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Coca-Cola has launched its Olympics My Beat Maker app, which detects the movements of users’ phones and converts them into music so they can make their own beats. The music is based on the official Coca-Cola anthem for the London 2012 Olympic Games – Mark Ronson featuring Katy B’s Anywhere in the World. And when that beat is ready, users can upload and share it to The Global Beat, the brand’s global musical collaboration.

Data analysis and visualisation have become indispensable business tools, but in the hands of digital artists, data is undergoing a metamorphosis – from a unit of information into a fascinating, beautiful, and expressive medium, writes Aaron Koblin, head of Google’s Data Arts Team, in the latest Think Quarterly: Creativity, from Google.

To celebrate 40 years of the Originals Desert Trek and the boot’s role in Jamaican culture, shoe brand Clarks has joined forces with reggae record label Trojan Records to roll out new branded songs, writes Steve Mullins. For the #OriginalsRemixed campaign, Clarks will take Trojan’s hit Let Your Yeah Be Yeah from The Pioneers and task four DJs and producers – Tokimonsta, Mighty Crown, Riva Starr and Toddla T – to produce new tracks which will made made available for exclusive free download on the Originals site in July.

Generation Z is addicted to mobile devices. And as these kids grow up, mobile will become deeply integrated into their daily lives: an ‘Everything Hub’ which enables socialising, shopping and surfing the web, with geo-location services supplying information on nearby friends, relevant deals and amenities, says JWT in its Gen Z: Digital In Their DNA. In response, marketers will need to create tailored mobile strategies, with websites optimised for mobile browsing – a recent estimate from Google suggests that only about one fifth of advertisers have mobile-friendly sites, says the ad agency.

Multitasking can pay off for brands. Consumers watched a 30-minute TV show and engaged with mobile and tablet devices for a study conducted by AdColony/Nielsen at the CBS TV City Media Lab at MGM Las Vegas. A 15-second ad for Universal Studio’s movie Contraband appeared during the commercial break, followed by a 15 second spot served using AdColony’s Instant-Play ad-delivery platform on iPhones and iPads. Purchase intent for Contraband spiked by 72% for cross-screen viewers from 18% to 31%.  Brand recall for the movie was 69% higher for cross-screen viewers compared to TV-only viewers.

Mercedes-Benz is heading for the living room. The car marque has partnered with Italian design company Formitalia to develop a furniture collection comprising a three-seater sofa, chaise lounge, chairs, dining table, a sideboard, shelves with home theatre, a set of drawers and a bed. “The various pieces of furniture reflect the progressive, dynamic design idiom of our current show cars and concept vehicles, offering an exclusive, emotional experience outside our vehicles as well,” says Gorden Wagener, head of design at Mercedes-Benz.