The past year has seen a wealth of clever experiential campaigns, interactive vending machines and other types of successful public stunts. They typically require some sort of feat of concentration, physical exertion or the like from the relatively few members of the public that actually encounter the installation or stunt. The more amazing, the more likely it seems that the subsequent video will garner millions of views. The latest stunt from Amstel in Bulgaria bucks that trend by asking very little from the user. Their agency, NEXT-DC created Amstel Pause, an interactive vending machine that rewarded users with a beer for simply doing nothing (eg. taking a pause in their hectic life). All you had to do was stand in front of the machine for three minutes in order to receive a free beer. It's a fantastic idea and taps into the reality of our busy world where we often forget to take time to stop and smells the roses (while drinking an Amstel of course). According to the agency, the installation was live for: '16 days, working from 16:00 to 21:00 o'clock in the busy center in Sofia, Amstel Pause collected: — 4,032 minutes of break or more than 67 hours of rest for different people; — Average of 84 users per day; — Total of 1,344 beers given to people who do nothing;'
I think of the Audi station wagon (errr...estate car as it's called over here) as a boring staple of the British upper-middle classes. Generally speaking, estate cars/station wagons are thought of as boring family-mobiles that just appeal to Moms. Audi's challenge is to shift the stigma away from estate cars and demonstrate the performance and handling of their recently relaunched RS4 wagon. Rather than just talk about specs like the 450hp V-8 engine, Audi's agency Rubber Republic have brought the promise of the RS4 to life through a top-gearesque paintball duel. You may remember Rubber Republic from their awesome Bodyform response video work. In this case, they've enlisted two of the best UK stunt drivers (check out the behind the scenes video here) in 'two brand new 2013 RS 4 Avants with bonnet mounted paintball guns take over a military aircraft hangar and go head to head in the ultimate paintball duel.' The result is sheer joy to behold & a perfect way to appeal to a male audience all of whom believe they could secretly be race car drivers.
I thought it'd be interesting to change gears a bit and showcase some interesting (both good and bad) work from the out of home world, namely bus stop/bus shelter advertising.
The Good - First up is a nice stunt from Qualcomm which effectively delivers on the tagline 'We make life better with mobile.' Check it out below:
The Bad - Next up is a stunt from the Weather Channel to promote their mobile app which tells users the exact time when rain will start or stop. Since the Weather Channel takes the guesswork out of weather forecasts, they wanted to see people get caught in the rain one last time. To do so, they outfitted a bus stop with a rain machine. Call me crazy, but I'd be pissed off if I'm sitting there waiting for my bus and a brand decides that they're going to make it rain on me. I wouldn't exactly be rushing to download the app after that moment of unexpected precipitation. The Excellent - Last up is from SAS in Norway. To show off the array of new sunny destinations that the airline services, JCDecaux outfitted a bus stop with what looks like an airplane window. Users who pull up the window shade are presented with videos from one of the sixteen new destinations. It's a great way to grab the attention of people who, by definition, have some free time on their hands while waiting for a bus. It's also a perfect execution considering the winter weather in Norway and other Northern European countries, coupled with the universal desire to get away to sunnier climes.
I love this fantastically executed stunt from Nivea in Germany to promote their Stress Protect line. Nivea's agency, Felix & Lamberti, setup an elaborate ambush in an airport waiting lounge, making it seem that the targeted person was wanted by the police. I don't want to spoil the video, so I'd just suggest you watch below.
I somehow missed this prior to the holidays. The guys at Duval Guillaume recently created this lovely video in order to promote Newspaperswork, the marketing platform for all Belgian newspaper publishers. In the video, three of the top advertising executives in Belgium are offered a free ride to work in a chauffeur-driven sedan. Ostensibly they've been offered the chauffeur service so that they'll have time to read the newspaper on their way to the office.
Rather than ruin the payoff, I'd ask that you just watch below.
It's an incredibly clever and interesting use of video to demonstrate the power of print. Very meta.
I keep thinking that stunt campaigns are somehow going to die off, but the public appetite for them shows no sign of slowing down. What's more impressive is that agencies keep coming up with new and innovative ways to communicate a clear product message through stunt videos. The latest hot stunt was developed by CP+B Stockholm to promote the new waterproof Sony Xperia phone. During screenings of the new James Bond film, Skyfall, several of the waterproof phones were hidden inside free soda cups given to random viewers. It's a nice way to demonstrate the main USP of the phone in a way that fits nicely into the overall theme and feel of the Bond film. Check it out below...I do question how the hell the people managed to get a drink without noticing that there was a phone embedded in their massive Coke.
Another delightful stunt comes from Kessels Kramer for beer brand, Red Stripe. For one day only, a corner store became a giant musical instrument, playing 'A Message To You, Rudy.' Products on the shelves and items left scattered around the store part of an ad-hoc orchestra, triggered when a customer chose a Red Stripe from the shelves. Just a really nice way to reward customers who choose your product with a delightful and unexpected experience. Check out the video below and it's also worth checking out the behind the scenes video as the 'making of...' is fascinating.
It's been amazing to watch the evolution of Google+ Hangout and Hangout Apps over the past year. Brands, agencies and individuals are constantly coming up with innovative ways to use what's arguably the killer feature of Google+. Now autograph signing sessions are entering the digital age thanks to Google+ Hangouts. The idea, which came from the Creative Lab here in London, allowed Ellie Goulding to hold the world's first digital album signing as part of a promotion for her second album. Using a Wacom tablet, Photoshop and a custom Google+ Hangout app Ellie Goulding talked face-to-face some of her fans from across the world, signed and dedicated an album cover for each them. Each personalized and signed album cover was them shared with them as a picture on Google+. I wouldn't be surprised if this becomes a common staple of album launches. It's a fantastic way to bring the real-world experience into the digital space. Check out the teaser video below and you can also watch a video of the whole Hangout here.
On a separate music related note, the band responsible for the hit song 'We No Speak Americano,' Yolanda Be Cool, has undertaken an interesting campaign/stunt for the launch of their second record. They're issuing a recall of their hit song and calling on DJs, radio stations and people all across the world to destroy all copies of the song. This goes beyond just words as they've also removed the song from iTunes (at least in Australia) and removed download links from their website & Facebook. Instead they're offering fans, etc. a free replacement track from their new album. It's a pretty damn funny idea considering how overplayed the song has been. It's a nice stunt to leverage past success into what I'm sure they'll hope will be success for their upcoming album.
Check out the fake press conference below, which is quite funny.
I try not to show 'viral' videos too much on this blog. From a brand perspective they're pretty much a mythical creature and cloud otherwise rational thought around online video. Simply put, if viral is your strategy, then you don't have one. That said, there's been one agency that seems to have cracked the code of producing amazing stunt campaigns that also tie back nicely to a single brand proposition and generate a huge response online. That agency is Brussels-based Duval Guillaume Modem. These are the people response for the Carlsberg stunt with bikers in the cinema, as well as the TNT - Push For Drama stunt.
Their latest video is for Felbelfin, a Belgian financial umbrella organization. As part of their 'Safe Internet Banking' campaign, they employed a 'psychic' with powerful abilities to see into people's lives. Volunteers were told they were going to take part in a news show then brought into a white tent. Inside sat the psychic, Dave (btw - Dave seems like a rather normal name for a psychic, no?). These folks tell Dave their names, he does some laying of hands and then starts telling them things that no stranger should know. The injuries they have, their romantic situation, medical history, bank balance, etc.
Then Dave reveals his trick. A curtain drops & there's a room full of masked researchers on computers looking up the personal details of each person and feeding it to Dave through a hidden earpiece.
The message appears 'Your entire life is online. And it might be used against you. Be vigilant.'
Great piece of work for what would normally be a dry and boring message. Again, hat tip to the guys at Duval Guillaume Modem.
