I saw an editorial piece on the BBC programme ‘Click’ this weekend and it scared the hell out of me.  It described and even showed the next generation of what they called pedestrian satellite navigation.  It will allow consumers to receive information whilst on the move.  It came in the form of……wait for it….. contact lenses!  Yes, small pieces of technologically advanced film that you stick on your eyes!  What you see with your normal vision is then recognised by the chip inside your lense, analysed and information is displayed into your line of vision.  An example it gave was one for tourists e.g. you’re in a new city, your vision lands on an impressive landmark and you wonder what it is. The contact lense recognises this building, displays its name, its use, when it was built and any other pieces of historical or cultural information. 

Now, I wear contact lenses so the insertion of a lense is not what scared me, it was more how close we are to the Minority Report age!  If this can truely be done, then where will this take advertising?  Can we really expect to be sending special offers to people’s eyes?  Will we blink into the epos system at WHSmiths and receive 20% off the purchase of our favourite magazine?  Or will it give us reviews of restaurants as we pass them?  I can see it happening within the next 5 years.  In fact it may not even take that long but my only question would be this.  What next?  Chips to be embedded in our brains? 

On one hand we get told how we are becoming an ever more unshockable society, desensitised by ever increased violence, sex, drugs (and of course rock n roll) in the media around us. Yet 2007 experienced the highest ever number of advert complaints (a total of 14,080) according to ASA.

Coming out top was the Department of Health with their “Get unhooked” advert aimed at getting people to quit smoking, which prompted 774 complaints. Running on TV, press, internet and posters the campaign was unmissable, and certainly seemed to create a stir! Those who complained said the adverts were offensive, frightening and distressing. Don’t worry – you won’t be chased by a real fishing hook piercing your cheek! They just want you to drop the cancer stick! I have to admit it made me shudder and feel uncomfortable, but then don’t we need more shocking tactics like this when it comes to changing people’s perceptions and behaviour on topics like this?

On a lighter (and rounder) note, the 10th most complained about advert was awarded to the Sun for their bus T-side campaign, with page 3 girl Keeley promoting the new 20p cost of the paper. I actually worked at CBS outdoor at the time, who surprisingly have a rather stringent copy approval process. The 10p pieces were originally considerably smaller when copy was first submitted… these complainers should be grateful that there are these measures in place – I’m sure the original nipple-clad buses would have ranked this ad higher in the complaints chart!

After bouncing balls, exploding paint, plasticine rabbits now it’s foam. Exactly what this has got to do with cameras and camcorders is pretty much anyone;s guess but it looks like someone had a lot of fun filling a few square blocks of miami with foam and letting it all float about a bit.

Guess it’s not something you see eveyday so probably worth a picture

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpP_BlSDBgc

Tobermory calling 911, Womble Tomsk asking ‘what’s going down in the hood?’ If this seems almost like treason to you then PACT are doing the job with their new clip intended to highlight how British Kids TV is under threat.

British cult classic, The Wombles has been given an American makeover to highlight the need to invest in British children’s TV as just 1% of all new programmes are made in the UK.  Check out the clip at http://www.britishkidstv.com/ and then register your views on the petition!