Sky announces partnership with Zeebox

Zeebox have received a nice chunk of investment from Sky in return for exclusive rights to use their technology for their suite of TV apps. This development is great for Zeebox and great for innovation in the TV/social space. Zeebox on its own is quite neat but it’s when you hook it up to your TV via your network and use it to control and enrich the TV experience that the potential becomes really exciting. The EPG (electronic programme guide) hasn’t moved on much with the times – what Zeebox does is make it social. Sky realise that well designed and useful apps that enrich the viewing experience can help give them the edge on the competition. It’s a blow for Virgin who have innovated with Tivo and but whose own TV accompaniment app isn’t very good. The Sky money will help Zeebox really develop their proposition both in the UK and abroad, positioning them well for the explosion of connected TV in the next couple of years. Great stuff.

LYNX REAL TIME NOVEL

LYNX is creating its very own graphic novel called 'Anarchy', the first to be crowdsourced entirely in real time. Fans will be able to submit suggestions to guide the action of the story and even end up being featured in the comic itself. The plot so far is that two experimental fragrances have been unleashed on the world and whatever happens next is up to ‘us’. The story will run through to the end of April and as you would expect from Lynx, the campaign will definitely be drawing excitement and controversy. Watch the campaign video here.

THE BIG IKEA SLEEPOVER

Inspired by a user generated idea and fuelled by an existing Facebook group with over 98,000 people, IKEA decided to give 100 of its Facebook fans the chance to have an actual sleepover at one of their stores. 'The Only Way Is Essex' star Sam Faiers joined the guests at the pyjama-only event at the IKEA Lakeside to enjoy midnight snacks, movies and a bedtime story reading. A nice example from a brand that's listening to what goes on 'behind the scenes' , have a look here.

ANTIDRUG TIMELINE

This very clever use of the Facebook Timeline from the Israel Anti Drugs Authority and McCann Digital caught our eye for its impact and simplicity.  The character’s Facebook profile shows a comparative of him through a year of drug use, leveraging the creative potential of the new Facebook layout with just a series of pictures. The campaign however goes against Facebook regulations concerning brands and fake user profiles, but there is no certainty that the profile will eventually be removed. In any case it is a very powerful message and makes a great use of the new simple feature. Check out the page here.

CHEVY ROUTE 66

Chevy is helping aspiring film makers to promote their videos and be featured within their next Super Bowl ad. To spread the word, they've also decided to hold a competition for the person who is able to share these films the most. The winners will be picked based on their sharing abilities with the top contestant winning a whopping $10,000. Chevy are taking user-generated content to a ‘media’ level by directly incentivising people to share content; will they be followed by other brands? Have a look and start sharing here.