Intriguing post over at Neville Hobson’s blog today on a new kind of collaboration offering called Immersive Work Spaces from Linden Labs and Rivers Run Red. 

We use Apple’s video iChat and screen sharing, which seems to work pretty well for up to four people. And there’s always ooVoo.

It’s interesting to see how this conversation around work, collaboration and telecommuting keeps evolving.

We hear the way to drive traffic to a website is with a TV spot. So we made this TV spot. 

Business Challenge:

Volkswagen is and was an icon of the 1960s. As was Jerry Garcia and the Grateful Dead. When Jerry died unexpectedly in 1995, Volkswagen wanted to respectfully acknowledge Jerry’s influence on an entire generation and the fact that he’d be sorely missed. The challenge was to communicate this sentiment without appearing to be exploiting the occasion for commercial purposes.

Solution:

It was decided that instead of a lengthy, and no doubt cliché filled salute to Jerry’s career, we’d do something uniquely Volkswagen. Borrowing from the classic Doyle Dane VW campaigns of the past, we created a simple cartoon image that expressed the connection Volkswagen had with “Deadheads” and the sadness of Jerry’s passing. The only words to appear were the dates of his birth and death.

Key Elements:

The simple nature of the concept made it possible to be one of the only advertisers ready with an ad custom-made for the Rolling Stone Jerry Garcia commemorative issue. The reaction in the Grateful Dead community was overwhelmingly positive. With approval and co-operation with Jerry’s estate, we created a t-shirt version of the ad that was sold to raise money for Jerry’s favorite charity.

Results:

Volkswagen established its credibility as a respected, trusted brand within the music community. The association with the Grateful Dead helped Volkswagen build a relationship with a whole new generation of music lovers. The campaign went on to win a Lion at the International Advertising Festival in Cannes.

Business Challenge:

The competition among the “Big Four” accounting firms for top talent is intense. The search begins early on college campuses and in some cases high schools. Our client PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) prides itself on its unique and diverse corporate culture. It was confident it had a good story to tell if it could find a away to reach this media-savvy audience. Hello Viking was recruited to collaborate with New York agency Spring to develop an online approach that would allow PwC to connect with these potential recruits.

Insight:
Media consumption for students 18-24 is, not surprisingly, heavy focused online.  They view the web as a social medium and put high value on brands with distinct personalities and interesting, entertaining content.

Solution:
We repackaged a variety of video and online assets into a stylish, easy-to-use website. Hello Viking enhanced site strategy, then developed site architecture, interface design and a content management system using a combination of Flash, JavaScripting, AJAX and dhtml, to create an eye-catching video environment showcasing these films.

Key Elements:

Using dazzling, multi-layered digital art by award-winning illustrator Aaron McConomy, we created a horizontally-scrolling, 3D interface. A translucent dhtml layer displays three channels of content. Each channel contains a variety of ‘infotainment’ videos. Subject matter covers everything from a scripted series using PwC employees as actors to documentaries of PwC interns and employees doing charitable works around the world.

Results:

Since it was launched in August 2007, PwC.tv has been averaging 10,000 vistors a month.