I confess: most of the press releases that drift into my in-box don’t ever get opened. You can tell from the mangled subject lines of most of them that some poor intern has been subjected to the trial-by-fire assignment of making the latest happenings in St. Elsewhere sound sexy. More often than not I’m tempted to click the “spam” button, but we all have our little crosses to bear in life, don’t we?
Today, however, an email arrived with a simple, elegant subject line that set my imagination running wild and made me want to open it right away:Â Create your own Northern Lights.
The folks behind Innovation Norway – the name alone tells you they are interested in a lot more than just PR - have launched a program that allows you to create your own computer generated version of the Aurora Borealis against a fairytale-blue Norwegian backdrop. Paint the sky with your mouse, or choose your astrological constellation to use with a palette of colors that reflect your mood.  It’s surprisingly addictive, plus there’s even a mysteriously meditative soundtrack to accompany it. And once you’re appropriately blissed – or tripped – out, save the choicest bits of your handiwork and share it via Twitter, Facebook or email.
The micro-site also includes destination information and special offers from Norway’s travel partners, for anyone who wants to see the Northern Lights for real. For a change, I was actually interested in navigating my way around, looking for inspiration and discovering factoids – like during the Viking Age, the Northern Lights were considered the armor of the Valkyrie warrior virgins; who knew? Thanks, Innovation Norway, for the creative break in my day.
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