Burberry and Google bring emotion to digital with virtual kissing campaign

The latest digital innovation from Burberry sees a reimagination of the classic love letter, as fans around the world are able to send and share virtual kisses with one another.

Burberry Kisses, as it’s called, is a partnership with Google that combines personalised content and new technology in a bid to bring an element of emotion to online communications.

Users are able to send an impression of their own real kisses to loved ones by either using their desktop webcams via Google Chrome or by having direct lip contact with their touch screen devices. This so-named “kiss recognition technology” captures the outline of the pout, from which one of five Burberry lip colours can be added to dress it up, and a message typed in to the intended recipient.

On sending, both parties will see personalised animated content dependent on where in the world they are and where they’ve sent their kiss to, thanks to Google Earth and Google Streetview technology. The skylines of New York, Hong Kong, London and more are each shown for instance as the love note flies through the air to its destination. Detail also appears in puddles reflecting local views and recognisable street names.

The aim, according to the company, is to “humanise technology”, and to “translate the emotion of what we create and experience in the real world, into the digital space”.

Christopher Bailey, Burberry’s chief creative officer, said: “We’re constantly thinking about how we translate the emotion of what we create and experience in the real world into the digital space, whether that’s capturing the energy and excitement of a live gig, the hum and buzz of anticipation before a runway show, or just the feeling you get when you pull on your trench coat on a rainy morning. Burberry Kisses began with the idea of giving technology a bit of heart and soul, and using it to unite the Burberry family across the world – by telling a story that makes the digital personal.”

The soundtrack, Evergreen Love, by British Burberry Acoustic musician Misty Miller, was also chosen to provide “emotional resonance”. All outcomes can of course be shared over Google+, as well as the other usual social platforms.

The entire project will be captured in a World of Kissses map. This has two views – a real-time interactive version that shows ‘live’ kisses as they move around the world, and an ‘all’ option that reveals the cities sending and receiving the most.

The initiative is part of Google’s Art, Copy & Code series, which will be showcased during next week’s Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.

Topshop teams up with Google for LFW show

Topshop came out guns blazing with the announcement of its partnership with Google for London Fashion Week last night. Showcased via a very cool trailer from the team at Google’s in-house creative labs (as below), the initiative includes everything from a live model-cam to streetview access inside the autumn/winter 2013/14 show’s impressive Tanks at Tate Modern venue.

The idea is to use all of Google’s platforms to give viewers access to every aspect of the show as if they were “the model on the runway, the buyer in the audience, the make-up artist backstage, the designer fitting a look or the celebrity arriving”.

News quickly spread across the web, from Vogue to The Business of Fashion, and continued this morning on the likes of Wired and The Next Web. A headline from The Guardian, read: “Will Topshop and Google change fashion shows forever?”

Said CMO Justin Cooke: “By partnering with Google we are broadcasting the show to the consumer from every single perspective. A fashion show from concept to creation.”

So here’s the gist of it:

• Models including Cara Delevingne and Jourdan Dunn will all be wearing real-time, HD micro cameras that will enable viewers to experience the show from their perspective. Pre-stitched into the clothes and bags, these cameras will show detailed footage from the runway as well as backstage. They have been developed with SIS Live using the ‘Hawkeye’ technology from major sporting events like Wimbledon. Said Cooke: “The model-cam will steal the show and this partnership with Google will feed that. Viewers will search for ‘Cara on the runway’, and their content will get propelled around the world”

• Exclusive access to these models will also be provided over Google+, where a ‘Road to Runway’ digital diary will feature everything from the first fitting to the moment they hit the catwalk. There will also be a Google Hangout inviting viewers to see behind-the-scenes at Topshop’s headquarters ahead of the show and ask the design team questions as they apply finishing touches

• Topshop’s YouTube page will feature a live feed on show day in a bid to broadcast the event much like the Oscars. Hangouts will air from the red carpet, backstage and the front row hosted by the likes of editor Melanie Rickey, blogger Chiara Ferrangi of The Blonde Salad, and beauty blogger Tanya Burr. Cooke said: “Our customisation of YouTube is a big deal, it’s not just Hangouts with one or two people; we’re using it as a live broadcast, like the Oscars, like a live behind-the-scenes documentary”

• Google+ will also enable fans to ‘Be the Buyer’ with a hangout app that allows them to create moodboards of their favourite items from the runway while seeking video advice from Topshop’s own buying experts as well as those from Selfridges and Browns. This will feed data back to Topshop on what items or colours resonate the most with consumers

• As with last season, every element of the show is also shopabble, from the new collection, to the make-up, nail varnish and music. The shareable Shoot the Show and Customise the Catwalk initiatives will also continue, evolved this time based on customer feedback

•  Finally, there will also be a custom designed Google+ animated photo booth in Topshop’s Oxford Street flagship. Fans can try on outfits and have their pictures instantly uploaded to the store’s interactive digital window and Google+ page

If Burberry hadn’t already put London on the digital map, Topshop just did. Watch it all from 2.30pm GMT on Sunday, February 17.

Japan photo booth prints lifelike 3D sculptures

In case you didn’t already spot this, the world’s first 3D printing photo booth just popped up in Japan. Yes, photo booth – in you step, the camera scanner goes off, and out pops a 3D figure of yourself.

Omote 3D Shashin Kan, as it’s called, is being shown in Harajuku’s Eye of Gyre art gallery from this weekend through January 14. It uses rapid prototyping technology to gather accurate data from its subjects over a 15-minute period, including their posture, shape, size, hair colour and even clothing. The data is uploaded to create a CAD design which is then printed into lifelike miniature sculptures in your choice of 10cm, 15cm or 20cm tall.

For now, they’re not particularly cheap – $258, $393 and $516 respectively – nor are they necessarily 100% accurate; according to Dazed Digital, movement, light reflection or intricate textures could throw up unusable results.

But, they’re another great indication of the direction this technology is moving.

Ok so who actually wants a 3D sculpture of themselves you might ask (quite a few people actually, but that’s by the by). For argument’s sake, then, imagine this concept taken further in the future and applied to fashion consumption…

In you step with your favourite but super worn pair of jeans on, the prototyping does its work (you choose fabric as you go and such like), and out you come with a brand new pair, perfectly shaped to fit. Or how about that coat from three seasons ago that’s falling apart at the seams, or a dress you’ve been desperate to replicate in another colour? After all, this bikini reportedly just became the first completely 3D-printed article of clothing.

Not so unfeasible now, is it.