November 11, 2006
Dove Evolution
Dove’s “Dove Evolution” viral video has brought three times more traffic to their CampaignForRealBeauty.com site than their Super Bowl ad did last year.
Posted by richard ting at November 11, 2006, 04:12 PM
August 29, 2006
Re*Generation TEXTnovella
Ghost Town is the first interactive text novella from Virgin Mobile and YouthNoise. It's the story of a teenage football player named Ghost who is hiding a dark secret that he's homeless. This secret will shock his classmates as he tries to manage the ins and outs of high school, an uncertain future, and just trying to stay alive.
Posted by richard ting at August 29, 2006, 07:20 PM
July 17, 2006
Pink Your MySpace -- Victoria's Secret
Check out the Victoria's Secret PINK MySpace resource for backgrounds, code and much, much more. The only way to get to the PINK page is to have a friend let you know the location.
Posted by richard ting at July 17, 2006, 04:27 PM
July 13, 2006
The Coke Show
Visitors to Coke.com can take part in "The Coke Show," monthly "challenges" testing their creativity. In the first challenge, set to run through August, users are invited to submit short videos, but they're not limited to creating ads or odes to the brand. Instead, Coke is asking for 45-second video expressions of "the essence of you." Visitors will rate submissions, culling them down to 10, which will be judged by a group of professional filmmakers.
Posted by richard ting at July 13, 2006, 08:26 PM
American Apparel in Second Life
Virtual Worlds: The Latest Fashion
By Gavin O'Malley from AdAdge.com
Before American Apparel launches its first denim line this fall, the offerings are getting a virtual debut and being bought and worn by virtual people. Just as other marketers-from Coca-Cola Co. to Wells Fargo-are creating their own virtual niches, the hip clothing company is letting members of the online game Second Life try the line on for size.
"Since we opened in May, we've sold over 2,000 items to people outfitting their avatars," said Raz Schionning, director of web services for American Apparel, which opened an elaborate retail store last month in Second Life with the help of ad agency Ad Option and web developer Aimee Weber. Virtual shoppers who buy virtual clothes get 15% off the same items in real life.
'Massively multiplayer' games
Second Life, created by San Francisco-based Linden Lab, is one of several virtual online worlds where trendsetters are flocking to exchange ideas, egos and virtual property using IM-equipped "avatars," or highly-customized 3D representations of themselves. With nearly 200,000 "residents," and its open-ended structure, Second Life has become something of a testing ground for marketers to explore this new genre known as "massively multiplayer" games.
Second Life currency, known as Linden, can actually be exchanged for U.S. dollars, but American Apparel didn't set up virtual shop to turn a profit. And, of course, the company has to pay Second Life in real dollars. Linden Lab charges $1,250 for an island like the one on which American Apparel's virtual store is located, plus another $195 a month.
Posted by richard ting at July 13, 2006, 07:51 PM
July 05, 2006
Adidas on MySpace
Adidas just recently joined the bandwagon of brands launching profiles on MySpace. To coincide with the World Cup, adidas created a page on MySpace where visitors can sign up to win an XBox 360, view player bios and photos, upload a video to try out for the Impossible Goal Team and download wallpapers and exclusive videos. As of today, over 45K friends have linked to their profile. Not bad.
Posted by richard ting at July 05, 2006, 11:56 AM
The Office "Make Your Own Promo" Contest on YouTube
Create a 20 second promo for NBC’s “The Office”. Shoot your own original footage plus you may use the optional “The Office “ music and graphics provided in a download kit at http://www.nbc.com/The_Office/contest/. Winners’ promos will appear on NBC and “The Office” Web site on NBC.com. For complete video instructions and contest details go to http://www.nbc.com/The_Office/contest/.
Posted by richard ting at July 05, 2006, 11:49 AM
The Ultimate Clean-Up with Snoop Dogg
Orbit gum's latest ad launched last week and features the Orbit Girl coming to the rescue of a foul-mouthed Snoop Dogg. "The Ultimate Clean-Up" shows the rapper being sent to hell, thanks to his filthy mouth. The Orbit Girl comes to the rescue and the spot ends with a cleaner, kinder, Snoop Dogg dressed in white and kickin' it with the ladies up in heaven.
Posted by richard ting at July 05, 2006, 11:41 AM
Gypsy Cab Project
The VW Rabbit is back. It's the first part of a multimedia campaign created by Crispin Porter + Bogusky. In addition to the wild postings and billboards that are running nationally and in Canada there are two online components for you to check out as well.
GypsyCabProject.com
VWfeatures.com/rabbit
Posted by richard ting at July 05, 2006, 11:15 AM
June 22, 2006
Vodafone Journey
[via adcritic]
Who says corporate websites have to be mind-numbingly dull? Certainly not Vodafone Group, the global mobile communications giant that just unveiled an immersive online experience to introduce the company to consumers on a personal level. Following up on its award-winning "Future Vision" campaign for Vodafone in 2004, Swedish interactive agency North Kingdom designed the new experience, dubbed "The Vodafone Journey," as a video-heavy "guided tour" of the company. "We knew we wanted personal and direct storytelling to show the inner soul and heart of the huge company that Vodafone is," says creative director David Eriksson. "The ambition was to take the users by the hand and show them fragments from the world of Vodafone. We then made it possible to explore all these details and go deeper by themselves."
Led by the friendly spokeswoman Lucy, the tour runs about five minutes and spans a multitude of settings, including an airport, a snowy ski slope, a tropical beach and a hi-tech office building. As Lucy journeys from location to location, she interacts with various "characters" that represent real stories from within the Vodafone community. "We worked to find real people and real stories that we thought could represent the different parts of the company," says Eriksson. "It was very important that it feel authentic and genuine, and therefore we didn't use any actors, and we used local languages to tell the stories." In addition to Lucy's informative monologue, users can click on a handy "tell me more" symbol at any point to pause the tour and learn more about a particular topic.
The biggest technical challenge for North Kingdom? "Integrating the video that was shot in real HD and making it work without demanding too much performance of the users' computers," says Eriksson. "Another big challenge was the complex structure of the storytelling, and implementing seamless navigation within and between the different movie clips, since there is so much to experience and see. We employed focus groups to make sure we created something that the users could understand and navigate."
Posted by richard ting at June 22, 2006, 12:13 PM
June 20, 2006
Audi -- Art of the Heist
This campaign has been around for a while. It's already accumulated a ton of awards and really broke the door open around alternate reality advertising campaigns. Here's a link that was sent over by Steve Wax over at Campfire Media. It's a terrfic presentation that McKinney did to highlight the narrative progression of the campaign.
Posted by richard ting at June 20, 2006, 11:49 AM
Volvo Cars -- The Hunt
Volvo buried a Volvo XC90 inspired by Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest. You have the opportunity to find it. And if you find it first, you can keep it. Simple as that. On the website, you'll see a treasure map. This map will help you to find the Volvo XC90, all you need to do is learn how to read the map.
Posted by richard ting at June 20, 2006, 11:33 AM
June 13, 2006
Motorola Mobilizes MySpace
Here's another instance of a brand infiltrating the popular social network, MySpace. Not sure how impactful these branded profiles are anymore. Especially since this one particular profile for the motoQ is really just a glorified product feature that would typically be found on a branded website. In my opinion, I still think the Nikesoccer MySpace profile is the one to beat. Not only does it not shove product down the consumer's throat, it also fosters dialogue about the members of the community. The other content giveaways on the Nikesoccer profile are fresh as well.
Posted by richard ting at June 13, 2006, 10:11 AM
May 11, 2006
Mazda CX-7 EarthSearch
Check out the MAZDA CX-7 EarthSearch Sweepstakes Game. The SUV You Never Saw Coming. First you have to search the earth and find where it's hiding. Do so and you could win other prizes as well, like an Apple Powerbook®, a Magellan® Roadmate 800 Navigation System or a 30 GB Video iPod®. Just download Google Earth below and start searching the most famous locales in the world to find the most exhilarating SUV on the planet.
Posted by richard ting at May 11, 2006, 03:00 PM
May 08, 2006
The Gamekillers for Axe.
Here's a really well-executed campaign for Axe called the Gamekillers. The concept and voice are very appropriate to the consumers that they are targeting. There's also a bunch of multi-channel ideas mixed in there. Overall, nice concept, nice execution.
Posted by richard ting at May 08, 2006, 10:20 AM
April 25, 2006
Wes Anderson Amex Commercial
Here's a brilliant Wes Anderson My Life, My Card ad starring Jason Schwartzman.
Posted by richard ting at April 25, 2006, 07:22 PM
April 05, 2006
Porn Star Jameson Whacks For Adidas In Podcast Campaign
[from mediapost]
PROVING THE RULES FOR ONLINE viral campaigns may in fact be different than for over-the-air and cable TV ads, adult film star Jenna Jameson stars in the first of a series of new advertising podcasts created for sneaker maker Adidas. The campaign, created by New York-based Tronic, utilizes a whack-the-mole theme in which Jameson attempts to "pound the living daylights out of six cute little gophers that keep popping out of a coin-fed machine." The podcast is part of the revival of adiColor, a 1983 Adidas campaign in which Adidas shoes could be personalized with colorful markers.
Posted by richard ting at April 05, 2006, 01:35 PM
March 08, 2006
Saatchi and Saatchi Toilet Campaign
Excellent guerilla marketing campaign by Saatchi & Saatchi New York to highlight the public restroom shortage in New York. Cardboard people were placed around certain locations to get people's attention to the problem.
Posted by richard ting at March 08, 2006, 07:06 PM
Shock Absorber - Bounce-o-meter
This bounce-o-meter tool is designed to showcase the performance benefits of the shock absorber sports bra. It allows users to select their cup size, level of sporting activity, and then visually see the differences between, no bra, basic bra, and the shock absorber sports bra. The site experience is definitely a bit on the humourous side, but the performance benefits are quite clear and in your face.
Posted by richard ting at March 08, 2006, 11:29 AM
Scarface -- Talent Search
[via trendcentral]
Scarface soundtrack seeks talent on MySpace: Vivendi Universal Games has partnered with MySpace on a talent search to find unsigned North American bands to supply a song for the soundtrack of Scarface: The World is Yours. Artists must have a profile on MySpace with music tracks to compete. MySpace users will vote to narrow it down to the top 200 artists, while a panel of music and gaming industry players will take it down to 20. All 20 will be posted on the MySpace game profile, voted on by users, and the winner will be announced on March 28th.
Posted by richard ting at March 08, 2006, 10:59 AM
February 28, 2006
Run London + Google Maps
Nike has selected digital agency AKQA to develop a new online community and mapping tool to promote the sportswear brand’s Run London campaign. The RouteFinder tool lets runners create, measure, save and share their running routes with a community of runners all over the capital.
The tool has been integrated with Google Maps interfaces with Run London-branded graphical elements. Users can search the city by postcode, distance, or type of run such as hilly, flat or park, for routes other runners have created.
Alternatively, users can begin creating a run of their own by clicking points on the map. They can save a list of favourite routes, send them on to friends and browse the top-five routes of the season.
Posted by richard ting at February 28, 2006, 04:43 PM
February 18, 2006
Onitsuka Tiger - Lovely Football Campaign
Check out the 'Spread the Lovely' campaign for Onitsuka Tiger. It's the world's first online karaoke competition. Thanks to Erik at strawberryfrog for the link.
Posted by richard ting at February 18, 2006, 02:59 PM
February 07, 2006
Super Bowl Ad Aftershocks Reverberate Across Web
[from nytimes.com]
It used to be that those super-expensive Super Bowl ads would disappear forever following the Big Game. Nowadays, Madison Avenue is trying to figure out what extended after-life these ads receive on the Web really means. This year's ads are now widely available on a multitude of formats—streaming Web pages, downloadable email files, video podcasts, etc.—prolonging the discourse that follows almost indefinitely. Super Bowl advertising is a media event in and of itself, making the estimated $2.5 million price tag for the 30 second spots seem like "something of a bargain," according to Stuart Elliott of The New York Times. Advertising executives who oversaw the purchase of these ads agree. "What's happening in the postgame more than made up for the cost," said one. Not only that, but the Internet media giants know these spots generate traffic, and advertisers. AOL, Google, MSN and Yahoo--the big four Web companies--as well as sports sites like ESPN and NFL.com, have all put up video clips of the Super Bowl commercials. In fact, yesterday, Time Warner's AOL said that a record 23 million Super Bowl commercials were streamed by yesterday afternoon--and the company even sells a video ad before showing each Super Bowl spot.
Posted by richard ting at February 07, 2006, 05:51 PM
December 10, 2005
Palladium Shoes
[from mediapost]
Talk about an innovative way to sell shoes. Palladium shoes is tapping in to the Geocaching phenomenon (a game where players use GPS receivers and Web clues to find hidden "caches" around the world) to hawk its men's and women's travel shoes. For starters, each page of the Palladium Web site refers to the Geocaching game. The pages display each of nine shoe styles in a "home city," and provide travel information and cache clues for that city. Even better, Palladium is placing clues on non-Palladium sites. Clues will be hidden in different retailer-determined locations and announced on public geocaching sites. Posters will go up in the cities where the hidden caches are placed.Targeting "Urban Nomads" ages 22 to 38, and launching this month, the campaign tag line fits like a glove: "The Destination is the Journey." The Republik created the campaign.
Posted by richard ting at December 10, 2005, 05:34 PM
HBO Good Gift Seeker
Check out the HBO Good Gift Seeker that was created by Atmosphere BBDO NY.
Posted by richard ting at December 10, 2005, 05:06 PM
Honda, The Impossible Dream
Honda, The Impossible Dream is a :30 second spot done by Wieden + Kennedy for Honda. The accompanying on-line experience is a great statement that brand advertising extends way past just a :30 second spot. Not sure which agency did the on-line work.
Check out the site.
Check out the TV spot.
Posted by richard ting at December 10, 2005, 04:47 PM
November 23, 2005
Nordstrom Silverscreen
The Nordstrom Silverscreen(tm) is about combining music and fashion in a fresh, entertaining way. Unfortunately, the campaign feels stale and boring. The quality of music videos is so choppy that it really detracts from the experience. There are supposedly other pieces of cool interactive content that users can directly download to their desktops. However, I never got that far because I couldn't get past the crap videos.
Anyway, the site has a video remix of the Go-Go's classic "Our Lips Are Sealed." It's the original video (complete with pre-Ross and Rachel fountain dancing) with a modern twist and a new remix by Fatboy Slim.
Check it out.
Posted by richard ting at November 23, 2005, 11:43 AM
November 13, 2005
Beastie Boys A Cappellas
[via josephcartman.com]
The Beastie Boys promote their upcoming “Solid Gold Teeth” release by releasing A Cappella versions of previous tracks on their website. A new track is released every Friday for users to download and remix for personal use.
It's a very cool marketing technique that taps into the emotive target audience. This site release is coming off the heels of the most recent Pew/Internet report that showed that more than half of online teens are creating content for the internet. The report states that, "American teenagers today are utilizing the interactive capabilities of the internet as they create and share their own media creations. 57% of teens who use the internet could be considered Content Creators. They have created a blog or webpage, posted original artwork, photography, stories or videos online or remixed online content into their own new creations. "
Posted by richard ting at November 13, 2005, 02:19 AM
Bacardi Live Llymit Site
The Bacardi Live site just recently launched and it feels really well designed and programmed. I like the animation effects, page transistions, supremely easy navigation, and rock solid usability. The site feels industrial strength with zero bugs or site defects. Reminds me of the NIKEiD.com site. For all the lads out there, you'll love the videos and pictures of the Bacardi Girls. Simply lovely.
Check out the site.
Posted by richard ting at November 13, 2005, 01:31 AM
October 26, 2005
iPod Nano QR Campaign on Tokyo Metro
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From the heart of Japan's youth culture -- Tokyo's trendy Shibuya district -- Flickr user Purpin describes how Apple is advertising the iPod nano:
"As part of their rather unique advertising campaign, huge iPod nano posters now adorn the platform walls of Toyoko Line Shibuya Station. As you depart the train you'll be faced with a stream after stream of 1:1 iPod nano cutouts, in which you can pull off and take home. Much to my suprise, I later realised that these cutouts weren't made of cardboard but of plastic, and are very rigidly built too. On the reverse side were the URL and QR Codes of a site where you can download iPod nano wallpapers for your mobile phone."
Posted by richard ting at October 26, 2005, 03:15 PM
October 24, 2005
In Japan, Billboards Take Code-Crazy Ads to New Heights
[from wsj.com]
Northwest Airlines is harnessing Japan's love of gadgets to open a new frontier in interactive advertising: tempting consumers to access prizes and games by scanning giant bar codes with their cellphone cameras. In its latest Tokyo outdoor campaign, Northwest Airlines, the fourth-largest U.S. airline by traffic, is covering the city's billboards and subway stations with ads containing the bar codes, which look like huge geometric Rorschach tests. The ads taunt passersby to unlock a message hidden inside the square of black and white pixels called a QR code, which requires a special reader to decode.
Sound complicated? Not in Japan where already some 30 million people carry the special readers around, tucked inside their cellphones. With a snapshot, the information is decoded, directing the phone's Web browser to coupons, games or further details on a product. QR codes have grown in popularity in Japan over the past year, showing up thumbnail size on magazine and newspaper ads as a quick automatic link between print and online media that doesn't require the customer to type in an Internet address or remember a special code. Similar attempts in the U.S. haven't caught on, probably because the scanners aren't built into an existing gadget.
Read more.
Posted by richard ting at October 24, 2005, 05:08 PM
October 14, 2005
Mercedes R-Class Site
Here's a cool site that shows motion by using lots of panning and rotating of still images.
Posted by richard ting at October 14, 2005, 07:24 PM
October 13, 2005
Perfect Dark Zero Campaign
Microsoft is hoping this game will be their next Halo-caliber success for Xbox 360.
“Visitors to this intriguing site are caught in a dark web of email, online and mobile phone experiences that come together to promote Perfect Dark Zero, the highly-anticipated video game exclusively for the Xbox 360 console. The multi-pronged viral campaign assembled by interactive marketing agency AKQA was launched on October 4, and kicks off with an email that directs you to a web video where you'll witness your own "death" at the hands of Joanna Dark. You then get a chance to send the sexy heroine to "take care" of a friend of your choice, who'll receive a similar email directing them to the web video—and once they get there, you'll receive a cell phone call from Joanna herself, informing you that the job is done.”
Posted by richard ting at October 13, 2005, 08:06 PM
Mini Roof Studio
Add a photo of your roof graphic to the Mini permanent collection.
Check it out.
Posted by richard ting at October 13, 2005, 07:54 PM
October 11, 2005
Wonderbra Site
Here's the latest Wonderbra site called 'Experience Wonder You'. Aside from the nice-looking ladies in the site, it's actually a really well designed site that simply tells the story of the four various effects of wearing a Wonderbra. Each effect aligns with the product benefit story of each story so the user walks away from the site better 'educated' about Wonderbras. The clean visual design, smooth animation, and simple storytelling make this a cool site.
Posted by richard ting at October 11, 2005, 04:51 PM
October 04, 2005
Absolut Metropolis
In its new campaign "Absolut Metropolis, the vodka brand Absolut picked up eleven "creative types" off the streets of Tokyo and asked them to put together an outfit/artwork inspired by the "Absolut" brand. I can't tell from the website whether these are "real" amateurs or recent Bunka graduates or what, but each individual conveniently has a different extreme-subcultural style. Put together, they are like a street-fashion Justice League Jr.
Posted by richard ting at October 04, 2005, 12:52 PM
August 06, 2005
The Playstation Experience
Step into the PlayStation Experience and undergo the ultimate gaming adventure. With 26 different kiosks featuring the hottest software, hardware and peripherals from PlayStation, plenty of big screens and nearly constant competitions and contests for sweet PlayStation prizes.
Truck 1: Playstation Experience.
Truck 2: Playstation Patrol.
Truck 3: Playstation Locker Room.
Gran Turismo 4 Challenge.
Posted by richard ting at August 06, 2005, 01:52 PM
July 27, 2005
Burger King sexual captions an 'honest mistake'
[from Agenda Inc.]
Sexual double entendres were removed overnight from Burger King's new website, CoqRoq.com, but the company claims it has received no complaints from consumers or other outside groups, AdAge reports. The deleted content included captions, under photos of young girls, that read: "Groupies love the Coq" and "groupies love Coq."
The captions were there when the site went live yesterday, but according to Edna Johnson, SVP for global communications for Burger King, malfunctions in the Flash and XML programming were responsible for putting the captions up. A misspelling of "Burger King" had also been fixed, she said.
The site, created by Crispin Porter & Bogusky of Subservient Chicken fame, is designed to look like a rock band site. (The band is named CoqRoq, the lead singer Fowl Mouth.)
Check out the site.
Posted by richard ting at July 27, 2005, 06:41 PM
July 26, 2005
GAP Viral -- watchmechange.com
Here's a GAP viral piece by Crispin & Porter. WatchMeChange is similar to what other clothing retailers are doing with their Virtual Mannequins. However, this one is more for fun than finding clothes. You get to customize a person to look like you, choose some clothes, and then watch it dance and strip. Stupid shit, but it's from Crispin so it must be good.
Posted by richard ting at July 26, 2005, 06:18 PM
July 24, 2005
PSP Cutout Guitars
From today, if you happen to see a giant cardboard cut-out of a guitar, then you should know that it is your duty to interact with it.
In a bid to liven up the streets of London, PSP presents CutOut and will deposit 500 1.75m-tall electric guitar silhouettes around town, designed by Peter Saville and complete with frets and dials.
It is hoped that people will want to pick them up and play them, reinforcing PSP’s message of freedom and fun.
‘The guitar is the defining icon of electric pop culture,’ says Saville, who had an open brief as to what template he would design. ‘I wanted to design a super-sized cut-out for custom colouring and anarchic pantomime. I wanted to inspire people to feel like a child feeling grown-up.’
Fifty of the CutOuts will be signed by Peter Saville, but undoubtedly the real finds will be the 20 CutOuts that have been customised by 10 of the UK’s most hotly tipped newcomers from the fields of photography, art, graphic design, illustration, sculpture, textiles, product design, and silkscreen printing.
Posted by richard ting at July 24, 2005, 06:02 PM
July 18, 2005
Nestea Hopes Site Goes Viral
JUXT Interactive has created an absurdly interactive web environment for the new Nestea drink, Nestea Ice, geared to the 12- to 24-year-old male. The site incorporates original music videos, a design feature that allows visitors to create T-shirts, a short film, and other means of keeping visitors on the site as long as possible, writes MediaPost. Nestea is counting on the fact that the site will take advantage of the viral potential of the web. Since its launch in late June it has attracted about 2,200 unique visitors a day, but that is without the online ad campaign that will launch soon. The campaign will also include TV, point-of-purchase, radio, PR, and sampling.
Posted by richard ting at July 18, 2005, 03:52 PM
July 13, 2005
PINK Asks Young Women to Show Cards, Thongs
Victoria's Secret PINK brand is challenging young women to take up cards and take off their jeans with the launch of a strip poker Web experience created by agency Crispin Porter & Bogusky.
The site, at PinkPantyPoker.com, targets women aged 18 to 24 with a first person gaming experience akin to several others the agency has created for clients such as Method and Burger King.
Site visitors go up against a group of five other characters, attractive men and women, in a game of five-card draw. Each round has a loser, and that character must remove an article of clothing. If the user on the end loses, his or her arm extends into the screen and drops a shirt, skirt or pair of pants, as the case may be.
"We're excited about this one because it brings together game-like qualities, but it's all about the product. Your goal is to see the product," said Jeff Benjamin, Crispin's interactive executive creative director. "It's a different way of showing a catalog."
The strip poker experience is intended to spread virally, so PINK hasn't deployed an ad buy to promote the site's launch. Benjamin said some banner ads have been created and may be placed around the Web if the client decides it wants to boost traffic. He claims early traffic reports are good, and he expects the site to be a hit with men as well as women.
At the end of the game, an e-mail forward feature sends a message reading, "Supermodel Alessandra is throwing a Panty Poker Party with her friends Chris, Bobby, Theresa and Tatiane. Check it out at [URL]. Hope you've got your lucky bikinis on."
PINK has been a CPB client since mid-2004. The agency has completed some banner advertising for it in the past, but this is the brand's first "major" online initiative.
Posted by richard ting at July 13, 2005, 07:16 PM
July 01, 2005
Nike Women: take sport, add music
[from adverblog]
Scholz & Friends Stockholm is behind the new Nike online marketing effort to support the Women Moves campaign. The agency has created a website to present the Nike Women Moves concept with a series of animated dancing silhouettes. Infotainment content explains visitors where to find the best dance courses and which trainer suits them best. A short film "The true tale" is also available. Don't expect too many special effects: the soundtrack is pretty good and so is the cartoon concept, but Nike used to do better.
Posted by richard ting at July 01, 2005, 02:20 PM
LEXUS TO LAUNCH PODCAST MARKETING CAMPAIGN
[from adage.com]
Signs 26-Week Deal With Calif. Radio Station KCRW
NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- Toyota Motor Sales USA's Lexus division has become the latest mainstream brand to seize on podcasting as a marketing tool. Lexus has bought into a podcasting campaign through public radio station KCRW in Southern California.
The luxury auto company has signed a 26-week deal to sponsor podcasts at Santa Monica, Calif., public radio station KCRW. The pact was signed on behalf of the Southern California Lexus Dealers and goes into effect tin October.
Lexus joins marketers such as General Motors Corp., Audi and Warner Bros. that are investigating this emerging technology that combines attributes of the Internet and radio to create a new sort of hybrid.
Podcasting is a method of distributing digital audio files across the Internet for users to download onto their iPods and MP3 players to listen to at their leisure. Some 22 million Americans now have a device that plays such files.
“Podcasting is a way to reach a fresh audience, a niche audience,” said Bill Flitter, chief marketing officer and founder of RSS ad network Pheedo. Audi, for example, is sponsoring a podcast for Autoblog. But Lexus also joins brands like condom maker Durex that want to appeal to younger, hipper consumers who are never far from their iPods and the desire to experience media of their choice when and how they want it.
Posted by richard ting at July 01, 2005, 02:13 PM
June 29, 2005
BringtheFast.com
Check out Verizon's branded entertainment campaign to build awareness of Verizon as a broadband company and its online DSL and FiOS products.
Posted by richard ting at June 29, 2005, 03:30 AM
June 10, 2005
Audi Touts Success of "Heist"
Audi of America is crowing over the results of its alternate reality gaming (ARG) "Art of the Heist" viral campaign. The company says the game has generated four times more online buzz for the A3 compact car, has engaged more than 200,000 people in a single day, and has attracted 79 percent more qualified visitors to the Audi Web site, as compared with previous efforts.
"'The Art of the Heist' represents a true innovation in the way Audi connects with its target consumer," said Stephen Berkov, Audi of America's director of marketing, in a statement. The effort, which began on April 1 in New York, revved up with the fictional theft of an Audi A3. Since then, game players have followed -- and participated in -- the adventures of Nisha Roberts and Ian Yarbrough, two specialists in recovering snatched art, as they track down digital clues hidden in Audis across the country. The tale of game designer Virgil Tatum, who is developing a game based on Roberts, also plays into the narrative.
The ARG was created by Audi's long-time ad agency, McKinney + Silver, in partnership with Campfire, which is an collaboration between Mike Monello and Gregg Hale of Haxan Films, GMD Studios and Chelsea Pictures.
Besides running online advertisements encouraging people to help find the stolen A3, the company has created a microsite at stolenA3.com where gamers can follow the action. Audi has also created a fictional site for Roberts and Yarbrough's company at lastresortretrieval.com, and a site for Tatum at virgilkingofcode.com.
The campaign also uses blogs and wild postings to keep the public updated about the alternate reality action. Additionally, game players have themselves created wikis (define) and fan sites, such as heist.smirkbox.com, to help others follow the narrative.
Posted by richard ting at June 10, 2005, 01:20 AM
May 28, 2005
iCoke, Attempts of Interactive Youth Marketing
[from adverblog]
New Media Age reports this week Coca-Cola is getting ready for the global launch of iCoke, an highly interactive youth marketing program. The initiative has already debuted in China and Canada and should be supported by on-pack promotions to drive traffic online.
iCoke Canada is basically a loyalty marketing initiative which invites young users to collect points in order to gain prizes. The Canadian website features a competition which instantly gives away a Sony LCD Tv by inserting the PIN code found on the can. There is also a co-marketing section, the "Games Lounge" together with Sony Playstation. The "Download" area will offer mobile content such as wallpapers and ringtones but it's not active yet... It has a sad "coming soon" message which is one of the best move you can do to disappoint your audience.
I know naming a brand or a campaign is not simple, but "iCoke" isn't the most original name they could have come up with. Of course it's easy to remember, but it sounds so much like Apple. Furthermore I don't like the logo (look at the right side of this post) which doesn't say anything about Coca-Cola's personality and brand. All right, enough critics for me, let's wait for the iCoke launch in other countries.
Check out the site.
Posted by richard ting at May 28, 2005, 11:11 AM
May 26, 2005
The Spicy BBQ Burger - Paris Hilton
[from mediapost]
PARIS HILTON IS TOO HOT for TV (and the Internet, too). More ads taking advantage of "Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith." Wendy's wants consumers to "do what tastes right." Let's launch! Paris Hilton's ad for Carl's Jr.'s Spicy BBQ Six Dollar Burger is so hot that not only have watchdog groups labeled it soft-core porn but the ad crashed SpicyParis.com, a site featuring a 60-second version of the ad. The 30-second spot launched May 19 on the West Coast and shows Hilton eating The Spicy BBQ Six Dollar Burger while washing a Bentley in what's been labeled a "bathing suit." Throw in some not-so subliminal images (hello gushing hose) and the final product will still leave viewers asking, "What burger company was that for?" Mendelsohn|Zien, Los Angeles created the ad.
Posted by richard ting at May 26, 2005, 01:50 PM
May 23, 2005
The Sith Sense
Crispin Porter and Burger King are at it again with their new campaign, The Sith Sense. The interaction is simple and some of the insults are funny. My only question is, 'where the hell is the Burger King brand message story?' There's absolutely no brand or product tie-in to the experience. Maybe the objective of the campaign was more about driving traffic because this site is definitely going to go viral. I wasn't overwhelmed by the experience, but I did feel compelled to play it through to completion. One thing is for sure, the average time spent on the site should be a nice big juicy number. Crispin is definitely tapping into their award winning formula of sending a clear message that borrows from pop culture while giving cool whimsical feedback to the user.
Check out a generic version of 20 questions.
Posted by richard ting at May 23, 2005, 10:27 AM
May 20, 2005
The Mazda "Car Wars"
[from adverblog]
DMC London is planning, seeding and tracking a new viral buzz for Mazda. The campaign, called "Car Wars" features a web-exclusive film created to raise brand awareness and boost demand for the Mazda B-Series pick-up.
The video shows three men trying to impress a sexy sophisticated woman by flashing their car keys (one driver owns an Aston Martin, one has a Porsche and a guy has a Mazda B-Series). Who will she pick and why? I know you can guess the answer, but watch the video anyway, it's funny!
Posted by richard ting at May 20, 2005, 06:34 PM
May 19, 2005
NYC2012 - City of Dreams
There's a new feature on NYC2012’s website—the City of Dreams. This application allows people to enter their names and their dreams for the 2012 Olympics in New York, and creates a graphical city skyline using those entries. Anyone can visit the City of Dreams and add their own contribution.
Posted by richard ting at May 19, 2005, 06:12 PM
May 16, 2005
Red Bull Creativity Contest
Submitted by blogger, Daniel Harvey. Red Bull introduces their Creativity Contest campaign which borrows upon various elements from previous campaigns and websites. Brands like Nike, Vans, and Fila have given up their products for artist re-interpretation for years. While, the full screen sliding action pioneered by Frost Design and the faux z-depth action done by Matthew Mahon are gaining steam in design circles. Overall, the site is well designed and well executed. Unfortunately, I can't read Dutch or French so I can't fully tell how compelling the artist renditions are.
Posted by richard ting at May 16, 2005, 10:39 AM
May 12, 2005
BUILD YOUR OWN NIKE SHOE -- ABOVE TIMES SQUARE
[from Adage.com]
New Billboard Promotion Is Activated by Mobile Phones
May 09, 2005
by Kris Oser
NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- In its customary way of going for ever bigger and more different promotions, Nike has purchased a build-your-own-shoe media placement on the 23-story-high Reuters sign on the Reuters Building in Times Square. The Nike build-a-shoe sign on the Reuters building in Times Square. Click to see larger photo.
Real-time designing
The promotion, which is part of the sports apparel giant's NikeID campaign, lets passersby with a cell phone to call a toll-free number to access the technology and use the dial pad to choose aspects of a sneaker they prefer and build it in real time on the sign. After first picking out the colors of the laces, swoosh, uppers and mid-sole of the sport shoe and then customizing it with initials or other personal tags, the consumer is sent an SMS message with a picture of the personalized shoe and the Web address (www.nyc.nikeid.com) where it can be purchased. The technology is available between noon and 1 p.m., and 3 p.m. and 5 p.m.
"The more you allow people to stop what they are doing and interact with a brand, the better it's going to be," said John Mayo-Smith, vice president of technology at R/GA, the interactive agency that handled the campaign. "But just as important, the people who are watching the sign are getting a brand experience, too."
Nike would not comment for this story.
Posted by richard ting at May 12, 2005, 03:08 PM
May 09, 2005
Grocery Store Wars
[from mediapost]
Okay, it looks like just about everyone is attempting to capitalize on the upcoming release of "Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith." The Organic Trade Association (OTA) and Free Range Studios have launched a five-minute movie online. "Store Wars: The Organic Rebellion" features Cuke Skywalker, Princess Lettuce, Chewbroccoli, and other organic rebels played by real vegetables (I hope none were injured through the making of this film). They are dressed as Star Wars characters and battle with Darth Tader, the evil lord of the Dark Side of the Farm. By spoofing a pop culture phenomenon like "Star Wars," OTA hopes to attract a new generation of organic consumers, especially those who grew up watching the movies.
Posted by richard ting at May 09, 2005, 10:20 AM
May 08, 2005
AMEX - My Life My Card
This is a cool campaign that AMEX runs. A different item every day. Limited Quantities. Special Cardmember-only prices. Users can only make purchases at given times. Last Christmas, the site was selling BMW Z3s for $4500 (not 45,000) and Treo 600s for $150.
Posted by richard ting at May 08, 2005, 12:59 PM
April 27, 2005
Nokia Concept Lounge
Here's a mediocre brand experience from Nokia Belgium. There's a sweepstakes component that enters you in for a chance to win the Nokia 7710 smartphone. You can also check out future Nokia concepts as well as learn about the Nokia Benelux Open Design Awards.
Posted by richard ting at April 27, 2005, 07:45 PM
April 06, 2005
touchingisgood.com - A Nintendo DS campaign
What a weird campaign. Nintendo DS is encouraging users to grab a camera (and a mannequin hand) and photograph something cool to enter into their contest. They'll pick a few of the best photos and send them a Nintendo DS or... some cold hard cash.
If you don't have a mannequin hand, don't fret, they'll even mail you a mannequin hand!
Check out the site.
Posted by richard ting at April 06, 2005, 02:43 PM
March 27, 2005
Nike Commercials on the PSP
Check out the PSP site.
Check out the Nike Air Zoom Huarache 2K5 commercial.
Check out the Nike Shox VCIV commercial.
Posted by richard ting at March 27, 2005, 03:40 PM
March 25, 2005
Volvo V50 site
This site's been up for a while and it won a Cannes Cyberlion during the 2004 season, but i'm still posting it because it's such a great experience. The main objective for this site is that the car is a great driver’s car and also the safest car in its size ever built by Volvo. The sign-off for the whole campaign is Have Fun. On the site you go on a nice trip to the beach, read all about the features and experience almost everything about the car, both inside and out.
It was designed by Forsman & Bodenfors in Sweden.
Posted by richard ting at March 25, 2005, 05:35 PM
March 22, 2005
Old Spice - When She's Hot
The good 'ole video/audio mixer brought to you by Old Spice. Music by the X-Ecutioners.
Posted by richard ting at March 22, 2005, 06:43 PM
March 18, 2005
NBC Gives New Meaning To Buying 'Space,' Premieres Show On MySpace.com
[from Mediapost]
IN A FIRST OF ITS kind deal for NBC, the peacock network Wednesday night debuted new prime-time comedy "The Office" via a webcast on MySpace.com, a week ahead of its March 29 broadcast TV premiere. MySpace.com is the kind of "social networking" site that NBC's promo team hopes will generate water cooler talk in advance of the TV debut. Vivi Zigler, senior vice president of marketing and advertising services at the nework's in-house NBC Agency said it is the first time the network has webcast its content online. A nearly 13-minute clip of the premiere will be available at MySpace today through the end of the month.
As other cable and broadcast networks have relied on large Web portals like America Online and Yahoo! to Webcast their content for promotional purposes, Zigler admitted that MySpace was an unusual choice of venue for NBC. "We specifically wanted to avoid the big portals because that's been done," Zigler explained, adding that the network liked the younger composion of MySpace's audience.
In fact, MySpace has a sizable member base. The site, a subsidiary of Intermix Media, Inc., attracted 8.9 million unique visitors who generated 4.6 billion page views last month, and was the seventh most trafficked Web domain in February, according to comScore Media Metrix. "What was really controversial was previewing it so early before it hit TV," said Zigler, adding: "'The Office' is not your ordinary show, so it's extra important to let as many people as possible actually experience it, and understand it, and get it."
At MySpace, users can fashion profiles, blog, instant message, e-mail, download music, create photo galleries, and search classified listings, events, groups, chat rooms, and user forums. Registered MySpace users can join "The Office" group on MySpace to share their own office mishaps through personal profiles, blogs, and other MySpace features.
It's becoming more common today for cable and broadcast networks to partner with major Web portals to Webcast new shows as a promotional gimmick. A few examples include America Online teaming with Bravo, an NBC-Universal-owned entity, to Webcast "Queer Eye for the Straight Girl," and before that Warner Bros. previewing its teen drama "Jack & Bobby" on AOL. Showtime and Yahoo! getting together recently to Webcast "Fat Actress" is another example.
"The Office" will air regularly on Tuesdays at 9:30-10 p.m. EST on NBC.
Posted by richard ting at March 18, 2005, 06:03 PM
March 15, 2005
Subaru Leads with Interactive for Product Launch
[from clickz]
When Subaru was plotting how to build awareness for its upcoming B9 Tribeca luxury SUV -- a new model, in a new space -- the carmaker went online to build and maintain excitement for a 6-month pre-launch campaign. The campaign was developed by New York interactive agency R/GA, part of Interpublic Group. It aims to introduce prospective buyers to Subaru's first 7-passenger luxury vehicle. The online campaign includes a mini-site at b9tribeca.com, and an online sweepstakes. Site visitors are encouraged to opt-in to receive information by e-mail as it becomes available. An online B9 Tribeca giveaway incites users to sign up.
Offline efforts are comprised of traveling interactive kiosks that will provide information and capture customer opt-ins at major auto shows. Subaru will also organize events at the shows for existing owners that will encourage opt-in to the e-mail list. "Our goal is to harness the pent-up demand for the product, to build awareness, and to let people start engaging with the brand," said Jonathan Rivard, manager of Subaru's CRM group.
Read more.
Check out the site.
Posted by richard ting at March 15, 2005, 10:39 AM
Infiniti Sponsors Mobile-Enabled Site
MOBILE CONTENT PROVIDER AVANTGO ANNOUNCED Tuesday that it will offer a mobile-enabled Web site for college hoops fans, sponsored by Infiniti's newest luxury sedan, the Infiniti M. The mobile site will be able to deliver game day scores and statistics to users' mobile phones and devices, and will build brand recognition for the M sedan by presenting information about the car's features, with vehicle specs and high-resolution photos. In 2003, Infiniti sponsored a similar mobile site for March Madness to promote its FX45 SUV.
Posted by richard ting at March 15, 2005, 10:08 AM
March 13, 2005
New Balance Sneaker Ads Jab At Pro Athletes' Pretensions
By JOE PEREIRA
Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
March 10, 2005; Page B1
Most sneaker makers, hoping to sell more shoes, seek allies in the world of professional sports. But New Balance Inc. is taking a different stance on athletes: disparage them. The company's latest television spots, due to start airing this weekend, feature a stern young basketball player who dispenses advice to "some of the pros out there." He says: "Just in case you forgot, this is what a pass looks like. This is what a floor burn looks like." The last dig occurs as a player in the background dives for a ball.
The none-too-subtle message of the campaign, "For Love or Money," is that that pros perform for the latter, not the former. The ads, created by Boston agency Boathouse Inc., continue more than a decade of iconoclastic marketing that has served New Balance well. Closely held and relatively unheralded, the Boston-based company has amassed a 13% market share of the U.S. athletic footwear market, and has moved into the No. 2 spot behind Nike Inc., according to retail sales tracked by researcher NPD Group Inc. All the while, it has gained traction without the aid of celebrity pitchmen.
New Balance's surge began in 1992, when, with only 3% of the market, it launched its "Endorsed by No One" campaign in an industry that even then was paying top stars millions to plug sneaker brands. New Balance ads give pro athletes jabs, not glory. But that effort didn't take on professional sports directly, the way "Love or Money" does. Suggesting that National Basketball Association stars are lazy is a risky strategy, as the professionals and their big-name friends in sneakerdom could wind up attacking New Balance in turn.
"The last time I checked New Balance was in business to make money and the ads are designed to make consumers spend money," says Mike Bass, an NBA spokesman. "Our players play for love but happen to make a lot of money." New Balance will spend $21 million on the campaign, just about its entire promotional budget for the year. That is a pittance compared to the $1.4 billion that Nike spent on marketing and ads last year. On its restricted budget, New Balance can't really compete in securing endorsers, so its downside in alienating stars is minimal.
Boathouse, a four-year-old agency, is known for, among other things, bringing the bull back into Merrill Lynch's ads. It began working on the New Balance campaign after the Olympics in Athens.
At the games, the U.S. fielded a second-string basketball team after stars like Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant, and Jason Kidd declined to play. Losses to Puerto Rico, Greece and Lithuania, embarrassed the Americans. Following the games, the agency surfed Internet boards to find what people were saying world-wide about sportsmanship. "It came back very clear to us that the behavior of certain athletes was a common focus of discussions," says James Overall, a partner and creative director at Boathouse. "What some of the athletes say and do are just unbelievable," says New Balance CEO and founder Jim Davis in an interview. "Whether they like it or not, they are the role models for our children."
Posted by richard ting at March 13, 2005, 02:29 PM
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 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
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
January 20, 2005
BMW To Launch Mobile Effort For 3 Series Models
[from MediaPost]
By Shankar Gupta
Boomerang Mobile Media, a cellular-based media company, has launched a campaign to bring mobile device users an early look at BMW's new 3 Series models with a Web site featuring photos, graphics, and product information that can be accessed by mobile phone.
To access the mobile site, users call 703-286-BMW3, and receive a voice message welcoming them to the site. "You can go into the site and you get exposed to the new 3 series; you can look at pictures, statistics, all the information that you want to know," said Lou Schultz, Boomerang chairman. "Think of it as dropping a catalogue on your phone," he said.
Customers can also opt-in to receive product alerts, which will come out as the new model nears its launch date, and will be sent to their mobile phones. Consumers are expected to get the number from BMW's Web site, where it will soon be posted, Schultz said. The company also intends to give consumers the number at auto shows or other major events. "They can actually get into it and see all the material while they're at the auto show versus going back home and maybe getting back on the Web and maybe not doing it," said Schultz.
Posted by richard ting at January 20, 2005, 07:07 PM
January 14, 2005
Nintendo - Start the Mayhem
[from Mediapost]
Sedgwick Rd. has created a Web site for Nintendo called "Start Mayhem," supporting the company's Game Boy Advance SP. The site features Webisodes that give each of the Game Boy Advance SP colors its own personality. Colors include Flame, which "revels in chaos," and Onyx, the "cool guy." My favorite part of the site is the "Personality Test," which matches you up with the Game Boy Advance SP that you relate to the most. Hello world, I'm Flame. This Web site is part of an integrated campaign which includes a TV spot, radio, and print ads.
Posted by richard ting at January 14, 2005, 11:46 AM
January 09, 2005
21121.com - Adidas Campaign
My friend, Rei, spotted a bunch of OOH wild postings from Adidas last week. They were scattered all over the downtown area of NYC. There wasn't much to the postings except for an Adidas logo and a URL push to the www.21121.com site. Once again, not much is revealed on the site except a launch date of 2.07.05. Does anyone out there have any information about this campaign? Holler back.
Posted by richard ting at January 09, 2005, 08:29 PM
January 08, 2005
Nokia Fashion Collection
Inspired by the glamour, energy, and sophistication of the 1920s, the Nokia Fashion Collection fuses art, fashion, and technology. They've created wearable art and the ultimate objects of desire. Browse the Collection at their online boutique, www.NokiaInStyle.com.
Nokia hired David LaChapelle, photographer and director to direct the TV spots for this campaign.
Posted by richard ting at January 08, 2005, 04:50 PM
December 23, 2004
Virgin Catches Viral Marketing Bug
[from mediapost]
by Shankar Gupta
The latest virus going around the office isn't the flu--it's Chrismahanukwanzakah.
The Internet spot, a cartoon jingle from Virgin Mobile USA that dismisses the theological concerns of the holiday season, proclaims: "Whose faith is the right one/that's anybody's guess/what matters most is camera phones for $20 dollars less." Virgin Mobile's product is no-contract cell phones, and the ad tries to draw a connection between not having to commit to a single faith during the holiday season and not having to commit to a single cell phone plan.
The ad is the latest hit in viral ad campaigns, and has been receiving extensive press in major news outlets like the Wall Street Journal, The Chicago Sun-Times, and the Boston Herald. The Web-based part of the campaign is accompanied by TV spots that aired on MTV and affiliated networks, like Comedy Central and SpikeTV, and in-store displays featuring the omni-denominational cast of the ad: A many-armed, sitar-playing Hindu Santa Claus, a dreidel-toting, afro-sporting, gold- toothed, black angel, and a reindeer whose antlers support a Hanukah menorah.
The intent of the Web-based part of the campaign was to harness the buzz that advertisers so covet. Fallon, the company that created the ad for Virgin Mobile, had the intent all along to utilize viral advertising to spread the word about the ad and help brand the Virgin Mobile no-contract phones, in the newly founded tradition of Burger King's SubservientChicken.com.
Posted by richard ting at December 23, 2004, 11:34 AM
December 22, 2004
Come Clean
Check out the Come Clean site.
[read the NYTimes.com article]
Entertaining Web Sites Promote Products Subtly
MARKETERS usually try to slip their names into every conceivable venue - like cellphone screens, bathroom posters and TV shows via product placement. But there are times when an ad that almost disguises its sponsor can be more effective. Many of these ads have taken the form of specialty Web sites, like www.subservientchicken.com, which is intended to entrance visitors with humor, video or games.
Subservient Chicken, perhaps the year's most prominent example, allows visitors to type orders to someone dressed in a chicken costume, who is seen obeying, as if on a live Webcam. The site, a promotion for the TenderCrisp chicken sandwich sold at Burger King, says little about Burger King or the sandwich, although there is a discreet link to the Burger King site.
Other marketers have moved into specialty Web sites, including Alaska Airlines, which operates a parody site at www.skyhighairlines.com, and Best Buy, the retail chain, which is creating specialty sites tied to particular campaigns, products and audiences. At one site, Best Buy depicts a fictional Slothmore Institute (www.slothmore.com), which brags of "enabling greatness through sedentary living."
A note from the institute's fictional founder, Dr. Harvey Funkel, explains. "Here at Slothmore we believe that everyone deserves to achieve one's dreams and aspirations," he says, "especially if one's dream is to never achieve a thing." The idea is that stay-at-home sloths may as well surround themselves with a stereo system, which, incidentally, visitors can check out by clicking on a Best Buy banner ad at the bottom.
Posted by richard ting at December 22, 2004, 07:28 PM
December 09, 2004
New Integrated Campaign for Treo
AKQA has developed an integrated campaign for Treo. The campaign includes online advertising, print, television, outdoor (airport), and a Web site. The Web site launched at the end of November and invites consumers to experience life with a Treo in a choose-your-own-adventure format. Print work appeared in issues of Business 2.0, BusinessWeek, The New Yorker and Hemispheres, and 15-second spots are running during "The Today Show," "The O.C.," "Good Morning America," and "Next Top Model."
Posted by richard ting at December 09, 2004, 11:48 AM
December 06, 2004
MySpace.com -- Pitch to Online Crowd Mixes Pop Stars and Personals
[from nytimes.com]
The home page of MySpace, a Web site for social networking, features a profile of the teenage idol Hilary Duff. Yes, her music is there, and so is marketing for a Procter & Gamble deodorant.
By NAT IVES
PROCTER & GAMBLE, the country's largest advertiser and an eager pursuer of new marketing methods, has begun an experimental promotion for its Secret Sparkle deodorant using music stars' personal profiles on a social networking Web site. Under the deal, the MySpace.com home page features a profile of the singer Hilary Duff accompanied by logos for Secret Sparkle, an extension of the Secret brand that went on sale a year and a half ago.
Those who view Ms. Duff's profile can try to win an iPod in the "Secret 'Discover the Secret Strength of Today's Hottest Rising Music Stars' Sweepstakes," and sign up for more information on Secret Sparkle, other Procter & Gamble products or Ms. Duff. The promotion will feature a succession of other artists and their MySpace profiles until it concludes at the end of this month. The promotion, narrow in focus and low key by design, is in some ways the opposite of a Super Bowl commercial, the expensive epitome of traditional advertising. But P.& G. has decided that mass marketing will keep losing effectiveness as media choices and consumer control grow, so it has made charting new paths to consumers a priority.
"This is the first time we've tried this," said Michelle Vaeth, a communications director at Procter & Gamble in Cincinnati. "We really hope it works, because we recognize that MySpace.com is a growing and important player in the social networking Internet space." Social networking sites, particularly those friendly to music fans, are a growing destination for the company's target audience. "We have to be where they are in this online world," Ms. Vaeth said.
The Secret Sparkle promotion represents some firsts for MySpace as well, although the site has collected most of its revenue from advertising almost since its inception in September 2003. "Procter & Gamble is a new advertiser for us," said Chris De Wolfe, chief executive at MySpace in Los Angeles. And while celebrities had been permitted to use MySpace to promote themselves and their work, the campaign with P.& G. is the first instance of the Web site's combining consumer product advertising with a celebrity listing, Mr. De Wolfe said.
If P.& G. considers the effort a success, it could mean much more ad revenue from packaged goods companies for social networking sites like Friendster, Multiply and MySpace as well as business-oriented networking sites like Ryze. Marketers hope these sites will make it easier to start and track communication about brands among friends and contacts. People who register on sites like MySpace and Friendster can set up a home page with photos, a profile and links to others in their social networks. Users can browse for friends, dates, partners for activities or contacts of all kinds and invite them to join the users' personal networks as "friends."
"As the peer-to-peer marketing takes over, word spreads very quickly throughout the site," Mr. De Wolfe said. "My thousand friends see Hilary's profile and see the branding and request to be her friend."
Advertisers are clearly intrigued, if unsure how best to use the sites. The diverse group of marketers using banner ads on MySpace includes the Consumer Research Corporation, DesignerBag4Free.com, Radio Shack, Verizon Wireless and WinSweepstakes.net.
Since June, the MySpace Music section has allowed performers or their record labels to create profiles and offer downloads of their songs, streaming videos and other material. R.E.M., for one, promoted its newest album by posting it on MySpace Music for free listening for two weeks in September. And over the summer, MySpace promoted movie releases by being host to profiles for "Ron Burgundy," the character played by Will Ferrell in "Anchorman," and "Jason Bourne," the Matt Damon character in "The Bourne Supremacy."
Friendster also sells banners and boxes on its pages, which currently display ads for companies like Cingular, the College Loan Corporation, the Kissimmee-St. Cloud Convention and Visitors Bureau, and T-Mobile. Target recently used Friendster to support one element of its holiday campaign, free recorded wake-up calls from the likes of Heidi Klum and Darth Vader that shoppers could request on the Target Web site. Target posted "profiles" of the callers on Friendster.
As with many things online, though, there is the potential for confusion. In addition to millions of real profiles of real people, users have posted countless fake profiles. A search for "Hilary Duff" on MySpace produced 99 profiles under her name, including one that describes a 22-year-old man in Yakima, Wash. Then there are profiles operated by publicity executives at Hollywood Records, Ms. Duff's label, part of the Walt Disney Company. Even this reporter, who travels in decidedly unfamous circles, was able to secure the apparent friendship of Ms. Duff on MySpace in a matter of hours.
Posted by richard ting at December 06, 2004, 01:04 PM
December 01, 2004
Discover Card Snowball Fight
Check out the new online multi-user snowball game by Barbarian Group/Goodby Silverstein. Fun stuff.
When you get to the site click on Holiday Games.
Posted by richard ting at December 01, 2004, 02:35 PM
Rbk Streets
[from Trendcentral]
Rbk Streets: Reebok recently launched this interactive website where consumers can play games, as well as learn more about Rbk personalities, footwear and apparel. Aspiring musicians can also submit demos in MP3 format to the 50 Cent studio, which will be reviewed by the real 50 Cent. If you play on Rbk Streets, you might just earn enough Street Cred to win some major prizes.
Personally, I like the 'city' environment idea and using the cityscape as a navigation. I've seen this before on IBM's Software City and Nike's Battlegrounds, but I can't stand the overly 'ghetto-fied' or 'urban-fied' visual aesthetic. It just feels so gimmicky and outdated. Anyway, let Reebok keep their ghetto-bling-campaigns. I think Nike's trying to message their audiences on a slightly more sophisticated level.
Posted by richard ting at December 01, 2004, 02:35 AM
November 27, 2004
GIFTMIXER3000 from Crispin Porter
Borders Books and Music has launched GIFTMIXER3000. The Borders Books and Music Giftmixer3000 is similar to an audio mixer but instead of bass and treble to come up with just the right sound, you mix the personality traits of the gift receiver to get just the right gift. There are five mixer controls from romantic to funny. As you make adjustments, Giftmixer3000 adds commentary. The Giftmixer was promoted via an e-mail that was sent out to millions of Borders e-mail subscribers. Created by Crispin Porter + Bogusky, the objective is to drive traffic to Borders online holiday catalog and the brick-and-mortar stores.
Posted by richard ting at November 27, 2004, 07:08 PM
November 23, 2004
Fallon's films on Amazon.com
Fallon Worldwide, the Minneapolis agency that wowed the advertising world with its short Internet films for BMW a few years ago, is back in the movie-making business. The agency recently unveiled a similar series of films it created for Seattle-based Amazon.com to help promote a lesser-known aspect of its business -- the sale of apparel and personal-care items. The films are accessible on the Amazon.com Web site. Using well-known Hollywood actors such as Minnie Driver, Chris Noth and Daryl Hannah and the production genius of Tony and Ridley Scott of RSA USA Inc., Fallon created five short films, ranging in length from four to seven minutes each, for the company.
"We used no paid media to drive customers there," said Rob Buchner, chief marketing officer for Fallon. "Amazon is a network unto itself. ... They have roughly 32 million registered customers. During the holiday season, many multiples of that will travel through their turnstiles."
Credits at the end of the films include not only the names of actors, but names of products featured in the films. Shoppers can click on the product names and be transported to an Amazon page that provides details and the option to buy the products. In the second film, Agent Orange, which is now playing, customers can buy items such as a Fossil Philippe Starck Watch for $95 or orange Converse Chuck Taylor shoes for $37.99. Amazon did not return calls seeking comment in time for publication.
"What we want is to get millions of people in a busy frame of mind to stop, pause and be left with a good entertainment impression and be enlightened to everything available at Amazon," Buchner said. "When people go the extra step to get involved with a piece of entertainment or communication and have a good experience, they will keep coming back for more." Since the first film debuted on Nov. 10, Amazon.com reported a double-digit increase in traffic to its site, Buchner said. In addition, products featured in the films enjoyed banner sales days, he said. The films are so popular, in fact, that viewers are downloading them.
"I do think it instantly helps remind people that Amazon is not just a bookseller," said Geoff Sass, director of interactive for Minneapolis-based Olson + Co. But Chris Cortilet, Interactive creative director for Periscope in Minneapolis, isn't sure the connection is that obvious. Cortilet points to a new ad campaign for Burger King and Fallon's BMW films project as the best of examples of how this medium can work.
Posted by richard ting at November 23, 2004, 12:51 AM
November 04, 2004
Halo 2 launch
AKQA launched a teaser campaign aimed at the millions of gamers waiting for the debut of Halo 2 on Nov. 9. Pre-orders for Xbox-exclusive title have passed 1.5 million in the United States alone, guaranteeing first-day revenues higher than any movie in history. Online ads direct gamers to the Halo 2 Web site and are running on IGN, Gamespy, UGO, and Gamespot with the message "Earth will never be the same." The Halo 2 site brings the user into the world of Halo from the perspective of the Covenant, the alien forces determined to wipeout humankind. Interestingly enough, the site is not in a language that any human would understand (and if they do, I'm frightened) and site navigation obeys "alien logic." The campaign launched across 19 countries in 17 languages and targets males between 15 and 30.
Posted by richard ting at November 04, 2004, 12:23 PM
November 02, 2004
Red Bull Copilot Air Race
Red Bull Copilot Air Race has launched. The site is an interactive sports experience that allows users to get close to flying without actually sitting in a cockpit. The second-edition Copilot features U.S. aerobatic champion pilot Kirby Chambliss as he navigates a twisting Red Bull Air Race course. The site offers multiple chapters to learn more about the man, machine, and course that make up the Red Bull Air Race. The race chapter contains eight different camera angles, a multi-plane course simulation, and various audio selections.
Posted by richard ting at November 02, 2004, 01:31 PM
October 25, 2004
Chicken Fight - Crispin Porter
[from Adweek]
The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) is upset with Burger King about the www.chickenfight.com promotion created by Crispin, Porter + Bogusky. The site allows users to pit two guys in chicken suits -- representing different chicken sandwiches -- against each other in a cage match. Not funny, according to HSUS president and CEO Wayne Pacelle, who says in a statement, "Whatever the intent of this promotion, the effect is to make light of chicken fighting. Cockfighting, which is illegal in 48 states, is a disgraceful practice not only involving animal cruelty, but drug trafficking, illegal gambling and human-on-human violence."
Check out the site.
Check out the subservient chicken.
Posted by richard ting at October 25, 2004, 05:07 PM
October 22, 2004
Mazda's Blog+Viral Campaign Falls Flat
[from marketing vox]
Mazda's new blog-cum-viral marketing effort proved to be pretty lame, and its failures reveal one of the dynamics limiting large advertisers in their exploitation of new forms of marketing. The campaign takes an old set of video "viral" ads that never became very popular months ago and attempts to rejuvenate them by creating a fake blog to tout them. Compounding the first failure (not understanding that a viral ad isn't just a :30 - perhaps with a dirty joke or a flash of skin - that gets streamed onto the internet) Mazda committed the same mistake with the blog.
In the first instance, it thought its TV ad could become a viral spot. In the second instance, it thought it could suffice as the main content of a blog. Viewers may begin to think that perhaps there's a creative director in Mazda's ad agency that has a bias toward canned video. It appears that in neither case did Mazda consider putting the vast resources required to create a well-produced video spot toward creating a well-produced online campaign. Or, if it did, it paid too much.
Posted by richard ting at October 22, 2004, 11:30 AM
October 20, 2004
Aquos - Moretosee.com Campaign
If you've been watching any baseball lately on Fox Sports, you probably have seen the Aquos advertisements with URL placements leading users to moretosee.com. It's a Sharp integrated ad campaign that was developed by Weiden and Kennedy. The site content consists of tons of product info, but also has a few unique blogs from three different personas. It also seems like one big puzzle with, of course, your now ubiquitous faux content section in the form of a message board.
Posted by richard ting at October 20, 2004, 12:51 PM
October 06, 2004
Nokia N-Gage Guerilla Campaign
http://kotisivu.mtv3.fi/kallevee/
http://kotisivu.mtv3.fi/tuomaskoo/
The two links above apparently belong to freshly launched guerilla marketing campaign for Nokia N-Gage. The pages are in Finnish only, but basically the plot goes like this.
The boys claim they have found a cd-rom from train which was labeled UNFINISHED MATERIAL. FOR INTERNAL USE ONLY. The cd-rom contained seven Nokia N-Gage adverts. The two boys decided to "put them into internet" even though their father said they should not.
Posted by richard ting at October 06, 2004, 12:06 AM
September 24, 2004
Lee Jeans - 90 Foot Babe
Lee Jeans launched its teaser campaign online, in the form of a blog. The blog, written by "90-Foot Babe," has garnered a fair amount of traffic since launching, due to the fact that there is a phone number, complete with message, on the ads and flyers that are being distributed around major metro areas. Fallon Worldwide created the TV campaign for Lee Jeans, and lookandfeel New Media developed the online pieces.
Posted by richard ting at September 24, 2004, 10:46 AM
September 18, 2004
Newest Video Ads from EyeWonder:
Sky Captain
Video Banner Ad Tabs and Downloads
Check it out.
Sega NHL 2K5
Video Banner Ad with Polling
Check it out.
Posted by richard ting at September 18, 2004, 12:19 AM
September 16, 2004
BMW1derland
BMW uses Macromedia Director MX, Flash MX, and Fireworks MX to deliver BMW1derland, a game/entertainment experience for its new BMW 1 Series, which targets a younger, funkier audience. (Sep. 16, 2004)
Posted by richard ting at September 16, 2004, 02:52 PM
September 03, 2004
Diesel Dreams
