31.1.13
Samsung| The Golden Egg
Challenge
Samsung was about to launch the Galaxy SII and was looking for a partner that could help it reach out to its primary target group: mobile phone enthusiasts. This group was the earliest adapter of new technology. But that was the whole challenge: finding the correct content partner for generating the hype and sales for the Samsung SII.
Insight
The brand realised that game developer Rovia’s popular game Angry Birds would be the perfect fit to reach the TG. For Samsung, it was the perfect partnership, because Angry Birds enthusiasts were exactly the kind of mobile pioneers for whom it had tailored the new Galaxy SII.
Solution
In one of the deepest partnerships ever signed by Rovia, Samsung created a secret Golden Egg level which could only be unlocked by coming to Samsung’s co-branded site to find clues.
This was the first time that the wildly popular game had ever allowed a partner to reveal a secret new level to the game. It was also the broadest partnership ever agreed by the developer Rovio which helped Samsung to market directly to millions of Angry Birds’ biggest fans.
It was just the sort of treasure hunt that die-hard fans loved to follow - and then to boast about when they had unlocked the level. The co-branded site was central to reaching players with detailed messages about the Galaxy SII.
Samsung excluded the Samsung logo from the secret Golden Egg level itself for fear of alienating players, but it gently reinforced the brand by using Galaxy SII colours and graphics throughout.
And in a masterstroke that greatly extended the length of time users spent on the new level, this level came equipped with a special ‘low gravity’ environment as the Angry Birds were going into space. That meant it was challenging and frustratingly addictive even for veteran players, all of whom had to learn new tricks and techniques to progress.
Banner ads inside Angry Birds directed people to the Samsung site where they could find the clues to unlock the secret Golden Egg level. Samsung bought video pre-rolls and interstitial ads in which Angry Birds characters themselves told players where to go looking. Samsung promoted posts to the game’s Facebook and Twitter followers as well.
On the co-branded site, additional offerings were made to users such as competitions to win Angry Birds toys and merchandise.
Results
The discovery of the secret level generated so much internet chatter that it wasn’t just fans who shared tips on social networks, but also technology journalists who reported on the phenomenon.
Nearly half a million users came to the co-branded site to pick up the clues that would unlock the secret Golden Egg level and almost 15,000 clicked through to the Galaxy SII product page to learn more.
The game level itself was played 1.6 million times by the time the promotional activity ended. 69% of players said the level made them think of the Galaxy SII. Brand awareness jumped 10% after the campaign period and purchase intent jumped 4%.
- BRAND:
- Samsung Mobile
- BRAND OWNER:
- Samsung
- CATEGORY:
- Telecoms/Mobile
- REGION:
- Australia
- Austria
- France
- Germany
- Indonesia
- Italy
- Singapore
- Spain
- Switzerland
- United Kingdom
- DATE:
- July - August 2011
- AGENCY:
- Starcom
- MEDIA CHANNEL:
- Branded Content,Experiential,Digital,Mobile,Online,PR,Print,Retail/POS,Sponsorship,TV
RIM: BlackBerry Unveils BB10
Any doubt that the BlackBerry 10 is central to the survival of Research In Motion was likely erased on Wednesday as the company not only unveiled its new operating system and phones, but changed its corporate name to "BlackBerry," too. "We have a fantastic brand, BlackBerry, and we are known as such all over the world, except in North America," CMO Frank Boulben said in a video interview at the launch. "We wanted to take full advantage of that global, iconic brand."
"We have redefined ourselves inside and out," said CEO Thorsten Heins, speaking to launch events held across the globe from New York to Jakarta. "RIM becomes BlackBerry. It is one brand, it is one promise." He declined to specify the company's marketing spend for the corporate rebrand and a global launch of BlackBerry 10 that includes Sunday's Super Bowl ad buy, but characterized it as in the "hundreds of million dollars."
Along with a radically different operating system, the company introduced two new phones — the keyboard-equipped Q10 and the touch-screen Z10 — which employ a gesture-based interface similar to Apple's pioneering iPhone. Yet the new BlackBerry OS offers a host of distinct features.
"Flow," for instance, allows users to move between apps with the mere swipe of a finger, while "Balance" partitions users' work and personal worlds into two distinct environments, keeping data and messages in each from intermingling.
Both phones sport a sharp 4.2-inch screen display and sports 16 gigabytes of storage, a memory-card slot for expansion and front and back cameras that record in high definition (1080p back, 720p front). Popular BlackBerry Message software enables free phone and video calls while screencasting.
Other features include Story Maker, which automatically grabs photos and turns them into videos with music, and an ability to "learn" and mimic users' writing patterns. Time Shift, its photo software, allows selections to be made from a series of quickly shot images.
BlackBerry 10 will launch with 70,000 apps including Angry Birds, Skype, Yelp, Twitter, Spotify, Foursquare, Dropbox, the New York Times and Amazon Kindle, while noticeably missing are Netflix, Draw Something, Pinterest, Hipstamatic, Instagram and major airline and bank apps.
Also on offer with the new Z10 and Q10, a vast range of entertainment options, including an integrated solution for music, movies and TV shows, with major content partners including Walt Disney Studios and Sony Pictures, Universal Music and Warner Music Group.
The Z10 will not be available in the U.S. until March, while the United Kingdom will be able to purchase it Thursday, Canada on Feb. 5 and the United Arab Emirates on Feb. 10. Verizon will sell it for $199 on a two-year agreement, with other carriers like AT&T and T-Mobile expected to offer similar deals.
Release dates and a price for the Q10 were not given on Wednesday. Asked about the delay in rolling out the phone in the U.S.,
"I really do believe that the consumer market as a whole is ready for something new," said Kevin Burden, head of mobility at Strategy Analytics, ahead of the BB10 reveal. "I have to believe that there is some level of user fatigue that plays into the longevity of some of these platforms," he added, referring to Google Inc.'s Android and Apple's iOS, which are both more than five years old. "RIM is probably timing it right.
Any doubt that the BlackBerry 10 is central to the survival of Research In Motion was likely erased on Wednesday as the company not only unveiled its new operating system and phones, but changed its corporate name to "BlackBerry," too. "We have a fantastic brand, BlackBerry, and we are known as such all over the world, except in North America," CMO Frank Boulben said in a video interview at the launch. "We wanted to take full advantage of that global, iconic brand."
"We have redefined ourselves inside and out," said CEO Thorsten Heins, speaking to launch events held across the globe from New York to Jakarta. "RIM becomes BlackBerry. It is one brand, it is one promise." He declined to specify the company's marketing spend for the corporate rebrand and a global launch of BlackBerry 10 that includes Sunday's Super Bowl ad buy, but characterized it as in the "hundreds of million dollars."
Along with a radically different operating system, the company introduced two new phones — the keyboard-equipped Q10 and the touch-screen Z10 — which employ a gesture-based interface similar to Apple's pioneering iPhone. Yet the new BlackBerry OS offers a host of distinct features.
"Flow," for instance, allows users to move between apps with the mere swipe of a finger, while "Balance" partitions users' work and personal worlds into two distinct environments, keeping data and messages in each from intermingling.
Both phones sport a sharp 4.2-inch screen display and sports 16 gigabytes of storage, a memory-card slot for expansion and front and back cameras that record in high definition (1080p back, 720p front). Popular BlackBerry Message software enables free phone and video calls while screencasting.
Other features include Story Maker, which automatically grabs photos and turns them into videos with music, and an ability to "learn" and mimic users' writing patterns. Time Shift, its photo software, allows selections to be made from a series of quickly shot images.
BlackBerry 10 will launch with 70,000 apps including Angry Birds, Skype, Yelp, Twitter, Spotify, Foursquare, Dropbox, the New York Times and Amazon Kindle, while noticeably missing are Netflix, Draw Something, Pinterest, Hipstamatic, Instagram and major airline and bank apps.
Also on offer with the new Z10 and Q10, a vast range of entertainment options, including an integrated solution for music, movies and TV shows, with major content partners including Walt Disney Studios and Sony Pictures, Universal Music and Warner Music Group.
The Z10 will not be available in the U.S. until March, while the United Kingdom will be able to purchase it Thursday, Canada on Feb. 5 and the United Arab Emirates on Feb. 10. Verizon will sell it for $199 on a two-year agreement, with other carriers like AT&T and T-Mobile expected to offer similar deals.
Release dates and a price for the Q10 were not given on Wednesday. Asked about the delay in rolling out the phone in the U.S.,
"I really do believe that the consumer market as a whole is ready for something new," said Kevin Burden, head of mobility at Strategy Analytics, ahead of the BB10 reveal. "I have to believe that there is some level of user fatigue that plays into the longevity of some of these platforms," he added, referring to Google Inc.'s Android and Apple's iOS, which are both more than five years old. "RIM is probably timing it right.
5.1.13
Does Anyone Really Believe Advertising Any More?
Apparently consumers are taking this old saying to heart: "Believe only half of what you see and nothing that you hear." Market research firm Lab42 just released a study that revealed that 76% of its respondents think advertisements contain exaggerated claims, and a mere 3% think ads are "very accurate."
According to Lab42's survey of 500 respondents, while 38% wish for more accuracy in advertising, only 17% would like to see more laws in the United States that regulate advertising. In the U.S., advertising is seen as free speech, but that's not the case in other countries such as the UK, where ads are routinely banned for being misleading or exaggerated.
4.1.13
2.1.13
24.12.12
21.12.12
12.6.12
Apple’s WWDC News: Siri Makes New Friends But It's All About the Mac
In addition to an even trippier special edition of its tie-dye logo, Apple unveiled more than one dozen new products today at the brand's highly anticipated 2012Worldwide Developers Conference. While Apple’s main growth drivers remain the iPhone and the iPad, its Mac line remains a cornerstone.
Popout
The 17-inch MacBook Pro is apparently disappearing — so welcome a new (thinner) MacBook Pro with Retina display, 15.4 inches across with pixel density of 2880 x 1800, weighs less than 4.5 pounds and has 7 hours of battery life, and an HDMI slot to connect to HDTV. With third-generation Ivy Bridge processors, and Nvidia GeForce GT650M graphics, the starting price is $2,199.
A new MacBook Air, with USB 3.0, 512GB storage is equipped with Intel Ivy Bridge chips, offering up to Core i7 with Turbo Boost, bringing the processor speed up to 3.2GHz. Hard drive options include a 512GB SSD, and graphics that are 60% faster. The 11-inch model (left) starts at $999, and a 13-inch goes for $1199.
On the iOS 6 front, Siri is extending her reach the on iPad, giving sports scores, integrating Yelp (restaurants) and Rotten Tomatoes (movie) reviews, and OpenTable for dining reservations. There’s a Do Not Disturb feature that lets you ‘white list’ certain callers and switch from a current call to an important call. Siri can also launch apps, post to Facebook and be used internationally.
Apple is now allowing Facetime to work over the cellular network and is consolidating a user's Apple ID and phone number, enabling calls and messages to be picked up via iPhone or iPad. Users can organize offline reading lists, share photo streams and a Passbook app stores boarding passes, store cards and movie tickets.
Siri is being integrated into cars through an "Eyes Free" button built into the steering wheel of your car, and so far BMW, GM, Toyota, Mercedes, Honda, Audi and Jaguar have signed on.
Google Maps has been replaced with Apple's own 3D map system, integrated with Siri, and includes business listings, traffic maps with incidents, and real-time crowd-sourced data for traffic flow.
OS X Mountain Lion, $19.99, will be available next month with about 200 new features including better iCloud integration and built-in Dictation. Apple's iCloud service boasts 125 million registered users and apps include mail, contacts, calendar, Messages, Reminders, and Notes along with "Documents in the Cloud," which syncs documents from Pages, Keynote, Preview, and TextEdit.
Apple announced closer ties between iOS6 and Facebook so that users can post pictures and video directly to their accounts without using the Facebook app, and post updates via Siri. Apple CEO Tim Cook announced 400 million App Store accounts, with 650,000 apps in its App Store and 30 billion apps downloaded so far. To date, Apple has produced $5 billion in sales for developers.
Reactions across social media are mixed, but this comment from Steve Weinstein sums it up thus:
“That people are treating every word Apple says like they were God reading the Ten Commandments. I'm not saying that a Retina Display isn't impressive or a better Siri should never see the light of day, but people (especially the Apple fanatics) are over reacting.
Other than a Retina Display, I can get an HP Envy 15 with the same specifications (minus the Retina display but has 1920 x 1080 anti-glare) for $1909. You could even subtract $100 if you go with Windows 7 Home Premium. That is a whole $200-$300 less for a MacBook Pro clone. It is probably even cheaper if you go with the lower end "high performance" line that OEMs build.
So really, I am excited for new features for the iPhone but at the same time, disappointed that people are treating everything they say like the Ten Commandments.”
24.5.12
Apple iPad Mini Music Studio App by Rockmate
Just when you may have thought developers were running out of ideas for innovative, fun applications the folks at Fingerlab introduce Rockmate.
Hellmann’s Mayonnaise: Recipe Receipt
Hellmann's turns your receipt into a personalized recipe combining the products you just bought.
20.5.12
Facebook Timeline| Best Practices
Facebook Timeline officially rolled out to Brand Pages on March 30, but we’re guessing that many marketers still don’t know how to milk the new design for all that it’s worth. A recent study found that fan growth after Timeline has “slowed slightly”– is your company experiencing a bit of a slowdown? If so, we have some tips for you.
Some best practices apply to all social media platforms — be human, be genuine, reply to fans, foster conversation, don’t be gimmicky, and don’t syndicate the same content to every social channel, etc. But the tips below apply specifically to Facebook Timeline Brand Pages and are geared to take your company’s fan base — and revenues — to the next level.
If yours is a small business with little budget for social media or marketing, you need not worry — you can get a lot out of Facebook for free merely by doing it well. The more compelling and engaging your content is, the more it will be “liked” and commented on, thus catapulting your content — and brand — into organic buzz through more and more news feeds.
1. Embrace Images
Timeline is much more image-focused than earlier iterations of Brand Pages, so start snapping. You don’t need to invest in a fancy camera — in fact, it’s a lot easier just to use a smartphone. Show fans what goes on behind the scenes — sketches and mockups always make for good fodder, and “food porn” shots tend to make mouths water and Likes escalate. Social media naturally makes brands accessible — use Timeline to offer a peek at the more human side of your brand.
For example, the White House‘s photo of President Obama at a local Washington, D.C. sandwich shop accomplishes multiple goals: It reinforces Obama’s commitment to small business, it gives great visibility and awareness to a small business, and it shows that Obama is a “regular guy” who eats hoagies, just like you and me.
2. Make the Most of Your Cover Photo — It’s Prime Real Estate
“The new cover photo captures the culture and essence of a brand and can showcase their products — it’s the first thing people will see when they visit a brand’s page,” says a Facebook spokesperson.
A recent eye-tracking study noted that consumers pay far more attention to the cover photo than any content on the wall, so put thought into your photo. Are you running a promotion or opening a new store? Use a high-resolution photo, and humanize your brand with faces — the same study found that cover photos with faces attract more attention than those without, evidenced on Rent the Runway’s Facebook Page.
The cover photo is your chance to make a strong first impression — let it tell the story of your brand and pull people in. You can change the cover image as often as you’d like, and you can crop a perfectly sized cover photo here.
Nestled in the cover photo is the traditional profile picture. If you have a snazzy cover photo, then the profile picture is a great spot for your company’s logo. This is the thumbnail image that will accompany the brand’s comments and posts, so it should clearly define your brand — even when the image is smaller than 50 pixels.
3. Pay Attention to Insights
Facebook does a lot of the work for you, especially when it comes to analytics. Your job is to understand what they mean and how to use them to your advantage. Facebook tells you who your new fans are and breaks them down by gender and location to help you get a sense of who you’re talking to on Facebook.
If you’re using a mix of paid and organic tools for nabbing more fans, Insights will tell you how you reached people, so you know whether your time or money are yielding better returns. If you’re a big Excel nerd, you can even export the Insights data for further analysis. Here’s a breakdown of what you’ll see in the Insights dashboard:
- People Talking About This (PTAT) — The total number of people that have engaged with your page, whether they “liked” something, commented, shared or answered a question. This asses engagement beyond the old standards, Likes and clicks.
- Friends of Fans –The aggregate number of friends all your fans have, meaning that each post has the potential to reach these fans (since their “Like” or comment will go on friends’ news feed, thus propagating your content).
- Reach — The total number of people who have seen content associated with your page — this number offers a sense of how far your message has traveled.
- Virality — The percentage of fans who saw a story from your Page and interacted with it, either by “liking,” commenting or sharing. Pay attention to your virality percentage to assess engagement and tweak your content.
4. Highlight or Pin Your Best Posts
Facebook is no longer a chronological river of posts — you can opt to draw more attention to a single post by “highlighting” it. “Highlight” your brand’s most important information by selecting the star icon on the top right corner of any post on your Timeline. Doing so “displays your update across the width of your page, giving more weight to key news,” says Nicole Schwartz, social media and marketing manager at Sprinkles.
Facebook recommends taking advantage of the “Pin to Top” option on your Brand Timeline one post per week to extend the life of the content. When you pin something onto the timeline, it not only becomes larger but also becomes the first item within the Timeline itself. A Facebook spokesperson says Red Bull pinned a month-old video of its sponsored skier Bobby Brown to its Facebook Brand Page, which took the post from 10,000 “Likes” to 12,000 “Likes”. Social media users are bombarded with information 24/7, so pinning helps to cut through the noise and ensure that your fans will see your best posts.
5. Get Your Apps in a Row
What do you find just below the cover photo? Apps. And according to the eye-tracking study mentioned above, these apps get more visibility than everything below them on your Timeline.
Apps now include photos, videos, notes, events and more than 3,000 other options to customize your Facebook Page. For example, if you have a restaurant, you can use a menu app so fans can see your offerings without having to go to your website, and if you have a fashion company, you can use Polyvore.
Any custom-built apps (like ones by Offerpop or Wildfire), campaigns or promotions can find a home here at the top of your Timeline, and you can rearrange the order of the apps and choose a custom thumbnail for the service.
6. Make Use of Facebook’s New Ad Suite
In February, Facebook released a slew of new ad tools to help brands enhance their marketing; Reach Generator is one of these tools.
A study by AllFacebook in January revealed that a post on a Brand Page is seen by just 17% of fans. Reach Generator plays with the news feed algorithm to expose fans to content when they otherwise would have missed it in a way to boost visibility across the platform. Ice cream brand Ben & Jerry’s used Reach Generatorand became visible to 98% of fans over a 28-day period — a dramatic improvement. You’ve invested time and energy into your social media presence, so shouldn’t people see it? The cost of these tools is tiered based on the number of fans the brand has.
Other new ad tools include Logged Out ads (seen above), Premium on Facebook and Offers.
7. Run Contests to Boost Engagement
People love winning, whether it’s a t-shirt, early access to a sample sale or a free flight to New York. Prizes don’t have to be outrageous but they should be on-brand and relevant. In fact, Offerpop founder and CMO Mark Cooper says contests with “lots of low-value prizes that speak to your audience generate much more participation than one or two high value prizes.” With more odds of winning, fans are more likely to engage, even for something small. A great prize is a grab bag of merchandise and branded swag — offering something on-brand will attract your core demographic instead of freeloaders, says ModCloth Community Manager Natasha Khan.
Keep the Facebook contest as simple as possible to get consistent results and a lot of submissions. Asking fans to “like,” comment, vote or to upload a photo with a tag of the brand are all ways to generate buzz and get friends of fans involved. All of these actions will increase your “reach” on Facebook, and UGC uploads provide you with a slew of content that you could reuse down the line. If you do run a promotion, Cooper advises brands to change the cover photo to promote the contest (but leave out the call-to-action copy, which goes against Facebook’s guidelines) and post about the contest every day, pinning or highlighting for maximum effect.
8. Drop in Those Milestones
Timeline is a digital scrapbook and it’s a great way to tell the story of your brand, much like the Facebook profile can tell the story of one’s life. Populate the earlier space on your Timeline with Milestones — new product launches, memorable moments, and big company advances — and be sure to include a photo. Milestones add a human touch to your brand and encourage consumers to learn more about your company and thus, become more invested in it. Consumers are curious and love to know more about their favorite brands, and Milestones are a great way to make it easy for them while also eliciting “Likes” and subtly marketing your brand.
9. Embrace Your Fans
Because Timeline condenses fan posts into a box on the right, Facebook Timeline transformed the two-way scheme into more of a one-way broadcast mechanism for brands. A good way to mix up your content is to embrace and show off your fans — post their pictures and Instagrams (with a link to give them a shout-out) on your Timeline to put your fans front and center. Rent the Runway’s Style Awards highlight how RTR consumers have worn their dresses, a gesture that would make anyone feel like a fashionista.
Innovative Uses of Facebook Timeline for Brands
View As Slideshow »
The soda company's branded Facebook Timeline page took advantage of the Leap Year by pretending that the extra day "created a rip in the Fanta space-time continuum and sucked four of our characters: Gigi, Lola, Floyd and Tristan out of the Cover Photo and into the past."
Fans of Fanta's Page must engage in its "Lost in Time" game, which requires navigating through the Fanta Timeline, to bring the characters back to the future.
Red Bull immediately came out with the "Red Bull Timeline Timewarp" when it switched over to the new features.
The game, which ends March 15, is a scavenger hunt for fans, rewarding them with prizes for finding hidden clues throughout the brand's Timeline.
The men's deodorant company is known for its quirky, viral campaigns, and it's living up to expectations on the brand page.
Between hilarious statuses, Old Spice posts odd photoshopped images well-suited for Internet culture -- including an epic cover photo, which features tiger eyes, a helicopter and a can of Old Spice shooting lightning out of a volcano. Only on the Internet...
ESPN is making good use of the "fill-in-the-blank" approach to current events in sports, and lets fans shout out to their favorite teams.
The liquor company uses Timeline to give its fans a sneak peak into the fictional captain's life at sea.
This is a great way for musicians and other bands to utilize Timeline. Fans enjoy fun and anecdotal facts about the band and its history.
Coca Cola's Timeline encourages fans to solve riddles that lead to various interactive websites. For example, this one leads to blowingbubblesinthesky.com.
Verizon asks its Facebook fans to submit photos from their Verizon phones or tablest for a chance to win a tablet and be featured as the cover photo.
For a company that dates as far back as Ford, Timeline provides a great opportunity to show off old photos and share extensive history.
Facebook recently extended Timeline back to the year 1800. Organizations such as the U.S. Navyand Army can now share their full histories.
What are your best practices for brands on Facebook Timeline?
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