Virgin Mobile wants to retrain your brain with Blinkwashing

Generally I’m not usually a fan of any campaign that requires people to use a webcam. But I have to say that Blinkwashing from Virgin is the exception. Take a look at the ad for yourself.

The webcam setup is quick and easy.  The video starts off with a pretty straightforward introduction about Virgin Mobile’s new plan.  The host explains that it’s not your fault for not switching to Virgin mobile, but in fact it’s your brain’s fault because not many people know enough about Virgin Mobile to trust the company enough to make the switch. By this time most people need to blink, and that’s when it starts to get pretty trippy.

This is where the blinkwashing kicks in.  It’s an evolution of the “Retrain your brain” campaign that ran previously.  Each time the user blinks, the scene changes randomly (there are 25 scenes in total).  Here are just a couple :

Voice of the man in the mirror -Bedtime story -

Girl burying body
The fact that so many viewers are happy to watch 2 1/2 minute ad that’s pure product promotion is quite incredible.

Having done an interactive video last year I’ve got to say that the biggest sticking point in production is the transitions.  What I love about this experience is that because it relies on blinking, the transition between videos is really seamless.  It’s pure genius.

You can see the Retrain your brain campaign that ran previously to Blinkwashing here :

Agency : Mother