Toshiba’s “Space Chair” Ad Campaign Soars to New Heights

My mind usually switches off during ad breaks on the TV, I don’t want to be reminded for the 20th time that I can save a rand on feminine pads at my local super market. Perhaps if you sent something into space and video-taped it, I may take an interest.

For their Space Chair ad campaign, electronics manufacturer, Toshiba, did just that to advertise their new REGZA SV LCD TV series. Using a helium balloon, they sent a biodegradable chair to the edge of space and filmed the journey with their own ultra-compact HD camera. Have a look at the ad below.

How awesome was that? The tag line was great – “Armchair viewing, redefined” – pretty cool, no? Hit the jump to see the making of video and some trivia about the project.

• The helium balloon lifted the chair and Toshiba’s IK-HR1S ultra-compact 1080i camera to a height of 98,268 feet above the ground.
• The chair is made of biodegradable balsa wood at a cost of about £2,500.
• The balloon was launched from the Black Rock desert in Nevada.
• The chair took 83 minutes to reach the lofty altitude and fell back to earth in just 24 minutes.
• The temperature dropped to minus 90 degrees at 52,037 feet.
• Four different GPS systems were attached to the rig to accurately record its height.
• The ad was shot by cinematographer Haris Zambarloukos, who also worked on Mamma Mia!

And here’s the behind-the-scenes footage.

[via Engadget | Space Fellowship]