Honda Promotes N-ONE with a Smartphone Case Featuring Airbags

Honda Smartphone Case N

I’ve owned some form of mobile phone for almost 12 years now, and despite that length of experience I still drop the damn thing at least once a day. Thankfully I’ve avoided any serious damage to the phone thanks to a $20 plastic case.

To promote the Honda N-WGN — a light automobile produced specifically for the Japanese market — engineers at the car maker (apparently with lots of free time on their hands) have created the ultimate safe smartphone case. The (apparently) working, yet bulky prototype deploys a series of airbags when dropped.

According to the video, an accelerator detects when the smartphone is falling, and within 0.2 seconds gas is released from a C02 cartridge inflating the 6 airbags contained within the case.

Last year, Honda created a 1:1 cardboard model of the N-ONE that dedicated fans could download, print and assemble.

[via Gizmag]

Japan

Carrie Stunt Scares Crap Out of NYC Coffee Shop Customers

Carrie - Coffee Shop Telekinesis Stunt

Brian De Palma’s 1976 adaption of Stephen King’s Carrie gave me nightmares for years. In the movie Sissy Spacek plays the title role as the awkward teenager who uses her telekinetic power to takes revenge on her high school classmates (including a young John Travolta) after a horrific prom night prank.

37 years after the original, and 11 years after a 2002 TV movie remake, we’re back with Chloe Grace Moretz taking over the role of Carrie White.

To promote the movie, an elaborate stunt was set up and filmed at a cafe in New York City’s West Village. A special effects team set up false walls, tables that moved by remote control, and books that appeared to fly off the bookshelf. A team of actors were in place to react in horror as a young woman with special powers reacts badly to a spilled coffee.

[via Laughing Squid]

USA

100 Year-Old Australian Pub Shuts Off the Beer in Schweppes Cocktail Revolution Stunt

Schweppes - A Pub with no Beer

The Old Hepburn Hotel in Hepburn Springs, Victoria, Australia has been serving up beers for thirsty locals since for over a hundred years. However, one thing it is not known for is it’s fancy cocktails. As part of Schweppes Australia’s ongoing Cocktail Revolution campaign, agency GPY&R Melbourne convinced the pub’s owners to shut off the beer taps for one day.

The first video features the genuinely funny reactions (oh god, please let this be unscripted) of the pub’s regular patrons. Would the locals accept tiny umbrellas in their drinks, or would the Dooleys face their thirsty wrath.

Watch the results in the clip below.

[via mUmBRELLA]

Australia

Body Waxing Bar Takes Coupon Rip-Off Campaign to the Streets of Toronto

Fuzz Wax Bar - Street Rip-off

During the recent Pride Week festivities in Toronto, a Fuzz Wax Bar promotion proved to be real “rip-off”. Wax strips that doubled as coupons (with directions to the salon) were attached to the still-hairy (for the moment) bodies of a very brave male model. People passing by were invited to then “rip-off” one of the coupons for a 25 discount on their next waxing.

As seen in the video, the waxing strips are colour-coded based on the sensitivity of their location on the body.

Watching the clip brought back memories of watching Steve Carell’s famous chest-waxing scene in the 40-Year-Old Virgin. Unlike Carell’s movie character, the coupon-covered male model doesn’t resort to random obscenities or invoking the name of Kelly Clarkson.

The campaign was created and executed by Toronto’s Lowe Roche.

[via Media in Canada]

Canada

Molson Creates Beer Fridge That Can Only Be Opened With Canadian Passport

Molson Canadian - Beer Fridge Opens by Canadian Passport

Just in time for Canada Day, we have a new ad for Molson Canadian, but it has me thinking that someone’s been watching too many Coca-Cola Happiness Machine videos. However, a fridge full of cold beer has far more potential to spread happiness as far a I am concerned.

The ad created by Rethink, features a beer fridge created by London(UK)-based effects company Artem. The bright red fridge was left at random spots in France, Belgium and the UK, and could only be opened by scanning a Canadian passport.

Thankfully for the thirsty locals, a Canadian tourist is quickly located nearby. Their passport scanned and cold bottles of Molson Canadian is distributed for all to enjoy.

Building The Beer Fridge

[via Globe & Mail]

Canada

World Vision Canada’s Hard-Hitting Campaign Against Child Slavery

World Vision Canada - No Child for Sale

At first, I didn’t quite no what I was seeing as I looked up from what I was doing. On the TV I saw a small child being advertised for sale on what looked like a shopping channel.

By the time I had found the remote and turned on the sound, the logo for World Vision Canada appeared and what I was seeing began to make some sense. What doesn’t make sense is the daunting statistic that every year over 1.2 million children around the world are sold into slavery. Find out more about child slavery and how you can help at nochildforsale.ca.

The campaign came to life with a stunt executed at Pam Chorley’s Fashion Crimes in Toronto and at Vancouver’s Crocodile Baby. Word of a secret sale brought people and press to the sidewalk in front of both stores, where paper covering the windows was removed to reveal a shocking display of child actors portraying child labourers sewing and breaking bricks.

The media and creative come from KBS+P Canada Toronto-based Real Interactive.

No Child Should Ever Be For Sale TV Campaign

The Making of ‘No Child Should Ever Be For Sale’

[via Creative Criminals]

Canada

MINI Mexico Shocks Women With Bathroom Airbag Stunt

MINI Mexico - Makeup Crash Stunt

The stakes keep rising in the competition to attract people’s attention online. Agencies around the world continue to release videos featuring (supposedly) unsuspecting people reacting to elaborately orchestrated pranks.

In this example created by Publicis for MINI Mexico, they hope to raise awareness of the danger of distracted drivers, particularly among women who apply makeup while driving. Women who stopped to freshen their makeup, screamed in shock when an airbag exploded out of the specially rigged soap dispenser.

The clip attempts to make a tenuous connection between data like “6 out of 10 women wouldn’t dream of going to work without makeup” and “1 out of 4 believe that not wearing makeup could cost them a promotion” to make the conclusion that that is why some women apply makeup while driving. Or maybe it’s not such a far-fetched thought, as a 2009 UK study found that more than 1 in 5 women drivers admitted to having applied cosmetics while driving.

[via Design Taxi]

Mexico

Talisker Whisky Storms London With Harsh Weather Installation

Talisker Whisky Interactive Storm

Coming from the east coast of Canada I grew up with unpredictable weather. I’m sure most people who grow up near the ocean are familiar with the expression, “If you don’t like the weather, wait 10 minutes.” The Isle of Skye, located on the northwest coast of Scotland is certainly one of those environments whose weather is at the influence and whim of the sea.

The only distiller to call the Isle of Sky home is Talisker. At the beginning of this year the distillery introduced a bold new whisky dubbed Talisker Storm. To celebrate it’s launch the brand along with Vivid Design Works created a 25 foot tall interactive storm installation, bringing dark clouds, high wind and driving rain to the area outside the Design Museum in London.

People passing by were handed a raincoat and umbrella, and for those who managed to brave the weather a well-deserved glass of Talisker Storm was waiting.

[via Branding Magazine]

UK

Renault Spices Up Clio Test Drives with the Va Va Voom Button

Renault Clio - Va Va Voom Button

A standard test-drive is a pretty ho-hum affair, you’re handed the keys (you may sign a release), and with under the watchful eyes of the sales person, you take a car for a controlled spin around the block.

To demonstrate the excitement of the redesigned Renault Clio, unsuspecting test-drivers were asked to press the “Va Va Voom” button located on the entertainment console in the middle of the car’s dashboard. Once the button has been pressed, the area around the car is transformed into Paris street corner, including a backdrop of the Eiffel tower, actors posing as reunited lovers, cafe customers, street vendors, musicians and (depending on the driver’s gender) a group of shirtless guys or sexy can-can dancers. Did I mention the free baguettes?

The stunt was created by Manning Gottlieb OMD and Scorch London and distributed by Unruly Media.

Two Unsuspecting Girls Take The New Renault Clio For A Test Drive

Two Unsuspecting Guys Take The New Renault Clio For A Test Drive

[via Car Scoop]

UK

Squad of LED-Carrying Quadrocopters Create Star Trek Logo in London Sky

Paramount Star Trek Into Darkness Quadrocopters

On Saturday night Paramount Pictures in cooperation with the WWF marked the beginning and end of Earth Hour by displaying a massive Star Trek Academy in the London sky near Tower Bridge.

The 380 foot tall logo was created by the Ars Electronica Futurelab and Ascending Technologies using 30 LED-carrying quadrocopters (or 29, as two collide at 1:20 of the clip below, leaving one falling from the sky) powered by batteries charged in Austria using green energy.

Check out the Ars Electronica blog post ‘Spaxels in London‘ for an in-depth look at the challenging setup of the project.

[via Wired UK]

UK