aNewDomain — If you’re a music lover and audiophile, there’s a supposedly revolutionary new technology that’s coming your way in 2016. It’s the NinjaWav. But what is it exactly?
Is it headphones? Is it a new listening device? Is it a meta-device for listening and streaming video from a selection of multiple devices? Is it superior sound quality packed into a tighter, more mobile space? Its maker hints at all of the above. I dug in.
I started my hunt into NinjaWav by taking a look at the two guys who are responsible for getting this top secret music project started.
The Fellas
Walter Thurmond III knows about winning and persevering. An NFL cornerback with the Philadelphia Eagles at the time of this writing, Thurmond III was on the Seattle Seahawks team that won the 43rd Super Bowl in February, 2014. Although he’s young, he has sustained multiple injuries in his football career, and this has motivated him to think about other career paths. He had an idea for a new music-related technology, and in 2014 he took that idea to experienced branding and marketing experts Jay Leopardi and Carl Harte of Bad Boy Branding. Leopardi has since become Thurmond III’s entrepreneurial partner in NinjaWave, LLC.
Jay Leopardi, lifestyle and pop culture branding expert as well as founder and CEO of Bad Boy Branding, is renowned for taking startups and making them into top tier brands and has a reputation for reimagining the traditional structure of brand development. Leopardi is a technophile who learned about product design and branding from his father, who helped design some of the most-critical products for Procter & Gamble. Today, Bad Boy Branding is a seven-figure business, one that Leopardi started in his home.
Of this technological venture with Walter Thurmond III, Leopardi says that their top-secret product is designed to:
Bring to life what’s on your mind, no need for understanding. We will deliver exactly what everybody has been complaining that they want, but with an amazing intellectual property that keeps the world in real time communication.”
What Is The NinjaWave Product?
As of this writing, no one outside of Thurmond III, Leopardi, the technical designers, the marketing crew and the PR firm know what the hot new music-related product of 2016 is. That’s right — it’s slated for next year. And it’s being kept hush-hush on purpose. We have only a few hints so far:
- “What if you could hear and see your favorite songs?”
- “What kind of smart device would enable you to connect to a device without using one?”
- “What’s higher sound quality than Beats by Dre’s HD Solo Sound?”
The fellas do promise that theirs is a disruptive technology that is all for “the people.” Leopardi elaborates:
Our technology will make life easier and more interactive for artists, musicians and most importantly the fans and listeners. Companies like Google and Apple have needed this type of technology but just have not figured it out. Me and Walter’s [sic] new technology isn’t limited to just music, it’s a lifestyle shift and it will change the way the music industry, maybe the entire entertainment industry, does business; and baby boomers and their parents will also find our product extremely useful.”
While keeping the product under wraps until rollout, Leopardi and Thurmond are building intrigue and excitement by running a contest via their website and through billboards placed in Times Square in New York and Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles. These billboards show futuristic displays that act as puzzle pieces, showing what the new product is.
For someone to win the contest, they must figure out what this “Next Big Thing” in culture and technology is, and share it with at least 30 friends via social media. At the Follow the Wav website people can find helpful hints to jump-start their quest.
According to NinjaWave, whoever guesses what the “Next Big Thing” is will win the following prizes:
- $10,000 U.S. presented on National TV
- An all-inclusive prepaid T-Mobile smartphone with 1 year of unlimited service
- A year’s supply of Red Bull, maximum of 100 cases
- A shopping spree at Forever 21, while being escorted by NFL Superbowl Champion Walter Thurmond III
- A tailor-made suit, designed by renowned fashion designer Woody Wilson
Can you be the one to solve the puzzle and win the prize? As for me, the prize will be trying out a NinjaWav device — or “non-device” — in 2016.
For aNewDomain, I’m Brant David.
All images are provided courtesy of NinjaWav and used with permission.
