What’s weird is being influenced in this case is not a bad thing, I think they actually one-upped Netflix in some ways.  But as these sites become more similar looking as a user I begin to think: “Why am I paying twice for a similar product?”

What do you think about XfinityTV’s new site update?

Last year, the independent Amsterdam ad agency CCCP, launched one of the most successful viral videos of 2010: ‘Liquid Mountaineering’. Produced for Hi-Tec Sports, the film introduces a new extreme sport called  ‘Liquid Mountaineering’ and features three guys doing what man has attempted for centuries: walking on water.

Now the Liquid Mountaineers are back. And like every proper extreme sport they now have their own video game. However, there’s a bit more to it.  Whereas regular games are only about having fun, Hi-Tec takes it a step further. “The Infinity Run”, as the game is called, is actually is a unique and fun way to sell shoes.  As far as we know, it is the world’s first “Game Webshop”.

CCCP founder Eelco Keune said ‘The game is part of a carefully planned campaign that was kicked off by the viral. Now that we have established a firm base, we want to focus on the ‘magic behind the sport’, the ultra water repellent Hi-Tec V-Lite Infinity model.’

Players can choose from the three Liquid Mountaineers who starred in the original video and try their luck at running on three lakes ranging from Alaska to Brazil. Not only must they have the speed and skill to run on water, but players must also avoid the dangers lurking in the depths, which can pop up at any moment. After playing you can buy the Hi-Tec V-Lite Infinities you just ran on. The lucky player who obtains the highest score each week will receive a free pair of trainers.

Simon Bonham, Global Marketing Director for Hi-Tec, added, “We are very excited to launch this unique ‘Game Web Shop” as phase 2 of our Liquid Mountaineering project. The original viral has, for the past 12 months, engaged with consumers the world over and we are delighted to be able build on this phenomenal success with The Infinity Run on-line game.”

Give it a go at: http://www.hi-tec.com/infinity-run/

The review of the new site:

Cons: The the scrolling action doesn’t feel comfortable at all. And they could have refined the top navigation to a more attractive UI design. The ability to click on a film title from the old site and go directly to the film’s detailed page was placed in the mouse-over pop up which delays the time it takes to get to the reviews page for each movie. And due to insight gained from the message board: The sort and search feature was removed altogether. That last part is upsetting many customers because it does not allow users to search for films the way they used to. This is a bit of an easy fix for Netflix they should just bring this feature back to accommodate the larger Netflix user base.

Pros: I love the size of the film covers now, they really add to the experience for me. And the layout seems simple and intuitive.

To everyone in the community that assisted in reviewing the Netflix site update I appreciate your input. I hope you continue to give input and feedback in the future and as a Netflix account user as well, I hope Netflix listens to your critiques too!

Why I liked the overall layout:

I enjoyed the new Netflix layout because I am a sucker for bigger covers of movies, I used to work in movie theaters and I love movie posters more than most. And it is more similar now to iTunes and I like iTunes for its movie section better than Netflix hands-down. That is a personal taste so albeit it may not be for everyone that is my rationale. That said I do not like everything about the user experience, I especially dislike the auto scrolling feature because it does not feel natural at all.

When comparing this layout to Blockbuster.com too in my opinion their is no comparison. Blockbuster.com’s layout is lousy because:  it is so busy and filled with calls to action left and right, it is not following the rules of “KISS” ( Keep It Simple Stupid ), and less about the movies and more about the branding for blockbuster.  And on their selections page their is not enough horizontal separation between the movie covers themselves. But if your looking for an argument about why you would switch media providers it has to do more about the sites selection of films than just about UI/UX.

iTunes still wins in my opinion as far as layouts go for the movies section. It has a clear focus and an easy on the eye approach in my opinion.  But Netflix is a good runner up layout wise, just because they got rid of the redundant Calls to action for “Play” and the stars ratings feature which was dominating the visual presence on the page in the prior layout.

The review of the old site:

Pros: Star ratings were clear, I did like the left and right scrolling arrows it was more user friendly than their newer sites mouse hover auto scroll. I wish they would bring back this scrolling feature to the new site.

Cons: The star ratings plus the call to action for Play were taking up a lot of real estate. In comparison to the newer site the images of the films covers are very very small, and in my opinion hurt independent films and foreign films because they have to rely more on the name of the film then the cover of the film to get a click. The UI became quite dated.

I doubt it. My first thought was this is really hard to look at because it is so busy, the type choice was not my favorite but that aside the content seems cryptic ( because of 140 characters and less mentality ) and I think it speaks volumes about the impatience of marketing in 2010. But I don’t want you to think I am painting a picture that is all bad, quite the opposite I find it revolutionary to some degree. With the benefits of SEO + promoting your business’s own marketing platform + getting content out to your fans as quickly as a tweet. I can see why it would be appealing. And for that forward thinking they have proved that they can create a conversation about themselves, and that in itself is well done. On the downside wonder if the site’s user experience is all that pleasant, for me anyways it was distracting and not catching my attention. Maybe the UI execution not the strategy could be a factor in my distraction.

What are you thoughts is EURO RSCG LONDON’s site blowing you away or is it harder to look at then your own twitter page?

Oh and the background provided from the source:

Euro RSCG London, a leading global advertising agency, launched its new website yesterday that is taking a unique approach to reaching its audience: letting the 200 people within its office power its website in real-time. http://www.eurorscglondon.co.uk/ Euro RSCG are the first global advertising agency who have made their website fully social which is being seen as a sign of the future for the global creative industry.

Euro RSCG, whose clients include Reckitt & Benckiser, Citroen, Dulux and Kraft wanted its website to be a true embodiment of what life is like in the office – friendly, informative, creative and most of all people based by making full use of the popular social media site, Twitter. Euro RSCG staff can control the site by tweeting specific hashtags and the names of recent tweeters are integrated into the site’s design to show who is influencing the site and which hashtags they are using.

“The agency listens to its employees and connects with its clients on a completely new level” stated Russ Lidstone, CEO Euro RSCG London, “This new Twitter centric website embodies our belief that social media should sit at the heart of what we do”.