col*LAB*orate IV: Canned Beauty

Via unconventional art watch, Wooster Collective, comes news of a new installation of ProjectorRoom from Agents of Change. In ProjectorRoom, three members of Agents of Change work from the same canvas building off, and deconstructing each other's work in an organic collaboration. It's an unplanned unified vision driven by movement.

Dig.

col*LAB*orate III: If Monsters Can, Why Can't We?

Selecting Sesame Street for our next installment in the col*LAB*orate series was an obvious choice, the challenge is which feature of the production should be highlighted. Sesame Street bridged the socio/economic divide, it captured the spirit of the time, it taught kids, it taught adults and it was funny as all hell. But above all, what really struck me about this show, was its far fetched approach to diversity and tolerance.

Henson and his team tackled these mammoth topics with a light-hearted, caviler nature that we all too often shelf when we attack big issues. So we're tipping our hats to one of the most perfect col*LAB*orations I know, the bond between monsters and humans on Sesame Street...teaching us that if Grouchy-Trash-Can-Living Creatures, OCD Counting Nobility, Imaginary Animals, Blacks, Whites, Hispanics, Asians, Old, Young and everyone else can get along...what's our problem?

Thanks to A&E Biography for their inspiration from their feature on Sesame Street.

col*LAB*orate II: Oxfam & Thao

Limiting collaboration to just one post is silly. The entire digital world is built on collaboration, sharing, connecting and more... so we're (er...I) will be blowing this thing out deeper, exploring more and adding, adding, adding.

I've got a list an arm's length long and I stumble across more everyday, but today I got notice from Oxfam America about an exclusive release of a video collaboration from Thao Nguyen (of Thao and the Get Down Stay Down) and Dianna Argon from Glee. Check it:



The video is fun, but I really get excited about is the connection between Thao & Oxfam America. In an evolving age of consumerism and connection, brand experiences need to be thought of less as product/mission focused and more experiential communities. It's not new, but the power of a global community has made it easier and more important. We're all looking for opportunities to learn more, be clued in and plugged in. And why shouldn't that come from the brands that we know and trust? Expose me to the culture that makes your brand (and, logically, product, great and right for me).

In the case of Oxfam, chances are I'm not always going to be in the mood to hear about global calamity, but I love the organization and there's no reason why they shouldn't be exposing me to their culture and what inspires them. Zappos is a perfect example of this, check out their corporate culture page here.

I don't want to pretend that this isn't already happening. Brands like Scion, Mountain Dew, Red Bull...are all well versed in experience marketing through event sponsorships and the like. But that's not what we're looking for. We're looking for raw brand culture, community building and more collaboration between like-minded partners.