Magic, marketing and the power of iPhone

 Not just a rerun (though it is) but an intimation of the kind of viral activity we expect to see on the iPhone.

This clip shows magician Marco Tempest employ some clever video animations as part of his act. Sure, it’s not magic per se, but it’s smart – and provides just a hint of the kind of activity big brand marketers are hoping will help them get all viral on the ‘Net.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcB8CKa73B0&hl=en]

See, New York-based creative marketing agency, Site International, this week confirmed it is developing a range of applications for the iPhone and the iPod touch, applications designed to harness the must-have power of the device with amusing viral ads for their client’s products.

One is for a yogurt chain interested in mobile coupons,. This ad/past time lets iPhone users create a “virtual smoothie”, mixing yogurt with a selection of fruits and other ingredients on the screen. Once mixed, the viral app lets a user virtually blend the ingredients using the iPhone screen, generating an on-screen bar code they can take to the yoghurt shop to have their choice of smoothie made on the spot.

‘”It’s a fun thing to show off to your friends and we think it can be an effective form of viral marketing.’" said Site Interactive CEO, Alan Ruthazer.