Tag: Chrome

Build with Chrome: LEGO Chrome Experiment

Google earlier this week released their latest Chrome Experiment in partnership with LEGO called “Build with Chrome”.

Now anybody who visits www.buildwithchrome.com via their Chrome browser can use their mouse or touchscreen to build something out of the virtual LEGO bricks and share them directly on Google+.

Why this is a smart Chrome Experiment

This is a simple product demonstration disguised as play. It shows off what the browser can do by putting it in service of something people already understand. Building with LEGO.

  • Low learning curve. If you can drag and drop, you can participate.
  • Touch-ready by design. Mouse and touchscreen both make sense for “building”.
  • Social distribution baked in. Sharing is part of the experience, not an afterthought.

What to take from this if you are building interactive brand work

  1. Make the capability tangible. Don’t explain performance. Let people feel it.
  2. Choose a familiar metaphor. Familiar mechanics reduce friction and increase time spent.
  3. Design sharing as a natural next step. If the output is personal, people want to show it.
  4. Keep the experience single-purpose. One clear activity beats a feature kitchen sink.

A few fast answers before you act

What is “Build with Chrome”?

It is a Google Chrome Experiment built with LEGO that lets people create virtual LEGO models in the browser using a mouse or touchscreen, then share them online.

Why partner with LEGO?

Because LEGO is an instantly understood building system. It makes the digital interaction feel intuitive, playful, and worth sharing.

What is the core marketing mechanic here?

Hands-on participation. The experience turns a browser capability into a personal creation that people can publish socially.

What makes a Chrome Experiment effective?

It demonstrates a technology through an interaction people enjoy, without requiring explanation, and it encourages sharing through an output people feel ownership of.

What is the transferable lesson for digital teams?

If you want people to remember a platform capability, wrap it in a simple activity that creates something personal and shareable.

Chrome Super Sync Sports

Google has recently released their latest Chrome Experiment called ‘Super Sync Sports’ which allows players to convert their mobile phones and tablets into a remote control for their desktop browser.

To give it a spin visit www.chrome.com/supersyncsports/, choose a game i.e. running, swimming or cycling and then follow the instructions to sync your mobile phone. Once the sync is complete you can then play your way to victory, while the game plays out on your desktop.

What will be interesting to see is how this type of interaction and technology is finally leveraged. The game currently utilises HTML5 features like WebSockets, Canvas and CSS3.

Google Chrome Fastball

You are not just watching a film. You are choosing what happens next. Google Chrome Fastball pulls you into the story by asking you to select actions and outcomes, so you participate in how the narrative unfolds.

The work. FastBall. A Race Across the Internet

This example is created by Bartle Bogle Hegarty for Google and is titled “FastBall. A Race Across the Internet”. It sits in that space where brand storytelling becomes interactive because the viewer can make choices that change what happens next.

How the mashup format drives participation

The concept blends YouTube, social, and app mechanics into a single flow. The key move is that it compels you to participate in the storytelling by selecting a potential action within, or an outcome to, the story.

Why it fits a Chrome release message

The game is designed to celebrate a new version of the Chrome browser, with Adobe Flash Player built in. The experience itself becomes the proof point. Fast, playful, and built for the browser.

A few fast answers before you act

What is Google Chrome Fastball?

It is an interactive YouTube and social mashup game that turns viewers into participants by letting them choose actions and outcomes inside the story.

Who creates it?

Bartle Bogle Hegarty creates it for Google.

What is the core interaction pattern?

Branching participation. The viewer selects a move or outcome, and the story continues based on that choice, which makes the brand message feel experienced rather than stated.

What is the launch intent behind the concept?

It is built to celebrate a Chrome release where Adobe Flash Player is built in, using a browser-native experience as the demonstration.