This :60 opens against a desolate landscape overlooking the Aegean Sea as a magician sits with his few belongings, staring forlornly into his top hat. In the distance, the sounds of a motorbike get louder as it draws closer. The traveler gets off his scooter and asks the man if he’s alright. As the downtrodden magician begins his tale, the viewer is taken on a series of flashbacks into a vintage theater as the man performs in front of a listless, expressionless audience.
He attempts to pull a rabbit out of a hat, but grabs a IPTV service provider Conn-X router box. A dove doesn’t just disappear; in its place a Conn-X router appears. A woman sawed in half spills entrails of Conn-X boxes.
“Don’t worry, believe in yourself,” encourages the agreeable young motorist. “Go on…pull out a rabbit.” The illusionist concentrates and waves his hand over the hat. A Conn-X box materializes, which the young man wanted all along. He eagerly snatches it up and then motors away.
This :60 for Conn-X out of Leo Burnett, Athens, Greece, is being shown in cinemas and on TV. The spot was directed by Scott Corbett of Identity, New York. The spot was produced by Identity, N.Y., and Boo Productions in Athens, Greece.
Christos Voudouris was the DP. Editor was Rick Lobo of Cutters.
Apple and Google Face UK Investigation Into Mobile Browser Dominance
Apple and Google aren't giving consumers a genuine choice of mobile web browsers, a British watchdog said Friday in a report that recommends they face an investigation under new U.K. digital rules taking effect next year.
The Competition and Markets Authority took aim at Apple, saying the iPhone maker's tactics hold back innovation by stopping rivals from giving users new features like faster webpage loading. Apple does this by restricting progressive web apps, which don't need to be downloaded from an app store and aren't subject to app store commissions, the report said.
"This technology is not able to fully take off on iOS devices," the watchdog said in a provisional report on its investigation into mobile browsers that it opened after an initial study concluded that Apple and Google effectively have a chokehold on "mobile ecosystems."
The CMA's report also found that Apple and Google manipulate the choices given to mobile phone users to make their own browsers "the clearest or easiest option."
And it said that the a revenue-sharing deal between the two U.S. Big Tech companies "significantly reduces their financial incentives" to compete in mobile browsers on Apple's iOS operating system for iPhones.
Both companies said they will "engage constructively" with the CMA.
Apple said it disagreed with the findings and said it was concerned that the recommendations would undermine user privacy and security.
Google said the openness of its Android mobile operating system "has helped to expand choice, reduce prices and democratize access to smartphones and apps" and that it's "committed to open platforms that empower consumers."
It's the latest move by regulators on both sides of the Atlantic to crack down on the... Read More