Technical problems
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January 22, 2008
March 07, 2007
Mac ad parodies
It's a sure sign that people are engaging with your brand when they take your work and make it there own. Sometimes this can be very positive for the brand... sometimes there are unforseen consequences!
Take a look at these two parodies of the very popular Mac ads...
And rapidly becoming one of the most popular videos on YouTube...
Lynx Mynxes
Minimize TV, use viral, and push all your budget into the promotional idea to build word of web. Lynx shows how it's done...
October 17, 2006
Messenger Bots - A New Brand Tool?
Once again my young daughters are teaching me about technology, they talk to 'robots' on MSN. Am I the only person in the universe that didn't know about Messenger Bots? My daughters seemed to think so...
Search for spleak@hotmail.com, or take a look at http://gallery.live.com/messenger - there are bot tools for music, games, news. They even help my daughter with her homework. Just add them to your contact list and interact with them in natural language.
How long before these bots become brand tools? News of latest product launches, basic product info, promotions... as usual the opportunities are endless :))
October 15, 2006
Budweiser misses an opportunity
I'm a great fan of Budweiser ads, so I was pleased to discover the Bud Screen - which offered full screen DVD quality viewing of the ads, as well as "Free downloads", "Specials... And More".
The only hitch, I had to download the screen and install it onto my desktop. This is a fairly high barrier to participation, even for a brand fan like me. Well, I did it out of curiosity... downloaded and installed the Bud Screen.
This was maybe 9 months ago. I looked at it once, enjoyed the ads, and forgot about it (I've just been tidying up my desktop, which is why I rediscovered it). Where are the free downloads? The special offers? the "more"?
They have direct access to my desktop! And they've chosen to do nothing with it. Nothing at all. Very disappointing.
September 28, 2006
experiencesomethingnew.com
How do you get the Chinese middle classes to fly your new Shanghai to Auckland route? This was the challenge facing Air New Zealand. To make matters worse, research showed that the Chinese knew very little about New Zealand. It also showed that they like new experiences, but are anxious about striking out to new places.
The solution? On a limited budget?
www.experiencesomethingnew.com It's worth looking at (though it's all in Chinese). It's a blogging site, featuring Chinese celebrities that have visited New Zealand, sharing their great experiences of the country (and the airline). It's a great way to get the message out to blogging crazy Chinese consumers, in a way presents New Zealand in a very positive light, and more importantly, overcomes all the barriers to travelling to and experiencing this great country.
September 02, 2006
Get an 'extra optical inch' with the Bodygroom
This is very funny, and a great example of brand engagement...
Take a look at www.shaveeverywhere.com
August 27, 2006
Yahoo! mishandles customer information
I'm a big fan of LAUNCHcast, and love the convenience of music online. I've been listening for years, and for years Yahoo! has been tempting me with all those LAUNCHcast plus offers. Only $2.50 a month for unlimited music, so why not?
So finally I decide to upgrade (big excitement!) ... only to be let down. LAUNCHcast plus is only available in the US. They obviously know I'm not in the US ('cos they turned me down)... so why have they been dangling this offer in front of me so often!!!
Next time, Yahoo!, if you can't deliver the product to me, don't promote it!
August 26, 2006
Red Bull X-Fighters: The ultimate branded event
Red Bull have done this before, and for me it is the ultimate branded event. On September 14th, at the bull fighting ring of Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas, (in Madrid) young 'Matadors' will put there lives on the line in a motocross freestyle event.
Take a look at the Red Bull X-Fighters Mexico event earlier in the year, from the biggest Bull ring in the world:
The location, the sport, the excitement (Red Bull gives you wiiings!)... everything about this is absolutely 'on brand' and works perfectly in so many different ways. Then TV, DVD's, internet: it all spins out from this awesome night of entertainment.
August 18, 2006
Snakes on a plane
The movie launches today, it feels like a bit of an after-thought. The marketing has been so great to watch.
It all started with the name... 'Snakes on a plane'... difficult to imaging a better name for a movie. Then there was the screenwriter's blog, then the 'fan-made' advertising (see below)...
The fan-blogs, check out www.snakesonablog.com, it's one of the best.
The the t-shirts, the home-made trailers, blah blah blah. Just search google and you'll get a taste of it.
With out a doubt the most internet-hyped movie of all time. The producers must be laughing all the way to the bank.
Oh, and here's one of the Urban Dictionary definitions...
Snakes on a plane
A simple existential observation that has the same meaning as "Whaddya gonna do?" or "Shit Happens". Taken from the upcoming Samuel L. Jackson movie of the same name, and immortilised by screenwriter Josh Friedman on his blog post of Wednesday, August 17, 2005.
Guy 1: (irate) Dude, you just ran into the back of my SUV!
Guy 2: (calm) Snakes on a plane man. Snakes on a plane.
July 25, 2006
Guinness blog: Giving you the inside track...
As a new 'blogger' myself I thought I'd mention another brand blog.
The Guinness Marketing Team in the UK have their own blog (some great pics of the World Cup on there at the moment). You can also see the latest advertising, and the storyboards that the advertising was created from, and more news and views giving you the inside track on Guinness.
It looks like they're having fun with it... but will consumers engage? Take a look at the Guinness Blog. (Be sure to specify that you are from England, Scotland or Wales to gain access.)
July 24, 2006
Nokia: The next story in video?
Does Nokia make phones any more? They certainly don't market them as phones (way too boring). Their new N93 'device' is 'The next story in video' - and they are doing a good job of creating an engaging brand experience.
In Asia they're doing this together with the Discovery Channel and their Mobile FilmMakers Awards 2006. Check out the site at www.mobifilms.net.
Reminds me of the short film series that BMW made years ago... but now we can all be budding film directors.