Volkswagen Surprises Pedestrians with a Beat Boxing Electric Vehicle

Volkswagen E-Up Beatbox

Over the years we’ve become accustomed to sound of traditional gas-powered vehicles, but electric vehicles run relatively silent at low speeds making them a potential danger to blind or the disabled. Earlier this year the US government required that all EVs produce some kind of sound until they reach 17 mph. Exactly what those sounds will end up being has been open to debate and creative thinking.

Interactive agency DDB Tribal used the silent-running Volkswagen E-Up to demonstrate one creative solution involving vocalist and beatbox artist Fatih Sahin.

[via Car Scoops]

Sweden

‘You’ll Never Wear that Again’ App Searches Your Old Facebook Pics for Clothes to Donate

Stockholm Stadmission

To help encourage people to donate second-hand clothing to Stockholm’s Stadmission (City Mission), DDB Stockholm created “You’ll never wear that again“, a Facebook app that searches for older photos in your Facebook albums for items that you probably don’t wear anymore.

Select 9 pictures that show you wearing something that you no longer use and save them to a gallery to share with your Facebook friends. The app then shows where you can go to drop off your extra clothing items, and give them a new life.

Sweden

Swedish Family Exchanges Peaceful Sleep Spots in IKEA ‘Night Walkers’ Ad

IKEA Night Walkers

IKEA’s newest ad features a Swedish family that just wants to get a few minutes of peaceful sleep… and some personal space.

Whether it’s dad waking up in the car, mom in the bathtub, or the family dog in the kid’s bed, everyone has colorful, fresh IKEA sheets, pillows and comforters to keep them warm.

It’s too bad IKEA didn’t make pants.

The ‘Night Walkers’ ad is Stockholm-based agency Akestam Holst’s first work for the iconic Swedish brand. The spot was directed by Jesper Ericstam for Social Club.

[via AdWeek]

Sweden

Swedish Insurance Company Celebrates Customer with Skydiving Cat Tribute

Folksam - Skydiving Cats

For the past few years, Folksam, a Swedish insurance company, has leveraged their Emotional Barometer application to gauge the sentiment of their policyholders and countrymen. Through a series of 20 question type activities the application creates visualizations that show what activities and opinions the Swedish people are passionate about.

A new series of ads have been created to celebrate the passions shared by it’s customers, including Eva Leijonmark who is passionate about her cat Tiger. Folksam and their ad agency Akestam Holst are celebrating Eva and Tiger by creating an ad showing a group of skydiving cats that join together to spell out her name in the sky. All to the tune of R.Kelly’s ‘I Believe I Can Fly’.

While I’m sure no cats were harmed in the making of this green-screened production, I can only imagine the damage done to the production people who dressed the cats in their little skydiving outfits.

[via Daily Picks and Flicks]

Sweden

Swedish Armed Forces Showcase Their Work With Real World Likes

Swedish Armed Forces - a Real Like“Welcome to our reality”, is a new recruitment campaign from the Swedish Armed Forces that hopes to lure from behind their computer to discover and ‘Like’ the valuable work the Forces are involved with everyday.

Real-world ‘Like’ installations have been set up throughout Sweden at the locations where the Armed Forces have made a real difference, including forest fire fighting, oil spill cleanups, dam building, and of course, guard duties at the Royal Palace of Stockholm. The button on the installation not only captured a ‘Like’ but also an image of the person pressing it. The images are included are posted to the website, and are sorted by date and location.

The campaign was created by DDB Stockholm. The agency also produced the innovative ‘Who Cares‘ campaign earlier this year.

[via Swedish Ad Beat]

Sweden

Slackline Superstar Faith Dickey ‘Walks the Line’ Between Two Speeding Volvo Trucks

Volvo FH trucks - Slackliner

The first thing I did after nearly having a heart attack watching this stunt was to followup on the differences between the different types of tightrope walking. Tightwire is when the wire (or line) is tensioned between two points (Nik Walenda crossed Niagara Falls last month on a highwaire, essentially a tight wire suspended high above the ground), while slackline relies on the tension created by the person performing the act.

World-record holder Faith Dickey is one the best slackliners in the world, and on a deserted highway in Vrgorac, Croatia Faith demonstrated just why she is the best. In the video Faith ‘walks the line’ (with a short safety line) suspended between two speeding Volvo FH trucks. She has to complete the walk before the trucks reach two separate tunnels or… well there’s going to be some Wile E. Coyote-esque trouble. After nearly falling in the first few seconds, she manages to crawl back up

The stunt was conceived by Swedish ad agency Forsman & Bodenfors, and directed by Henry Alex Rubin (Murderball).

[via Complex Rides]

Sweden

Volkswagen Sweden Promotes 2012 Beetle Turbo With Real Bug Racing

Volkswagen Bug RunIt’s Pistol Pete and Retox Robert neck and neck coming into the final corner, but don’t look now folks here comes Shitty Bill!

No, that’s not the running commentary from an alternative Kentucky derby, but it could be how Jack and John call the final race of Volkswagen Sweden’s BugRun this Friday.

What’ the heck am I talking about? Well, to promote the 2012 Turbo Beetle, Volkswagen Sweden is hosting a series of races using Beetles. But, the racing won’t be done with cars, but with real live beetles.  The beetles used in the race are one of the most common species in the Swedish forests. They even have a full-time handler, Magnus Forsberg, who makes sure the bugs are comfortable and fed. After the completion of the final the beetles will be released exactly where they were found.

Each day 8 of the beetles will compete in qualifying rounds, with fastest bugs meeting in the final Friday.

Residents of Sweden and Denmark can even place a ‘real’ bet on their favorite bug using the popular betting site Bettson. Prizes for participants who score the most points by guessing winning bugs and their times include trips to Swedish Touring Car Races, an Arsenal game in London or a Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1.

The Bug Run was created by DDB Stockholm.

Sweden

 

IKEA Sleep ‘Expert’ Reveals the Seven Categories of Australian Sleepers

IKEA seven types of Australian sleepersIKEA Sleep Expert Alvar Kalsson (played by actor Matt Sterne) and his research team have traveled far to help identify the seven categories of sleepers in Australia. As Alvar explains, “Sleep is an important part of life, we spend nearly as much time sleeping as we do listening to ABBA“. (now ‘Dancing Queen is my head, damn you Kalsson!)

While I have never watched myself sleep, based on the condition of the bed in the morning I’ll classify myself as the ‘Virder och Vänder’ or Tosser and Turner. Watch the videos and figure out which type of sleeper you are. Or, better ask your bed mate, they may have a different opinion.

The seven categories are:

  • Starfish (Sjöstjärna)
  • Log (Stocken)
  • Black Belt (Svart Bälte)
  • Snuggler (Mysaren)
  • Hökey Pökey
  • Chatterbox (Pratkvarnen)
  • Tosser and Turner (Virder och Vänder)

Each category of sleeper is recommended a different type of IKEA bed that best suits their sleeping style.

The campaign was created by PR agency One Green Bean with production handled by DangerMouse Productions.

Australia

Are You Swedish-ish? VisitSweden Launches Tourism Campaign with Instagram Contest

Visit Sweden - StockholmVisitSweden has launched LiveSwedish, it’s 2012 campaign with a photo contest using Instagram, and wants people in the UK to take photos of themselves ‘living Swedish’ and consider Sweden as a possible travel destination.

Participants are asked to upload their photos to Instagram with one of campaign hashtags: #LiveStockholm, #LiveSkane or #LiveGothenburg. The three LiveSwedish curators will select the image that best captures the essence of their location. The winning photographer will win a week’s trip to experience the real Sweden.

The curators, from Stockholm, Gothenberg and the Skåne region will take turns for a month curating content on the VisitSweden Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Tumblr accounts.

The “LiveSwedish‘ campaign was created by London agency glue Isobar.

Lufthansa’s Anywake App Gives Sleepy Swedes a Winter Wake-Up Call

Lufthansa Anywake AppIf there’s one thing those of us who live in northern countries can relate to it’s the struggle of waking up in the darkness of winter morning. I’m an admitted snooze button abuser, especially in the winter. Lufthansa released the Anywake app to make the dark mornings a bit brighter for sleepy Swedes by waking them up to the sounds of another city.

Anywake works like a normal smartphone alarm clock app; you set your waking time before you go to sleep and in the morning you’re woken up to the sounds of a randomly selected city.

If you can figure out which city it is within 60 seconds, you’ll win a discount on a Lufthansa flight to that destination. If you can’t solve the challenge, you’ll have to wait until the next day. But at least you’ll be wide awake and mildly frustrated, which is a great way to start the day.

Anywake was developed by DDB STockholm and is available free in the iPhone App Store and Android Market.