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Spectacular Man Made Sun Brightens up London 2 Hours Early: Here’s a cool little PR stunt that we’ve been seeding this week. Nobody likes dark winter mornings so Tropicana decided to bring a little extra sunshine to the streets of London by hoisting a giant artificial sun above Trafalgar Square, complete with deck chairs and glasses of orange juice for passers by to stop and enjoy a bit of a sunny boost on their way to work – smiles all around!

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Megaupload mega song: Top of the UGC chart this week is the controversial file sharing promotional video from Kim DotCom. The clip, which features several big music industry names including Snoop Dogg and P Diddy, was already trending on Twitter following the shutdown of the Megaupload site earlier this month but was promptly removed from YouTube following a complaint from Universal Music, (despite the fact that the company does not control any rights to the video).

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The song itself is a rather dull marketing clip but interestingly it’s been thrust into the media limelight as the latest example of the potential impact of the new anti-piracy movement. It has since been returned to YouTube after a successful lawsuit from Megaupload, but the owners are now facing indictment for copyright infringement and facilitating the wide scale illegal downloading and sharing of movies, music and other material online. The courtroom drama is set to continue for quite some time but the outcome is likely to be a sign of what we can expect of things to come, so watch this space!

Snoring dormouse with sound: On a lighter note, here’s our weekly dose of cuteness and my absolute favorite clip this week, one super sleepy little dormouse.

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Lego man in space: Two Canadian teenagers make this brave little dude the first Lego man in space!

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Using a helium filled weather balloon, two tiny cameras, a GPS tracking system and a homemade parachute, the pair managed to launch the plastic figure 16 miles into space (that’s three times the height of a commercial aircraft), capturing some beautiful shots of the curvature of the earth against the stunning blue of the stratosphere, before it parachuted back down to earth landing 75 miles away.

Radar: Crazy French prankster Remi Gaillard is back with the latest clip in the Dangerously Funny Videos series, this time he’s dressed up as a giant speed camera, flashing all kinds of traffic from tractors to trains. All appears to be going well until the police show up!

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2011 – One Backflip A Day: This guys dad bet him $100 that he couldn’t do a backflip every day of 2011, so guess what he did…

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One happy dog: Finally, rounding up the UGC chart with just a little bit more cuteness – most excited dog ever!!!

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You can catch up on the full viral listings on the NMA viral Brand chart and UGC chart, powered by the Viral Ad Network.

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Secretly filmed on a mobile phone, it caused quite a storm across the social media world, with the resulting backlash on Twitter leading to her being detained by the police for her own protection! The video itself is quite an uncomfortable watch but it makes an interesting little case study on the way a story can be picked up by the media and become a meme in its own right.

Bizzle gets some Dunkers: You’re probably familiar with Charlie Schmidt’s Keyboard Cat by now, and with over 20 million views, its own Facebook and Twitter feed and a whole host of mash up videos and fans online, it’s clear that dressing up your pet like a human is a quick way to push it into the viral limelight. So, meet Bizzle – Half dog, half man as he guzzles down some cheesy treats in this hilarious little clip.

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Black Friday Shopping Prank: I think this might possibly be my favorite video from the chart last week. Two grown men convincing shop assistants to help them locate an insane list of made up items including an eye removal kit, hair-dye for new borns and pre made toast. If you like this one you might enjoy the follow up video, Xmas shopping Prank #2!

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Nando’s Last Dictator Standing: Using some of the worlds most controversial political dictators to advertise a chicken restaurant chain seems like a bizarre decision for a company to make right? Well, that is exactly what Nando’s South Africa did with their risky new ad poking fun at the worlds political rulers.

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Featuring a Mugabe look-a-like in a water pistol fight with Col Gaddafi, playing in the sand with Saddam Hussein and singing Karaoke with Mao Tse-Tung, the video (which reportedly cost about £236,000 to produce), has now been pulled due to the massive public backlash directed against the campaign. Epic marketing fail? Well, with just shy of a million views and nearly 40,000 shares already it’s still not doing too badly!

Check out the latest hits from this week’s NMA Brand Chart and User Generated Chart for the latest awesome clips.

Even the kitties are getting down with the fancy dress theme!

“At first glance, the new YouTube channel design, looks set to turn use of the channel on its head. Gone is the need to use any search (why would you, that is what Google is for) instead, as soon as you sign in, there is a video timeline, most recent at the top.

With a lot more than just a quick nod to the style of Twitter’s website and Facebook’s wall, the new design puts the most recent video at the top of a list of videos from all the channels you subscribe to.

This is a huge step away from the channel-based approach that has been the focus up to now. It is also a leap on from the Cosmic Panda revamp; the poor beast looks simply to have been buried behind the new user’s home page.

The first thing that hit me was the sheer number of things on the page. Check out the image above. That said, having grown to love the simplicity of Twitter’s timeline, you soon adjust to the new layout. There is a lot to take in, with individual videos form your subscriptions taking center stage, recommendations on the right sidebar and main navigation down the left, yet it feels natural, an significant evolution not a revolution.

Fundamentally users are going to be forced – with a small ‘f’ – to change the way they use the channel. Subscriptions are no longer an after thought, they are the crux of the whole experience. I can see subscriptions going through the roof.

The other major change is that registering with Google will be the entry point into getting the most out of YouTube. The majority of us have already taken this plunge be it from Gmail, iGoogle, docs or maybe even Google+. Till now my YouTube use, like many people’s I suspect, has been adhoc, I simply watch the videos embedded in sites off the platform. There has been no need to sign in. Now there is a solid reason to sign up and get subscribing. This will soon become the norm, turning the current status quo on its head.

Brand channels are going to have to think seriously about the impact in two ways:

1. Channel takeovers and on-site advertising could be much less effective
2. Visiting a company or brand channel will now be an after thought and not the main reason to go to YouTube, no more prioritization of videos they want you to see

There are also ways to discover more quickly. Trending, popular and music buttons on the left hand navigation pull up YouTube compiled lists. The music list is a clever idea, as a significant number of people already use YouTube as a computer based jukebox. These look to be global lists at the moment and localizing would make this even more compelling.

So is this another indicator of Google’s broader strategy to put the content at the center of the user experience? Is it now putting individual preferences and popular recommendation at the heart of YouTube? Is this a result of the surge in search on Facebook? Looks to me like all of these things.”

Marcel made his internet debut just over a year ago and has since racked up over 13 million views on YouTube. It’s easy to see why he’s so popular, I absolutely love him, so when I heard that the follow up video had been released I was quite excited!

Life can be hard for a shell, when your car is a bug with a mind of its own, your afraid to drink soda incase the bubbles make you float up into the ceiling and balloons are shrouded in danger, but Marcel doesn’t let anything get him down.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Address Is Approximate: A lovely little stop motion animation by director Tom Jenkins. A lonely desk toy longs for escape from the dark confines of the office, so he takes a cross-country road trip to the Pacific Coast in the only way he can – using a toy car and Google Maps Street View. Beautiful and touchingly sad, well worth a watch.

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The Devil Wears Raybans: Maybe you’ve seen the new trailer for The Devil’s Double, maybe you also noticed that the actors in the film are all rather strangely attached to their sunglasses. Well a couple of the guys from the office here (who certainly don’t have too much time on their hands), thought it might be fun to make this little parody mash up. It made us all chuckle, in fact Icon films liked it so much they’ve agreed to let us upload it as fan based content to help promote the film.

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David Mostyn, Video Business Card: We get tones of good CV’s and job application forms through the post all the time here at Rubber Towers and in this day and age it’s difficult to set one candidate aside from the next. With so much competition for jobs it’s particularly important to try and make yourself stand out from the crowd so when we got this video business card through we thought it was worth a mention.

Shot by Ben Mostyn for his father, who’s an acclaimed cartoonist with 40 years’ service working for the likes of Disney and DC Comics, the video is a mini-homage to Wes Anderson.

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The GAG Quartet – le Internet Medley – Top of the UGC this week and clocking up over 4 million views in just a couple of days, this epic homage to the internet is a real treat for geeky viral fans. With over 40 memes in one song and an awesome soundtrack, I think this should be the new anthem for #KittenCamp!

Keep your eyes peeled for Nyan Cat, The ‘Numa Numa’ Kid, Keyboard Cat, Trollface, Chuck Testa and more, I managed to recognise 19, how many can you spot?

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Welcome to Kitty City – I can’t decide whether I love this animation or am completely terrified by it! If you’ve ever seen any of Cyriak’s previous videos you’ll probably already be familiar with insane hallucinatory offerings like Meow Mix and Poo Pants.

Imagine giant cats morphing out of fluffy maggots, sprouting tiny feline heads, walking around a city where everything is shaped like cats and kittens are driving about inside cat shaped trains while a creepy electronic soundtrack cycles on repeat in your brain… welcome to Kitty City!

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Wampug – This is what happens when you dress a dog up like a goat, or apparently as Hoth Wampa from The Empire Strikes Back. (Ok it is a little bit cute.)

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The Cat in the cobra pose – Don’t mess with Cobra Cat, the only thing this video is missing is the Karate Kid style finale ‘Crane Kick’!

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Dubai Airports Flash Mob – Finally, since this whole post has been focused on the UGC it’s time for a quick clip from the Viral Brand Chart, check out the moves in this catchy lash mob piece from DXB Connect.

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For the full break down of this weeks internet toppers check out the New Media Age Viral Brand Chart and UGC chart.

The Mongol Rally is an epic 10,000 mile charity road-trip from London to Mongolia across three deserts, five mountain ranges and seemingly endless stretches of remote barren land. It’s been described by some as “the greatest adventure possible”, but as one of the least populated countries in the world and with no support crew, help lines or road signs and sometimes days of traveling without seeing another living soul, the reality of life on the road can be hard.

This is definitely not a holiday but for those with the perseverance, ingenuity and sheer good luck to make it across a third of the world’s most inhospitable terrain and over that finish line the thrill must be pretty epic!

Tempted? There are still places available in the 2012 race, check the website to find out more.

Directski.com: I’m sure we would all agree that some healthy competition keeps everyone on their toes and a bit of friendly banter between rival companies never really does any harm. Well, online ski holiday provider Directski.com are certainly testing that theory by releasing this amusing video ad in response to an alleged disagreement with their competitor, Crystal Ski, over price comparisons.

With the title ‘Crystal Ski were so annoyed about our low prices they phoned our dad’, the video shows the two owners of the company, their dad and a rather intimidating Frank Bruno, challenging their competitors to a fight to prove whose dad is hardest.

Our dad vs their dad… We know who’s cheaper… Now let’s see who’s harder.’

Now we’re waiting to see if Crystal Ski make a response video!

Here’s to Real Friends extended trailer: Scotch whisky brand, Chivas Regal have ventured into the film industry, going beyond product placement to produce movies in the hopes of reaching a more receptive mass market. They worked with Euro RSCG to commission two short films by Academy Award winning short filmmaker Joachim Back.

The films are intended to increase awareness of their brands ‘social chivalry’ with two stories about the highs and lows of modern male friendships. We’ve been seeding the  extended teaser trailer but both films; Here’s to Big Bear and Here’s to Twinkle are available to watch now, perfect for a little afternoon break!

Quantum Levitation – Great Scott!!!! Could it be that my childish dreams have finally come true and science has actually developed the mechanism to create a real life Hoverboard?

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This has got to be my favorite video of the week. Quantum Levitation may sound like some made up terminology from a futuristic sci-fi movie but with over 5 million views and counting this video tops the UGC with an awesome demonstration of the wonders of science.

Something to do with a superconducter and magnetic flux, I have no idea how it works! I call it magic, but if you want to learn about the physics behind it you can check out the Quantum Levitation site.

A Duet With Siri – Since the launch of Siri, the eagerly anticipated voice-activated virtual assistant built into Apple’s new iPhone, the internet has been flooded with funny parody videos and blogs posting amusing responses to questions.

Number two in the UGC, musician Jonathan Mann serenades Siri with this specially dedicated love song in this fun little clip.

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Specsavers ‘Sauna’ advert – Naked Man Vs Ramsey! A relaxing session in the hotel sauna turns to embarrassment for one poor chap.

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Angry Birds Seasons Ham’O'Ween – Angry Birds presents a spooky Halloween adventure! The Blue Birds are out trick-or-treating when they run into a big surprise — the newest Angry Bird! He starts out small, but don’t let his looks deceive you. It’s going to be all tricks and no treats for the pigs!

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For the full industry viral chart rundown visit the NMA Viral Brand Chart or check out the best of the home made classics on the Viral UGC Chart.

El Espectáculo de Sombras Chinescas Más Impresionante del Mundo

The world’s largest shadow puppet show – filmed at a live football match in Valencia.

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The video is part of a Europe-wide integrated campaign that we’re seeding for the agency JWT to advertise Trident Gum. How does a video of giant shadow puppet chickens playing football advertise chewing gum? I hear you ask… Well the clip is just one of a whole bizarre series from The Pointless Collective, designed to spread the word that ‘chewing Trident Senses Gum is pointless yet fun’.

The campaign features a collection of films, events, quirky artwork and funny stories that follow the adventures of three masked super heroes as they come up with elaborate ways to bring pointless fun to the world. Check out their website and Facebook page if you want to read more about their various crazy escapades.

Diversity | Street Dance For Change

Now, any Britain’s Got Talent fans out there will remember the 2009 wining dance group, Diversity. Well they’ve teamed up with insurance firm Aviva to make the Street Dance For Change video as part of the Street to School programme, committed to raising awareness of the 100,000 young people who run away every year in the UK.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Through the initiative, Aviva are supporting street children projects in the UK and around the world, with the aim of helping half a million street children get back in to education or training by 2015. In the UK, their charity partner Railway Children is dedicated to supporting vulnerable children living alone on the streets, where they suffer abuse and exploitation.

If you fancy yourself as a bit of a ‘Mover-groover’ why not have a go and upload your own 30 second dance video, not only will Aviva donate £2 to the charity every time the video is watched but you might also be in for a chance to win tickets to Diversity’s 2012 tour and meet Diversity themselves!!

Check out the official Facebook page for more information on how you can get involved and watch some of the best uploaded dance clips.

This time we had some double feline battle action, with Meme-Master Meow up against Viral Kitty, in a fluffy cat-fight of YouTube awesomeness. Followed by Festival coordinator Rosie Fairchild taking us on a whistle-stop behind the scenes tour of the Bristol Cycle Festival.

With an amazing program of events ranging from guerrilla knitting, challenge rides and cycle speed dating to secret sing-a-long cinemas, the festival was brought to life with no budget by a whole host of dedicated volunteers, all passionate about the beautiful invention that is ‘the bike’.

And… we all got special stickers, did some roll play cycle games and wondered why Brit Eckland needed a bum-double in the famous wall banging scene of the Wicker Man!

Among the highlights from this week’s meme battle were Nonononononononon Cat, (I’m not quite sure what his problem is, but he definitely does NOT agree.)

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Vs Jedi Kittens Strike Back (both cute and geeky, got to be a winning combo.)

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Then over to the bizarre TV commercials – If you liked the Chuck Tester taxidermy ad that we featured in the viral chart rundown last week, then Cuban Gynecologist: Local Car Commercial, (another hilarious offering from comedy duo Rhett & Link), will be right up your street.

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Vs the heavily parodied Flea Market Montgomery with a cameo on The Cleveland Show.

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In the ‘best journeys’ category we had the awe inspiring What Does It Feel Like To Fly Over Planet Earth Vs Gamer Commute, one man’s epic drive to work, (if only real life was that exciting!)

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Click here to view the embedded video.

Finally, the Horsemanning song. Ever since the Planking phenomenon took off, the internet has been looking for ‘the new planking’. We’ve had Owling, Stocking, Cone-ing, Plumbking even Scarlett Johansson-ing! Well this little tune takes us through the art of Horsemanning.

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So, who won the war? Drum roll please …

Da da da daaaaaaaah…. Congratulations to Viral Kitty!!! Yes it finally happened, Chris’s winning streak has been broken. Is Meme-Master-Meow loosing his touch? Let’s see if he can steal back his crown in the next battle.

Which brings us to our first exciting announcement… We’re planning a #KittenCamp Christmas spectacular on 14th December. Not only will we have a whole host of extra special guests, activities and prizes but we are moving to a new venue. Since we appear to have outgrown our lovely little space at Goldbrick House we are heading to pastures new and our Christmas party will be at the Big Chill Bar. Places will go fast so reserve your ticket now to avoid a sad face later!

Second exciting announcement…. There is now an official #KittenCamp Tumblr! We will be posting all kinds of fun clips and bits & bobs on there so keep an eye out, and don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

Meow for now!