeys are not viable.
Expedia and 180LA presented SMITH with this conundrum. How to provide kids the valuable and exciting VR experience without the health risks associated with goggles. SMITH’s answer was The Dream Pod. A space age shell large enough for three people (including wheelchair) housing an internal technology platform that provides 360 degree immersive video. Kids can fly through the Grand Canyon or dive in the Great Barrier Reef in a germ free and non-equilibrium challenging environment.
CHIPOTLE CULTIVATE | AR APP
Chipotle was interested in bringing an augmented reality experience to their Cultivate festival series. SMITH was asked to explore what this AR experience could be, how it would fit into the festival experience and ways it could be extended to other brand activations. From early in the process SMITH highlighted the necessity of generosity with users. Because the app had to be downloaded to work, it would need to give enough back to the user to be worth the the time spent installing it. To that end, downloading the app enabled users to access festival wifi for free and gave them access to an augmented reality map. The living map displayed the user's current location and relevant data, like who was performing on the main stage and where the nearest bathrooms were located. Animations showing the current weather and bringing other aspects of the map to life added visual interest and the opportunity for delight. The map was initially designed to use a stamp as its anchor point, this ultimately proved unworkable and we switched to the event badge itself. The app included a camera that could "see" geolocated computer generated features—the goal here was to allow users to take selfies with graphic elements lifted from the map itself and share them over social media. Finally we examined how the app could work in Chipotle's store and with their packaging to continue to tell the brand story after the festival had ended.
WESTIN SLEEP WELL
This spring we were engaged to conduct a feasibility study on a large scale sustainability project for Westin Hotels through their agency, Venables. The goal of the project is to upcycle discarded sheets into pajamas for underprivileged children. We helped Westin and Venables understand the interlocking regulatory, narrative, and material performance issues that would drive the project. You can download the full report here: Westin Sleep Well. We are now working with Venables and Westin to execute this plan.
