ON: Nokia's Opportunity

The Nokia brand has been at the tip of my tongue all week. As I pondered a position for the global brand, I determined its hottest products have to begin getting into the hands of key influencer's in America.  The true iPod killer is something you can wear.  Something that gives you superhuman abilities by enhancing our sub-par communication skills while wearing a new hot piece of functional apparel.

Enter Nokia Morph

Sexy isn't it?

The Nokia Morph concept phone, was premiered at MOMA's "Design and the Elastic Mind" exhibition.  Nokia's short film that gave us a taste of a world where people in the know would wear their device. Nokia developed Morph in partnership with Cambridge Nanoscience Centre. 

So what makes Morph so hot?
Imagine an all-in-one portable communications device that leverages leading edge nanotechnology to provide people on the move with broad reaching ways of connecting and interacting with other humans and machines giving them the adapted senses of a super hero all while getting to keep fashionista "street cred". 

Think Wunder-Twins "Phone In Form of... any communications device"
The nanotechnology enables materials and components that are flexible, stretchable, transparent and remarkably strong. Fibril proteins are woven into a three dimensional mesh that reinforces thin elastic structures. Using the same principle behind spider silk, this elasticity enables the device to literally change shapes and configure itself to adapt to the task at hand.

A folded design would fit easily in a pocket and could lend itself ergonomically to being used as a traditional handset. An unfolded larger design could display more detailed information, and incorporate input devices such as keyboards and touch pads.

When I sit down and ponder the possibilities of this technology, I begin to envision the next phase in brand experiences. So back to the US brand position - When you rise above through the clutter of wall to wall phones at carrier controlled retailers and see Morph all of the sudden the iPhone becomes the free phone you get with your carrier when you sign up for service.

But wait - There's More!

(Just a side note - to be an iPod killer you have to do more than match functions and design - you have to have the simplistic vision to re-invent the space and create desire.)