According to Manovich, the term interactive is “the most basic fact about computers”, “once an object is represented in a computer, it automatically becomes interactive”. Interactivity is a concept of new media, the work is manipulated according to the person controlling it. On the other hand, the work or “order of presentation” is fixed in old media.
I looked at the Pomegranate Phone interactive ad. This is an extremely interactive ad. There are various options of the “phone” to click on to see how it works. Not only is it just clickable but it shows you a video of a person using the device, like the one below.
This was the key factor in making me believe that this phone actually existed. (Sorry to spoil it for people who thought they would be able to go out and buy it… you cant). As Manovich said, you are “externalizing the mind”. This form of interactivity is simply perceived as real because it is not really going to happen in real life. It doesn’t even highlight the product being sold. The Barbarian Group stated that you should “spread word about the brand”. But that is the exact opposite of this campaign. They are not trying to sell you the Pomegranate Phone, even though it would be pretty cool if they did. They are actually trying to sell you, Nova Scotia– The province of Canada being that “all in one device”, meaning that it contains everything that you would ever want in one place. I believe that the whole idea of the Pomegranate Phone is it being a viral advertisement. Before anyone reaches the point where they are told about Nova Scotia, everyone wonders if it is a real phone to purchase. When the ad first came out, my friends immediately posted on their Twitter’s and Facebook’s a link to the phone and a statement exclaiming “IS THIS REAL!?”. As I stated already, further exploration into this interactive ad will tell you that it is not. I feel that it was a highly successful campaign. Everyone was so interested in this so called phone. There weren’t any age limits which is probably why Nova Scotia picked a phone and not a gaming system as their advertising tool. All ages and both males and females can relate to the Pomegranate Phone. At first I was so mesmerized by what the phone could do and the interactivity of the ad I didn’t even care about the potential release date of the phone. I just had the best time playing with all of the features. However, when I found out that “someday you’ll be able to get everything you want in one device, but today you can get everything in one place”, I was pretty frustrated!
As the Barbarian Group says, “interactive advertising is not human” and the Pomegranate Phone certainly is not.
leads you to….
This is a great example, I’m glad you came up with something new. Does the ad feel interactive or is it as Manovich believes just tricking you into thinking the ad is interactive? I’m curious because in a site where you can test out a phone, you really have control. While there are limited options, aren’t there limited options on a regular cell phone, limited ways to interpret and use it?
I think this is an interesting example of IA. It lands somewhere in between the M&M type of interactivity and The Secret Location. Although you are not designing your own phone like you do an M&M, you chose the links about the phone’s abilities that you would like to see.
Wow. I actually thought that the pomegranate phone could brew coffee. This advertisement is really cool because it is so infinity and beyond. Will phones really be able to brew coffee in the future?
It appeals to everyone as you said because most people have cell phones or at least want one. It was interesting to see that this advertisement was not even for a phone but instead of for Nova Scotia. I did not expect that when I watched it, but I do see now how it fits together because like you said, its trying to be an “all in one device”.