About
The role of modern marketers has transitioned from selling to inspiring. But sometimes we can run a bit short on inspiration. To help, NewsCred + Ceros curated 30 examples of inspiration in the form of CREATIVITY, TECHNOLOGY, and STORYTELLING. These concepts come from a variety of sources, but all of them have touched us, made us laugh, or made us think. When you’re crafting your next campaign, how can you think differently about marketing? How can you create something that’s truly revolutionary?
THE INSPIRATION LOOKBOOK: GET SOME NEW IDEAS
TECHNOLOGY
CREATIVITY
STORYTELLING
01
THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART: THE ARTIST PROJECT
artistproject.metmuseum.org
“Their unique and passionate ways of seeing and experiencing art encourage all museum visitors to look in a personal way.”
Beginning March 2015, the Met will invite over 100 international artists to comment on their favorite works of art or galleries housed in the iconic museum for an online video series.
02
BANKSY IN PALESTINE
banksy.co.uk
International anonymous graffiti and performance artist Banksy released a new series of artwork and a video project in early 2015 highlighting a recent trip to Palestine. “A local man came up and said ‘Please – what does this mean?’ I explained I wanted to highlight the destruction in Gaza by posting photos on my website – but on the internet people only look at pictures of kittens.”
Storytelling
Technology
Creativity
BEHANCE.NET
Behance offers a seemingly boundless stream of creative work and a space for brands to communicate directly with creators. In the past 30 days, over 62M projects were viewed. “We built a platform to remove the barriers between talent & opportunity.”
03
BÉHANCE
Source here
04
THE EMPOWERMENT PLAN
THEEMPOWERMENTPLAN.COM
The Empowerment Plan, a Detroit-based nonprofit, employs previously homeless individuals to create coats that can transition into sleeping bags. They will make 6,500 coats this year and have made over 9,000 coats since 2011 – employing 20 formerly homeless people. “We believe in giving second chances to those who want it, and providing warmth to those who need it.”
goldsworthy.cc.gla.ac.uk
Goldsworthy is an artist and photographer whose surreal and whimsical work consists entirely of natural materials that often melt, decay, or dissolve once his work is complete.
05
ANDY GOLDSWORTHY
ILLUSTRATIONAGE.COM
Illustration Age features the work of international illustrators creating “new, inspiring, and sometimes groundbreaking artwork.” They also interview publishers like Gawker and The New Yorker who frequently feature illustration and also offer podcasts, ebooks, and weekly design challenges for readers.
06
ILLUSTRATION AGE
NIICE.CO
Niice is a creative inspiration board – think of it as a super high-end Pinterest mood board. It’s a great source for creative, design, or color inspiration, or just a cool place to rest your eyeballs.
07
NIICE
08
KEHINDE WILEY: A NEW REPUBLIC
KEHINDEWILEY.COM
Kehinde Wiley travels the globe, scouring streets for his latest models in a constant exploration of what defines “realness” in art, and what being placed in the traditional poses and frames of classical art can mean for people of color. “Painting should do more than point things out, painting should have an opinion.”
CHARITYWATER.ORG
Despite having a solid content marketing and social media strategy, charity: water stands out with their creatively intuitive, donor-focused web presence that puts the power in the hands of those who have made it to their site and want to make a difference.
09
CHARITY WATER
IKEAFOUNDATION.ORG
As of 2014, 3.5 million people lived in UNHRC refugee tents, and 1.3 million refugees are expected early this year from Syria alone. IKEA designers built a temporary housing structure that provides light via solar panels, can be easily shipped and constructed, offers more privacy and security than traditional tents, and lasts six times as long. “Putting refugee families and their needs at the heart of this project is a great example of how democratic design can be used for humanitarian value.”
10
THE IKEA FOUNDATION’S UNHRC REFUGEE HOUSING UNIT
11
GOOGLE'S YEAR IN SEARCH 2014
google.com/trends/2014
Google’s “Year In Search” reminds us that the magical thing about the internet and technology is that it connects all of us across the globe — all searching for the same things and experiencing the same moments. With over 32 million views, we’re not the only ones who wanted a look back.
12
“SOMEBODY”SHORT FILM AND APP BY MIRANDA JULY
SOMEBODYAPP.COM
“Distinctive female filmmakers with different intellectual background explore the feminine love affair with Miu Miu in a series of compelling short films.” Miu Miu commissioned several filmmakers, including July, to make a series of videos featuring their latest line. July also created an app that delivers a message to someone you know, via a stranger. Her short film, naturally, also features the app.
13
LAND ROVER “THE VANISHING GAME”
thevanishinggame.wellstoried.com
Land Rover took adventure storytelling to a new level with this interactive, multi-media site created by critically acclaimed, bestselling novelist William Boyd, and starring, of course, a Land Rover. Proof that content marketing never needs to be dull or static.
HUBSPOT.COM
Hubspot has expanded their instructional blog offerings to three channels that now reach over 2 million viewers per month by shifting their focus to quality above all and organic traffic. When it comes to content marketing, they’ve certainly set the bar, and their redesign is inspired as well.
14
HUBSPOT
WEBDESIGN-INSPIRATION.COM
An indispensable index of the latest and greatest in commercial web design. A must-consult for any brand considering a digital facelift.
15
WEBDESIGN INSPIRATION
MAGAZINE.GOOD.IS/INFOGRAPHICS
“Knowledge is the first step on the way to progress: Let’s take this information and drive change in the world together. This is Data for GOOD.” Sponsored by Progressive, GOOD launched a vertical of data-driven infographics that break down complex issues from health to global warming with solid reporting and inspired design.
16
DATA FOR GOOD
THELOWLINE.ORG
In 2018, an underground public park space will be unveiled in the one-acre former Williamsburg Bridge Trolley Terminal on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, utilizing innovative solar technology to bring together a community.
17
THE LOWLINE
But this platform really blossomed in crisis - rebuilding classrooms in Joplin, MO after a tornado, and in the unrest in Ferguson, MO when teachers needed more resources than ever. Donors Choose stepped up to the challenge and is still chipping away at the gaps in public education.
Donors Choose was built on the simple idea that we can change education by asking teachers what they need.
DONORSCHOOSE.ORG
18
DONORS CHOOSE
19
FKA TWigs for google glass
Google Glass enlisted avant-garde R&B artist FKA Twigs to create a music video inspired by Google Glass. “Twigs uses Glass to call upon references and inspirations as well as incorporating the device into the actual filming.”
PERISCOPE.TV
When breaking news happens, many turn to Twitter for in-the-moment descriptions from people at the scene. Now, those impressions can be seen instead of read with the launch of Twitter’s latest acquisition, potentially changing live citizen journalism, once again, forever.
20
Periscope
21
Always' “like a girl” campaign
always.com/en-us/likeagirl
In market research, Always noted that girls tend to lose confidence after hitting puberty. In their latest Super Bowl ad, the brand proved how negatively pervasive the phrase “like a girl” is in teens and adults, and how young girls can reclaim it. Adobe ranked it the top digital campaign for the 2015 Super Bowl.
WORNSTORIES.COM
Worn Stories, a blog and now a book edited by Emily Spivack, collects first-person stories about pieces of clothing we love and the memories tied to them.
22
Worn Stories
ANDROID: FRIENDS FUREVER
23
“be together. not the same.”
What’s cuter than baby animals? Different kinds of animals, hanging out together! To celebrate the full line of Android products, Droga5 magically filmed a bunch of animals authentically hanging out together and having a chill time.
DETOUR.COM/SXSW
Just in time for SXSW 2015, Radiolab created an interactive audio walking tour of Austin with app Detour. The goal? To investigate a 130-year-old murder mystery while revealing the history of the city.
24
radiolab: the year that broke austin
WETHINKALONE.COM
Writer, director, and artist Miranda July asked celebrities, philosophers, and professors like Lena Dunham, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Lee Smolin to share 20 (mostly) unedited emails every week, completely out of context, by searching one word in their inbox and seeing what email came up first. Prompts included words like “money” and “health.” They were compiled in a weekly round up and sent to subscribers. While it revealed that many famous people write mundane emails like the rest of us, it also highlighted how our online lives can take on a life of their own.
25
We think alone
ROOKIEMAG.COM
Launched in 2011, Rookie has become proof that young women can do anything they put their minds to – which includes creating a publishing empire. Helmed by wunderkind Tavi Gavinson, Rookie was described by Observer editor Eva Wiseman as “one of the sanest, most articulate voices in the media today...by unpicking the awkwardness of female adolescence and providing a place to talk about it, [they] have helped feminism become almost fashionable.”
26
Rookie mag
INVISIBLE CHILD
In 2013, The New York Times pushed the limits of long-form reporting with the captivating, five-part story of one determined girl from a homeless family on the brink of destruction. By using digital tools to share reporter’s notes, video, and gorgeous photography, this piece, which took over 15 months to report and create, set the standard for what in-depth storytelling can and should be.
27
Invisible Child
TRANS AMERICA
March is Transgender Awareness Month, and retailer and content marketing trailblazers Refinery29 marked the month by interviewing a dozen transgender young people across the country in a massive digital project accompanied by video interviews and a visual and data-driven piece on trans rights state-by-state. “When we asked one young man how he’d describe himself in a word, he said, ‘human.’”
28
29
"SPRING IS WEIRD"
Gap teamed up with actors Paul Dano (Little Miss Sunshine) and Jenny Slate (Parks & Rec, Kroll Show) to create a delightfully silly mini-series on Instagram and YouTube highlighting the beginnings of summer love – and Gap’s spring clothing line.
READ THE STORY
Only BuzzFeed and senior writer Matt Stopera could turn the story of a stolen cell phone into a tale about cross-cultural bonds, unlikely friendship, international internet culture, and fate. Oh, and now it's a BuzzFeed movie.
30
buzzfeed'S brother orange
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