Augmented Reality

You may have thought print was one medium left out of the interactive arena, but after a new ad for MINI launched in German magazines, that is proving not to be the case. The print ad was created using Augmented Reality, a technology created by metaio. Augmented Reality allows you to view digital content, such as 3D animation, in real life, in real time.

For the MINI ad, created by Buzzin Monkey and die agentour GmbH, the user must remove the ad from the magazine, type in the URL listed, then hold the ad in front of their web cam. Next a MINI convertible appears in 3D on the website, making it look like it is actually sitting on top on the ad the user is holding.

Boffswana, formerly Digital Pictures Interactive, recently created a fun little “friend” using Augmented Reality. Here is a friend of our with the 3D monster made by Boffswana.

Augmented Reality Monster

With Augmented Reality, the possibilities are endless. Literally every industry could use this new technology to help their sales and services. Be on the lookout for more of these. I’m interested to see what will be next in Augmented Reality. Nothing shocks me anymore these days!

Wanted to share some of the pictures from our Third Rail Christmas party.  We did things a little different this year and got together at the Hampton house for some good food, drinks and a little ROCKBAND.  We did find a several good technical singers however none could actually carry a tune.  See below for some of the pictures that night.

Zilker Park Play Day

To take a little break from the daily grind, the team at Third Rail Creative went to Zilker Park for some R&R. We drank some beers (and Zimas) and played ladder, washers, and an extremely competitive game of croquet. Here Jimmy & Mark are putting together the ladder ball game…which was a fun game in itself, as you can see by the look on Jimmy’s face. :)

Mark & Jimmy

Bryan grilled delicious burgers (with his special blend of spices), Charli made some awesome potato salad, and Katie brought some tasty Rice Krispies Treats.

Bryan

We couldn’t have asked for a better day. The weather was beautiful and it was a perfect way to enjoy the Austin outdoors, reward our hard work, and spend time together.

Jonathan

Ryan

Charli & Katie

 

Heat Maps: A New Way to Improve your Website

Heat Maps, similar to analytics packages, help you learn where users are clicking on your website. With analytics, you are able to track links on a given page on which a user has clicked. However with Heat Maps, you can see all the areas users clicked on–not just the working links.

So how can Heat Maps benefit your business? Let’s say you already use an analytics package to optimize your website, so you know which links are performing best on your pages. But what if your customers are clicking where you do not have a link in place, such as on product images or category headers? The user may become frustrated in trying to navigate their way through your site unsuccessfully.

By using Heat Maps, you are able to improve your site usability by gaining an insight as to where your customers are clicking on your site. This enables you to make improvements to your website such as adding links where users are currently clicking or rearranging the format to allow you to better funnel your clients where you want them to go, making your site more user-friendly and therefore more profitable. (Below is a screenshot of a website using Heat Maps.)

 

 In addition to analytics, Third Rail Creative now offers Heat Maps to our clients as a way to help improve website functionality and productivity. If you are interested in using Heat Maps or other ways to improve your website, please contact us at power@thirdrailcreative.com.

Derek Scott’s Auto Park-Day 108

Final production of the television commercials was completed this week thanks to the hard work of the team at Beef & Pie here in Austin. This Sunday, the second TV spot, titled “Under the Hood,” will air during Sunday Night Football. Last week we expanded the TV buy, so the new commercial will be seen in both the Bryan/College Station area as well as in Waco, Texas.

At Third Rail we are currently working to expand radio for Derek Scott’s. Check back for more information on our development.

Derek Scott’s Auto Park-Day 102

This week for Derek Scott’s we expanded their TV buy into Waco; now their commercials will be featured during Sunday Night Football in Waco and in the Bryan/College Station region.

We also launched Truck Month banners as well as Truck Month radio for the dealership this week. Truck Month consists of special offers, such as up to $7,000 cash back or 0% APR on certain vehicles purchased during the month.

Derek Scott’s Auto Park-Day 91

As we look back over the last three months, we are very proud of the work we have accomplished for our client. Because we focus on results for our clients, we are able to make decisions quickly and act promptly regarding our campaigns.

Over the last 90 days, our team at Third Rail Creative has written and recorded more than 10 radio spots, written and filmed three television commercials (one of which has already aired), completed five creative banner executions and numerous search ads, as well as designed in-store signage.

We are a small shop that got a bunch of work done fast and although our 90-day plan has come to an end, it doesn’t mean the work has! The focus of the 90-day plan was to get the agency firing on all cylinders and able to understand the car business, as well as what levers are most effective at driving results. TV is being increased based on its success and the already successful online campaign is optimized weekly based on leads coming in.

We are very excited about the next 90 days and have truly found a great partner in Derek Scott’s Auto Park. Thanks guys for the trust.

Derek Scott’s Auto Park-Day 86

The “Car Shopping” commercial aired in the Bryan/College Station broadcast area on September 21 as planned. We presented the owner of the dealership, Derek Scott, with an award for his “outstanding performance in an automobile commercial.” He laughed so hard he cried!

Our team at Third Rail Creative delivered two more radio scripts to the client and anticipate four new spots being recorded within the next few weeks. We are also working on Phase Two for our online advertising, as well as getting information about radio in the Waco area.

Next week marks the end of our 90-day plan with Derek Scott’s Auto Park and we look forward to our post 90-day wrap up. Stay tuned for what happens next!

Derek Scott’s Auto Park-Day 80

We are almost at the end of our 90-day plan for Derek Scott’s Auto Park and are happy to announce we are ahead of schedule!

So much has happened for Derek Scott’s in the last few weeks! We finalized and shot three, 30 second television spots at the dealership. We worked with Beef and Pie, a video and film production company in Austin. These guys did a great job and we were able to film all three spots less than 24 hours!

The first commercial titled “Car Shopping” will air on September 21 during the Dallas Cowboys and Green Bay Packers game. The spot will be shown in the Bryan/College Station area.

In the past few weeks, we launched online banners promoting new car sales, with plans to follow up with new creative executions featuring the GM Employee Discount offer and 2.9% financing on select GM Certified Used Cars.

And finally, we developed a new radio script promoting the GM Certified Used Cars inventory and financing at Derek Scott’s. The spot is currently running.

Baby Boomers & Social Networks

According to the Entertainment Trends in America study conducted by The NPD Group, more and more baby boomers, people age 44-61, are using social networks, which in the opinion of some might hurt the “coolness” of the sites. Plus, if mom or dad asks you to be their online friend, you might have to delete some of your interests or the photo documentation of your first keg stand.

It has been discovered that the 41% of the boomers visiting these sites are looking for information, not necessarily to socialize. So even though these sites are becoming more popular to this age group, it is for a different reason that Generation X and Y, who typically login for the purpose of interaction.

This discovery is huge for the advertising industry. We now know that almost half of the baby boomer population is using or is interested in using social networks. Take notice and you will see more and more high-end products on these sites; BMW has already used Facebook to promote one of its new cars–and their average buyer is 45.

It should be interesting to see how social networks and their advertisements will change in the next few years to cater to broader age groups.

Read more about the study…