Newsletter
Events
Audi Likes to 'Move It Move It'—and More European Treats
Plus: Work from FINOM and the Yes Foundation
Recently we got into a car—not an Audi, but of equally fancy provenance—and experienced the sensation of intuitive, aesthetic interior lighting. It’s not a necessity, per se. But it changes the ambient experience of even perfunctory travel.
To promote the adaptive lighting of its A6 Avant e-tron vehicle, Audi and BBH London present “Light, As You Like It.” It features an a capella chorus singing will.i.am’s “I Like to Move It” in an Audi. The car’s internal illumination changes as the song progresses. It’s pretty much nothing but vibes. Which is the main plus adaptive lighting offers.
Nobody is good all the time. The Yes Foundation, which supports and empowers women in Poland, makes light of this in its latest ad. Directed by Mateusz Miszczyński, it features everyday people doing “bad” things, like not picking up after their dogs, sneaking a smoke or pretending to be asleep on the bus to avoid giving up their seat.
The point is, you don’t have to be good all the time. But when you’re working with the Yes Foundation, you can still take part in meaningful projects. We meet Matgorzata, who assists in women’s prisons (but has also murdered at least one goldfish), and Katarzyna, who helps disabled women feel beautiful (but steals lighters). We’re attracted to the moral relativity being celebrated here. It’s complicated, human and mischievous, illustrating how community players can still behave like little chaos demons in the minor acts of life.
The beat drops to “Best Behavior” by L.A.-based indie band Gustaf, which knows how to hit the spot.
When did you last encounter a fax machine? Chances are, it happens rarely … except in those instances when you have a moment of dire need, and for some stupid reason the company or organization confronting you will only accept documentation by fax. This is an act of evil and even fax machines are tired of it. Which is why, in Germany, they’re faxing in their own resignation letters.
This act of guerrilla “faxvertising” was created by FINOM, a financial solutions company and digital bank for entrepreneurs. The brand targeted German small and mid-sized business owners by faxing them resignation letters “written” by their own retirement-ready fax machines. They expanded the idea by placing pedestals of fed-up faxes on the streets of major cities. The faxes periodically spat out satirical messages of weariness and featured QR codes where German entrepreneurs—77 percent of which still use fax machines—can try FINOM’s services for free.
This is bad news for the tech oligarchs hoping tireless machines and virtual influencers will replace us all. Even technology fights overwork.
Angela Natividad is the European markets editor at Muse by Clios. She also writes about gaming and fashion, and whatever else she’s interested in, really. She’s based in Paris and North Italy, so if you’re local, say hi. She might eat all your food.
