There’s been so many flipping widgets launched recently, we’re going to have start a ‘widget of the week’ award. First up is ING bank’s intriguing exercise. Need to make a deposit online? We have just the thing...
The banking sector often looks best when it doesn't take itself too seriously, but with this campaign for ING's online bank account the clients have taken a rather astonishing leap of faith.
To highlight the point that there are certain services which ought to be free on the internet, they have created online toilets. You can choose between the men's room and the ladies room, and between Number 1s and Number 2s... When you're done, if you try to offer the attendant a payment, she turns you down, explaining that there are some things you simply shouldn't have to pay for online... wait for it... like the ING website next door which offers its online account free of charge!
The restrooms can be downloaded to your blog, Facebook, or MySpace profile, and are funny enough to make people want to do so.
It's a pretty scatological way of making a point, but it's given us a whole new take on the idea of being 'engaged.' Thumbs up to the Emakina digital agency in Belgium... www.i-needtogo.com
Also! We’re very happy to report that everyone’s favourite Gallic electrobots Daft Punk have launched their own widget to promote new album ‘Alive’. According to the wonderful mashable, you can use it to listen to previews of new tracks, buy the single, read their biography and newsletter and see photos. We are suckers for allthings Daft here at Contagious, it’s true, but we also think that this could be a nice indication - following on from the Radiohead revolution of a fortnight ago - that the music industry is finally starting to wrap its head round this wonderful invention called digital technology. http://mashable.com/2007/10/25/daft-punk-promotes-new-album-with-widget/
Here
it comes! In case you hadn’t heard, Google announced this week that
they’ll be tackling Facebook head on with the launch of OpenSocial.
Essentially an evilly brilliant plan to combat the web’s fastest
growing online hangout, Google is hooking up a bunch of already
existing platforms (MySpace and Bebo being the biggest hitters already
on board) to produce ‘an easy way for developers to create an
application that works on all social networks. And if they pull it off,
they’ll be in the center, controlling the network.’ The gospel
according to Techcrunch here:
www.techcrunch.com/2007/10/30/details-revealed-google-opensocial-to-be-common-apis-for-building-social-apps/
and AdAge’s thoughts here:
http://adage.com/digital/article?article_id=121708
And remember - Britain's first Widget conference is happening December 6th in Brighton.
www.widgetygoodness.com
Source : Contagious Newsletter
