“The Heat”, Colour Control ft. Juice! — an interactive video by ASOS
From a young age, I have always gravitated towards the creative side of anything. Whether that was shooting, directing and editing a video to “spice up” a class presentation or wearing a “funky” outfit to school. I find that I learn more about the content of a matter and myself when I display it in a creative way.
My goal after I graduate is to combined my passion for fashion and technology and create projects that inspire and give people the same feelings I have towards the creative side of the world.
Hence, when I stumbled across ASOS’ interactive music video displaying their new Autumn Winter collection I was instantly intrigued. Firstly, because I have been shopping on ASOS for many years. I love their clothing and feel inspired searching through their website. Secondly, because this interactive video is a fantastic way to get people involved in their new line. It is a little game that shows off their new items in a creative way, thus embedding it in people’s minds. Now-a-days people don’t always have the patience to scroll through four pages on a website just to see new clothing and other articles. This video displays everything in 4-minutes and separated by colour. You use your mouse to click on the colour bar displayed at the top of the screen to have it be the main video. This engages the viewers and blinds them from realizing that it is an ad.
Narrative is used in a compelling way in this video as the characters discover the new clothing with the audience. Each cut starts at the same point making the interaction effortless and effective. The different scenes show how the clothing can be put in any situation and rock it. The narrative is interesting in this video because it shows the different style that each character holds yet they are still able to all do the same things.
This piece uses a modern approach to the combination of media and technology. YouTube has rapidly grown in the past few years leading more people to spend their time searching through it for entertainment and inspiration.
The video currently has over 700,000 views. ASOS used this new platform to their advantage to introduce their AW14 line to viewers. Interactivity always adds a sense of excitement because the viewers feel as if they are contributing or a part of the brand.
Although this video is not immersive, it is interactive and it engages the audience as it separates the clothing into colourful order that the audience can choose.
Separating the pieces by colour makes it aesthetically pleasing to the eye, as well as allowing the audience to play around with what interests them. The medium of YouTube aligns with the message of the video. The ad speaks to the idea that no matter what colour or style you prefer, there will be something for you to express yourself with. YouTube is the exact same. There is a space for every type of content and everyone watching or creating feels welcomed and inspired.
Although this video is an example of simple interactivity, no need for much more. In fact, it proves that there is no need to create extravagant interactions for people to respond to your experience. Interactivity is not about intensity; it is a scale of creativity.
