Photo credit: Super Bowl XLVI Halftime Show

So the Giants won the Super Bowl. We thought maybe you hadn’t heard.

That’s big news, but from an agency point of view there was something even bigger afoot at Super Bowl XLVI — and even though it happened on the field, it had nothing to do with football. It was 3D projection mapping, and it was an integral part of Madonna’s halftime performance. It was proof that this relatively new technology has really hit the big time.

3D projection mapping has actually been around for a while, but this Super Bowl’s use of the technology shows that it’s a tool that is growing more powerful every day.

3D projection mapping animates stationary, 2D objects with 3D video. In the marketing world, it’s most effective when used on a very large scale, accompanied with impactful music and some sort of PR-worthy event or spectacle. It’s an incredibly powerful experience in person, but part of what’s great about it is that a powerful live experience can live on in video.

At the birth of the technology, these animated “films” were projected almost exclusively onto the sides of buildings. A couple of key examples of that kind of application are the Hot Wheels Secret Race Battle against the Customs House in Sydney, and the launch of the new Johnnie Walker Green Label bottle against a historic building in Taipei.

As we’ve watched the technology grow, however, we can see it being used in more and more versatile ways. Carmelo Anthony used the technology to help launch his new shoe in New York, for example: This application used a building backdrop for some portion of it but in large part the projection took place right over the water of the Hudson River.

At the Super Bowl this year, the technology was again pushed to new levels when multiple parts of the arena were used as projection backdrops, including the grass of the field. Pulsating stereo speakers and yardline markers made the field come alive, and 3D images from the field were even projected onto handheld LEDs carried by individual audience members in the crowd. That capacity for real crowd participation has never been done before, and the performance itself is now being hailed as the best halftime show in years. Maybe that’s because it’s the event that finally put 3D projection mapping on the map.

photo credit: http://courseoftheforce.com

Calling all aspiring Jedi Knights!  You’re cordially invited to take part in an epic relay race — with lightsabers — leading up to Comic-Con International 2012.  From July 7 – 11, participants will run quarter-mile sections of terrain spanning from Santa Monica to San Diego, and are (of course) encouraged to sport their finest Star Wars-themed running gear. This monumental event is aptly dubbed The Course of the Force.

Tell me this doesn’t sound like a good time!  I’m thinking of at least checking it out, but if you’re so inclined, you can register here.  All proceeds benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation of SoCal.

Oklahoma City Thunder's Kevin Durant signs pairs of the new Nike KD IV Coppers for select fans in Oklahoma City, Friday, Dec., 23, 2011. (Photo by Alonzo J. Adams)

This past December, NBA superstar Kevin Durant (KD), with the help of MKTG INC and Nike Basketball, set out in his conversion van to give away pairs of his Nike Zoom kicks, known as the “KD IV Copper.”  The shoe’s unique copper colorway was developed for his Christmas Day matchup with the Orlando Magic.

KD gave away the highly anticipated shoes to fans at three different locations. The twist? No one knew where those locations were ahead of time.

To match KD’s humble demeanor, MKTG INC avoided in-store chaos with a grassroots approach that built a groundswell online. KD posted teasers about the activation via Twitter, giving fans a heads up that they’d need to keep their eyes open to score a free pair.

By featuring destinations from KD’s ‘Basketball Never Stops’ commercial, MKTG INC tied the programming to the brand, while giving fans an intimate experience with their local star.  KD tweeted the destinations in real-time, as fans flocked from all over Oklahoma City for a chance to win a pair of the KD IV Copper and meet the NBA’s quiet superstar.

The response on Twitter was overwhelmingly positive. Over 6000 related tweets were posted over the course of three days, all with one recurring theme: Kevin Durant is awesome (and generous). In fact, a Santa hat-wearing KD made ESPN’s Top 10 Plays on the night before Christmas, spreading Christmas cheer and wishing all a good night.

Oklahoma City Thunder's Kevin Durant poses for a group photo with fans and winners of the new Nike KD IV Coppers in Oklahoma City, Friday, Dec., 23, 2011. (Photo by Alonzo J. Adams)

Carlsberg is getting into the social media game in a big way—using Sweden as it’s lab! Unbottle Yourself begins April 7, when willing Swedes will be challenged to perform a series of tasks (there are up to 500, I believe) which include mackin’ on a hottie in a bar, grocery store slaloms, wearing a helmet to the gym (wait, that’s a “mission”? doesn’t seem out of the norm to me) etc. Those who do the best job get a trip to the ultimate party in Hong Kong! Sounds like a great time to us—now if we only had an MKTG Sweden office!

We all know what the arrival of the holiday season means, right?  (DRAMATIC PAUSE FOR EFFECT) The end of the Cross Country season of course! And although we’re excited for the upcoming season of goodwill and cheer, we can’t help but reminisce about the past few months of fun had on the Nike East Running Mobile Tour Programs.

This Saturday will mark the 7th running of Nike Cross Nationals in Portland, Oregon, an event where the nations top high school runners compete to prove they’re the best.  They’ve been preparing for this day all season long, and most of them have been doing so with the Mobile Crew by their side.

The Nike Spike Bus and Nike East Running Van have been there every step of the way…  Training with the fastest runners, cheering with the masses at races, and spreading knowledge about running and Nike to all.  They’ve spent time in the freezing temperatures of Vermont and Florida sunshine, with countless weeks on the road, and thousands of miles on their vehicles…  Tens of thousands of laces and hundreds of Gait Analysis tests later, it all comes down to one thing… Running.

The Nike East Running Mobile Tour has reached new heights this season and passed by countless milestones.  The season may be over by the memories will live on. Keep up with us daily on RunnerSpace, tweet @nikespikebus and Like us on the ‘Book.

Vans is the man when it comes to brand. To promote their new Yo Gabba Gabba shoe collection, Vans has partnered with the hip kids’ show to produce a series of videos exploring the totally logical link between action sports and giant-sized bright-red alien animals with one eye.

The videos showcase the Gabba Land characters’ mad motocross, skateboard, surf and BMX skills as they bring it alongside pro athletes like Alex Knost and Alistair Whitton. Music by everyone from Devo to the Dragons. First up is Muno exploring LA on a skateboard, in homage to the iconic Bones Brigade Video Show. Want more? Get it here on the Vans microsite.

Staying true to their Dude- (not entirely Bro-) Centric sports sponsorship, Red Bull NZ created a pretty sick mini Velodrome complete with helmet-cams.

Fortune also favors the bold.  As the ancient Latin proverb goes, the  Goddess of Luck, Fortuna, favors those who consummately undertake course of action and risks.  We like risks at MKTG INC. We also really like Guinness.

Guinness, robust with roasted flavors of chocolate and coffee,  has been audacious enough to infiltrate sports bar environments of late, challenging consumers to go Head-to-Head in pouring the Perfect Pint.  Boom! Karate chop! Take that Bud and Miller!

And to the victor go the spoils. Guinness invited only the best and boldest to their Grand Finale event to tenaciously pour for a trip to Las Vegas in celebration of Super Bowl XLV. While there was one ultimate Perfect Pint Winner in the NE Region, it is rumored there will be another Guinness Head-to-Head competition between Jerome Bettis and the individual with the most outrageously, bold moment.  Want in? Keep a lookout for MKTG INC in a sports bar near you.

In fact, it’s 5pm on Friday – we’re going to practice.

The much-anticipated NBA season opened last night with the Celtics, the Heat and LeBron James eating a pink-frosted donut. Nike’s new LeBron James: Rise commercial shows a LeBron no one expects to see: introspective, self-deprecating, a soulful slam poet wearing a fedora. From the sound of it a lot of people don’t want to see this new LeBron, or any other LeBron for that matter, but it’s not like Nike doesn’t know that: LeBron repeatedly asks us “What should I do?” and then he says, “Maybe I should just disappear.” I myself loved it: it’s funny, it’s smart, it’s very well written, and it’s got a Don Johnson cameo. I ask for nothing more.

via highsnobiety

Pretty cool skateboard video that shows little to no branding for Coca-Cola Burn energy drink. The riders were actually set on fire in this video.  No stuntmen were used.  Filming was done in Mexico.

Photo credit to heymeca