Gone are the days of selling a product or service simply by communicating it’s benefits / unique selling proposition. Brands need to work harder at connecting with new customers and building stronger relationships with existing customers.

Saatchi & Saatchi CEO Kevin Roberts talks about this in his book entitled “Lovemarks: The Future Beyond Brands“ in which he states that without some kind of emotional connection to a brand, the relationship will dry up like a generic raisin in the sun.

One of the oldest and most effective ways to communicate an idea is through telling a story. The online environment has evolved, and it’s the ideal place to take the user on a journey (that they can control) and weave a story around a brand or product.

A fantastic example of this is a new campaign for Dove. It’s called “Waking Up Hannah” and here’s a brief summary courtesy of Creativity-Online:

With “Waking Up Hannah,” visitors can choose from three storylines–Energize, Refresh and Cool Moisture–then watch the adventures of the title character as she recovers from a drunken night and gets ready for a blind date. Each of the narratives corresponds with different Dove deodorants and body washes. Within the interactive film experience, visitors can click on Hannah’s phone to view her pics and text messages, hear commentary and get Dove coupons. In fact, each scene offers four different views and there are seven different endings overall to Hannah’s day.

Additionally, you can send the film to friends, learn more about the products and participate in forum discussions.

It’s INSANE! A very girly example indeed, but a great one none the less. Even though this example happens to include a crazy amount of video and no doubt has a seriously large budget behind it, an online experience need not look like a big-budget movie in order to hinge around a story. All a website needs to do is take the user on a journey.

Our objective as people creating online experiences for brands should always be to MAXIMISE the length of time users spend interacting with the brand. So next time you have the opportunity to create something truly amazing, think about how you can weave a story into the experience. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised at the results.

Man, there is a serious overload of super-hot work being produced at the moment. There’s an abundance of inspiration out there for anyone involved in interactive design - so no more excuses for producing mediocre work!

Here’s just a handful of the amazing stuff I came across today:

Let It Bleed: http://www.letitbleedbook.com/
Absolutely first class example of what can be achieved within the boundaries of a mostly HTML-based site.

Epsonality: http://epsonality.com/
This site just blew me away. Big Spaceship and BSSP really created something incredible here. And this isn’t just a big budget splurge on Epson’s part - this is a truly engaging experience for the user. I’m sold.

Red Issue: http://www.red-issue.com/
Beautiful and engaging website that allows you to browse by using mouse gestures. Why didn’t I think of that?!

Hope you enjoy! Let me know what you think.

I’m flabbergasted. The Eco Zoo (by McCann Erickson) is quite possibly the most amazing Papervision 3D website I’ve seen to date. Roxik (aka Masayuki Kido) is a Papervision 3D guru and he’s really broken the mold with this site.

To be honest, I’m not really sure what the site’s objective is. From what I can gather, the characters that live in the websites’ virtual zoo are meant to give you tips on living in a more eco-friendly way. Even though the website doesn’t seem to feature a strong call-to-action or a clear message, it’s just incredibly beautiful and engaging and entices you to explore.

There are so many intricate little details that one barely notices that all add up to form this amazing experience. The environment’s physics is insane - the falling leaves, the trees blowing in the wind, and not to mention the flag that you can actually pull and stretch and manipulate.

And please, oh please don’t forget to check out the Pop-Up Book… INSANE!

Ladies and gentlemen - the digital landscape is changing rapidly. The sky is really the limit … isn’t it exciting!?!

One of the biggest challenges a designer faces if simplifying the complex… creating order out of chaos. It’s our job to present data in an effective, visually elegant manner. More often than not, this can be accomplished with conventional methods of displaying data - paragraphs, tables, pie charts and the like, but from time to nature of the problem calls for a solution that’s far more creative and interesting. Add Flash to the mix, and throw in some Papervision 3D and you get Spectra Visual Newsreader.

It’s essentially an online RSS feed reader created by MSNBC.com in order to present masses of content in an interesting and engaging way. It allows the user select news channels grouped in categories and sub-categories, and then displays the headlines in a 3d space that can be explored.

As awesome as Spectra is, there method of displaying this data is one possible solution to the problem of presenting headlines in an innovative, non-linear way. The field of Data Visualization fascinates me, because the options are really limitless.

Here are a few links to get the juices flowing:

• Smashing Magazine’s article ~ Data Visualization: Modern Approaches
• Digg Labs
• Visual Complexity

An agency that never ceases to amaze me is Goodby, Silverstein and Partners. Their ideas are groundbreaking, and their work is top-notch - definitely a company who’s work I check out regularly for inspiration.

Since 1993 they have been working with the California Milk Processor Board, and were responsible for developing the Got Milk? slogan, credited with putting life back into milk sales after a 20 year slump.

They’ve done some incredible work over the years, from print to TV to direct, but the stuff that really blows me away is the interactive work. Over the last few years they have produced a number of award winning digital campaigns that really set the benchmark in terms of (a) generating outstanding ideas for marketing a relatively bland product, and (b) pushing the medium (and the budgets by the looks of things). I could talk about each one of their amazing campaigns for hours, but I thought it would be good to give a short(ish) overview of their most recent online work… so here goes:

Cow Abduction & Brittlactica

In 1996 they launched a website entitled Cow Abduction that details the mysterious disappearance of countless bovines going missing from dairy farms across the globe. The site includes a whole host of features like eye witness accounts, photos of farmers’ messages to aliens, and even a catalogue of products like decoy cows, UFO traps and ‘Cowoflauge’. Watch the eye witness accounts, and prepare to laugh your ass off.

At the same time, another site launched - Planet In Need. The website centers around a planet called Brittlactica, whose citizens suffer from a range of ailments and who live in regions like ‘Insomniastan’, ‘PMStonia’, ‘Papau Hairthinny’, and ‘Cavitopia’. In a recent visit to Earth, they stumbled upon a ‘miracle elixer’ that fixes all their problems. Genius.

Get The Glass

In 1997 they launched a beautifully executed 3D board game called ‘Get The Glass’ that centered around the Adachi family who are afflicted with a genetic condition. They also happen to be thieves…. on a mission to do whatever it takes to steal a glass of milk located in ‘Fort Fridge’. The board game features a number of micro arcade-style games to keep the user entertained - just try and avoid landing in ‘Milkatraz’. Be sure to check out the case study on Goodby’s website.

White Gold is White Gold

Their latest campaign (2008) focuses on a musician (glam-rocker) called White Gold (and his two band mates, ‘The Calcium Twins’) who rates milk above any other white substance. The site features White Gold in all his milk-tastical glory, and allows the user to explore the White Gold world, unlocking various widgets and freebies along the way. As always, the campaign is complimented with a strong presence on Facebook, Myspace, Youtube and even iTunes. Serious follow-through.

The Latest: Got Milk? Brand Site

A few weeks ago, a brand new mother site launched - Got Milk?. It features a stack of games and quirky characters highlighting the many benefits of drinking the beverage, for example testing your milk IQ or head-butting milk cartons. The site is highly engaging and interactive, and is bound to keep you entertained for quite some time.

I can’t wait to see what Goodby will come up with in 2009.

I’m a big believer in reading motivational books. Sadly, there seems to be a stigma attached to books of this nature… Some proclaim that so-called “self-help” books only exist for those who can’t self-motivate or those who refuse to help themselves. What absolute rubbish!

I believe we’re all prone to negative emotions from time to time - feelings of complacency, stagnation, stress, melancholy, depression, etc. How we choose to deal with these emotions defines our character and sets us apart.

From my experience, regular reading of motivational books help me stay positive, and keeps me focused and conscious of (a) who I am, (b) who I want to be, and (c) where I’m heading. I’ve also found that I’m better equipped to recognize and deal with negative emotions early on. So without further a due, here’s my top 10 list of the best (personal and business) motivational reads:

1. Eugene Peterson - The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language
2. Tom Peters - Reimagine!: Business Excellence in a Disruptive Age
3. Robin Sharma - The Greatness Guide
4. Paul Arden - It’s Not How Good You Are, Its How Good You Want to Be
5. Seth Godin - The Dip: A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit (and When to Stick)
6. Robin Sharma - The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari
7. Henry Cloud - Integrity: The Courage to Meet the Demands of Reality
8. Seth Godin - Small Is the New Big
9. Randy Pausch - The Last Lecture
10. Eckhart Tolle - A New Earth

So what would be on your list?