Your Blink is Virgin Mobile’s Command

Virgin Mobile is watching you watch them. Give ’em a wink.

As the latest part of its “Retrain Your Brain” campaign, called “Blinkwashing,” Virgin Mobile lets you use your eyes to control an online video experience. With the help of agency Mother New York and production company rehab studio, the wireless communications giant has created a YouTube video that uses your computer’s camera to determine when you blink. Your blink triggers the video to switch to a new scene, but the time-coded dialogue and overall storyline — that Virgin Mobile’s great deals are worth switching to in a blink — remain coherent.

This kind of video experience is pretty innovative, if a bit creepy. Japanese food company Ebara’s recent online game for kids similarly uses your computer’s camera to sense facial movement to play the game, but this use of facial recognition in a YouTube video is new. Try it out for yourself on YouTube, and watch the promo video below:

More in Marketing

OpenAI expands ads manager to U.K., adds CPC

Similar to the U.S. the ads manager is now widely available in the U.K., and is the fifth market where advertisers can access it.

How Fanatics moved from audience targeting to optimizing campaigns for customer LTV

A recent 19% lift in LTV points to brands focus on outcome-based media buying.

As AI scrutiny grows, DUDE Wipes points to supply chain savings and productivity gains

AI may be facing an ROI reckoning. Brands, agencies and tech vendors alike are starting to face harder questions about whether generative AI can deliver the meaningful business results it promises. The honeymoon phase, however, isn’t over yet. DUDE Wipes has AI tools across the company, reducing man hours in supply chain tasks — providing employees […]