You're in this hip Hamburg bar, but things aren't going your way. You're alone, bored, and to make matters worse, you're out of cigarettes. Suddenly an apparition parts the club's smoky din: It's a blond goddess, and she's packing a Powerbook. She's even giving out free cigarettes (Philip Morris - not your brand, but hey, who cares?). She sits down next to you, cracks open that sexy black notebook (you've always wanted one, admit it) and up pop a series of interactive games that test memory, an architectural icon quiz on several well-known German buildings, and a quiz on three new inventions - only one of which is real. In addition, four cheeky, self-appointed "Ministers of Trend" (covering "Fashion," "Music and Nightlife," "The Future," and "Love") dispense digitized advice from their Powerbook windows on the world. Now you're not bored, you're not alone, and if you win a game, you get a hat, T-shirts, or a pack of cigarettes. That blond might even light one for you, if you're lucky. Truly the answer to your dreams.
It's all part of a new marketing strategy from Philip Morris of Germany. Realizing that interactive media is yet another place to advertise, Morris commissioned Peter Kabel of the Kabel Corporation to create something that would entertain bar patrons while reminding them which cigarettes to smoke (a Philip Morris logo is evident no matter what else is on the screen). While we don't condone the marriage of nicotine and portable computing, it's clear this is a portent of where marketing is headed in the digital age.
ELECTRIC WORD
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Yeah, but will it improve the food? Get yer seat-back service here!
