Our latest work for global client Johnnie Walker’s sponsorship of the Vodafone McLaren F1 team. ’Step Inside the Circuit’ is a branded content platform following Lewis and Hamilton as they give us a glimpse into the amazing world of F1 and the rockstar lifestyle attached. What I’m really proud of is the fact that we release this content within 24hrs of the actual race – ensuring it’s contextually relevant and exciting. Well done Grant Hunter, Paul Gage and team at Iris Worldwide, Singapore. Onwards and upwards
Cool little activation by Lynx here in Australia – done by the boys at SOAP. Don’t know about the reach and contagiousness of the idea, but certainly an innovative digital experience that is very ‘on brand’ for Lynx and does a nice job of appealing to both sexes for a change. Certainly a fair few hipsters rocking the streets of Paddington and not sure if they’re the real target audience for Lynx – think 18-21yr old boys – but it’s cool. Well done.
Doing the rounds on Twitter and Facebook. Pretty cool stuff at Coachella. Rendered 3D hologram of Tupac rapping with Snoop. Amazingly life like. Is this type of real time creativity going to be the first of a long list of stars being brought back onto stage during live events?
Nike are all over it when it comes to using the right people to help launch their products. The launch of Nike + Fuelband is another perfect example. They paid prominent YouTuber Casey Neistat (h’es got over 12,000 subscribers to his YouTube channel) to make a video about his experience with the Nike + Fuel band under the launch theme of #makeitcount. It’s a great piece of content that’s racked up almost 500,000 views in a few days. Great example of using the right influencers to help create content for you and spread the message. Notice the very subtle branding.
Was only a matter of time before there was a crowdsourced car created. Citroen UK have taken the plunge, empowering their Facebook community to co-create their new C1 Connexion model. Nice work Citroen as I can only imagine the challenges of getting this idea ‘though’ a car company.
Loving Google Project Glass. Taking AR to the next level. Nokia was kicking around with some Nano tech a few years back which provided similar interactions, check out Nokia Morph concept, but Google are making it a reality sooner than we think. Watch out for Google Glasses. Bang on the ‘frictionless interactions’ trend that’s pervasive across digital marketing right now. I want a pair.
Just in time for todays 2012 Super Rugby kicks off, we’ve just launched our latest campaign for Adidas’ sponsorship of the five Kiwi franchises.
In 2012, Super Rugby in New Zealand is ALL SUPERCHARGED.
We’re launching a nice little idea called SUPERSOUNDS to kick things off (pardon the pun
It’s based on the insight that music plays a big role in getting the players supercharged for their games.
Ever wondered what some of rugby’s best players listen to on their playlist to get themselves supercharged before a game?
Well, we found out. Over 5 weeks, we’re bringing Israel Dagg (Crusaders), Ali Williams (Blues), Jimmy Cowan (Highlanders), Victor Vito (Hurricanes), Richard Kahui (Chiefs) pregame playlists to life.
If you’re in NZ you can download the tracks for free, otherwise you can just stream them live.
Last week my colleague Karen and I were looking at Lady Gaga and the lessons marketers can learn from her. As a master marketer, she has cleverly cultivated a following of die hard fans. There are numerous presentations on slideshare covering her as a marketing phenom, so we thought we’d add our POV on what brands can learn from Lady Gaga:
BE PROVOCATIVE– don’t be scared to have a unique point of view on the world and stick to it
“I’m obsessively opposed to the typical’ Lady Gaga
BE TIMELY – pick the optimum moment to connect and the right context
BE INCLUSIVE– leverage social media so your fans feel as though they’re genuinely part of your brand
Gaga has branded her followers as ‘Little Monsters’ making them feel connected to her and each other
BE GENEROUS– acknowledge and reward loyalists with real value
Lady Gaga gives her Little Monsters exclusive first release access to content, songs
BE DISTINCTIVE – take risks to get noticed
BE OPEN – your fans’ WOM is the best marketing tool you have, but you can’t control it
BE FRIENDLY– they can open doors to new audiences you’d never reach alone
Lady Gaga’s association with Google has broadened her reach and given her fans even more of a voice
Hooking up with Oprah and Perez Hilton has broadened her reach beyond teens
BE QUALITY OBSESSED
Limit idea distribution to the best of your content
BE A CULTURE CREATOR – infuse your belief system across other aspects of culture your fans are into eg: fashion, activism, gay rights
BE REAL – let your fans feel like they are having a real conversation
Great brands all are built on powerful stories or myths. As humans we want to belong to brands with emotionally engaging stories that make us feel something and provide us with social reward.
As a creative planner I often am tasked with developing a brand manifesto (sometimes called a brand story or brand creed) as the culmination of brand strategy development work. They typically serve as the springboard for the advertising creatives to crack an overarching idea for the brand but are often used as brand films to restate or relaunch a positioning in the market.
Now, I’ve written my share of brand manifestos over the years and they aren’t easy (I’m regularly bouncing ideas off great copywriters I work with) but super rewarding when you craft a good one. They require countless re-writes to truly capture the essence of the brand idea you’ve landed on in your strategy. Like all good stories/movies/video games, you should be able to some up the plot/interaction in a sentence, a single minded thought which anchors your story.
My all time favourite brand manifesto/creed is from cult brand Harley Davidson. It perfectly captures the ‘bad boy rebel’ spirit of the brand.
Ok, here are some tips I’ve found useful when looking to craft a brand manifesto/story /creed and a few great examples.
Build the story around a powerful promise/what you’re fighting for
Bring to life what (and who) you’re for and against
Start each thought with ‘WE’… a belief system and relationship with the consumer you’re wanting to bring to life. Check out Victoria Secrets manifesto here made by VCU students
Use emotionally powerful verbs, ‘doing’ words which inspire and motivate
Have a beginning, middle and end which builds to the key message takeout
The context of the statements should be both timely and timeless, tapping into fundamental human truths, not just quick trends that come and go
Be evocative yet pointy - short punchy statements not longwinded puffery.
Try to seamlessly bring the consumer, brand, category and cultural truths together in the narrative
Dramatise the usage occasion and ideal brand relationship
Land on a key brand idea (which may or may not become the tagline)
Here’s a brand manifesto I recently wrote for the good people (Lloyd) at Big Richard – a great little condom brand here in Australia who wanted to be a little more mischievous than the Durex’s of the world. It’s a little longer and definitely more provocative than I’d normally write but one could say we had a lot of fun with this one:
At Big Richard, we’re for Mischief- Mating.
Big Richard is the story of a condom brand that understands that bit of life that most people don’t get. We don’t want you to wear our condoms if sex for you is just going through the motions, if sex is a routine. If there’s no fun, no injuries, no cringe stories, we’re not for you.
We are for the guys and gals who know how to do it and how to do it well.
There’s mischief involved.
There’s fun, there’s laughing. She bites your lip, so you pull her hair – you know how it is.
The kitchen bench is closer than the bed, as is the floor, the couch, the dining table and the hallway.
We’ve had enough of the awkwardness involved with condoms. We’re about lightening up that ‘condom moment’, even giving you a few acrobatic moves on our packaging, but don’t blame us if you pull a hammy.
If you cry when you ‘make love’, we aren’t for you.
Unless of course those tears are because of the pain that’s mounting in your calves from your 40th minute of the Mexican Double Jaguar Scissor Twist position.
If you think spicing up your sex life means possibly lifting her leg up if she says yes, then look elsewhere for your chosen condom brand. If the loudest sex you’ve ever had is because the cat sat on the remote and turned the stereo up to 15, you aren’t our kind of guy.
We’re for doing it standing, sitting, laying, upside down, downside up.
We’re for the couples who are just as likely to fall off the bed as to fall on it.
If you’re up for that bit of cheeky sex, so are we
We’re careful, so you can be carefree.
We’re the official condom of the booty call.
Wherever, whenever, we’re that little bit of planning for all of your spontaneity.
