So we here at Toast & Jam met with our friends this week over at Crispen Porter +Bogusky and along with reminiscing about good times we had the chance to reminisce about great campaigns. CP+B came up with one of the first and still today something we consider one of the greatest online experiences of all time. In fact recalling the first time we interacted with Subservient Chicken led us to create a new category here at Taste. . .the Hall of Fame. Enjoy the first entry. . .and here are a few of our favorite commands (but there are a lot more than this list for you to explore. . .in fact add more to the comments section if you can. . .) the sheer depth of these interactions DEFINE experience and BRAND ACTIVATION:
>taco bell
>dance like an egyptian
>snap your garters
>do the robot
>You’re kinda creepy
>relax
>bang your head
>Are you lookin at me?
>Do you feel lucky, punk?
>Cry
>Show your chicken tenders
>smoke a cigarette
>throw a tantrum
>clean the room
>pillow fight
>kiss the pillow
>hit yourself with the pillow
Seoul Korea has been emerging in recent years as one of the most innovative and technologically progressive cities in the world and this example of city branding in action is a perfect addition to Taste. Through innovative architecture combined with technology you can make impact in a city that can help brand it the world over. The Bampo Bridge Moonlight Rainbow Fountain project took what could have become a utilitarian water crossing and turned it into a city landmark revitalizing the district. The fountain is comprised of over 10,000 LED programmed water nozzles that pump 190 tons of water per minute.
Brilliant personality selection and brand activation. Get Gary Numan and a few dozen cars, one battery and prove a point. All while visually entertaining and putting DieHard Batteries into our subconscious. Done.
(Boing Boing recently posted this but I had to give it props for the once-over.)
A really beautiful example of thinking outside the (shoe) box and showing your product in a new and memorable light. Nike has always pushed the boundaries with its advertising, and they do a great job of keeping it relevant, current and fresh.
Dear Clients.
Please let us evoke, inspire and enroll your customers into LOVING YOUR BRAND.
Thank You.
Eric Goldstein
Creative Director
Toast & Jam
Ok, selfish promotion brought on by such a love of seeing customers (already loyal to a brand and new to a brand -as shown here for Adidas).
There isn’t much to say, which is the power of Brand Activation.
The idea: Bring in a bunch of Star Wars characters to engage with consumers at the retail level, and they will come back for more, they will hold your brand with great respect and admiration, fueled by having “FELT” something special and unique. IT’S THAT EASY. For them, mixing STAR WARS and ADIDAS made sense. For other companies, it’s thinking through a compelling activation campaign, capturing it and sharing it with the world on the appropriate channels. That’s Brand Activation.
Complete brand immersion and highlight at the product level - getting into the hands of the perfect demographic.
People who love music (skull candy headphones) and well produced video release of the campaign taking advantage of the content and repurposing across various mediums/channels. Doing an activation at an event like a Ski/Snowboard Festival - is brilliant.
Nice work.
A great brand activation example to promote the upcoming movie release of Repo Men. Four real people are on the run in the country and people are encouraged to register to become a Repo Man.. .if you are registered and can find one of the four real people who are on the run this month and walk aup and tell them “you’ve ben repo’d” you win $7500. . .if the people on the run can stay covert they win the money instead. Clues are dropped into online and offline media sources. . .as this is a promo tied in with conde nast publications. The microsite does a great job in promoting the story theme of the movie and applying it to a real world experience.
In this issue of Taste - we talk about the paradigm of the old agency transitioning to that of the new model.
Understanding who you are speaking to, how you are speaking to them and engaging them like never before. Customer/Consumer Empowerment. Give them what they want and need and they’ll love you forever (as long as you play by their rules). Many of our clients are jumping into the sandbox to participate with their consumers forum/discussions and blogs, but lots of clients are still apprehensive, as they don’t feel they can allocate the proper resources.
The thing is….you need to find those resources, put a strategy in place around your consumers and their behaviors and catering to them is crucial for success/long term brand building.
Here is a video from over a year ago - that demonstrates quickly the power of the social media world. You may have seen this or something like it illustrating this medium, but it’s quick and compelling.
There are several ways, in fact, there is NO set way in which to participate in this new world, but there are some solid marketing initiatives to help build brand loyalty, telling of a story and to share what’s important to you and to be selfless in the sharing with others.
Most people have become exposed to the power of Interactive promotion when well executed. One of the most impactful promotions of the past few years has been the Flash powered ElfYourself.com where you can animate yourself and loved ones to dance around as a group of merry elves. However as this execution gained steam the sponsorship by Office Depot gained in value, and the commercial potential showed up with increased traffic to all JibJab properties as well. So to further build value in this campaign the 2009 holiday season saw the execution of an ElfYourself flashmob. This further proves that a well executed Brand Activation strategy includes on and offline elements with live elements recorded and spread via interactive channels. If you ever did elf yourself you are sure to smile as some of these dance moves will have you nostalgic. Enjoy.
Volkswagen unveiled it’s new compact 4×4 at this European launch.
What is great is that the car remained still, and through creative projection executions the car and staging area appeared to be kinetic/active and that the car was driving.
Memorable and yet another immersive activation from VW.
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