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A little press for a project that we've recently launched for Unilever for Sunsilk, their biggest hair-care product launch ever. We have been getting very positive feedback from the consumers, so I'm sure you'll see more of this technology in the future. We also did some tests last year and we were able to hit the sidewalk with a speaker from 5 stories, bringing sound to billboards. We're testing some interesting combinations of this technology with other, interactive tools, so holler if you'd like to like to explore with us!

In shopping centers, Mindshare sibling The Wow Factory, a nontraditional ad specialist, teamed with high-tech brand firm Brand Experience Lab to create displays for malls that transmit "sonic blankets" of broadcast-quality audio. Wow president Connie Garrido said that laser-activated motion-detector technology triggers the audio when shoppers pass by the display, but the sound is contained to just within that "blanket" of space, so it doesn't echo throughout the mall.

It's the first time the technology has been used for advertising, and Sunsilk has an option to retain the technique exclusively through 2007, she said. Some mall operators were concerned it would be disruptive to shoppers, but the feedback so far has been positive, said Garrido. The transmitted voiceovers address hair issues (e.g., "My hair is poofier than my bridesmaid dress") that reflect the visual message.

Sex and the City co-star Mario Cantone, who played the sassy, raspy-voiced "gay friend" Anthony, is the voice of the effort. "The audio and the tone of the campaign is very distinctive, and we looked for a way to incorporate that audio into the media in ways that had never been done before," Noble said.

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