Don't Like a Virgin Mobile Ad? Blink to See the Next One

What's This?

By Todd Wasserman2013-09-16 13:02:50 UTC

Virgin Mobile is tapping the "wonders of neuroscience" for a new series of YouTube ads that react to a viewer's blinks.

The series includes 25 videos. The technology fueled by your webcam, called "Blinkwashing," time-codes each word across the 25 videos to "create a smart caching system that switches seamlessly between videos whenever the viewer blinks." It's a riff off that old trope in movies: A viewer is quickly switching channels on TV and the few words you hear on each each channel form a coherent sentence.

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In this case, it's a sales pitch for Virgin's no-contract unlimited data plans. The stars of the show include a newscaster, a guy in a gorilla suit and some jungle explorers, among others.

The stunt, created by rehabstudio and Greencard Pictures, joins other recent YouTube ad efforts including a VW Fusca ad in Brazil that skipped itself to make a point about that model's DSG Tiptronic Transmission's automatic transmission.

What are your thoughts on the "Blinkwashing" technology? Let us know in the comments below.

Image: Virgin Mobile

Topics: Advertising, Business, Marketing, virgin mobile, YouTube