February 26, 2005
Pimp My Burger
[from adrant]
Apparently, Burger King is going viral again with PimpMyBurger, a site which contains a video featuring some dudes rapping about a chicken burger getting pimped. Some Whois research revealed the site is registered to Munchen, Germany-based Omnicom agency start-munich which list as one of its clients Burger King. At the end of the video, the date of March 1 is mentioned indicating, perhaps, the date all will be revealed.
Posted by richard ting at February 26, 2005, 11:36 AM
February 25, 2005
MSN Search Finds Viral Campaign
[from mediapost]
by Shankar Gupta
NOT CONTENT WITH its massive television, Internet, and radio advertising blitz to promote its newly released proprietary search engine MSN Search, MSN apparently has released a viral campaign, “MSN Found,” to promote the search site.
An MSN spokesperson declined to comment on the viral campaign, other than to say: “There is a lot of great content to be found out on the Web. ‘Found’ complements MSN Search by finding more of the unique content on the Web.”
When the MSN Search marketing blitz was being announced, an MSN executive told OnlineMediaDaily that an agency called 42 Entertainment would be creating virals to promote the search engine.
42 Entertainment declined to comment on the campaign, and referred any questions to MSN’s public relations firm. An MSN spokesperson confirmed that 42 Entertainment worked on the viral campaign, saying: “MSN works with a number of third-party companies, and 42 Entertainment has worked on this and a number of other Microsoft projects.”
Read more.
Check out the msnfound.com site.
Posted by richard ting at February 25, 2005, 10:52 AM
February 24, 2005
New Delivery Service for Lazy Videogame Nerds
Pizza is just a few key strokes away. While playing EverQuest II just type /pizza and a web browser will launch the online ordering section of pizzahut.com. Fill in your info and just kick back until fresh pizza is delivered straight to your door.
Posted by richard ting at February 24, 2005, 06:07 PM
February 23, 2005
3M Security Glass Ad
Posted by richard ting at February 23, 2005, 06:13 PM
counterfeitmini.org
Those Crispin & Porter guys are back with another faux-site for the Counter Counterfeit Commission. Here's the mission statement of the CCC taken directly from their website. "At the CCC, we're dedicated to putting an end to the victimization associated with purchasing a counterfeit MINI Cooper. We cooperate with MINI and international law enforcement to pursue criminals. But there's one other crucial partner we need to recruit: YOU. We can't do this without YOU. Educate yourself about the problem. Learn how to detect a fake. Know when you're being hoodwinked. Together, we can put an end to this appalling injustice. Together, we can make our streets genuine once again."
Posted by richard ting at February 23, 2005, 03:15 PM
February 18, 2005
Interactive Viral Campaigns Ask Consumers to Spread the Word
[from nytimes.com]
By NAT IVES
During the early days of Internet advertising, skeptics often argued that Web ads would never sell prosaic packaged goods effectively.
As more Americans become comfortable with the Web, though, major marketers are increasingly asking agencies to produce elaborate, interactive online campaigns - even for grocery store goods that hardly anyone researches or buys online.
One of the shiniest lures online is the developing field of viral advertising, in which companies try to create messages so compelling, funny or suggestive that consumers spontaneously share them with friends, often through e-mail or cellphone text messages. The goal is the exponential spread of ads that are endorsed by consumers' own friends.
The best-known viral success may be the offbeat "Subservient Chicken" site, created to promote a Burger King chicken sandwich. The site, which shows a person in a chicken suit who seems to follow typed commands from Web surfers, has drawn 13.9 million unique visitors since it went live in April 2004, according to the agency that created it, Crispin Porter & Bogusky in Miami.
Posted by richard ting at February 18, 2005, 04:28 PM
February 11, 2005
iRiver
The book metaphor has been used quite often in the past year or two and it's a bit played, but iRiver does a really good job integrating in a solid product benefit story. The execution is smooth and the design is clean. The product, however, leaves much to be desired. I can't imagine anyone opting for this device over the iPod.
Posted by richard ting at February 11, 2005, 10:22 AM
February 08, 2005
GoDaddy Turns to Web After Fox Pulls Ad
PROVING ONCE AGAIN THAT CONTROVERSY can be a boost to marketing, GoDaddy used the Internet to parlay an ad censored by the NFL into big post-game buzz. GoDaddy bought one spot in the first half and another in the second, but the NFL reportedly convinced Fox to withdraw the second ad mid-game, after the first one ran. The ad featured a buxom spokeswoman in a tank top, who nearly suffers a wardrobe malfunction while testifying before a Congressional panel about what she would be doing on her proposed ad.
After Fox refused to air a second ad, GoDaddy came up with a post-game strategy to write about Fox's decision in the blog of CEO Bob Parsons, which also contained links to the ad. The tactic worked, said Pete Blackshaw, chief marketing officer of Intelliseek. "They pursued an edgy strategy from the very beginning," Blackshaw said. "People related to that ad on a whole bunch of different levels. There was sexual titillation, and advertising industry insiders got into the whole mocking of the FCC censorship."
Other ads that were generating heat online, like Federal Express's ad--which featured Burt Reynolds getting kicked in the groin by a talking bear--had their buzz cut into by GoDaddy's controversy, Blackshaw said.
Posted by richard ting at February 08, 2005, 09:05 PM
February 05, 2005
Meet the Lucky Ones - Mercury Vehicles
The Lucky Ones is a series of character-based web-isodes created by Mercury Vehicles. Surprisingly, there's zero brand tie-in or product benefit story in any of the web-isodes. The web-isodes are well written, well produced, and remind me a lot of Wes Anderson's style in the Royal Tennembaums.
Posted by richard ting at February 05, 2005, 01:53 AM
February 04, 2005
McDonalds Wants You To F*ck Its Sandwiches
I'm not quite sure what McDonald's was thinking when they launched this Ad banner unit. It looks like the copywriter may be a bit out of touch with urban slang.