El Gaffney

New York Story

My friend Mike always keeps me well informed when it comes to the rap scene, and recently has been no exception. He tipped me off to Drake’s “Forever” video with Lebron James and a Freestyle Cypher with Mos Def, Black Thought and Eminem.

But the one that really “hits home” is Jay-Z’s “Empire State of Mind” (embedded below). Great storytelling, which, as this post from Desedo shows, has the potential to be even richer and more interactive. (Especially if we can select Alicia Keys as the GPS navigator’s voice.)

Jay-Z – “Empire State Of Mind” ft. Alicia Keys

Jay-Z | MySpace Video

Tags: interactive, maps, storytelling

KISS for Participation

What can I say, I’m a sucker for branded interactive sites. You keep it simple and let me personalize it, and I’ll engage (and often send). I’ve Elfed, Simpsonized, and Sweded myself in the past year. Last month I sent a holiday card from a robot thanks to Puma.

I’ve created my own BFD pizza in the past week (see below).

And today, I kept life sexy. (Note: There’s a very cool element where you can narrow down the inputs by age and gender.)

As we continue to explore ways to better measure the results of viral beyond visitors, views, “sends”, and friends, I thought I’d at least do my part to support the brands (and agencies) that are, as Bruce Dickinson would say, “exploring the space.” I may not have run to Office Max for binders lately but hopefully parents did. (It seems they’ve got some good results.) Now, I’ll order the pizza; you go get the K-Y.

Tags: brands, interactive

Good Weekend

Here I am with Homer rocking my Original Penguin gear.

Tags: clothing, interactive, simpsons