vivian@merdock

PSFK Good Ideas in Media

vivianatmerdock — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 20:19:34 +0000

Here is a good discussion on how to build brands in the days of social media.

Luscious Lobster

vivianatmerdock — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 13:08:57 +0000

Here is a Luscious Lobster campaign that I directed to promote lobster a few years back. Since it is lobster season in Prince Edward Island now, I thought that I would feature it again and make you all hungry for lobster. Here are a few of the photos. Each photo took 5-6 hours to set up. The large shot became the cover shot for the brochure which was produced in 7 languages: English, French, Italian, Spanish, Korean, Mandarin and Japanese. We also developed recipe booklets and posters and the campaign was featured in seafood shows in Europe, US and Asia.

Portraits of Famous People as Children

vivianatmerdock — Tue, 26 May 2009 15:58:25 +0000

Edith Piaf as a child

I recently discovered Louis Boudreault in Iles de la Madeleine a la Cafe de la Grave. I recognized his work, as I had seen it once previously in a gallery in the Westmount area of Montreal. Boudreault uses a mixture of painting and drawing to recreate people like Andy Warhol, Edith Piaf, John F. Kennedy and Einstein as children. It is interesting to see the innocence and wonder in their eyes, knowing the impact they would later have on our lives. Here is a link that features some of his works:

Manatee Bay goes to the Movies

vivianatmerdock — Thu, 07 May 2009 22:00:42 +0000

Movies at the Siamese Theater

I am currently working with a team to produce a 3D social networking world. It is getting very close to launch, and it gets more exciting every day as the final touches go into the world. Today, we had our first movie running at the Siamese Theater inspired by the famous Grauman’s Chinese Theater in Los Angeles. I love it.

The first movie feature is Little House of Horrors with the flickering and all. We will be streaming classic B movies upon launch, so you can enjoy watching movies within the world and chatting about them with your friends. More info at http://www.cityofsinnersandsaintsblog.com.

Sneaky Moves of Smart Phone People

vivianatmerdock — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 18:13:29 +0000

Keeping it Real in Online Communities

vivianatmerdock — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 13:05:36 +0000

I read a report yesterday on virtual worlds and found an interesting point. They challenged the concept of “virtual” worlds.

Clay Shirky from his book, Here Comes Everybody writes, “The experience of a 25 year old is one of substantial overlap between online and offline friends and colleagues. The overlap is so great that both the word and concept of cyberspace have fallen into disuse.”

The report goes on to say that online interactions on “virtual worlds” are digital but are definitely real. “Digital natives”, meaning those who grew up with the internet, move easily between online and offline environments.

On the other hand, “Digital immigrants” which are those who came to the internet later have more difficulty understanding the point of using an avatar and are trying to make a distinction from what is real and virtual. But acquaintances made on the internet are as real as those we connect with by telephone. Online does not replace offline interactions but rather complements them.

Avatars are merely an online representation of ourselves, and we customize them as we would our own selves with wardrobes reflecting a desire to express who we are. Avatars allow us to curate our online personalities beyond static web presence and experience the net beyond point and click.

Reference: From Virtual Worlds to the 3D Web, Online Communities in China, Asia and the World, a EU-China Information Society Project.

City of Sinners & Saints

vivianatmerdock — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 19:55:56 +0000

Here is the link to a virtual world that I am working on with Telos International Inc. It will launch in June this year. It is a 3D social network where you can play casual games and shop online.

www.cityofsinnersandsaintsblog.com

You can follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/sinnerssaints

PSFK New York Conference

vivianatmerdock — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 17:26:52 +0000

This year’s PSFK Conference New York is on April 2nd at the Jewish Heritage Center in Battery Park. I went last year and although it was only one day, it was a connection hub of trends and ideas. Many of the trends I was not aware of, as I was new to PSFK, but over the year, I saw many of these ideas that we spoke about take hold. This year’s conference will be set within more challenging times, so the creative ideas should offer even more poignancy and immediacy with pressure for authenticity.

http://www.psfk.com/2009/02/announcing-psfk-conference-new-york-2009.html

And to bring you up to speed, here are all the videos online from previous conferences. http://www.psfk.com/2009/01/every-single-psfk-conference-video-now-online.html

Steve Rubel’s Take on Digital Trends

vivianatmerdock — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 15:57:11 +0000

http://steverubel.typepad.com/files/edelmandigitaltrends0109.pdf

Recession or Re-order

vivianatmerdock — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 16:36:07 +0000

I like this kind of thinking. We tend to focus on what is failing in our economy, but this article from Piers Fawkes makes us focus on how our economy is being re-ordered. Behaviors are changing rapidly and it is driven by our digital behavior and our rethinking of consumerism. Throw an economic crisis into the mix, and the whole thing speeds up. The companies that get it are thriving. To use a sports analogy, see where the ball is going, not where it is now.

http://http://www.psfk.com/2008/12/recession-or-reorder.html