Les 84 and Chewing Com have done a good job with the new website for Orangina. It's a Flash experience around the weird/sexy campaign "Naturellement Pulpeuse" recently created by Fred Farid Lambert (FFL) to reposition and refresh the soft drink brand.

There are plenty of mini-sites out there to create branded and personalized Xmas cards and/or to promote exclusive Xmas deals. However, I bet you still haven't seen anything as mental as the Cupido site.

Before giving you the link, I have to warn you Cupido is a Norwegian sexy shop... don't expect to find the "regular" Xmas decorations nor to meet a "regular" Santa Claus... and yes, you will find some interactive nudity, with a touch of sense of humor...

If you are not prudish, then click here...

The guys at Nexum sent me over the link to a bunch of interesting applications they developed for Sony to celebrate Xmas inside Facebook. "Sony Christmas Suite" allows Facebook users to create personalized cards, snowflakes and snowglobes, and to frame pictures in their photo albums.

Again, as I said the other day, it's very interesting for me to discover branded applications within Facebook that try to make some sense, either being consistent with the brand or with the campaign message.

To be honest, in the case of the Sony Christmas Suite, the only application in line with the product/brand is the photo frame one, but I think it's still very interesting to look at them all, as they are very well developed (check the snowglobes in particular) and definitely richer than the usual text based applications that dominate Facebook at the moment.

As part of their campaign "Truths about the Gol" for the launch of the new Volkswagen Gol in Brazil, the extremely talented guys from Almap BBDO in Sao Paulo brought back the famous (and superviral) Chuck Norris' facts to create the digital support for the campaign.

Each piece unveils a new and previously untold secret, such as why Superman wears his underwear on top of his clothes or what happens when Gol reaches the speed of light, being these two of six creative stories to be enjoyed, not only because of the superb art direction but also because of the nice and different interactions added to each one of them.

Definitely this is not the kind of content I'm interested into, but the UFC 79 website for the Nemesis match tomorrow night is impressive.

Interesting the idea of creating a mini-site for an event (also streamed live online), and very good execution in Flash to deliver a rough, engaging experience.

What value can Facebook provide to brands? What can brands do with Facebook? I'm sure a lot of questions like these have been buzzing in your mind in the last couple of months. I must say that until now I've been paying attention to Facebook only as a user, not even asking myself the marketing potential of the hottest social network of the moment. My fault, of course... so now it's time to "wake-up" and start thinking about ideas and applications to get the most out of it as a brand...

A good starting point is the application recently launched in France by Virgin Mobile to promote its "parlez dooble" offer. It's called Dooblebook (if the direct link doesn't work look for it using the Facebook internal search engine), and it's nothing else than a branded match making quiz.

In France, Gillette (ops! I've just spoiled everything ;-) is online since about a month with Mission 5v1, an investigation game to recover an object whose code name is 5v1.

The hints to solve the crime are provided through a series of videos distributed via Dailymotion and on the Mission 5v1 site itself. Google Maps are also embedded in the site, as players are asked to spot the city where the object is kept hidden.

Fans of the Pink Floyd will surely appreciate the site Bloc has just put live to promote "Oh By The Way" the limited edition box set launched to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the band.

The work with Flash is pretty cool when it comes to animation and design, but the site lacks an emotional side I would have expected to find given the story of the band. Probably my opionion is influenced by the "site of the year" Dylan Messaging that definitely set a benchmark in online music promotion but, still, I think the Pink Floyd could have done much much better.

You have time until January 14th to cast your vote and select the best site of the year at the FWA's People's Choice Awards.

I don't want to bias your choice, but my personal favourite is Good Things Should Never End. It's brilliant from a creative point of view, but also extremely strong and consistent in delivering the promotional message.

Today, our very special guest is Laura Jordan, Head of Art at Glue London.

1) Which is the digital project that impressed you more this year and why?
I absolutely love Get the Glass - it did the unthinkable and really ate at my time...

2) In your job, which is the most important thing you learnt this year?
That you need to be totally committed to research and development - you need take on an exploratory attitude in order to remain sharp. Also, that change is the lifeblood of our industry and you have to embrace it...

3) As a digital marketer/creative person what's on top of your agenda for 2008?
Top of my list for 2008 is to make sure we stay focussed on ideas... but in terms of media/execution the world of physical computing really excites me!

The US is known for taking their Christian believe very serious. But this initiative from Aberdeen tops it all. Check out the Christvertising website and learn about their brand targeted prayer which involves millions of people pray for your brand. Here's Christvertisings Christmas wish.

I love the fact that in France they use online marketing for everything. For example, if you remember, some time ago, we talked about an online campaign for a producer of heating systems. Today the guys from Virtuadz forwarded me the link to an advergame they've just created for a company that offers a wide range of home services, including house-keeping.

The game challenges visitors to perform a series of house keeping actions such as, ironing and cleaning the windows. Players, if they decide to register, enter the chance of winning a year of free home services.

Too bad the competition is only for France. As you can see I haven't got the time to blog in this period. You can just imagine how my home looks like these days...

Farfar did it again, creating an original/unusual/amusing campaign to promote a lingerie collection. One year ago it was Heidies time, now is Bjorn Borg at the center of the stage.

The site is not very interactive, but there are plenty of things to discover while having some fun. Even if you're interested only in the product/in the good looking models, make sure to check the "corporate" pages as well. The mission of the company is surprising and very 2.0 (even if I hate this expression!!!)

... "Peace on earth", for example, invites people to send over to the brand the pieces of "not sexy underwear" and receive a 5€ discount...

The e-commerce section is also worth having a look, as it delivers a good Flash based shopping experience.

Time to visit London again, this time to have a quick talk with Adverblog's friend Nicholas Gill, Business Partner at OgilvyOne Worldwide and blogger himself at [Bluurb]

1) Which is the digital project that impressed you more this year and why?
I love the VW Night Driving campaign as it's a great example of the "360" brand experience but also capitalises on and openly embraces user generated content: creating your own edit of the excellent TV ad using jumpcut and also creating or looking at great night drives from around Europe with a Google Maps mash up. Really taps into the brand promise of the Golf.

2) In your job, which is the most important thing you learnt this year?
That being part of the social media landscape is a fundamental basic before you even start to help clients with strategic direction. How can you have a sensible conversation on the merits of the big shiny object syndrome if you've never experienced and participated in Second Life, Twitter, the blogosphere etc. As Kevin Keegan once said, "you can't win the raffle if you don't buy a ticket." Don't just talk, act.

We are back in France on this cold Friday afternoon, to meet with Christophe Martin, creative director at PublicisNet and founder of Computerlove (the site we all love :-)

1) Which is the digital project that impressed you more this year and why?
I enjoyed the works of Yugop for the Uniqlo brand, the global thing done for the Sony Bravia, the Dove and the Diesel Heidies campaigns, to name a few. This are all successful, smart and well produced, i can't ask for more !

2) In your job, which is the most important thing you learnt this year?
Content is king. Experience is queen.

It's tradition in Holland to light up loads of individual fireworks during New Years eve. Due to this fact, a lot of accidents happen. The Dutch government called in the 'Liberation Army Against Freedom' to warn for the dangers of fireworks. And the Dutch have heard the message: over half a million people watched the movies within a week time.

Campaign by Selmore, production by Comrad, seeding by Pool

Today for our daily Interactive Advent Calendar interview we visit Germany, where we meet Heike Brockmann, Creative Director at Scholz & Volkmer.

1) Which is the digital project that impressed you more this year and why?
"The Chain" for Nikefootball by Framfrab / Denmark. The football comes into the screen from the left and exits on the right - perfect for the endless chain, perfect for usergen. This is how usergen should be: fast, simple, international, entertaining, fitting the target and the product! I love it, although you can't call me a football fan at all.

2) In your job, which is the most important thing you learnt this year?
Sure everything is still in movement from classic to online and back, and yes we learned a lot about it, this year.
But what always impresses me in the end are the people. Get the right people - people who are crazy, weird, stubborn, egocentric, witty, etc. People you love to work with.

3) As a digital marketer/creative person what's on top of your agenda for 2008?
I would love to see more live events on the web - the connection between virtual and real.

In The Netherlands, Heineken has recently launched a nice advergame based on geo tracking technology. The mechanism is quite original: players are challenged to spot and track the Heineken's Delivery Men driving around the country, and then guess their destination for the next delivery. Those who discover faster the destination of the journey gain the chance to win a Nokia phone.

The Delivery Men can be tracked in real time on the site from 9am to 5pm while they perform their daily job and generate "real joureys data" for the game.

How to get easy viewers for your viral message? Combine three recent internet hypes in one video. And that's exactly what AOL News just did. Dont Tase Me Bro, Miss Teen USA and Chris Crocker meet up in a shop. See what happens.

We're back in Europe today, visiting London to meet Vincent Thome, strategic planner at Tribal DDB London and blogger.

1) Which is the digital project that impressed you more this year and why?
Nike Plus was in 2006, right? Then, even if it hard to choose one, I think it will be "Spot the Bull" for Orange. I like how the game created links between the two worlds using GPS technology. I think that it also demonstrates that, in digital projects, creative use of technology is as important as creative concepts.

2) In your job, which is the most important thing you learnt this year?
When people pay attention to or ignore something, attention data can be created. It reflects their interests, activities and values, and it serves as a proxy for their attention. These data are an incredible valuable source of insights. We should continue to educate clients on the value of good measurements and data mining to transform sheets of numbers into powerful insights. I don't want agencies to become Google or Facebook but we can definitely be better at using data.

Today it's time to travel overseas to meet Christina Yu, VP and Creative Director at Lowe Roche Canada.

1) Which is the digital project that impressed you more this year and why?
First off, the caliber of work digitally is amazing. So much innovations, such great ideas. It's true i like the Heides campaign. But also love the HBO voyeur screen saver. It felt like contemporary art. too cool. and I just couldn't stop looking at it. Such complicated details and beautiful art direction. Great idea.

2) In your job, which is the most important thing you learnt this year?
Don't give up. When things get difficult people choose the easy road. It's been amazing to watch everybody in my agency trying to figure out how to make things work and make thing great. But on the technical side, to treat everything traditionally non-traditionally, because then you'll get innovation.

We start the week in Paris aujourd hui, meeting Laurent Buanec Emerging Media Manager at MindShare France, who shares with us his point of view from the media side.

1) Which is the digital project that impressed you more this year and why?
The Simpsons Movie. Doh! I saw little yellow avatars everywhere! Viral strenght of this simpsonize-me application has been huge. How many of yours (or friends of yours) put their simpson avatar on their myspace (or any other social networking sites) profile?

Daft Punk: Alive 2007. Clever. It has been embedded everywhere, and particularly on opinion leaders pages. Simple. Innovative. Cool gadget. Fit the target. Fit the "product" environment. Plus this concert was brilliant!

DIesel Heidies. And not to be a crawler! That was the ultimate interactive experience. Some never done before. Fun & sexy. Completely matching the audience/target and the brand DNA.

2) In your job, which is the most important thing you learnt this year?
This year more than ever I 've learnt to manage the "Employee of the Month" effect. Myspace, Second Life, Facebook ... when you go from struggling to demonstrate potential opportunities of a new plateform, to prevent danger of rushing on it without any perspective, before it runs out of fashion and gets burn or forgot ... all that in a semester.
I've also been witnessing a disruption in advertising landscape. Lines are moving. Creative, Media, Interactive agencies and media houses tend to offer more and more same services. Each one is developping fields which used to be exclusive to others. Imagine, it is a little bit like if some web users become journalists, directors, or even content providers! Looks like cards are dealt again, and not only in the public sphere. To be continued...

Today my guest is also a countryman of mine, Giuseppe Mayer, Managing Director Interactive @ Saatchi & Saatchi Italy.

1) Which is the digital project that has impressed you most this year and why?
I would say the Nokia Nonstop Living project and the Wilkinson Fight For Kisses campaign ()... and, of course, Zoogam :-)

Even so, I think we've still got a long way to go. In Europe - to say nothing of Italy - I can't see any projects like Nike Plus which is really able to integrate technology, strategy and creativity in a truly innovative way, giving all these elements the same dignity. On the one hand, iì's a pity, for it means we still haven't fully understood the potential that digital media can offer us. On the other, it's a great opportunity for growth, which I believe our clients can't wait to take up. Let's get it on :-)

2) In your job, what is the most important thing you've learnt this year?
I've learnt that you can't play safe - not daring for fear of taking risks is the riskiest thing you can do in this business. We need to go beyond the old models; there aren't any barriers any more between creativity and media, between online and off-line. There's no "business as usual" any more, and the magic 30-seconds recipe is just a dim memory - creativity without a strategic lever to direct it and without the technology it needs is just idle play - after a single visit, the users get bored and, basically, clients don't need it.

We have to go out into the field to learn how to use these new tools, how to coordinate them and create the emotional connections that are key to developing a relationship between client and brand, and end up by making it a lovemark.

TIme to move South this week-end to find out the point of view of Panos Sambrakos, Business Unit Director at OgilvyOne Athens.

1) Which is the digital project that impressed you more this year and why?
The website of Stella Artois impressed me the most out of anything I've seen this year. It totally changed my perception of what a brand site could be like, and how storytelling can evolve nowdays through true interactive video.

2) In your job, which is the most important thing you learnt this year?
In 2007 I learned that making a viral is like trying to make a fire on a deserted island without a lighter. There so many things that you need to take care of in order for your fire to catch quickly and spread wild.

Time to start moving South today... from the UK we flight to The Netherlands, to meet Martin Cedergren, Executive Creative Director at AKQA Amsterdam.

1) Which is the digital project that impressed you more this year and why?
My favorite pick is the very smart idea that Jung von Matt, Germany did for SIXT. In a time when the web is flooded with flash sites it's a big relief to see such an innovative approach.

2) In your job, which is the most important thing you learnt this year?
Maximize it! If you are going to do an experince, do it all the way. Make people cry for more. Or if you are going to do functionality, make it super simple and very easy to use. Everything in between belongs to the trash can!

This video has been recently shortlisted at the Eurobest Awards. Harvey Nichols brings you exclusive backstage footage from their Foodmarket AW07 catwalk show.

I liked it at first sight, but there is definitely something disturbing in it... You might love it or find it awful. But it surely provokes a reaction. And this is what a viral video should do, right?

The agency is DDB London.

We don't have to travel today, as we stay in the UK to meet with Rob Ford the "brain" and the owner of the site we all love, The FWA. Here are his 5 answers...

1) Which is the digital project that impressed you more this year and why?
I really didn't have to think too hard about this... Get the Glass! by North Kingdom and Goodby, Silverstein & Partners is the most outstanding digital project I have seen in a long time. It actually made the hair on the back of my neck stand up when I first saw it. The production levels impressed me the most, not forgetting the super-creative ideas behind the whole project. This is a definite contender for Site Of The Year.

2) In your job, which is the most important thing you learnt this year?
Print and TV are dead. When you read that one of the world's leading creative magazines has a monthly readership of only 13,000 you know there is no contest between print and web. Sites like Digg probably get that many people in twenty minutes. I've been really and surprisingly impressed with Facebook. Was never a fan of MySpace, took up LinkedIn but found it rather pointless but Facebook has actually been useful and is one of the reasons I am actually writing this.

From Norway, a campaign that takes online advertising a step further, introducing the concept (a)live banners. Media couldn't be richer than this, since the message in the banner is updated live by a copywriter that adapts it to the news on the page where the ad is appearing.

Created by Mediafront the campaign had the goal of building interest and awareness in a news/entertainment site called Sol. Three copywriters have taken turns in the commentary chair, producing 150 hours of content for the front pages Norway's largest websites. So far, around 1000 unique ads have been created, using a Pen Tablet and a custom publishing tool via Flash Media Server.

Mediafront's idea has been extremely cool, and I add a further (impossible?) point: can you imagine if users could have been able to reply to the copywriters custom comments?

To learn more about Sol's campaign, check out the recap put live by the agency.

In the Netherlands, Amnesty International just released a new platform where you can demonstrate for human rights. At the platform you'll find a virtual square where you can add your own avatar to show your involvement. It's in Dutch, but you'll get the message. Goal is to get specific attention for five victims of human rights violations on the international Human Rights Day, which is annually held on the 10th of December.

Thanks to Jort from Qi for sending this in.

This feels good... (and it's a very cool site!!). This site via Tracey in London is designed to get people to do stuff using what we already do, use social software. widgets, a flickr photo gallery, links to social networks, slideshow etc...

I think they're trying to avoid telling people stuff they already know and make them actively do something, that's why it's UNsubscribe rather than subscribe which is what every other charity asks you to do.

So basically it's a movement that believes everybody deserves basic human rights no matter what their beliefs or what they are alleged to have done. A movement that feels accepting such immoral, illegal, even barbaric actions, undermines the society they live and believe in. It's Christmas hey, so take a look...

I'm impressed by the enthusiasm the interactive Advent calendar is generating! I'm already thinking about publishing two Q&A; per day, or to make the Advent last longer ;-)

Today we travel to the UK, to meet Daniele Fiandaca, COO of Profero and founder of Creative Social.

1) Which is the (European) digital project that impressed you more this year and why?
If I'm honest the best work for me in 2007 has come from outside Europe in particular from Japan with my favourite being the Uniqlock campaign for Uniqlo. Not only was the content beautiful (I still have the screensaver on my machine) but I loved the way it tapped into the blogosphere for global distribution - over 15,000 users in 76 countries have posted the qlock to their blogs so far.

2) In your job, which is the most important thing you learnt this year?
There is an amazing opportunity for agencies born out of the digital era to become those agencies of the future that advertisers will increasingly be working with. After all its not about making traditional channels work harder but about finding new ways to engage with the consumer.

From the UK, a nice project by the British Heart Foundation to explain young people how the heart works and how to keep it healthy.

The topic is tricky, and the audience is even more complicated to reach and understand, so it's quite interesting to browse around and discover the tools the BHF has decided to use to deliver the message.

The agency is Positive Digital.

Today we go West (but we stay in Europe) and in Portugal we meet Armando Alves who is the Head Of Interactive at Draftfcb Lisbon. He also writes a blog, called A source of inspiration.

1) Which is the digital project that impressed you more this year and why?
Orange Unlimited, for reminding us that simple is beautiful, and building a successful integrated campaign. Other notable projects include the Heidies by Diesel or the recent one by Renova Power, Spain, "Quien Es Fermin". As for agencies, Northkingdom and FarFar still amaze us with outstanding work, with some great work coming from Eastern Europe, like ParkStudio's work for Fanta or Nokia.

2) In your job, which is the most important thing you learnt this year?
I've learned to quit looking at my own bellybutton, and start looking to what regular users are doing online. Call it interactive etnography or something like that, but the truth is that we professionals are so much self-absorbed that it all feels like a big echo chamber. For instance, it amazes me the tons of people that don't have a clue what twitter is, but instead use regular email to keep their friends updated.

Today the guest is Gregory Pouy, a French blogger, and the CEO of Buzzparadise an agency specialised in creating and deploying alternative marketing campaigns.

1) Which is the digital project that impressed you more this year and why?
In fact, I'm pretty amazed by the numbers of digital projects which happened in 2007! Companies are beginning to really understand that there's really something going on there. I would say that the one which impressed me the most is the Dove advertising. This is not the most powerful buzz of the year (which would be the Iphone) but the creativity and the different spots were really great !

2) In your job, which is the most important thing you learnt this year?
That's an interesting question. I've learned many things this year. The most important might be that companies are discovering what I would call "the relationship capital". The "relationship capital" is the capacity of the brand to be loved, what is "not said", how far it is close from its customers. They now have to learn how far it is important for them and how to handle it. In fact, we are here to explain them what is going on.

3) As a digital marketer what's on top of your agenda for 2008?
First are listening and watching what is going on and keep updated. I think this is a basis in a fast moving environment to understand what is going on. But what is on the top of my agenda for 2008 is to better understand the blogs as media with an analysis of their reader and so on. People are always interested in who the bloggers are, I would like to know who the reader of the blogger are. I think this demand will grow very soon.

My first guest in the interactive marketing Advent calendar project is not really a guest but, rather, a host, like myself. Mark, Ashley-Wilson who is the Head of Digital & Interactive Australasia for Lowe Worldwide, is in fact a regular contributor here on Adverblog. Let's find out his answers...

1) Which is the digital project that impressed you more this year?
The Rice Project, The Heidies and ElectroCity.

2) In your job, which is the most important thing you learnt this year?
That more and more budget is now online focused. The TVC is NOT the first thought any more. We have repositioned our agency to include the interactive team on every briefing. Agency's need to do this otherwise their clients will go to specialist shops.

3) As a digital marketer what's on top of your agenda for 2008?
It's still "client education". When our clients 'get' the potential of what interactive can offer they will spend more and reap the rewards. On a platform level I think that mobile marketing will dominate the discussions.

5) Which book would you give as a Christmas present to Adverblog's readers?
Adland: A Global History of Advertising. Weird but not many in our field know about where it all began. Go back in time to see the future...

Eventually I'm back blogging. Apologies for the long break, I promise not to disappear again!

In order to be back in a "proper", interesting way, I've decided to kick off December with a small project: everyday until Christmas I will be publishing a short interview (5 questions, always the same) with an Adverblog's friend working in interactive. It's going to be a sort of Advent calendar so to speak, with the idea of analysing in brief what has happened in 2007 and what we can expect from 2008... As usual here on Adverblog, I'll keep the focus on Europe, but there will also be friends from all around the globe, to give you a global view on this crazy interactive world we love.

Actually, the first interview is with myself... it's not to show off, but rather to give you my point of view, so let's start!

1) Which is the digital project that impressed you more this year and why?
In my position, it's a tricky question... I would like to answer "The Diesel Heidies", because when I was working on the campaign I really had the feeling I was making the history of interactive marketing (and all the awards we've won now tell me that I maybe I was right...). However, I realize it's not fair nor nice to be auto-referential (even if I've just done it, ops! ;-) also, in order to answer this question I thought it could be a good idea to browse Adverblog's archives and look for some inspiration, but I realized this wouldn't have been the right way to proceed... so, to cut this story short and get to the point, I will indicate the first two interactive ideas that come into my mind. If they are the first I recall, it really means they impressed me...

Are looking for more cool interactive ideas? Check the archives