The connection between biology and media is one that fascinates me. It's a relic from grad school where I had a prof who expounded upon the topic often. It's also a core component of the philosophies of (Saint) Marshall McLuhan (you know, the "electronic media is an extension of our nervous system" McLuhan). So it's always interesting to see this connection embodied in real life.
Enter Fanta. Yes Fanta, the orange soda owned by Coca-Cola. They will be introducing two mobile applications, developed by Ogilvy Advertising and The Hyperfactory, and based on the Mosquito Teen Repellent technology, which emits an ultrasonic sound only audible by folks in their early 20s and younger.
The first is Fanta Virtual Tennis which is a game that is played between two phones via Bluetooth. Gamers can print out a mini tennis court to play on and games sounds are ultrasonic. The second app is called the Stealth Sound System. It enables communication via high-pitched sounds such as wolf whistles and sound tags such as "cool" (do kids still say that?).
The concept is not new, however. In 2006, Teen Buzz appropriated the technology by developing a ringtone audible only to the younger set. You can download the tone from their site. (By the way, I tried it and was only able to hear it for a fraction of a second--probably only because I was listening for it, or maybe I just have young ears).
In any case, it's a cool concept and a stealth (no pun intended), creative way to connect with people using technology.
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