Digital Hive

Interesting LG viral/branded content campaign-WSJ

Check out this great WSJ article about an LG viral/branded content campaign.

LG created a faux "show" called Scarlet starring an action star like character.

Very interesting stuff......

Download wsj_article.pdf

Brand as souvenir of experience - CNN

I had to share this amazing post from 3 Minds. The idea in a nutshell: you can get a T-shirt of a CNN headline on CNN.com. It's not T-shirts made to order, it's a choice among pre-determined options. But the options are pretty cool. These are just the first 3, and I'd happily sport any of them in Boston's uber-trendy South End:

- Pelosi says 'no' to combined ticket
- Sinkhole gulps entire lane of highway
- Church steeple is cell tower goldmine

I was particularly interested in the potential brand story behind this idea. What I think is happening here is CNN is giving readers a "souvenir" of their CNN news-engagement experience. A free gift with purchase, if you will (actually it's without purchase, since CNN.com is free, also, I think you have to buy the shirts; but you know what I mean).

What other souvenirs of experience can we give an online user, I wonder - you can print out a story, email it to a friend (like a postcard from a tourist destination), digg it, rate or comment on it, download a photo from it. The T-shirt thing is nice because it's different from these other "souvenirs" plus it's very tangible (even though you have to purchase it), maybe even a tad old-fashioned and human. Everyone can use a T-shirt (and smile at a funny one), even if they're not literate with the worldwide interwebs.

The brand is also (perhaps unconsciously?) interjecting a little humor (hello, those lines are funny, right?) into its brand, having fun with itself, being a little relaxed, encouraging readers to have fun with CNN. I think of CNN as being kind of "strong" in personality - so fast-moving, so intense, so sexy, etc.. But I don't think of it as funny - all of its aspects are quite serious. Nice to see a brand not taking itself so seriously for once.

I would like a widget for my Facebook page that constantly updates the "headline T-shirts" that are available and enables 1-click ordering, virtual gifting, etc.. Hello, CNN, are you listening?

Hilary's brand problem

I had pretty much sworn off political coverage here but I did find a provocative post from the Managing Director of Landor's New York office, Allen Adamson, that I wanted to share.

Allen thinks Obama has the most effectively defined brand. "He’s identified the clearest, simplest brand driver of anyone running. His easily understood idea is sort of akin to Pepsi’s 'choice of a new generation.' And whether people agree with this choice of a new generation they’re in full agreement that everything he says and does is in alignment with his well-defined brand idea." I absolutely concur with Allen's assessment here. I think Obama has done a fantastic job evaluating the context of this election, and identifying widespread disillusionment with what hasn't been working. His positioning is genius because it lacks substance - it's all feeling. And what American doesn't want to at least hope for unity and progress?

The Polygamous Marriage- Connection Planning

This past week I had the chance to attend the inaugural Connection Planning conference in New Orleans.  Many others have blogged about it, so I won't repeat them here, but of course I echo the many thanks to the ringleaders at Trumpet.  (see http://garethkay.typepad.com/brand_new/2007/10/the-wedding-day.html, http://www.polygamousweddings.com/blog/)  But, I do want to share how inspiring it was to see and hear that we at Digitas really "get it".  Jeff Flemings and I ventured to establish what "connection planning" meant in the digital space and for Digitas nearly 12 months ago.  After listening to some inspiring thoughts by real innovators like Lisa Seward and John King, I was thrilled to walk away from the conference thinking Connection Planning at Digitas is right on track.

While many agencies are using Connection Planning as a means to advanced, creative media planning, at Digitas, we've brought Connection Planning upstream as a means to inspire big creative marketing ideas.  We mine for insights about reaching our consumers, integrating into their lives, leveraging influencers and creating brand evangelism and combine them with traditional Account Planning insights.  In doing so we're fueling creative marketing ideas from the beginning with insights around both context and content.  In the digital space this is a key distinction, since every client deliverable could come to life in infinite ways based on the unique context of the space.

The conference appeared to be a big success, so I'm looking forward to the second annual event next year! 

Great Active Branding examples

Here are several examples of letting the consumer sample or experience a brand in an interesting way, in his/her "natural environment" rather than via traditional media.

I am a huge fan of intercepting people with a brand's benefit or expereience where they are, instead of assuming they'll give you the time to be taken off task. Brilliant use of a bus tailpipe as creative device.

I particularly love it when creatives align the qualities of a "media property" (if a crosswalk can be called media) to convey a brand message/experience.

I also love it when a media property's inherent quality (billboard = bigger than life) is harnessed to convey a key brand message (in this case, incredible bubble size).

If you have other examples you love, please post them! Or, email them to me and I will post 'em for you (if you're not a Digital Hive author).

What's a retail CMO to do?

An interesting article in AdAge(registration required) bemoans the fate of today's CMOs. (The latest CMO casualty, Macy's Anne McDonald is pictured).

The challenge is the same as it's been for the past several years - building a brand takes time, but shareholders want results now. An age-old conflict.

I am left wondering if this conflict can ever be resolved.

Here are a few potential outcomes - please feel free to weigh in with your opinion.

1. Retail giants like Macy's commit the life-threatening error of concluding that brands have stopped mattering (perhaps the driver behind McDonald's dismissal), and start making all marketing price/item promotion that drives short term sales gains (but doesn't impact long term brand preference). Retail is thus completely commoditized again, benefitting lower priced competitors like Target, but leaving Macy's and brethren without ground to own. (BTW, I can't wait for the Target to open in downtown Boston across the street from Macy's, that ought to be fun).

2. Retailers finally recognize that the CMO role is really just about driving sales - generating demand - and develop a rigorous way of identifying how much branding will help achieve this goal, thus putting the brand topic into its place once and for all (as a subset or enabler of demand generation). The brand role reports up into the CMO role, instead of being a conflicted part of the CMO role.

3. Retail marketers finally figure out how to sell in a branded way, by making marketing less about the message (in this case, the price/item message) and more about the experience. Giving the customer value beyond just a percentage off - for example, helping them make the right product selections, notifying them when something they want is on sale, instead of expecting customers to follow the daily newspaper ads. Making the marketing about action (we call this "verbs"), not messaging. Striking the right relationship with the customer (we call this "voice"), so the brand isn't an impersonal auctioneer of distressed goods, it's a trusted girlfriend passing along the secret of the quarter's best sale, or a generous in the know friend who wants you to get in on the savings.

"Your Name Here" All-Stars

I was pointed to the Converse One site by the awesomely good ad blog from the UK by Amelia Torode. I enjoyed fooling around around with the design tool and I created some deliciously ugly sneakers which you can view here. (You could also purchase them for me if your little heart desired...husband...Thomas, are you paying attention?) The design interface is a little wonky and I know the design-your-own thing isn't new - but to design my own Chuck's - the sneaker of my childhood, that's marketing I can love. That's engaging me with the brand - and not in a way that feels wrong.

Go where the customer is - a great example

Meet Barb Doud of Topeka, Kan., champion of the Bunco Regional Tournament in Kansas City, who won $1,000 and a trip to the Bunco World Championship in Las Vegas this March.

P&G co-hosted the first Bunco World Championship, held in Las Vegas. The Oxygen cable-TV network aired an hourlong special on the two-day championship, showing players rolling dice on purple tablecloths identical to the purple of Prilosec's packaging.

According to the WSJ, bunco "likely began in the U.S. during the Gold Rush, when swindlers came to San Francisco with the fast-paced game, then played with dice or cards, to con laborers out of their money. Bunco parlors eventually formed, leading to the use of the word "bunco" as a synonym for financial scams."

But why do P&G and Prilosec care about Barb and her hobby, bunco, today? Why the sudden interest in this sleepy, ordinary game? This super article in today's online WSJ (reg. req'd) explains how P&G is using bunco games to get in front of Prilosec's core segment, called "Joanne." (BTW, the WSJ piece has a super interactive component with videotape of bunco players in action, equal parts fascinating and terrifying).

According to the WSJ, bunco is  "a natural fit for Prilosec OTC, whose ads have long focused on a certain core consumer: the middle-aged woman who loves to socialize. "That's where her passion -- and her heartburn -- lie," says Mauricio Troncoso, Prilosec OTC's marketing director. P&G figures that 70% of frequent-heartburn sufferers are women. And, one-third of women who regularly play bunco suffer from frequent heartburn."

But it's just a game - how on earth can it have any marketing potency? Check the stats: according to the WSJ, about 59 million women in the U.S. have played bunco, with 21 million playing on a regular basis. So there's reach. And, six out of 10 women said they made buying decisions based on recommendations from members of their bunco group - which is where the marketing opportunity starts to sound interesting.

I was particularly interested in how P&G is activating the bunco sponsorship - the insight got my hopes up that they are doing something really unique. But I was a tad underwhelmed. WSJ: "Earlier this month, Prilosec OTC began its "Bunco World Tour" with a tournament in Kansas City, Mo., attended by 135 players. P&G had a pharmacist on hand to answer questions about heartburn and pass out samples of Prilosec OTC. Another P&G brand, Folgers, passed out free coffee, including its indigestion-friendly line, "Simply Smooth." Bartenders started pouring drinks around 11:30 a.m."

So Prilosec is on site with bunco players,  which is super. But, why aren't they actively trying to engage "Joannes" - e.g., seeding messaging with buzz leaders at each table. Why aren't they try to work Prilosec into the game somehow (logos on dice?) Why aren't they helping "Joannes" identify foods to bring to the event that don't cause heartburn (one version of "marketing as a service")? Net net, I love the insight and how they got there, I just think they have a ways to go in fully activating the idea's in-market potential. Thoughts?

Kudos to NBC (gasp!)

NBC announced earlier this week it has created a bevy of interactive extensions for its breakout hit series Heroes.  Kudos to the traditional media outlet for embracing a "pull" approach to engaging the viewers who are as passionate about Heroes as many were initially about Lost. It also shows a solid understanding of how to engage the Heroes audience-- younger, affluent viewers who have grown up with three screens.

http://www.nbc.com/Heroes/

Finally, it's all about me