HOT PRESS 30.1.09

Cadbury's Eyebrows OK, we've giggled at the Gorilla, voiced our doubts about Trucks and dutifully passed around the various spoof versions that have come our way. Now, how will the new Cadbury's spot from Fallon London measure up?

Before you judge, WATCH the ad. If you didn't catch it on TV or online last week, click on the link below and give yourself sixty seconds to take it in. http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=TVblWq3tDwY

Over the last couple of days 'Eyebrows' has garnered 560,000 views on YouTube, and I’m pretty confident it whips 'Trucks' in the feel good stakes. Comments posted range from the succinct 'WTF?' to some pretty bewildering ranting about gnomes, but the majority seems to express genuine amusement. It seems people are divided. Some say it’s enough that it made us smile (and it did, particularly the bit with the balloon). Others, that it’s an ad for adland: too inward-facing, too post-heavy, too obscure in casting and music. A missed opportunity to be genuinely hilarious.

But where will it all end? There's a dedicated website devoted to the output of Glass and a Half Full Productions, a YouTube channel, and a Facebook page for fans of the Eyebrows extravaganza (400 so far), but I find myself worrying about diminishing returns on this campaign. Am I wrong to expect more in the way of development of the basic idea, or is it so entirely self contained that a new film every 6 months is going to sustain interest? I want to love it, but it's beginning to feel a little aimless as it doesn't seem to connect to anything more tangible than a fleeting smile at a funny film clip.  
Still - the thing that Cadbury's, Fallon and digital agency Hyper Happen appear to be pulling off with panache is the degree of CRM required to keep us guessing. Those who signed up online after the gorilla tickled their fancy have received emails with teasers, remixes, competitions and links to new content since the new strategy was unveiled. This kind of cultural happening and the water cooler, 'have-you-seen-the-new-[insert brand here] ad' gossiping which accompanies it is Fallon's stock in trade, having resurrected the art with Sony Bravia's 'Balls' commercial. Obviously, the campaign will only be as impactful as its content is compelling. For now, 'A Glass and a half...' continues to stimulate debate amongst actual consumers, and not just the advertising industry, but it remains to be seen whether 'Eyebrows' boasts the creative and executional strength to worm its way into noughties pop culture - in the style of a certain monkey.

www.aglassandahalffullproductions.com
http://en-gb.facebook.com/pages/Cadbury-Eyebrows/62561680341

Absolut heads poolside for brand activationVodka brand Absolut has moved into its next phase of activation for its global ‘In An Absolut World’ positioning with a “pop-up” day club at Bondi Beach.The ten-week-long “Summer Sundays” event, the first since Pernod Ricard took on the brand in October, has been taking place on the pool deck at the Swiss Grand Hotel. The event has involved making over the deck with sun lounges, umbrellas and a series of cocktail bars. DJS entertain the crowd from noon until 9pm. Entry is by invite only, with would-be guests steered towards the event’s Facebook group.The event also picked up some PR, with reports that guests were encouraged to wear “I peed in the Ivy pool too,” T-shirts following stories about the state of the pool at The Ivy in Sydney on New Year’s Day.Absolut marketing manager Laura Stephen said: “It’s a classic expression of the Absolut brand.”The initiative was put together by experiential agency The Project, which was also behind the original concept. Cav Con has been handling the PR. The new positioning follows last year’s bikestand stunt by the brand.

 Mind the Eco-Gap

Last Tuesday, new research, Minding the Eco-Gap, was launched in the UK. The research revealed some fascinating insights into consumer attitudes towards the environment and the green claims made by marketers, including the finding that nearly one in two consumers don’t trust environmental claims made by companies.

The research also found that green issues have for more influence on purchasing decisions than people think. The Round Table included input from Kirsty Hawkes, head of sustainability at P&G, and David Bell, senior advisor, Google, and chair emeritus, Interpublic. Greg Barker, shadow minister for Climate Change and Environment revealed that people ‘nudging’ each other was going to be key to changing consumer behaviour. He cited the example of people down the same street comparing fuel bills and discussing how they might reduce them. Interesting to see what part social media might play in that process.

This could also address an issue raised by P&G’s Hawkes who said that one thing that the company found when they introduced the ‘Turn to 30’ campaign for Ariel was that people asked themselves the question: ‘why should I bother with this when my next door neighbour isn’t?’ Ariel has recently innovated with Ariel Excel Gel which claims it can clean as low as 15 degrees.

According to Barker, Governments and businesses need to stop lecturing consumers about their behaviour while at the same time not appearing to make many concessions themselves. He asked: ‘How can consumers be expected to car-share when an extra runway is being built at Heathrow? Governments and businesses need to share the burden.’  Jonathan Graham, head of PR at HP, pinpointed the dilemma faced by many marketers when he reeled off a list of terms that are no-go for marketers at the company, such as ‘energy-wise’ and ‘sustainable’. Instead, the company must shroud communications with vague catch-all statements such as ‘helping customers to go green’.

Jenny Own, youth analyst at consultancy Ruby Pseudo which has worked with, among others Nike UK, cut no ice when she commented: ‘Consumers look to global brands to help them make a difference.’

I’d also like to see more brands succeeding in hitting the right tone with consumers on green issues - collaborative, non-patronising and informative. There’s certainly a gap in the market - politicians appear to be failing miserably, and continue to either lecture or doom-monger. So to all those skilled marketers out there, step forward for one of the most challenging briefs of your career. No time-wasters please.
www.gyrointernational.com

Pepsi Refresh Everything

Pepsi’s activation work surrounding the inauguration of President Obama saw a giant symposium of activists and thinkers, and the launch of a campaign strategy more akin to a political movement. R/GA and TBWA\Chiat\Day handled various elements of the campaign, and Contagious reporters out of the UK caught up with both agencies to find out how they’re ‘refreshing everything’.

First, the digital strategy. This campaign was concepted and created by R/GA in New York as an open letter to Barack Obama for his inauguration. Dawn Winchester, EVP, chief marketing services officer at R/GA gave us the inside scoop.

‘Every message begins with the words 'Dear Mr. President' and ends with the person’s first name and where they are from. The strategy is to use digital to make Pepsi relevant to a younger audience. This is helping people get closer to, and participate in a cultural phenomenon about which they care deeply. It’s being seeded and promoted with messages from celebrities including Eva Longoria Parker, Jeff Gordon and Will.i.Am. Most of the action happens on our YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/refresheverything) - where users upload videos and view submissions; the most popular will feature on the primary site, refresheverything.com. Text submissions are housed at our Tumblr blog. http://refresheverything.tumblr.com/

‘We created a banner using Eyeblaster technology that allows users who have webcams to record and submit messages directly from the banner. Users can actually upload a video message to Obama all without leaving Pepsi's banner ad, making this a shining example of mixing breakthrough technology and creative with social media. After vetting, the video is immediately available on both our Pepsi YouTube channel as well as the DMP website.'http://demo.eyeblaster.com/Pepsi/pepsiDemoAd.html 
'From January 10th-25th we've had a staggering response. 3.5M video views across YouTube, Refresheverything.com, or any other sites using the YouTube player. Over 700 videos submitted, 350% higher than the YouTube benchmark. 103,000 total text submissions through YouTube, banner, mobile and website. And there's plenty more to come.'

Over at TBWA, ECD Rob Schwartz told Contagious: ‘Our task was to create more than an ad campaign: we had to fuel a movement for young people and people who think young. It all began on New Year’s Eve when we wished people a happy new year, and spread our feelings of optimism and joy throughout Times Square in New York and points beyond through the web. In Washington DC, we wanted to augment the wave of positive feeling in America right now. We did this on the ground at L’Enfant Plaza, the subway station that’s right near the mall. We dressed the platforms with out of home ads showing words and phrases like ‘optimismmmm.’ We also ran a ‘wordplay’ TV spot that featured the 1973 Pointer Sisters’ funk classic, ‘Yes, we can can.’

And ‘Pass’, a 60 second film, reminded people that Pepsi has been celebrating culture and history since the late 1800’s to today. The spot features The Who’s ‘My Generation’ remixed for each historical era. The spot closes with a call to action: ‘Every generation refreshes the world. Now it’s your turn.’ Again, this was a chance to position Pepsi as a young-spirited brand.’
www.refresheverything.com

 Official: social media is better than sex

Social media has overtaken adult content as an Internet destination, according to new data from Hitwise.According to the web trends monitoring firm, social networking overtook adult web sites in the UK during the last quarter of 2008. By the end of the year, social networking made up 9.4% of  traffic, while adult web sites had declined to 8.5%.The same landmark was reached in the US in 2007.Meanwhile, a spokesman for Hitwise in Australia said that the crossover point happened here last May. Social media is now well clear in Australia, attracting 10.4% of traffic, compared to 7.3% of adult web sites.

1-Second Ad 

Is this the beginning of the backlash against big ad spending? Miller’s High Life is being marketed as a no-nonsense, honest beer for the man with less in his pocket. The website bears the claim: ‘truth is, there are other beers out there that taste just as good as Miller’s High Life. Of course, those beers cost a whole lot more.’

In keeping with this quality beer for a lower price, Miller is poking fun at the $3m price tag for a spot at this year’s Super Bowl (this Sunday for those who like their ads flashy and their athletes padded). A series of online and TV ads created by Saatchi & Saatchi, New York show a lovable employee of the High Life company demonstrating ways to save money on this annual sporting cash cow, including stashing hotdogs in a giant foam finger. What’s more, the company will be running their own commercial on the day itself, but it’ll be a grand total of one second long, based on the logic that ‘paying $3m for a 30-second commercial makes as much sense as putting sauerkraut on a donut.’ I think I agree.

A selection of potential one-second ads are available to view on the campaign microsite, as well as the hero explaining why $3m, given the current climate, is a ridiculous amount of money to spend on advertising. You can even look at what else $3m would buy you (‘one large man’s weight in gold’ being possibly the most fiscally prudent suggestion.)

The use of an online, TV and PR strategy to promote the one-second blip ad prior to the Super Bowl is a clever one, ensuring that consumers will be primed and watching out for it on the day of the big game.
It’s also nice to see Miller appreciating the effects of the economic downturn on the average Joe – sure, they’re still hawking beer, but it is actually cheaper beer. Some great casting and nice online extras could also help to make this campaign a great success.
http://1secondad.com

Also - AdAge on why the Super Bowl is worth it:
http://adage.com/article?article_id=134081

This and That.....Champion, Bacardi
Sportswear brand Champion has launched a lovely site, www.hoodieremix.com, aimed at bringing a new twist to a classic, the humble hoodie. Having introduced the item to the market over 90 years ago, Champion are inviting fans to log on and create their own unique design through a user-friendly template that offers a mix of color, pattern and overall style options including interchangeable hoods, sleeves, pockets and more. All Hoodie Remix designs will be made available for public viewing and voting. Banner ads and voter widgets for Facebook and MySpace etc have been added. On May 29 the winning design will be announced and may also be produced and sold as a limited-edition hoodie by Champion. Lovely user-generated content/design/heritage stuff from Night Agency in New York. Make mine hot pink and four sizes too big.

New Coldplay video: puppet show featuring the band and some epic theatricals. http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=fXSovfzyx28 The Bank of America starts using Twitter to give consumer feedback: http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/01/23/problems-with-your-checking-account-try-twitter/

Interesting model for new Bacardi initiative as the brand's 2007 content deal with dinner party dance act Groove Armada comes to fruition. The first official content to materialise launched last week in the form of a mini-album available at www.bliveshare.com, an online application designed to encourage and reward consumers who share the music with their own communities through the site. Users of a legal drinking age are first required to sign up to the site, at which stage the first track becomes available along with a unique URL which identifies their B-LIVE profile. This can then be sent to friends via email, and embedded on social networking sites or blogs. A visual sharing map provides users with a real-time friend list which constantly updates as they spread the word - the more they share, the more content becomes available.

LonelyGirl15 team and CBS launch social network: www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.san&s=98295&Nid=51180&p=289189

The Guillaume of Belgian creative poster children Duval Guillaume has a book coming out. Recommended reading: www.heldenmerk.be

Channel 4 revamps, relaunches youth tribes research website. Planners, bookmark immediately: www.uktribes.com

Data visualisation/social media insanity! Someone’s launched an argument network (fight site?). aMap's short for "argument map" and is designed to promote the art of arguing by mapping out complex arguments in a simple visual way. The internet version allows people to create their own personalised interactive arguments so they can argue with friend (or foe) online. The initial concept for aMap came from an initial academic research project into how arguments could be visualised in a simple visual format between viral men-about-town Rubber Republic, the New Economics Foundation and the London School of Economics. Knock yourself, or someone else, out: www.amap.org.uk/about

The Gay Alphabet: response to claims by the church that many forms of modern media ‘recruit’ young people into the gay lifestyle. Someone has created a recruitment campaign. Bert and Ernie would be proud. www.thegayalphabet.com     

Posted on 1/30/2009 4:43:00 PM by KatyDenis

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