Some people are hexed with an odd propensity for inanimate objects to take on personalities when they’re around. The Contagious
team is not without such people. In the Contagious meeting room, for
example, is a computer that works perfectly when any members of IT
support are present, yet becomes a petulant child the minute their
backs are turned. Perhaps with this in mind, Nokia’s latest campaign for the Nseries
of phones riffs on the notion that all computers will be not only
petulant but extremely jealous of the capabilities of the all-singing,
all dancing handheld communicator that is the N95.
At jealouscomputers.com an explanation of the damage that can be done by a resentful laptop is played out in a series of dramatic films (our favourite being the Japanese exchange student whose legs are mangled by her carnivorous computer. Call us twisted, we can take it). Medical reports also show the brutal injuries those pesky PCs can cause (one poor victim was slapped in the face by her keyboard. Ouch). Nor is it just PCs on the prowl and Macs on the attack – one guy claims his Xbox just tried to kill him. God only knows what kind of damage a wicked off Wii would inflict.
The edgy material conceived by the clever people at These Days in Antwerp seems to be serving the campaign well, with over 50,000 views of the films on YouTube
after just a week. However, should your computer fall victim to the
green-eyed monster, help is at hand in the form of a nice series of
films/virals shot in the style of 70s instructional videos providing
useful tips on how best to deal with the vicious blighters. Watch and
learn before you get strangled with a mouse cord and found with a USB
stick wedged up your nose. www.jealouscomputers.com
