We think technology should work for you—to be there when you need it and get out of your way when you don’t.

A group of us from Google[x] started Project Glass to build this kind of technology, one that helps you explore and share your world, putting you back in the moment. We’re sharing this information now because we want to start a conversation and learn from your valuable input. So we took a few design photos to show what this technology could look like and created a video to demonstrate what it might enable you to do.

- Google Project Glass

Google sees our future through Augmented Reality glasses. Loving technology, this is a future I want to live in. It seems like the next evolution of the smart phone; becoming an integral part of your life, without getting in the way of life.

My mind is buzzing with great ideas on how to utilize this technology in the marketing/advertising world.

What are some ways YOU think this technology could be used to help people connect with companies and brands better? Let us know in the comments and we’ll pass those along to Google!

This is an excellent re-imagination of the classic bookmark. It is so simple, yet works so perfectly.

We often tend to over-think our product or messaging. This is an example of a simple product, with simple messaging, that simply works great. I love it.

This idea was so clearly portrayed that it got 8x the funding it needed to go into production! If you too would like to support this project, you can do so here.

What are some other simple ideas, products, or messages that have worked for you?

SOLIPSIST by Andrew Huang is an experimental short film that is one of the most refreshingly creative things I have seen in a long while. I encourage you to watch it through in its entirety as the imagery continues to amaze through the whole piece.

Watch it up, soak it in, and let this help you to get YOUR creative juices flowing on this beautiful Friday!

Weird, amazing, beautiful, disturbing. I love it because it makes me feel these feelings and more. How does this video impact you?

I’m a huge fan of humor, especially in advertising. Maybe it’s because I’m a 20-something male, but whenever I see a funny commercial, or ad, I stop and pay attention. Humor appeals to me, and breaks through my dubious consumer wall.

Ads like the one above are a perfect example of humor being utilized to appeal to the target audience, as well as sell the product. When companies don’t take themselves too seriously, but instead think of the best way to reach their end-user, they’ll achieve a more organic relationship with customers, hopefully resulting in more sales.

This ad worked for me by catching my attention, keeping me entertained, and making me want to purchase the product. How do you feel about it? What type of ads appeal to you?

Quoting The Daily What, “As part of a campaign to raise Alzheimer’s awareness, the Israeli Alzheimer Association (EMDA) attempted to convey the feeling of confusion and disorientation Alzheimer’s patients experience on a daily basis by showing thousands of moviegoers at the country’s largest cinema complex a different film than the one they expected to see.”

This is an example of incredible advertising because, as the video showcases, after the public experienced it, many became instant advocates. They told their friends about it, word quickly spread, and the cause, Alzheimer’s awareness, got a huge surge in support.

Advertising isn’t always meant to sell a product or service. It is sometimes, as in this case, meant to make the viewer understand, and sympathize the cause you are working for.

I love the execution of this campaign because it worked so beautifully, and really got to the heart of the problem: to truly understand what someone is going through, you have to experience it for yourself. Making the movie patrons experience what it was like to have Alzheimer’s was the best way to force them to understand what it is like to have the disease, and allowed them to support the cause with a heartfelt passion. I also love this because it broke out of traditional delivery methods. It was an experience, rather than just a print ad or commercial.

So cheers to effective advertising! May we all strive to create as effective campaigns as this in the future.

Steve Jobs was a college drop-out. He didn’t use a college grant. He didn’t need a tax break. He leveraged an environment that rewarded innovation. That environment is alive and well today.

If you look beyond the dour headlines; if you can see past the cornacopia of commercially viable crap filling our shopping carts, you’ll see ingenuity in action. You’ll see people creating at the highest-levels. Not just in America, but all over the world.

The best thing to happen to America is the economy taking a shit and scaring us all into inventiveness. Maslow’s pyramid is hitting each one of us square in the jaw and forcing dormant forces to come alive.

This is the Results-Economy. If you’re out there slinging the same tired solutions the other guy is, you’re done. But if you tap into imagination, you will discover that the there is absolutely nothing wrong with the economy.

Never in the history of the planet have more customers been walking the earth, all of whom share a desire to express themselves, stay warm, go faster, jump higher, eat better, communicate easier and/or satisfy whatever need–be it emotional or rational–as fast as possible.

Steve Jobs was a genius and a maverick. But like most mavericks his genius had nothing to do with his products. It had to do with his ideology. He was never afraid to exercise his fuckyouability, be it taking on IBM/Microsoft, his hand-picked CEO from PepsiCo or the mobile phone industry, he was never afraid to challenge convention at any cost.

We can all marvel at his creations. Most CEO’s would be lucky to have one game-changer, he authored at least four. But what I marvel at, as I watch the country struggling to escape the funk of the group-think fueled by the 24-hour news cycle, is that Steve Jobs never seemed to give market conditions a second thought. He wasn’t some Polyanna, glass half-full celebrity CEO, he simply understood the basic human desire to create, play and learn, and he built businesses around such desires because he knew he had an inexhaustable supply of customers. From a a fish named Nemo to a operating system that fostered creativity to a phone that doubled as a personal media center, the guy just understood our root need to think untethered.

I don’t agree that there will never be another Steve Jobs. I think there are thousands more like him walking amongst us (and more than likely they just so happen to be Apple customers).

I truly wish Steve Jobs didn’t have to go so soon. But I’m glad I was on the ride while he was here.

Invent or die, America. Onward

Connor will act as the primary brand ambassador for the brand and will handle personal appearances, autograph signings, exclusive videos and camp appearances for the Flow Society Tour of events throughout the lacrosse season. Additionally, the company will develop and market an exclusive collaboration line of signature apparel and gear that will be co-branded with Flow Society and the celebrity himself.

Connor Martin explained the partnership by saying, “From my head to my toes I can’t feel my legs! That is how excited I am to be a part of Flow Society. They are a brand that aligns very well with what I do as an athlete and with my Con Bro Chill nonsense. The way they love our game, have fun and deliver loud, bright colored gear makes my head spin with all of the possibilities and fun we are going to have. At the end of the day, they want to support me being me, and I’m ecstatic about that. This is going to be Boom Town.”

Having Connor join our Flow Society team adds to our authentic position in the lacrosse segment and provides us a presence in the fashion, music and video arenas. Connor will play a major role in keeping us in touch with the target consumer as well as communicating our brand personality to this audience. We are honored to bring Connor into our brand family”, stated Bob Stec, CEO of Passport Brands, the parent company for Flow Society.

The partnership kicked off at the Big City Classic at the Meadowlands on April 3 and will continue throughout the lacrosse season. The product line is in development and is expected to launch in key retailers for Spring 2012.

Flow Society brand is a division of Passport Brands, Inc. Passport Brands is a design, merchandising and marketing company that specializes in upper end niche branded apparel and accessories. The company operates a disciplined and focused marketing and sourcing platform for a diverse and growing portfolio of brands. Currently, the company operates the Marithe+Francois Girbaud jeans line for young men, Flow Society brand of authentic lacrosse gear and Brandina.

Starbucks co-founder talks about early days.

If there’s one thing I love about being a nonboxer, it’s our fundamental understanding that accelerating business outcomes is about connecting our client’s with a rolodex of individuals who just know how to get it done. Had a great lunch today with one such person. So inspired by his story. Totally humble with no reason to be. Love guys like this. Give it a read.

“With the addition of Jeff to NONBOX we will now be able to provide this marketing service to our clients,” said NONBOX partner, Steve Karakas. Guettler added, “Experiential marketing is the difference between telling people about features of a product or service and letting them experience the benefits for themselves. It’s very effective.”

Guettler has served as business development and marketing manager for a Global 50corporation, facilitating high-profile corporate investment, financing, growth and go tomarket strategies for branded consumer goods clients. Over the past 15 years, his work has included strategic behind-the-scenes negotiations with such notable companies asProcter & Gamble, Pepsico, NIKE, Columbia Sportswear and others.

About NONBOX. NONBOX is a marketing and communications firm founded in1999 in Portland. It provides a full spectrum of communications services including brand development, strategy development, interactive, creative development,media buying, video and motion graphics. The firm focuses on companies in the consumer footwear and apparel, technology and sports marketing fields.

The best part; “Being part of a talented creative team and solving a complex communications problem. Chris Roth, webmaster at Cascade Mircotech, was an amazing technical partner and we worked great together” said Andrew Schlabach, our designer and programmer.