Heineken has been going nuts lately with a bunch of attention grabbing campaigns in the run up to Christmas. They recently kicked off a responsible drinking campaign centered around the idea that 'Sunrise belongs to moderate drinkers.' The goal is to make responsible drinking aspirational as expressed in the the hero content of the campaign (see above video). The main character rocks out during an all night party, but in a responsible manner. Outlasting all his drunken friends, he ends his night by going home sharing a sunrise with star DJ Audrey Napoleon.
Developed by AKQA, the campaign was launched across four cities (London, Ho Chi Minh, Rio de Janiero and San Francisco) through a teaser campaign. Sofas featuring the hashtag #mysunrise were strategically placed in locations that offered the best sunrise view. Consumers were encouraged to post photos of their best sunrise moments, tagging them #mysunrise and then submitting them to the Heineken Facebook page. The sunrise images are showcased there and mapped according to the photo location. Additionally each week the best sunrise images are retweeted by Heineken to their followers.
Most responsible <fill in the blank> campaigns focus on the negative consequences of too much <fill in the blank>, so it's nice to see Heineken turn this on it's head by making responsible drinking an aspirational endeavor. That said, good luck with that during the holidays...
Over the past year Hyundai has been active in using musicians, particularly on Youtube, as the linchpin for several of their campaigns. Last holiday season they enlisted Youtube indie-rock stars Pomplamoose in a series of holiday TV spots. In November they launched their RE:GENERATION music project to promote the new 3-door coupe, the Veloster. The project is a unique documentary film that follows five modern DJs who, through the use of technology, are changing the way the world creates and experiences music. The end result of the project was five new electronic music tracks influenced by genres across the musical spectrum.
As part of this season’s Hyundai Holidays campaign they’ve tweaked their previous activity in a way that’s appealing to both the TV and Youtube audience. Hyundai (and their in-house agency Innocean) have enlisted the creators behind two of our favorite pieces of user generated content from 2011. Remember the touching father-daughter cover of Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros - “Home”? What about the awesome Whole Food Parking Lot song from Fog & Smog? (note: if you haven’t seen either of those, stop reading right now and check out them out.). Hyundai has enlisted the creators of both viral hits as part of a series of holiday spots (see above or here). While using Youtube stars as the subject of TV spots is nothing new, they’re also giving users a forum to showcase their talents or express their wishes for the holidays. The end of each commercial features a call to action encouraging users to upload a video to the Hyundai Youtube channel where they feature top submissions as well as the umbrella for all of Hyundai’s activity across Youtube, Facebook & Twitter.
Great idea from Akestam Holst for Geneva Labs sound systems. Users must suffer through audio hell to get to audio heaven. The idea is that you have to endure listening to Jingle Bells as long as possible to qualify for a discount on a Geneva Sound System, the top 3 most tortured victims will get the discount. Kind a combination of the Whopper Lust campaign from CP+B and the Peugeot Take The Car Challenge from Volt. back
Check it out yourself...http://www.xmascaroltorture.com/
Eristoff Vodka just wrapped up a nice guerilla marketing campaign for their UK launch. The campaign developed by Us London and pd3 has been ongoing since early November. It kicked off with 'the arrival of a mysterious circus from Georgia coincides with videos surfacing online that appear to show wolves at large around the capital. Meanwhile, a battered Dakov Circus van is seen and heard on the streets of London, strange growls and howls emanating from inside. But all was not quite as it seems…'
The guys at Popsop described it better than I can in the following except (see full article here):
In the first week of November, a website for the fictional circus (www.DakovCircus.com) appeared, promoting it’s ‘Circus Freak Out’ event in East London, as did listings in Time Out and London blogs. But an announcement on the site alluded to the ‘Wolves of Vale’ act being postponed due to “unforeseen circumstances.”
Faux-UGC Videos were then seeded across sharing sites and social networks, purporting to show sightings of wolves across South and East London, with supporting Twitter activity to drive interest and excitement.
In the last phase of the campaign a Dakov-branded van, complete with bespoke sound installation, was taken around high-footfall areas of South and East London after dark, complete with eerie howls, growls and bangs emanating from within. ‘Dakov Circus Freakout’ posters appeared in the same areas, and online activity made connections between the ‘Wolf’ videos and the Dakov Circus van and site. .... The goal was to create some mystery and intrigue, a moment of ‘maybe…just maybe’. Eristoff’s target audience of 18-24 urbanites are media savvy and quick to spot marketing tricks. Some called it, some didn’t…and a few people (but only a few) spotted that Dakov is an anagram of Vodka.
Fiveight are the distributors of Turtle Beach gaming headsets. They wanted to "show a tough, discerning market that Turtle Beach gaming headsets don’t just make the gaming experience sound real – it feels real." So how are they going about doing this? They've chosen a hardcore FPS gamer, Phil (handle: StatiC) from New Zealand and are bringing him into a real war zone...Iraq. "Gamers play in virtual warzones every day and night, and they want the immersive feeling of combat, so we thought we’d take that experience one step further" says Fiveight’s Ben Ward.
Developed by Droga5, Mission Iraq is a five part mini series that will follow Phil's journey and experiences in Iraq. Definitely a new take on an immersive experience, but not without controversy. Regardless it'll be interesting to see how his adventure plays out.
This isn't advertising related, but it just cracked me up. Jimmy Kimmel asked the parents of America to play a holiday trick on their children (he did something similar for Halloween)...tell their kids they could open one present a few weeks early. The catch was the present had to be terrible. Kimmel then asked parents to upload the videos to Youtube, which he then compiled into a show segment. Check it out below.
Traditionally summer is a relatively slow time of year for IKEA (at least in Belgium). So Forsman & Bodenfors created a genius campaign for IKEA to introduce the Swedish mid-summer to the Belgian consumer and show off the latest summer offers from IKEA.
The resulting campaign 'Catch the Swedish Light,' consisted of 48 Youtube videos featuring IKEA products with light dancing around them and a rolling seven digit code in the upper right hand corner of each video. The challenge for users was to find the one exact frame in each video where the light catches the product perfectly. On that frame the code in the upper right hand corner of the videos changed to yellow. The first user to find the correct code for each video then went to the campaign site, entered the code and won that specific product. A very clever use of video for this competition and it proved extremely effective as IKEA's summer sales in Belgium reached an all-time high for summer sales. See if you can spot the code in the video below or check out the case study above.
He's back. After taking a post-Fabio battle break, Isaiah Mustafa is back for the new Old Space 'Manta Claus' campaign developed by Wieden + Kennedy. This time he's promising to give all 7 billion people of the world a holiday gift...one at a time.
Old Spice is going back to the well and the successful real-time response format they established in 'The man your man could smell like' campaign.' This time Old Spice Guy is recording video responses to specific users (as well as cities and continents) and will be creating a series of gifting videos over the next five days. See below for the campaign intro...
Here's a nice piece of branded content from Norton Securities, the maker of various utilities and antivirus software. Their overall messaging has been around 'Protect Your Stuff With Norton,' demonstrating how Norton protects your valuable content and data. According to Leo Burnett ECD Jon Wyville, Stuff Theater is an effort to 'put your social-media stuff on a pedestal and treat it with the importance it deserves, even if it’s as mundane as a Facebook update.' While it's not the most concrete tie in, I love the idea (developed by Leo Burnett and Arc Worldwide). So what was it exactly? A live, unscripted, unrehearsed 24-hour performance on November 30th in which sixty actors brought to life over 1,000 Facebook posts on the Norton Facebook page. Facebook users could submit their post to be performed over the 24-hour period that Stuff Theater was live.
They're currently pulling together the best of video, but the teaser videos are hilarious (see below). It's somewhat reminiscent of the CP+B created Kraft Mac & Cheese TV (where tweets were turned into TV spots within 24 hours), though more ambitious in some ways (a 24 hour live performance) and less ambitious in other ways (turning around a TV spot within 24 hours).
And of course it would be been fantastic to see this as a livestream on Youtube as well.
Sadly all spokesmen (or in this case spokespuppets) eventually come to the end of their marketing usefulness. What's I've found interesting is how both Ford & Air New Zealand have gone about retiring their respective characters, Rico & Ford Focus Doug.
For those of you unfamiliar with Rico, Air New Zealand introduced their raunchy spokespuppet about a year ago to promote the new airline livery and seats (see below for the first spot)
The Rico campaign (developed by New Zealand agency .99) includes a series of online-only videos where Rico interacts with passengers, as well as celebrities such as Lindsay Lohan, Snoop Dogg, & Richard Simmons. The campaign has been controversial, but ultimately successful. Over the course of the year, Rico amassed more than 4.5 million Youtube views and 45,000+ Facebook fans(check out the Rico section of the Air New Zealand Youtube channel for the entire series).
Air New Zealand has decided to kill Rico (in a somewhat literal sense). Rather than immediately moving onto the next campaign, they've created 'Cluedo,' a Clue-like competition for users to solve the mystery of Rico's murder. Interestingly, even though the character was controversial, the competition is presented in partnership with the game maker Hasbro. In any case, the user who finds the clues and solves the mystery wins an all expense paid trip to either LA or New Zealand.
All in all a nice way to wring a bit more usefulness out of an already successful campaign. The competition is ongoing at the Bye Bye Rico site. See the contest intro video below:
In Ford's case, they introduced Doug back in March (see his Youtube channel here if you're unfamiliar with the campaign) and it's been a big success over the past 6+ months. According to Brand Channel:
Doug is being retired from active duty as a branded entertainment experiment for the brand, after a phenomenal run of webisodes. Ford targeted the generation of 10,000 Facebook fans for Doug; he now has 43,000. According to Monty, people have engaged with Doug on Facebook at a rate three times greater than for the vehicle itself. About 40 percent of online "conversation" about Focus has been about Doug.
And yet, as disappointed as Doug might be at being put back on the shelf, the campaign hasn't all been about "Doug," as much as his obnoxious persona would have it.
Talk about a Focus group — Monty tells us that 77 percent of people who saw the 48 Focus Doug videos to date said their favorability toward Focus has risen, and Doug's adventures have prompted a 61 percent increase in Focus consideration.
"We've even had a handful of people say that they bought a Focus just because of Doug," Monty said.
Rather than just quietly retiring the campaign, Ford created a penultimate video where we see Doug ditching his companion. This was shortly followed by a farewell/retrospective video looking back at the high points of the various webisodes.
In both cases I like the idea using online video to extending the campaign lifecycle a little bit longer and going out with a bit of a bang rather than a whimper.
One of the key features of Google+ is the power to share and interact with people dynamically via Circles. While most sharing and social network relationships today are a somewhat awkward and often static (ie. I put all of my friends in a generic 'friends' bucket). The fact is that not all friends are created equal and our relationships on social networks evolve much as they would in real life. Circles is one of the key features of Google+ that bridges that sharing/relationship gap that exists in our real world relationships vs. our online relationships. So how do you convey this in TV commercial? See the latest Google+ spot below which does a great job showing the power of circles through the evolution of a relationship between Kyle & Lisa.
OK, this isn't a campaign, but it's beautifully done and well worth sharing (though it's already made the rounds on the internets):
Google Street View stop motion animation short made as a personal project by director Tom Jenkins.
Story: A lonely desk toy longs for escape from the dark confines of the office, so he takes a cross country road trip to the Pacific Coast in the only way he can -- using a toy car and Google Maps Street View.
Music by the wonderfull Cinematic Orchestra (cinematicorchestra.com) and the track is Arrival of the Birds - please buy the fantastic album: itunes.apple.com/gb/album/the-crimson-wing-mystery-flamingos/id297787201
All screen imagery was animated - there are no screen replacements.
Technology spurs creativity, creativity spurs technology. We hear that all the time & the fact is that great things can happen at the intersection of the two. Such is the case with The Sound Of Football, the latest initiative that's part of the Pepsi Refresh project (the much discussed worldwide social initiative that encourages and funds innovative ideas). The Sound Of Football is the result of a collaboration between Akestam Holst, Society46, & Tracab and combines real-time tracking technology with 3D sound to invent a new way for visually impaired people to play football. A bit of background:
Today, blind football is played with bells in the ball and on the player’s legs. The goalkeeper can see and shout out instructions to the other players on the pitch - a relatively basic method with obvious limitations. The basis for the solution in The Sound of Football was found in military tracking technology.
With the technology, you can track the position of all players, the ball, the goals and other things on the football pitch in real time. All coordinates are passed on to each player through an iPhone app and the information is converted to 3D sound. Each player will hear different sounds depending on where they are on the pitch and if, for instance, the ball, a player, sideline or goal is nearby.
Akestam Holst then arranged a football match between a team of visually impaired players and a team of former professional footballers. The goal was to see how the teams performed under equal conditions, in a match where no one can see. Using the tracking technology in conjunction with a specialized iPhone app, iPhones were mounted to the head of each player along with blackout googles for the sighted players to level the playing field. The app then feeds stereo audio cues as to where other players, the ball, and the goals are. See the demo below in terms of how the audio aspect works (note, headphones recommended).
This technology isn't just for footballers & Aksetam Holst has already been exploring whether the same technology can help visually impaired people in large public spaces such as train stations. The ultimate goal is to create a pervasive technology that allows visually impaired people to "see" with sound. The general public are also encouraged to submit ideas of what can be done with the technology via the Sound Of Football website.
Regardless, it's worth heading over to the Sound Of Football Youtube channel, website or Facebook page to see more about the project and additional videos from the people involved in the creation and execution of the project as well as the footballers involved (both sighted and visually impaired).
About a month ago, Deutsch LA released a beautiful 2-minute spot for Playstation, Long Live Play featuring various video game characters saluting fictional gamer Michael (see the video here). The latest work, Here's To Gamers, takes that idea a step further and salutes actual gamers on the Playstation network. Sony Playstation's answer to the Old Spice guy, Kevin Butler, VP of random fake divisions, is calling out their achievements (or spectacular failures) on the Kevin Butler Youtube channel & the Hall Of Play Facebook page. In total 19 videos will be produced (about 10 have been released so far), each saluting a specific gamer & showcasing their gameplay in the background. They're pretty damn entertaining & it's inevitable that they'll be compared to Old Spice (which begs the question, is there any campaign featuring personalized video responses that won't harken back to Old Spice?).
Bearing in mind the horrible press (not to mention actual execution) for Sony throughout the Playstation network hacking debacle, you can imagine the challenge in enticing gamers back to the platform. Creating something personalized for their hardcore fans is a nice step in giving back to the community that made the platform such a success in the first place. See my favorite spots so far in the videos above and below. See more on the Here's To Gamers Youtube channel.
I was back in NYC last weekend, which also happened to be the same weekend as the New York marathon. While taking the subway, I came across this installation in Columbus Circle by Asics. Ever think about just how fast the pace of professional marathon runner is over the course of 26 miles? It's ridiculous, something like 4:45 per mile for 26 MILES! Just insanely fast. The Asics installation brought that idea to life by featuring a 60-foot long video wall that invited the public to race along with professional marathoner Ryan Hall. The challenge: see if you can keep pace with him for just 60 feet. The installation, developed by Vitro, featured a continuous loop of a countdown seguing into a 60-foot sprint along the video wall by Hall. Check it out in the above video.
On a completely separate note, check out Christoph Niemann's live sketching/tweeting of his running of the New York marathon, 26.2 miles, 46 sketches. Just delightful. Check it out here.
Remember The Peugeot Take The Car Challenge from a few months ago? Well Playstation (I know, I know, Playstation heavy this week right?) is using a similar mechanic to promote the release of the game Uncharted 3. All you have to do is hold your arm up longer than anyone else. The Grab The Ring challenge activates the webcam and asks users to hold onto the ring as long as possible for the chance to win $500 daily or the $10,000 Grand Prize:
To win, grab the ring and hold completely still for as long as possible.
After three mistakes your game is over.
The person who holds it the longest each day wins $500.
After 14 days, the person with best overall time wins the $10,000 Grand Prize.
Such a simple game mechanic, but nice to see the webcam integration provide a physical aspect and bring it closer to things work in the real-world. Check out some of an example video from a gamer who's been taking part in the challenge:
BTW - The current leader 21+ HOURS...that's dedication.
While the NBA lockout continues, Nike has been active in a social media campaign around the tagline 'Basketball Never Stops,' which includes a series of videos, Facebook page, and twitter hashtag. With shoe manufacturers and retailers expected to lose up to $500 million if the lockout lasts all season, it's nice to see Nike continuing to drive interest and remind us fans why we love the game. The spot from Weiden + Kennedy is simply awesome. See above.
Estée Lauder has launched their new YouTube channel which is designed to be 'Your Source for Expert Beauty Advice.' Created by The Concept Farm, the channel houses original content showcasing Creative Makeup Director Tom Pecheux, and various global spokesmodels such as Elisabeth Hurley. However, that's just the beginning as the channel 'features original, interactive content to engage viewers in a visual, tactile way. The Estée Lauder YouTube channel is a self-contained platform where consumers can see product information, read ratings and reviews, get beauty tips, comment and share.'
This is the next evolution in a beauty channel on Youtube. It's more than just a fully contained microsite. We're used to brand channels featuring beauty techniques, tips/tricks, product lines, news, as well as behind the scenes/extra content. Estee Lauder features all of that, as well as a really elegant navigation and layout, but they really take it a step further with a couple of clever features.
1) Each video has a 'products featured' icon/overlay that allows you to not only see more info about the product, but also pulls in reviews for each particular product, the product rating and also provides a shop now button.
2) All of the how-to videos include the 'makeup mirror' feature which activates the webcam and allows users to follow along step-by-step, in real-time They can see both themselves and the video on the screen at the same time. What a great idea.
Last but not least, the channel also features a nice intro video explaining the above rather than relying on the user to discover the features which are prominent but don't get in the way of the user who wants to experience the Estee Lauder content in a more traditional way.
Last year TED launched their Ads Worth Spreading initiative on the back of this great video from TED curator/founder Chris Anderson:
"TED’s mission is ‘ideas worth spreading.’ The dream behind this initiative is to find companies that want to communicate ideas to their consumers in the same way that TED wants to communicate with its audience. What makes ideas powerful is that they have a life of their own; an idea can reset someone’s worldview and even begin a domino effect as they pass it on to friends."
The ten winners of last year's Ads Worth Spreading initiative were all incredible pieces that went beyond what one expects from a typical ad. They were stories that made a connection, evoked emotion, provoked thought and were all a pleasure, rather than an interruption, to watch.
This year TED has partnered with Youtube to on the 2011 Ads Worth Spreading initiative. There's a dedicated Youtube Ads Worth Spreading channel where you can see the 10 winners from last year, explore this year's entries, or submit your own campaign for consideration. TED will curate a final selection of ten campaigns from 2011. The results will be announced at the TED2012 conference in Long Beach, Calif. in March, and showcased on TED.com and YouTube.
Interestingly, AdAge had a recent piece looking at the 2010 winners and wondering why they didn't have more views or spread further. The piece is a very much worth reading. In short, the author concludes something that we all know...while creative is king, you still need media spend to generate cut through. The full article can be read here
Volkswagen is launching a number of campaigns around the world to introduce the new Beetle. To support the Canadian launch of the new, more aggressive Beetle, the guys at Red Urban created a series of billboard and bus shelter ads. Fairly typical right? Well they've also created an augmented reality app that shows off 'Juiced Up' nature of the new Beetle. Users who download the app (the posters themselves have QR codes and URLs at the bottom) are treated to a separate experience for each poster/billboard. It's a nice way to tie together the offline and the digital, turning a flat, static print ad into a miniature immersive experience for the user.
Not content to limit the augmented reality fun to the good folks in Canada, they've also uploaded Youtube videos containing the appropriate imagery to activate the app. That allows users from anywhere (provided they've downloaded the app) to experience what our Canadian cousins are seeing on the street. Clicking on the annotations at the end of the above video will bring you to additional videos allowing you to hold up your VW AR app and get the experience on your phone or tablet.
I love this clever use of technology for Nokia Argentina to promote the N8 and Nokia Ovi Store. This interactive campaign (developed by Wunderman Buenos Aires) aims to showcase the apps that are available in the Nokia Ovi Store by inviting users to 'Turn up their campaign.' Users can experience Angry Birds & Fruit Ninja in their browser, but in an innovative manner. Simply install a bookmarklet whatever site you're on becomes the game, allowing you to destroy any site like you would in Angry Birds or Fruit Ninja. See the video above of Angry Birds being played on the Youtube homepage!
We've all seen a TON of projection mapping events over the past year or so, and in my opinion it's gotten so good that it's almost tiring now. That said, I was blown away by the projection mapping for the launch of the new Jordan Melo M8 sneaker. The whole projecting on water idea is really visually stunning and amazingly impressive. This was all part of a much larger campaign for the new shoe, check out the article at Brand Channel for the full rundown.
Former Google Creative Labs CD, Ji Lee, has a new book Word As Image. He's created this amazing video that shows off what the book is all about, or see below:
'Challenge: Create an image out of a word, using only the letters in the word itself. Rule: Use only the graphic elements of the letters without adding outside elements.
Word as Image invites you to see letters beyond their utilitarian dullness. It's about discovering the magic behind the unique shapes and infinite possibilities of letters and words. This book showcases nearly 100 of Ji Lee's head-scratching word images, along with tips to help you create your own and share them at www.wordasimage.com.'
If you like that, it's also worth checking out the Words Radiolab/NPR video short from last year.
You may have already seen this, but it's still worth sharing. Remember the Intel Museum Of Me? That beautiful site that used Facebook connect to create a bespoke museum of Youtube from your Facebook activity. Well here's the counterbalance to that idea...what are the risks with sharing so much of your data online? Take This Lollipop (created by Jason Zada) serves as a warning to all of us who blindly click 'accept' or 'allow' when sharing our Facebook data and allowing apps to connect to it. Take This Lollipop trolls through your photos, friend lists, newsfeed and other personal information and creates a chillingly dark experience.
In addition to winning a Gold Lion at Cannes, Youtube Life In a Day recently picked up a UK Mediaweek award for Media Idea of the Year. Just as importantly, for those of you who haven't seen the full film, it's available to watch on Youtube in it's entirety:
On July 24th, 2010, thousands of people around the world uploaded videos of their day to Youtube to take part in Life In A Day, a historic cinematic experiment to create a documentary film about a single day on earth.
Oscar-winning director Kevin Macdonald whittled down over 4500 hours of footage into a 90-minute film that wowed audiences at the Sundance Berlin and SXSW Film Festivals earlier this year.
Now, after releasing in theaters across the globe, the film has returned to where it all began. Watch it for free, and be sure to explore the channel to learn more about this amazing piece of cinema history.
It's an incredible 90 minutes, so if you haven't already seen it, go watch it: Youtube Life In a Day
If Youtube is for the masses, then Vimeo is for the art school crowd. With that in mind, it makes sense that Beck's turned to Vimeo as the platform for their mimicry/takeover showcasing the experience the Beck's Key app offers as the gateway to their Green Box Project.
A bit of background...the Green Box Project is a global art fund established by Beck's to inspire, celebrate & financially support independent talent in art, design, music and fashion. Over the course of three years Beck's will find and showcase over 1,000 individual projects. So what's the twist? The resulting commissions will be experienced via the augmented-reality app in Green Boxes located around the world, as well as being permanently on display in a virtual gallery online.
To kick off the project Beck's has released 30 green boxes with various virtual art pieces by renowned artists around the UK, US & Italy. The public can download the Beck's Key app which uses GPS & augmented reality markers to enable the artistic content of the boxes to be viewed, as well as allowing users to find other Green Boxes, receive updates, etc. It's what Beck's is calling 'the world's first global networked augmented reality gallery.'
Beck's has been engaged in various activity to raise awareness of this project, but you can imagine the challenge to convey the overall experience without downloading the actual Beck's Key app. Enter the Vimeo takeover/mimicry. While mimicry is common on Youtube, it's not seen as often on Vimeo. This execution by Outside Line is a really natural and delightful way to showcase the features and experience of the Beck's Key app.
Volkswagen's new campaign for the Jetta GLI focuses around the messaging that 'Driving Can Be Beautiful.' The 'Great Volkswagen Art Heist,' developed by Red Urban Canada, is a great way to extend that message in a genius out of home/social campaign. So what's it all about? Pop-up galleries featuring hand numbered, framed VW GLI light paintings (long exposure photos created by the lights/movements of the GLI and seen in their TV spot) were installed in unexpected places across various cities in Canada. The photos were entirely up for grabs by members of the public that discovered (or 'heisted' them), the only ask was that the heisters share their steals online via the VW Canada Facebook or Twitter page/hashtag. While the photos are replenished, they've been going fast, so users who lost out are encouraged follow VW Canada on Facebook or Twitter to get clues about where the next pop-up installation will appear.
I'm a big fan of experiments/undertakings that tie together offline and online activity and this campaign really fits the bill. It ties in nicely with their TV spots & provides a great mechanism to get people both following and talking about the brand across various social media outlets. Apparently VW plans on rolling out the second phase of the campaign in the next few weeks that will bring the heist into the digital space.
I can't help but do a little bit of logrolling here by featuring the launch of Youtube Space Lab. YouTube Space Lab is a new global Youtube program challenging 14-18 year old students around the world to submit a video describing an experiment that can be carried out in space. The winning experiment will be live streamed on YouTube - from the International Space Station. The winning students will get to pick between one of two grand prizes: a trip to Japan in summer 2012 to see their experiment take off, or, when they turn 18, a chance to participate in the astronaut training program at Russia’s Star City. The four other regional finalists will be given a Zero-G ride, courtesy of Space Adventures, and laptops from Lenovo.
Fast Company ran a great article about the initiative and how it ties back to the Google company DNA: This contest is the latest Google-supported venture to push science education into the spotlight. Earlier this year, the company ran an open worldwide science fair all by themselves, where kids posted videos explaining their science projects. The finalists in the three age categories were invited to the Google headquarters in Mountain View, CA. After presenting for the judging panel, which included Dean Kamen, Peter Norvig, and other well-decorated scientists and science communicators, winners were picked at a live-streamed event.
It seems Google is serious about making sure there's enough Google-worthy talent to go around in the future. "Inspiring the next generation of scientists and engineers is something very close to our hearts," Zahan Bharmal, the Google/YouTube project lead and unabashed space geek said at a press conference. “We believe that video can help people learn.”
Man...State Farm has been busy on a bunch of different fronts lately. The past month has seen them air the evocative 9/11 - Empire State of Mind spot directed by Spike Lee, as well as enlisting Superbowl MVP Aaron Rodgers in their latest TV spot. However, my personal favorite is the State Farm: Chaos In Your Town campaign. Developed by DDB Chicago, B-Reel & The Mill, the site is an extension of the TV spot which features alien robots destroying a neighborhood. Using Google Maps & Street View (a la Arcade Fire's The Wilderness Downtown) users enter their address to see the robots wreak destruction and havoc on their own homes. Have a look at the video above to see Google's new offices getting the robot treatment or blow up your office/home at chaosinyourtown.com
I love this mobile app developed by Leo Burnett for Beck's 'When I Drink, I Don't Drive' campaign out of Serbia. The app gives you a sobriety test when you've been drinking, fail the test and it calls a cab for you. The premise is simple:
Can you fit the key into a keyhole?
We want people to drink Beck’s responsibly – that’s why we created a mobile app that tests your sobriety. When drunk, one cannot perform even the simplest task – like fitting a key into a keyhole. And, as we all know, Beck’s logo is - a keyhole with a key! So, we designed the simple sobriety test app: in order to test your driving ability, you need to keep a key in a moving keyhole for 25 seconds. Fail to do so, and the app automatically dials the cab company in your area. When you drink and drive, there’s no going Beck’s!
Genius, if only it somehow was activated automatically when you've been out on the town.
John Carpenter's 'The Thing' is a remake of Howard Hawks' 1951 film of the same name. As part of the promotional effort for the film they've launched an interesting Youtube viral prank campaign that brings something unexpected to users who click on various videos with enticing or audience pleasing names. They've created a series of teaser videos with titles such as 'HOT Girl, Tiny Bikini' or 'Cute Baby Goes Nuts Over Food.' Users who click on the videos (or who receive the link shared from a friend) get 7-10 seconds of video before the screen shatters with the volume cranked up and The Thing snapping out of the Youtube channel. They've created nine scare videos and users are encouraged to 'Share The Scare.' It's a clever Rickrolling type tactic, though to be honest the actual flash execution leaves something to be desired. That said, it's a nice way to a) provide something unexpected to the audience and b) play off video names/categories that a large number of users tend to watch. Send your own prank by checking out the Youtube channel.
Earlier this year Carlsberg scrapped their famous slogan 'Probably the best lager in the world.' The slogan served them well for 38 years, but didn't necessarily resonate in some of the key growth markets such as Asia. Instead Carlsberg has adopted the strap line 'That Deserves A Carlsberg' and has been activating various campaigns around the slogan. The latest is from Belgian agency Duval Guillaume Modem:
"To reinforce the new baseline ‘That Calls for a Carlsberg’ Duval Guillaume Modem proposed an original experiment. In Belgian cinemas some innocent couples were confronted with a theatre filled with not-so-friendly gentlemen and only 2 seats left… How will they react?"
SPOILER: Most of the couples walked out, but those who stayed were rewarded with a Carslberg and a big congratulations from the bikers as 'That Calls For A Carlsberg' was projected onto the cinema screen. Great stuff and a great way of expressing the brand values through the behavior of the people who chose to stay in the theatre. That is, f you don't judge a book by it's cover...that calls for a Carlsberg, if you show courage by sitting amongst the intimidating bikers...that calls for a Carlsberg, etc, etc.
Sweden's Safest Hands is the latest campaign for the Swedish Post Office. Developed by one of my favorite Swedish agencies, Akestam Holst, it's an augmented reality contest that unfolds on the streets of Sweden. The challenge and messaging is for participants to carry a parcel as safely as the Swedish Post. Here's how it works:
Forty two packages with prizes worth between 300 and 5000 SEK ($50-750) are up for grabs. Each day, several packages are released to the iPhone app. The challenge is to deliver the package intact before anyone else can. If you can do that, you win the contents. Sounds simple right? The catch is that the app utilises the compass, GPS and accelerometer of the iPhone to measure how safe and stable each contestant is, so the user movement has to be steady and show 'safe hands.' It doesn't matter where you are (as long as you're in Sweden), you just need to cover the distance and deliver the virtual parcel first in order to win the real parcel.
It's sort of the next evolution from the Mini getaway where the online and offline are seamlessly blended into a skill based challenge that takes place in the real world. Those of you in Sweden can download the app here.
Nissan's latest campaign to promote the Versa sedan invites users to create the best road trip for the chance to win the road trip itself and a new Nissan Versa. The campaign, developed by Hype Creative, is centered around MyVersaRoadTrip.com features a great implementation of Google maps and Street View.
Users are given the tools to build their own road trip, add a soundtrack of their choice and either invite others to participate, or explore the road trips that other people have created. Of course this all takes place in an environment rich in Versa messaging and feature highlights.
Just plot your course, choose your friends (via Facebook), and hit the road.
Doritos has been running their Crash The Superbowl contest for the past five years. It's a great example of brand building using user generated content. For those who aren't familiar with the contest...Doritos invites the general public to create and submit their own user generated ads. The winning spots are then aired in a coveted 30-second Superbowl spot. The resulting submissions were surprisingly good, for example here is last year's winner.
The contest has been increasingly successful. In 2011 Doritos saw video submissions for the contest increase 38% to 5,600. The contest finalists' videos were viewed 22 million times. Doritos also saw a 30% increase in Twitter activity and a 25% increase in Facebook activity during the contest.
That's all well and good, but after five years Doritos recognized that the concept, while fundamentally strong, is getting a bit stale. So for 2012 they've introduced a twist. This year's Crash The Superbowl contest will be between the best user created Super Bowl spot and a Doritos spot to be created by The Lonely Island, the comedy group/production team made up of Saturday Night Live stars. These are the guys responsible for such hits as Dick In A Box & I'm On A Boat, as well as a ton of other SNL digital shorts. In addition to seeing their spot aired during the Superbowl, the creator of the user generated spot will also have the opportunity to win $1 million and a gig working with The Lonely Island on creating a future spot. So here's how it works. During the Superbowl USA Today runs real-time consumer testing called Ad Meter. If the consumer-generated ad wins the ad meter, the creator wins $1 million. If the ad by The Lonely Island, wins then they will donate the $1 million prize to charity.
On a completely separate note, Arch West, the inventor of Doritos recently passed away. His family plan plan on scattering Doritos in his grave rather than roses. I kid you not.
This campaign comes out of Italy and was developed by TBWA Italy on behalf of Youtube marketing team. It aims to show how Youtube builds brands and what the different options are for advertisers on Youtube. Rather than just run through a dry list of ad formats, this Youtube execution takes users through a customizable experience showing the options for advertising in an interactive manner. Everything from homepage advertising via the masthead to promoted videos on search results down to pre-rolls against relevant content as well as brand channel executions. Users can choose a pre-existing brand or create their own to see what the future of their brand on Youtube would look like. Very nicely done. Check it out for yourself here.
Lynx continues to push the boundaries on Youtube. We've seen the Tippex-like Lucy Pinder Youtube execution that ran a few months ago as well as their video explanations of Rugby rules using scantily clad models. Now they've discovered keyboard shortcuts for scrubbing Youtube videos. In the above video, Razorfish has created what on first glance appears to be an innocent outtake video with an attractive news reporter. However, using shortcuts users can have a bit of a different experience. As the video says:
'Play this video, click on the timeline and press 5 7 3 8 to get the Lynx Effect'
I'll leave you to play around with it (no pun intended). Say what you will, but Lynx isn't shy about going after their target audience in ways that are sure to appeal to them.
As part of their new 'The Fun Has Just Begun' campaign, Telstra has signed up Rebecca Black as a celebrity endorser (methinks they might want to increase the $$$ in their "brand ambassador" fund). They brought her down to Sydney to do a series of live performances of smash hit Friday. So in case you couldn't get enough of the original video, you can see a mashup of her performances above. But wait, what if you're not content with the 48 second video from Telstra!? Thankfully a dedicated fan has posted the full length 5 minute live version of Friday which you can find here.
In all seriousness, considering the abuse that's been lumped on this poor girl, it's good to see her getting some endorsement deals before her 15 minutes of fame are up. Partyin', Partyin' YEAH!
Dodge has created what they call 'the first search engine for the real world,' the new Dodge Journey crossover. In order to get people off the web and into the real world, they've hidden three of the new Journeys somewhere in America (one each in somewhere on the West Coast, Midwest, & East Coast. The premise is simple...if you can find it, you can keep it.
The campaign was created by Wieden+Kennedy and kicked off with this commercial, as well as additional commercials for each region where a Journey was hidden.
Clues are given to participants via videos on their Youtube channel and the region specific TV spots for each hidden Journey. The channel also includes a nice social stream integration, allowing participants to share clues and see official/messages from Dodge. Each video clue also highlight specific features of the journey and includes other product messaging. While the idea of a scavenger hunt is nothing new, I can't recall seeing a similar online/offline blend in a campaign prior to this. Really nicely done.
The first two have been found, with the next set of clues to be revealed for the Dodge Journey hidden somewhere on the East Coast on September 24th. Check out the Youtube channel here.
T-mobile is back with another great spot, the latest in a long string of hits created by Saatchi & Saatchi. The Parking Ticket was developed to support of the launch of T-Mobile’s new plan 'You Fix', which T-Mobile says is ideal for customers who want to control their mobile phone expenditure. The two-minute spot debuted this past Friday on Channel5 and is now live on Youtube with an updated channel to promote the new plans. The tagline around the campaign is 'Nobody Likes Nasty Surprises.' What better way to illustrate that idea than enlisting fake traffic wardens to unreasonably give out tickets to unsuspecting drivers, all the while documenting every interaction by hidden camera (not unlike the NAB Honesty Experiments). Drivers then discovered that the authentic looking yellow parking tickets actually contain a £5, £10 £20 or £50 note and a good day message from T-mobile.
Rough night out drinking? Ever wonder what really happened on an ugly night out? Maybe it's time to get home. That's the hilarious message in this campaign by Bocca for Danish night bus company, Movia. The interactive video, multi-layered video (sort of like the campaign a year ago from Nokia France) aims to show the difference between the perception and reality of a night out. Move your mouse over the movie to see what the characters think they look like vs. the reality of being a drunken idiot. Hilarious stuff, though it makes me terrified of what happens when life-logging devices inevitably make their way to market in a few years. Too bad this was done on a campaign site rather than a Youtube channel, but that could be because Denmark has not yet launched for advertisers.
Sadly, as our daily lives become more and more digital some things fall by the way side as they are replaced by newer, «better» devices. Let us not forget those fallen appliances, tools and gadgets and relive those bygone times by taking a visit to The Museum of Obsolete Objects. Step inside to step back in time!
That's the message presented by creative agency, Jung Von Matt, in the intro to the Museum Of Obsolete Objects. The Youtube channel is both a shrine to gadgets of yesteryear and an impressive showcase of the agency's considerable talents. So have a play around, slide the timeline and click on an object to see a video history/explanation, or suggest an object of your own to be added into the museum.
Wieden+Kennedy has launched the Heineken Legendary Football campaign to promote Heineken's association with the upcoming UEFA champions league season.
The films aim to showcase how the UEFA Champions League, the world's most prestigious and high-profile club competition, and Heineken, the world's leading premium beer brand, combine to create spectacular artistry that fans around the world can enjoy.
The campaign is centered around two films featuring Champions League legends Gianluigi Buffon, Rene Adler, Patrick Vieira, Clarence Seedorf and Ruud van Nistelrooy, who have chalked up 350 combined UEFA champions league matches.
The most high-profile edits of the films are two 30’ television advertisements, supported by a series of break ‘bumpers’ that will be broadcast in over 180 countries worldwide. The ‘Opera’, the first of the two endorsements, revolves around a compelling moment as Seedorf lines up to take a shot at Buffon, filmed in the stunning setting of a beautiful European opera house. The second video, ‘Pantheon’, takes place in the more historical, spectacular setting of an ancient Roman gladiatorial ring, where Vieira and Van Nistelrooy compete to win a header at Adler’s goal.
In a nice touch, the Youtube video features annotations interspersed throughout, creating an interactive, rather than linear, way for fans to experience and explore the the spots, bumpers and additional content.
Of course, the real digital activation is around the Cannes Lion winning Heineken Star Player mobile/Facebook app that will be available for all UEFA Champions League matches this season.
Chipotle is a Mexican food chain that believes in food with integrity and focuses much of their messaging on their commitment to sustainable agriculture and quality sourcing of ingredients. But how do you get the public interested the evils of industrial agriculture and the benefits of organic farming? In this case, they've teamed up with country legend Willie Nelson and Irish animator Johnny Kelly to produce a beautiful animated video that showcases Nelson covering Coldplay's 'The Scientist.'
The video, called 'Back to the Start,' tells the story of a family farmer who decides to change his farm to an industrial animal factory. After disastrous results he has a change of heart and goes back to being an organic farmer, freeing his herds of animals and recreating his farm.
It's a match made in heaven as Nelson is the president of Farm Aid and has long supported farmers and sustainable agriculture. 'We produced this film to help illustrate the choices people face in deciding what to eat, and hope that it will encourage people to choose food that is raised with respect for the land, the animals, and the farmers that produce it,' said Steve Ells, Chipotle’s founder. Chipotle has aso established the Chipotle Cultivate Foundation to commit itself to creating a more sustainable and healthier food supply, raising awareness about food issues. Nelson's cover of Coldplay's song is also be available on iTunes, with $.60 of each purchase going towards the Foundation.
Additionally the video is being shown in 5,700 movie theaters starting in September, to promote the ideals of the Chipotle Cultivate Foundation.
UPDATE: Chipotle has published a really nice behind-the-scenes video on the making of 'Back To The Start' here.
I love this new gadget developed by Cake for IKEA UK. It begins with mimicry asking users what they'd do if they could wipe the slate clean in their bedroom, what would it take for you to go 'Happy To Bed'? After the mimicry, users are invited to create a bespoke experience by connecting with Facebook & then create a circle that shows who's in your bedroom (are you a couple? a family? single?). The gadget then renders a personalised 3d model of what your bedroom could look like, ie. 'Everything You Need To Go Happy To Bed'. The rendering takes place using your Facebook status and wall activity, a clever little way to keep you engaged while the gadget builds your ideal bedroom. The bedroom pulls in photos from Facebook and puts them in frames on the wall, further personalising the experience and the virtual tour showcases various products, allowing you to change colors as it takes on a walk through of your new bedroom. Once the experience is complete, you can create a shopping list of items or click directly on hotspots (using external annotations) throughout the virtual bedroom to purchase directly on IKEA's site. Just a really nice execution that shows off the creative potential of the Youtube platform. Have a play with the gadget yourself!
Throughout the summer Channel4 has been running Street Summer, a series of programs that explore the influences shaping urban culture. While maybe not the best timing in terms of the riots, the series aims to provide a showcase for UK talent in different areas from dance to urban sport to graffiti to music, etc.
One part of this is the Rap Beatbox Choir developed by Fresh One and Numiko. The YouTube gadget encourages members of the public to audition for a spot in the world’s biggest virtual Rap Beatbox Choir, with the final edited video being shown on Channel 4 in October:
The Rap Beatbox Choir needs rappers, beatboxers and singers to come together to perform ‘We are the People’, an original track made completely by the human voice. No instruments. 100% acapella.
Users select a piece of music, select a part of the track to perform, then upload a video that's in tune and tempo. There's also a solo spot on the track up for grabs for the more ambitious/talented folks out there.
Travel through the latest denim collection with Mermonkey, the fictional band that takes center stage in this campaign from Levi's. The campaign site demonstrates a really innovative use of the Google Maps API, turning the denim collection into the continents/terrain of the story and allowing users to navigate through the narrative as though it were turn by turn directions. Contagious can explain it better than I:
Levi's has created an interactive site for users to explore its latest collection, utilising the functionality of Google maps to take users on a cross-country road-trip. The journey follows three band members across the country, tracking their momentous occasions through video, images and short blog-style posts. The twist is that the locations on the map aren't real and the continents are actually giant denim jeans... it sounds strange, but it somehow works.
Douglas Hamilton, copywriter from BBH Asia Pacific, who created the campaign said; 'By navigating the rips and stains on the denim, you could unlock the stories that lie behind each and every mark. Traverse each of the 'continents' and you'll piece together the story of an aspiring band and their ups and downs on the road to fame and fortune'.
Media first! Media first! Cadbury's, in conjunction with Blippar, have launched a new augmented reality app that's activated via the chocolate bar packaging. Users download the Blippar app (the company bills itself as 'the first image-recognition mobile platform aimed specifically at brand-consumer engagement'), and simply point their device at a Cadbury product. An intro screen launches explaining the Qwack Smack game which users then play for a chance to win various prizes, etc. The game itself lasts only 30 seconds, but it is fun. You basically tap as many quacking cartoon ducks as you can, as they emerge from the chocolate bar on an augmented-overlay on the screen. Unlike some of the other augmented reality apps we've seen, this one feels a little bit more of a natural fit. I can definitely see potential in using consumer packaging as the vehicle for AR experiences, at least more so than print ads, particularly if there's a strong incentive model built in (ie. win free stuff for the daily high score, etc.)
Sonia Carter, head of digital of Kraft Foods, said: "We loved blippar from the moment we saw it in action. We were blown away by the technology and we're certain consumers will be. With one in three UK adults owning a smart phone the potential market for initiatives like this is huge and we are proud to be bringing this incredible technology to the masses."
She continued: "It doesn't seem all that long ago we were all marveling at what QR codes could do but blippar's ‘markerless image recognition' technology takes the experience to a whole new level."
The partnership between blippar and Cadbury has allowed the augmented reality app company to launch its platform by placing engaging demonstrations of their technology on every street corner in Britain - wherever confectionary is sold.
blippar CEO and co-founder, Ambarish Mitra, commented: "We are thrilled to work with Cadbury as launch partner to demonstrate a gaming experience using its product packaging. The implications are enormous and we look forward to being at the forefront of delivering compelling AR experiences for users with other exciting brands."
He continued: "Image-recognition enabled augmented reality is far from a ‘gimmick' and will fundamentally change how consumers interact with their favourite real-world brands. blippar has been built to bridge the gap from physical to digital and enable real-time interaction in mobile situations."
The blippar platform will also offer ‘blipps' on everyday objects - from your oyster card through to your newspaper - and is set to grow to 1000s of listings via multiple brand partnerships in the pipeline.
OK, ok...the whole real or fake viral is getting a bit tired, but I'm a sucker for these and since I love baseball I couldn't help but include this video from Easton (a baseball bat manufacturer in the US). Apparently the public isn't sick of these either as it managed to stimulate a fair amount of 'is it real or is it fake?' debate. It just shows there's still some life in this genre provided it's done right (not too much product placement, not overly polished/produced, etc.) After racking up a couple million views for the Ultimate Batting Practice video, they've now released a second video as well called Skeet Ball:
Granted I'm not debating whether it's real or fake, but they are both nice pieces of branded content and something that myself and other baseball fans are willing to share around.
This campaign for Nissan comes out of Brazil and has racked up an impressive number of views in the past couple weeks. It's a great example of taking a traditional TV spot and modifying it for the Youtube audience. In the spot, a driver get stuck in the mud, opens the hood and to discover animated prancing ponies singing a jingle about how they won't move and don't like mud or sludge. He curses the fact that he has ponies rather than horses, hence the 'Damn Ponies' title. After the spot ends, the animated ponies tell you to keep the window open before turning into evil ponies and demanding that you share the video with 10 friends. If you fail to share the video you'll be struck with the Curse Of The Damn Pony and spend the rest of your life with the annoying pony jingle stuck in your head. Definitely a new take on how to encourage sharing and spreadability, just threaten the audience with a lifetime of annoying music. I love it.
As part of their campaign to promote the amazing fuel economy of the new Volkswagen Golf BlueMotion, Norwegian agencies Try and Apt turned a long stretch of highway into a virtual roulette table. Using Google Maps & Streetview the E6 highway was turned into one big roulette table with 80,000 individual slots. So what's the hook? Users were invited to place a 'bet' (using Facebook connect) on how far the VW could go on a single tank of fuel. The user with the correct bet won the car. Each user could only bet once, thereby encouraging users to learn as much as possible about the car, the features and the fuel economy. When the registration period ended, the Golf took to the road where users could monitor the progress of the car in real-time via an implementation of Google Maps and livestreaming video on the BlueMotion website.
Over 50,000 people followed its progress in real time to find out if they’d be the lucky winners of a new VW Golf and the car eventually ran out of gas 1,570 kilometres later, the equivalent of an Oslo-Paris road trip.
