April 22, 2010 11:29 AM
Posted byKeith Goldberg
What’s amazing about standing on the grounds of the World Expo in Shanghai, which opens on May 1, is to realize that the physical expanse of this event (greater even than the Beijing Olympics!) is matched only by the importance placed upon it by the countries and brands exhibiting here.
Unlike the World’s Fair of old, when people would travel across the world to glimpse the newest gadgets -- Ladies and gentlemen...an electric powered machine that actually washes your laundry! -- the modern day World Expo is much more an affair that combines global politics, big-time commerce, and national pride.
It should come as no surprise—especially after the Olympic Games—that China is pulling out all the stops. A massive, spaceship-like visitor center and towering, pagoda-inspired China Pavilion are just a couple examples from the host country that will make your jaw drop.
And you don’t have to be a student of economics and world politics to understand why exhibiting countries, as well as the world’s largest brands, are investing aggressively to stand out, honor their hosts, and troll for the free-flowing—and increasingly mighty—yuan.
Our EWI Worldwide colleagues have been helping to finish up some striking pavilions for Belarus, Columbia, and Germany (see photo below), our exhibit for the World Wildlife Fund is truly outstanding and we just shipped the final film that is part of Praxair’s sponsorship of the USA Pavilion.
Please have a look at all of these if you visit. You won’t be disappointed.
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April 01, 2010 11:34 AM
Posted byAngela Heiple
Skeptics are saying that the pavilions won't be ready for their May 1st debut at the World EXPO in Shanghai. But if you take a close look at this photo taken just a couple weeks ago... you'll see that builders are wasting no time. Catching catnaps right onsite. I've heard from colleagues that crews are working around the clock. 30 days and counting...
Meanwhile, check out more stunning photos of these "works in progress" at World EXPO 2010 onsite photos.
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February 10, 2010 12:37 PM
Posted byElijah B'Sheart
saw this a while ago. still love it!
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February 03, 2010 1:31 PM
Posted bySteve Riley
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January 25, 2010 4:50 PM
Posted byElijah B'Sheart
The N building’s whole facade is part of the AR experience, enabling people passing by to see inside, who lives there, what store specials are, who is tweeting. The building is an impressive example of the real and the virtual worlds coming together in a simple clean design. No, more bombarding of information, viewer is given the choice to explore or ignore. Fabulous!
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December 29, 2009 3:18 PM
Posted byElijah B'Sheart
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December 03, 2009 3:49 AM
Posted bySongmin Lu
The pavilion at shanghai EXPO 2010 come in all shapes, sizes and materials. Representing the theme "Better city, Better life", each pavilion is an opportunity to showcase cutting-edge design and construction methods that reduce waste, lower carbon footprints, increase sustainability, promote recyling and leverage creativity in using green materials.
As the world becomes more populated, increasingly industries and smaller due to globalization, the exhibition world is making great strides in the development of environmentally-friendly standards. Since even before EXPO 2000 in Hannover, the eyes of the exhibition world have looked to each EXPO to lead the way in the advancement of green exhibition techniques.
In the presentation, Mr, Ben Einer, President of the EWI Worldwide International division, reviewed leading green trends in the worldwide exhibition business, provided a historical perspective of EXPO pavilions and how it has promoted the advancement of green design/build techniques, and tried to forecast how "Better city, Better life" will help drive the design industry in the post EXPO 2010 world.
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September 23, 2009 10:09 AM
Posted byAndrew Austin
When someone falls in love with a brand, what is it they actually love? Do Apple aficionados love the mirrored fruit (certainly browned by now) with a bite taken out of it? I can tell you from experience, if you can find an ATT lover it’s not because he/she loves the death star.
Verizon did a great job with this with the “people behind the network” campaign. But this commercial absolutely nails it. Someone at Intel (or their ad agency) got it. My nerd background allows me to say things like I LOVE USB (all different iterations of it.) Intel already has loyalty from quite a few of the people who actually investigate their products. Now they have put a human face behind the CPU so that their brand will resonate more deeply with others when they see it at Best Buy or on the box of the laptop they’re about to purchase. “Intel Inside” has a deeper meaning for the consumer because great engineers (actual people!) brought it to you. (Never mind that the gentleman in the commercial is an actor.)
All brands are made up of people. People want to love brands and by extension love the people who make those brands lovable. Retail is the best place to make this happen by giving the perceived brand experts the tools to convert shoppers into brand ambassadors.
September 16, 2009 3:17 PM
Posted byAndrew Austin
Here at EWI Worldwide, we have built a robust digital media network for retail locations, trade shows and events based on our years of experience operating networks with thousands of nodes. The foundation of a network consists of compelling content, a robust distribution model and security. In some people's opinions the WalMart in Fort Smith, Arkansas network may have had just one of those attributes.
The story below is why we don't use technology like DVD players and other things that are familiar to shoppers when telling a brand's story.
Pair accused of playing porn DVD at Ark. Wal-Mart
FORT SMITH, Ark. (AP) -- Two Oklahoma men have been arrested for allegedly playing a pornographic DVD on display televisions at a Fort Smith Wal-Mart. Sebastian County jail records show 20-year-olds Cody Allen Sexton and Kenny Dean Andrews were arrested on a felony obscenity complaint.
Police said the two put the pornographic DVD into a player that was connected to six televisions on Sept. 3. The DVD was removed after a customer notified a store manager.
It wasn't clear whether the two have an attorney. Police Sgt. Levi Risley said the two thought they were just pulling a prank.
August 31, 2009 9:01 AM
Posted byAndrew Austin
Hi there. I'm Andy, the new blogger here. I'm kind of the tech geek on the crew, but I try to mask that badge by applying innovation to help salespeople create brand ambassadors.
I was with Cingular/ATT for eight years contributing to retail strategy before joining EWI Worldwide. While at ATT, I had the pleasure of working with a team of consummate professionals to realize the first worldwide launch of Microsoft Surface. It had (and still has) the potential to change the way high-touch retail operates, so that shoppers who thought they just wanted a cell phone now fall in love with the brand.
So that's what I’ve got today. The “Hype Cycle for Emerging Technologies” as published by Gartner. (Everyone listens to Gartner right? If you need to get $8,000,000 for a project at work, cite Gartner. If you’re screwing up at work, your boss will cite Gartner.)
Let’s try to stay out of the “Trough of Disillusionment” OK? Home Health Monitoring sounds like something perfect for the same government who brought you Cash for Clunkers. No reason for a doctor to actually see someone who is sick. Human touch and interaction is overrated. (Never mind that human interaction with a perceived product expert is exactly what changes a purchase opportunity into a chance to create someone who loves your brand.)
The “Slope of Enlightenment” is cool, but it’s safe as most of it has already been done. For example, you’re visiting a corporate blog right now. The Tablet PC was here with the Newton and it’s going to come back strong. Speech Recognition is in many new cars and will be in your kitchen more effectively than it was for Jane Jetson. (I think the 5-10 years is a little too far on that.)
What is really exciting for us, of course, is the upswing of the “Technology Trigger.” This is where it takes guts to execute and brands still have an opportunity to create huge goodwill when applied appropriately. We’ll discuss Microsoft Surface and what it has to offer in later posts. But give some thought to what we can do with 3-D flat-panel displays, human augmentation, and augmented reality.
There are some exciting projects at EWI Worldwide that I can’t talk about yet, but keep me awake at night because of our good fortune to push the envelope on things like this. The burden is absolutely on us to move these technologies to the “Slope of Enlightenment” by having the courage to execute. If we don’t do our jobs, we will fall into the “Trough of Disillusionment.”
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