Published in Kuwait - 2009
11.4.09
Chevrolet :::Branching out into widgets
BRAND OWNER:General Motors
CATEGORY:Automotive
REGION:USA
DATE:Apr 2008 - Jun 2008
As gas prices skyrocketed, the American consumer was looking for an environmentally conscious car. Most consumers think Toyota, but Chevrolet wanted to make consumers aware of its commitment to environmental sustainability and conservation.
CATEGORY:Automotive
REGION:USA
DATE:Apr 2008 - Jun 2008
As gas prices skyrocketed, the American consumer was looking for an environmentally conscious car. Most consumers think Toyota, but Chevrolet wanted to make consumers aware of its commitment to environmental sustainability and conservation.
Chevrolet’s research showed that most consumers do not want to make the big changes in their life to become a true environmentalist. They will however, join and champion a cause that requires little personal time or involvement.
The campaign was launched on Earth Day across several media type, concentrating on key digital spaces that provided a one click platform where consumers could make a real world difference and show off their environmental commitment to their friends and family. Chevrolet teamed up with MySpace to develop and launch a virtual tree widget.
The Chevrolet widget allowed users to plant a seed within their profile that over 30 days grew into a tree to showcase their support for the environment. If users stayed committed to the cause for the full 30 days, then Chevrolet and MySpace pledged to plant up to 225,000 real-world trees in partnership with the Nature Conservancy in Florida. The widget was promoted within MySpace, but was spread virally.
To get the message across, each recruit would receive a note from GM’s VP of Environment, Energy, and Safety Policy stating that Chevrolet has “dedicated time, resources, and the brightest minds available to make our processes more sustainable, our vehicles less petroleum-dependent, our suppliers more conservation-minded, our plants more efficient and our planet more livable.”
Financial resources limited the number of tree plantings to 225,000, and this number of Tree Widget downloads was achieved in days.
Financial resources limited the number of tree plantings to 225,000, and this number of Tree Widget downloads was achieved in days.
To date, the Chevrolet Tree Widget has been downloaded by more than 18m MySpace users. Awareness of Chevrolet alternative fuels improved by 53%.
Dove::: Finding body and soul
BRAND OWNER :Unilever
CATEGORY:Toiletries/ Cosmetics
REGION:Canada
DATE:Feb 2008 - Sep 2008
Some 91% of Canadian women believe it's time society thought of aging in a positive way. Dove agrees, and in support of its Pro-Age products, spearheaded a campaign to change societal views on aging by promoting the belief that beauty has no age limit.
CATEGORY:Toiletries/ Cosmetics
REGION:Canada
DATE:Feb 2008 - Sep 2008
Some 91% of Canadian women believe it's time society thought of aging in a positive way. Dove agrees, and in support of its Pro-Age products, spearheaded a campaign to change societal views on aging by promoting the belief that beauty has no age limit.
Dove commissioned an award winning playwright to create a one-of-a-kind live play, "Body & Soul", using a cast of real women aged between 45 and 78.
The media strategy was based on partnering with a limited number of media suppliers to foster a meaningful relationship with the audience, maintain their attention through the narrative and allow them to participate in the program. Dove chose Transcontinental Media (Canada's leading publisher of women's magazines) as the print and online partner, and CBS Television as the broadcast support.
To find cast members for the play, women were invited to write an audition letter, Dove and Transcontinental worked closely together to create customized magazine and online content which built emotional credibility for the campaign, and encouraged women to audition.
Advertorials, letters from the editor, e-blasts, web forums and brand ads were used to drive submissions. To promote the theatrical run of the play, the partnership with 
Transcontinental resulted in an eight page article featuring interviews with the cast and playwright, letters from the editor, web features, a chat session with cast members, a contest to win tickets to see the play, and a cast picture on the cover of Canada's top ranked women's magazine.
Transcontinental resulted in an eight page article featuring interviews with the cast and playwright, letters from the editor, web features, a chat session with cast members, a contest to win tickets to see the play, and a cast picture on the cover of Canada's top ranked women's magazine.As a result, Body and Soul played to sell out crowds, winning rave reviews. CBS was the platform for the documentary, "Finding Body and Soul." The campaign delivered 124 million media impressions, with 55,000 unique visitors to the website
Four Ways to Exceed Clients' Expectations
1. Agree to a deadline you know you can beat. Clients nearly always appreciate when good work arrives before the due date, because it affords them flexibility. Plus, it shows that you are both efficient and customer-focused. Of course, you shouldn't nudge clients to begrudgingly accept deadlines that don't suit them just so that you can exceed expectations later. But the surprise of early delivery is more memorable than an up-front offer to beat a client's proposed due date.
2. Be an astute questioner, not a silent sage. People often overestimate the value clients place on not being bothered while their work is with a contractor. In fact, asking pointed, proactive questions during the process demonstrates your genuine interest and focus. That doesn't mean nickel-and-diming clients so that they suspect you have obsessive-compulsive disorder. But follow-up that proves you have foresight and a knack for process efficiency sends the reassuring message that while the work is in your hands, there's no need to worry about it. Silence, in contrast, can generate unease. Besides, the occasional question is a pinprick compared with the laceration that a wholesale misinterpretation can later prove to be.
3. Be collegial. "Duh," you're probably thinking. "I'm obviously not going to be rude." But collegiality is less about politeness than about your level of deference. Too much deference, which is what most contractors show, makes you seem merely like the hired help rather than a capable complement to the internal staff — and that doesn't inspire confidence. Most clients would rather work with an equal (i.e., a colleague) than a lackey, especially if you're providing expertise. That said, acting like a know-it-all obviously isn't collegial either
4. Offer constructive suggestions at the end. Every process can be improved, and who better to provide insights than someone who just went through it? If you focus solely on the merits, not on how you would benefit, your ideas for improvement won't sound presumptuous or like complaints. A truly useful suggestion, offered in good faith and with great tact, is one that the client will want to implement, probably with you. Of course, making suggestions as an outsider is a delicate endeavor that requires appropriate circumstances and good social skills. But if you've got both on your side, the payoff can be big.
2. Be an astute questioner, not a silent sage. People often overestimate the value clients place on not being bothered while their work is with a contractor. In fact, asking pointed, proactive questions during the process demonstrates your genuine interest and focus. That doesn't mean nickel-and-diming clients so that they suspect you have obsessive-compulsive disorder. But follow-up that proves you have foresight and a knack for process efficiency sends the reassuring message that while the work is in your hands, there's no need to worry about it. Silence, in contrast, can generate unease. Besides, the occasional question is a pinprick compared with the laceration that a wholesale misinterpretation can later prove to be.
3. Be collegial. "Duh," you're probably thinking. "I'm obviously not going to be rude." But collegiality is less about politeness than about your level of deference. Too much deference, which is what most contractors show, makes you seem merely like the hired help rather than a capable complement to the internal staff — and that doesn't inspire confidence. Most clients would rather work with an equal (i.e., a colleague) than a lackey, especially if you're providing expertise. That said, acting like a know-it-all obviously isn't collegial either
4. Offer constructive suggestions at the end. Every process can be improved, and who better to provide insights than someone who just went through it? If you focus solely on the merits, not on how you would benefit, your ideas for improvement won't sound presumptuous or like complaints. A truly useful suggestion, offered in good faith and with great tact, is one that the client will want to implement, probably with you. Of course, making suggestions as an outsider is a delicate endeavor that requires appropriate circumstances and good social skills. But if you've got both on your side, the payoff can be big.
“content is king”: how brands can best leverage content without the need to force-feed brand messages.
Branded content is made up of ideas that bring entertainment value to brands and that integrate brands into entertainment. This could be in the form of a TV programme, community events, film or video – any content, provided it links important passions to brands with a strategic reason.Branded content is a by-product of a changing media landscape. Fragmentation and consumer empowerment in a world of personalised media platforms mean that consumers can choose if they want to engage with brands or not at the touch of a button.
Sophisticated content strategies enable brands to reach people without shoving brand messages down their throats. By facilitating new entertainment experiences, brands gain fame and goodwill. The more value created for the consumer, the more value is created for businesses.
It differs from sponsorship because it is not simply adding a brand’s logo to an already existing event or entertainment property. Branded content involves coming up with the creative ideas together with the brand and producers.
There are many pitfalls with branded content - Not only can it be prohibitively expensive, but it raises issues of intellectual property and can often require brands to relinquish editorial control: a prospect too terrifying for many to swallow.
Great content will draw an audience to unexpected platforms
Purina (FREE)
A cat-food manufacturer shows that gaming isn’t only for teenage boys, with an online gaming channel targeting cat owners.
Save huge production costs with live experiences
Huggies
Huggies changes Colombians' perceptions of the brand as an expensive "gringo" brand through a link up and live tour with a local comedy troupe
Ensure value for consumers and brand with truly relevant content
Dove
Dove finds a perfect content fit to take its 'Real Beauty' message to China with TV show Ugly Betty.
Develop ideas in conjunction with media owners
Meat and Livestock Australia
Meat and Livestock Australia became part of the non-commercial airtime of the Australian tennis open with live branded content.
Engage consumers across multiple platforms
Cornetto
Cornetto reaches Chinese consumers with an online karaoke competition linked with a TV show and point of sale activity
Unify fragmented audiences with tailored media favourites
Halifax
Halifax International drives business among the disparate ex-pat community in a competitive market
Be creative with distribution channels
Cheetos
Cheetos engages with 18-35 year olds with the first ever web series distributed on Facebook.
Reap the brand rewards from funding funky technologies
Fanta
Fanta creates a series of mobile applications including an augmented reality tennis game to engage with teens.
Provide tools that travel across the net
STA
STA Travel maximises its brand message via a range of Travel Tool widgets that can be embedded in users' social network profiles.
10.4.09
SHIFT: The end of television
. . . Then everything changed. Cable and satellite TV emerged, then expanded to hundreds, now thousands, of channels. Internet and network providers really kicked things into gear. Cellphones made it even crazier. Throw in Netflix, Xbox and PlayStation 3 streaming, along with Roku, Amazon Video on Demand, Apple TV, Blockbuster MediaPoint, Vudu, Zvbox, Boxee, and XStreamHD, and it's just plain nuts. Watching TV got complicated, and everyone, particularly the networks, scrambled to keep up.
Johnsonville Sausage
Overview
Weave Johnsonville brats into American culture by introducing the brand to key influencers and driving media coverage.
Objective
Through and on-going news bureau and special events, create opportunities for consumers, media and influencers to experience Johnsonville brats.
Strategy
Build a steady drumbeat of news with seasonal stories, tips and recipes. By partnering with key spokespeople already aligned with Johnsonville, leverage their authenticity to drive media awareness and create memorable consumer interaction.
Program Elements -- Creating the Brat News Network
Johnsonville Sausage was looking for a way to put its delicious, Austrian bratwurst on the national map. After years of successfully growing its business to be the leader in the category, the company was successful, while also being one of the best-kept secrets in the U.S.
· Brat News Network: We developed the Brat News Network to give the company its just desserts. The BNN is an aggressive media outreach strategy, which includes enlisting every possible media outreach tactic. From top tier media spokesperson and grilling guru Steven Raichlen, to satellite media tours, desk-side briefings, messaging, training, “Make Summer Sizzle” press kit, “Tailgating Tips and Techniques” outreach, and a steady drumbeat of pitching, the Brat News Network is taking the humble, coarse-ground and highly seasoned sausage to new “links”!
· Johnsonville Bratwurst Tailgating Hall of Fame Recipe Contest: Tailgating season is a bratwurst’s time to shine. Fans from across the nation hit parking lots before each game with time-tested favorite recipes. In fact, according to a survey of more than 3,000 tailgaters across America by www.tailgating.com, 71 percent of Americans tailgate at least six times per season. In fall 2004 Boomer Esiason, legendary NFL Quarterback and CBS Radio Monday Night Football Announcer, teamed up with world renown Johnsonville Brats to search for America’s favorite bratwurst tailgate recipes and grilling tips. And, each week during nationally broadcast Monday Night Football games, Esiason inducts one winner into the “Johnsonville Bratwurst Tailgating Hall of Fame.” Each winner received a year’s supply of Johnsonville brats and is eligible to compete for the title of MVB—Most Valuable Bratwurst.
Weave Johnsonville brats into American culture by introducing the brand to key influencers and driving media coverage.
Objective
Through and on-going news bureau and special events, create opportunities for consumers, media and influencers to experience Johnsonville brats.
Strategy
Build a steady drumbeat of news with seasonal stories, tips and recipes. By partnering with key spokespeople already aligned with Johnsonville, leverage their authenticity to drive media awareness and create memorable consumer interaction.
Program Elements -- Creating the Brat News Network
Johnsonville Sausage was looking for a way to put its delicious, Austrian bratwurst on the national map. After years of successfully growing its business to be the leader in the category, the company was successful, while also being one of the best-kept secrets in the U.S.
· Brat News Network: We developed the Brat News Network to give the company its just desserts. The BNN is an aggressive media outreach strategy, which includes enlisting every possible media outreach tactic. From top tier media spokesperson and grilling guru Steven Raichlen, to satellite media tours, desk-side briefings, messaging, training, “Make Summer Sizzle” press kit, “Tailgating Tips and Techniques” outreach, and a steady drumbeat of pitching, the Brat News Network is taking the humble, coarse-ground and highly seasoned sausage to new “links”!
· Johnsonville Bratwurst Tailgating Hall of Fame Recipe Contest: Tailgating season is a bratwurst’s time to shine. Fans from across the nation hit parking lots before each game with time-tested favorite recipes. In fact, according to a survey of more than 3,000 tailgaters across America by www.tailgating.com, 71 percent of Americans tailgate at least six times per season. In fall 2004 Boomer Esiason, legendary NFL Quarterback and CBS Radio Monday Night Football Announcer, teamed up with world renown Johnsonville Brats to search for America’s favorite bratwurst tailgate recipes and grilling tips. And, each week during nationally broadcast Monday Night Football games, Esiason inducts one winner into the “Johnsonville Bratwurst Tailgating Hall of Fame.” Each winner received a year’s supply of Johnsonville brats and is eligible to compete for the title of MVB—Most Valuable Bratwurst.
The grand prize winner, to be announced on or around January 15, 2005, will receive the “World’s Ultimate Tailgate Party” with the Johnsonville Big Taste Grill rolling up to the winner’s hometown during the professional football championship game in February and hosting an all-expense paid tailgate party for their friends, family and neighbors. Johnsonville’s Big Taste Grill is a converted semi truck sporting the world’s largest grill weighing in at 53,000 pounds and 65 feet long. The grill can cook an amazing 2,500 brats an hour. For each winning recipe or tip, Johnsonville makes a donation of $5,000 to the Boomer Esiason Foundation, with a pledge of $200,000 total to the Foundation.
· Pentagon Brat Festival – A day of brats and music: Johnsonville sausage loaded up its Big Taste Grill and headed out to the Pentagon on Oct. 7, 2004 for a traditional Wisconsin “brat fry.” Together with Miss America, Miss Virginia and Washington Redskin Cheerleaders, the sausage company set out to raise $25,000 for the Pentagon Memorial Fund by selling $5.00 lunches to the employees of the Pentagon. The Pentagon Memorial Fund is currently campaigning to raise $17.5 million to build a beautiful memorial park and $10 million for an endowment to maintain it for future generations.
Results
· More than 1,000 placements, including ESPN Cold Pizza, FOX & Friends, WB11, New York, Woman’s World, RedBook, Fresno Bee, WTXF-Fox (Philadelphia), Popular Mechanics
· First time ever media briefings with top tier consumer magazines including Woman’s Day, Country Living, First for Women
· Coverage in more than 7 non-traditional brat markets, including New York, Boston, California, Florida, Washington DC, Denver, Seattle
· Total advertising equivalency: more than $685,000
· Reached more than 69,000,000 consumers nationwide!
· Pentagon Brat Festival – A day of brats and music: Johnsonville sausage loaded up its Big Taste Grill and headed out to the Pentagon on Oct. 7, 2004 for a traditional Wisconsin “brat fry.” Together with Miss America, Miss Virginia and Washington Redskin Cheerleaders, the sausage company set out to raise $25,000 for the Pentagon Memorial Fund by selling $5.00 lunches to the employees of the Pentagon. The Pentagon Memorial Fund is currently campaigning to raise $17.5 million to build a beautiful memorial park and $10 million for an endowment to maintain it for future generations.
Results
· More than 1,000 placements, including ESPN Cold Pizza, FOX & Friends, WB11, New York, Woman’s World, RedBook, Fresno Bee, WTXF-Fox (Philadelphia), Popular Mechanics
· First time ever media briefings with top tier consumer magazines including Woman’s Day, Country Living, First for Women
· Coverage in more than 7 non-traditional brat markets, including New York, Boston, California, Florida, Washington DC, Denver, Seattle
· Total advertising equivalency: more than $685,000
· Reached more than 69,000,000 consumers nationwide!
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Stretching 60 metres across and featuring blue halo lighting, sculptured front-lit lettering 2.5 metres tall and a variety of 2D cut-out cha... -
Creating online content is easy. However, creating actionable online content without using the right tools can be quite challenging. The g...
