Julia’s Blog

Although this year brought us many brilliant and contagious videos, such as Susan Boyle’s solo or dancing wedding ceremony, in this post I want to write about the fun project, called Fun Theory, which combines several experiments taped on video with one simple concept: Fun is the easiest way to change people’s behavior for the better (environment, human habits and people). The Piano Stairs video reached over 9 million vies for only two months. And this is impressive, because of not only their viral booming power, but also the changing effect it made on people. Most of them (66% to be precise) chose stairs instead of using escalator under the outside influence of visual, audio and kinesthetic elements. Video “The world’s deepest bin” and “Bottle bank arcade” also prove how fun, but inexpensive innovations can change human habits to act responsibly. Recycling glass when the glass recycle bin is like a slot machine or clearing litter when a trash can offers sound effects as trash is pitched in shows how easily things can be changed for better.I give tw0 thumbs up to the whole campaign and their generators. Have you noticed Volkswagen logo dropped at the end? “Fun Theory” contest also encourages visitors to upload their own applications of the theory. A prize of 2500 Euros will go to the creator of the winning experiment, decided on by a panel Swedish experts in behavioral science and environmental issues. We’ll know the winners after January 15th, 2010. I think such positive associations with VW will only bring benefits to the environmentally-friendly company image and increase brand loyalty among consumers. Congratulations VW!!!

Let’s face it, we all love free stuff, especially when it comes unpredictably. Here you are the examples when the creativity can come beyond bright billboards or celebrity featured TV commercials.

1. Chevrolet Aveo: Pennys

2. Mc Donald’s Big ‘N’ Juicy: Serviette Dispenser

3. PruHealth: Orange Dispenser

4. Jupiler Beer: Ice Poster

5. Pantene Anti-Breakage Shampoo: Rapunzel

6. The Economist: Twister

The mini-movie (I can’t call it commercial), for Johnnie Walker, The Man Who Walked Around The World, sees actor Robert Carlyle stride through a landscape dotted with doors and bars and portraits and TV stacks as he recounts the tale of how a humble Scottish farmer grew an international brand. The story itself is gripping enough, with compelling copy from BBH London’s Juston Moore, but what makes it all the more mesmerising is the fact the whole spot was shot in one take, with Carlyle and the camera operator navigating the treacherous countryside.

As consumers tend to get use to different sorts of advertising methods, such as print media, TV, radio and billboards, creative firms are on a mission to find new ways of distracting, shocking and memorizable ads. This post is dedicated to the fresh point of promotions - beach and bath towels. The main objective of all campaigns is they give towels away for free, and raise the awareness among involved audience.

1. Israel Cancer Association: Grill Towels

2. TV - week of murder scenes.

Summer is a season of violate TV ratings. Creative team has come up with the idea of promoting show right on the beach by giving out “pool-of-blood” shaped beach towels, so when people lay on them, they would look murdered.

3. Ending Piracy Towel

Idea is based on giving out towels to people, who later will spread them out on the beach and it will look like the make-shift stall to sell things at.

4. AXE - Shower Gel

The campaign was performed in male - gym communities, in the locker showers rooms. The Branded Towels visually reflect the benefits of using Axe products. The low-budget give-away have became very successful and turned to promotional campaign with the strong word-of-mouth assistance.

5. Playboy Cover

Every girl thinks to be placed on the cover of Playboy magazine at least once. And probably every boy thinks of having a chance to see his girls on the cover of the same magazine. Now it’s possible and not only once, but every single day.

Challenge

With 0$ budget, UNICEF Organization had to create mass media exposure alarming New Yorkers about the thousands of children dying daily from a lack of clean water, and the urgency to help with donations to UNICEF.

Implementation

They bottled dirty water in 8 lethal varieties, made a vending machine for it, and launched it in Manhattan for 1$. “DIRTY WATER from developing countries” was designed to shock the public while inviting them to  donate into the machine, via text message, or online.

Results

This innovative, low cost outdoor-media/space engaged over 7.500 pedestrians, attracted worldwide media coverage, and increased the number of donation beyond all expectations/ the wide media exposure continues generating online and text message donations to UNICEF.

Thank you creative folks at Casanova Pendrill for coming up with this campaign and donating your time too.  Great work!

Starting Today, and running for the next four weeks in August, Google will be running a series of billboards—yes, real ones—in Boston, Chicago, New York, and San Francisco in order to showcase the benefits of “going Google” for business. Billboards certainly will raise the company’s visibility as a serious alternative to Microsoft in the office. Google, which rarely advertises, has steadily been stepping up its efforts to challenge Microsoft’s dominant position in the business software market. Google Apps is a package of software services delivered over the Internet, a field broadly known as cloud computing. Billboards will change every day over the next four weeks, telling the story of an anonymous IT manager who gets so fed up with the status quo that his company eventually switches to Google Apps.

Google has also set up a “spread the word” Web site to help Google enthusiasts promote Google Apps within their workplaces, as well as on micro-blogging service Twitter and a matching hashtag #gonegoogle. When  the campaign will be over vinyl used on the billboards will be recycled and turned into either computer bags or shopping bags.

Urban Style of Living become more and more popular, as people tend to move to cities and got engage into all public activities. Now days Public Stops are open source signs for advertising campaigns and are highly targeted by marketers. Such “experiential marketing” is intended to entice consumers to experience products or brands tangibly rather than bombard them with pitches. Here you are some great examples which definitely work.

1. Stop Top: Craft Heated Bus Shelters

The 10 heated shelters, primarily in downtown Chicago locations have posters that read: “Cold, provided by winter. Warmth, provided by Stove Top.”

2. Tide Boards

Tide Boards allows to experience Tide’s benefit of surprising whiteness. People can find pens attached to the boards and express themselves on white surfaces. After drawing, simply push down the bar with a Tide logo and boards will be white again.

3. Anti-Litter Awareness: Rubish

Everyday the rubbished found around the bus shelters was picked up and placed inside the bus shelter.

4. PruHealth: Organic Dispenser

Pruhealth, a UK health insurance provider, turned London bus stops into fruit dispensers. A piece of fruit is delivered to onlookers each minute while stock lasts. Each piece of fruit is labeled with the brand and a link to a microsite containing a DIY health check.

5. Energy Saving Light Bulbs

The execution ensures that the consumer interacts with the message when a light is triggered by a sensor as they approach the bus stop - illuminating the shelter as well as the message, which reads: “Only use electricity when you need it”. This bus shelter is a strong reminder of how simple it is to save energy, by switching off a light when it’s not a use.