♔ Read this or Die - A Field Guide to Participatory Media

Landscape Reality

There are clearly too many products and services today.   There are too many features in each product, too many media messages, and too many elements per page.  Not to mention—too many competing channels and too many entities vying for our attention. The marketing challenge however is that consumers are so inundated with information that they actually end up no longer valuing simple goods or services.   The resulting “Feature Clutter” only adds to consumer paralysis, as our capacity as humans to digest this information hasn’t evolved at all.  Today’s range of choices may so confuse a buyer that they’ll put up with the old model rather than decide which is the best of the products advertised. What becomes evident is that the newest barriers to competition are the mental walls that customers erect. The modern consumer does not like to be sold— they like to buy (and tend to purchase in groups). For the first time in history, the most powerful barriers to competition are not controlled by companies, but by consumers.  

Opportunity

Consumers aren’t seeking features and benefits so much as tribal identity, asking themselves, “If I buy this product what will that make me?”   Today, it’s ALL about the user experience, value-proposition and the subsequent exchange—and consumers are evolving to platforms that feel more like a conversation, (and less like a sales pitch.)  They’re also listening more to their friends, in a return to the word-of-mouth culture that existed before mass communications.  That’s the simple beauty of Social Media—as it acts as an enabler and facilitator of this exchange and importantly evolves your communication from a (one-way) monologue to a (two-way) participatory experience.

Why Social Media

It’s not enough to simply differentiate today—brands must radically differentiate, as just keeping up with the competition isn’t enough.  In our opinion, Social Media is the silver bullet.  It’s about recognizing, accounting for, and tapping into the fact that, as your potential consumer makes a purchasing (or engagement) decision—they are being influenced by different circles of people through conversations with them, both online and off.  Consumer conversations about brands, products and services are increasingly woven into the interactions of social networks as a means to connect with others, and these conversations have great influence even though people aren’t consciously asking about brand opinions. Furthermore, consumers do not always realize how much influencing they are doing and how much they are being influenced when they have conversations about brands across social platforms. 

Social media, collaboration and networking certainly seem to be all the rage these days, but many people still do not understand what all the fuss is about. From the outside looking in, it would seem that online social networking is all about spending a lot of time doing nothing.  But once you understand that a social network is as much of a place or social construct, as it is an activity, all of that begins to change.   For many people, Social Networks are their home (or “hub”) online; a small piece of the web that they can call their own.  Social media is media disseminated through social interaction online.  Users gravitate towards it extends a platform that allows people to both express their individuality and meet people with similar interests. This structure typically includes profiles, friends, blog posts, widgets, and usually something unique to that particular social networking website—such as the ability to 'poke' people on Facebook or “High Five” on Hi5.  People and organizations accordingly are reordering their priorities and causing global change across a range of interconnected spaces.

Most companies are seeing Social Media as an imperative today simply because search ranking, indexing, and monetization are now directly tied to end-user experience and interaction.  To this end, our ultimate goal is to ensure a framework is in place to turn the world of social media into a strong asset and powerful tool to grow and extend your business.  If the past decade was all about the power of linking and integrating web pages and data, today it's all about power of linking and integrating people.

Facebook

With 650+ million users globally (and millions more being added each week) Facebook is dominating the web in unparalleled ways. Yet, even as the social network has steadily grown over its short but remarkable history, many brands have remained on the sidelines of the social media revolution.

Facebook was the most visited site on the web for the week ending on March 13, 2010, surpassing even Google in weeklong stats for the first time in history, according to Hitwise. The shift in user habits and audience targeting is palpable and it provides marketers, brand managers, issue advocates, and political campaigns today with an age old choice: Adapt and change or face irrelevance and extinction.  The story is clear: Change happens. To survive it, you must anticipate it; and to be successful, you must embrace it.

           

Just as intelligent companies adapted their marketing and communications models for the advent of Google over the last decade, dominance has forced another “change or become extinct” moment.  To thrive in a rapidly changing marketplace, corporate communicators must understand that the shift now underway is just as powerful as the one that transformed Google into the modern Yellow Pages and turned a Silicon Valley start-up into a $200 billion everyday necessity.  Far too many executives unfortunately still see Facebook as a vast, uncontrollable outpost and not for corporate reputation management, crisis response, and brand bulletproofing.

But the numbers don’t lie. Almost half-a-billion users each spend an average of nearly 6 hours per month on the site –- inhabiting networks that are largely free of corporate messaging, spam, and expensive advertising. This ought to make at least a few corporate titans rethink that next $1 million Super Bowl ad buy (even if Google did buy its first in 2010).  One must 'fish where the fish' are and a branded Facebook Page should be a staple online marketing decision for most consumer brands today for all of the following reasons:

· No media spend necessary (unless you invest in social ads across Facebook)
· Access to near real-time analytics and demographics (Facebook Insights)
· Direct engagement with your consumers via Walls, Discussion Posts and commenting
· Targeted updates to Fans (age, gender and region)
· The ability to listen to your community – recommendations, complaints, suggestions, user experiences
· A place to replicate existing content (RSS feeds, photos, videos)
· A signpost to your official web presence (and conversion tool to migrate people to something actionable/ transactional.)

The Evolution the Search Algorithm

The reality is that your existing website would have likely served its purpose in the Web 1.0 world (some time ago).   These were the days of the website as a “destination” and typically evidenced similar information found in a traditional brochure.  At that time, the way that search engines found and indexed websites was based on simple organic listings.  More specifically, if you had advertised offline to drive people to your website, or alternatively people “knew” who they were looking for (i.e. searched specifically for “your brand”) they would have likely found your listing.    

Also, in those days, if someone was searching online for a specific “topic” and selected your brand's link, Google for example, would heighten/strengthen the link or association between the search terms “topic” and “your brand”.  Naturally over a period of time, if your brands link is more relevant then others competing organically for the same search terms, you could potentially have a top Search ranking.  Adding ad banners, SEO, or keyword purchases at this time also greatly assisted in driving traffic at this time.

The Web 2.0. world was still in the “destination” web mindset.  Added integration with databases extended users more relevant online experiences that were “in context”.  This was the age of (1:1) personalization of web content.   To be a “known” or “recognized” user typically required signing up - and the goal of websites at that time was to aggregate “Registered” or “known” users (in order to be able to continue the dialogue and relationship beyond one visit.)  Search Engines also started indexing Web2.0 platforms differently - extending added value and ranking for personalization and depth of experience.   Adding ad banners, SEO, or keyword purchases at this time also greatly assisted in driving traffic to the destination.

In today’s Web 3.0 world, the Internet is becoming more democratic.  Meaning, rather then having to view what large corporations jam down our throats, user’s decide what’s of interest and popular by their usage and sharing of web content. Just think of TV; NBC, ABC, CBS etc. ALL have paid programming they air daily, whether you like the specific programming or not.  This model is quickly being replaced by YouTube (Vimeo, HULU and numerous other online “channels”) make this traditional model obsolete - as users today can watch what they want, when they want, where they want.   Not only that, if they like something, it can easily be shared with friends.   The 1:1 model has turned into All:All.

All this activity creates a hierarchy of what’s most popular and the content that is the most popular receives top listing, not the paid content from Coca-Cola.  This is specifically why companies are creating and seeding web-only content that is significantly different then traditional media.  What’s clear is that today the consumer is in the driving seat.  Web 1.0 websites are not even on the radar, specifically because the content is not participatory.   In truth, even if you spent $50,000 on SEO and Keywords, the shear volume of interconnected activity generated by modern Web3.0 sites (tied to social media) dwarfs Web1.0 (brochure-ware) sites.

Therefore, our proposal is to develop a digital ecosystem that allows one single point of update and easy management.   A platform whereby any content, whether your own or user-generated is integrated and shared with all other digital properties, giving a natural (associated) lift to all properties.  Google also updated their algorithm to take “social connectivity” into consideration, thus again favoring our Synced-Model as each and every engagement is literally amplified exponentially (and indexed accordingly).

Marketing in the Social Age

Connecting the dots will require new ways of working. And marketing’s close link with consumers will require it to lead these new ways of interacting and communicating, pushing process innovation to other parts of the organization all in an effort to serve customers better. In the end, the upheaval will be worth it. There are numerous advantages to changing to consistently deliver value to consumers.

What follows are four attractive benefits, each of which sets the stage for innovation:

1. More successful products and services

Consumers are often left out of product development, and today 80% of new products fail. But once connected, companies will be able to iterate the process of bringing a product or service to market, which will improve success rates. Marketing leaders will tap quick wins like delivering consumer service insights and online feedback to the product teams to gain support. Then they will push to make communication with consumer groups the central element to new product development processes, connecting innovation to end buyers. 

2. Stronger Brand

Consistent support of consumers around their life cycles and tighter integration of intangible and tangible value will result in stronger brands. More brands will become lifestyle choices as marketers approach their consumer groups with adapted offerings, service platforms, and branded content. Brands will mean more to the consumer groups who adopt them, resulting in stronger ties and loyalty. That means there will be higher expectations of brands too. But a brand shouldn’t let increased strength go to its head. The consumer and their needs must always lead.  

3. More loyal Customers

Connecting the dots will create enterprises that are more attuned to and focused on servicing consumers. Data will allow marketers to better understand consumers and hone offerings. This will in turn lead to greater customer satisfaction and create a virtuous circle of feedback and growth in loyalty. Growth will come through three opportunities: 1) building share within consumer groups; 2) increasing the share of customer spending; and 3) selling higher value products and services.  Participation is the new Loyalty.

4. Better allocation of all Resources

The core premise of connecting the dots is alignment of both objectives and resources — i.e., investment levels and staffing — for the common goal of delighting specific consumers —, which means companies, will progressively waste less. How? First, the contradictions and inconsistencies resulting from today’s operational silos will gradually dwindle. For example, the leaky bucket syndrome of acquiring new customers to replace those leaving due to discontent will slow, reducing acquisition costs.  Secondly, marketers will shift investment from mass acquisition campaigns — half wasted in the famous words of John Wanamaker — to more managed models, taking advantage of the targeting available with integrated media platforms. The bottom line will improve as marketers focus their media efforts with properties that speak specifically to each consumer group and push media companies to align.

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Need some help crafting a Social Media framework for your brand?  Contact info@goodbuzz.ca

SAPPORO's “The Legendary Biru” Campaign Gets Lost In Translation

The original task assumedly of this campaign was to “tell the story of the Sapporo brewing process weaving Japan’s deep cultural heritage into the narrative”.  Presumably, a secondary client goal should have been established to “share that message with as many people as possible”.   We kid - as it's great work on many production levels.  The only point we hope to demonstrate is that, with a few slight tweaks in strategy, this could have been so much more. 

The website itself is centered on a character – the Sage – who is “the keeper of the legend of Sapporo".  He leads visitors on a treasure hunt through the site where the goal is to collect a number of hidden scrolls. Some are easy to find and tell a brief story about the beer, while others are well hidden and require diligence to unlock. Those who reach the end of the journey are given a message tailored to the number of scrolls they’ve discovered, while those who manage to collect all 15 scrolls are entered to win a trip to Japan”.  Ho hum.  

The “website as destination" strategy demonstrated needs to evolve to a branded utility model (or something far more in touch with the way people access, use, and share content today).  Certainly the website could remain a central focus and hub of the online campaign, but the real fun and engagement could have been extended well beyond a simple site experience - especially in light of all the dynamic new technologies available today.  

The campaign should have been far more focused more extending messaging virally and making the idea bigger then the media or medium.  Imagine, for example, if users were rewarded/ incentivized for extending SAPPORO content to peers?  Better still if the user could be positioned as the story's "Hero" rather than the "Sage" character.   In essence, allowing consumers and prospects to adopt the Sapporo brand as their own (and be validated socially for it in a clever, interesting, and entertaining way using emerging technology).  Imagine further if this content was so interesting, so compelling and entertaining News channels picked up the story?   Imagine if the original goal was to take $10 in media spend and garner $100 in ROI?  

While we definitely applaud the attempted storytelling aspect of the “Sage” taking people on a Sapporo journey – the campaigns biggest failure is it's lack of participatory vehicles (it feels like a monologue).  Although the production is high, the creative strategy seems woefully ignorant of the SAPPORO target demographic and their social technographic profile.  As further evidence of this point, as of this posting there were only 29 “Fans” on the SAPPORO Facebook page (the only social property we could find).

As competitive as the Beer market is, marketers can easily lose sight of the emotional connection their brands have with their consumers—and just how critical that connection is to their overall success.   As consumers take command of their media consumption and increasingly filter out traditional brand messages—deeper storytelling and relevant emotional consumer connections are becoming powerful competitive weapons as they reconnect and deepen the emotional underpinnings of your brand.

Bottom line:  A campaign like this may have captured consumers mind-set a years ago, however, today there are amazingly no participatory elements in the campaign that resonate or create any real Buzz; nothing certainly that ‘pops’ - disrupts or differentiates itself - or adds real user value, utility, or entertainment.     Bottom line - it’s really important when planning and executing campaigns today to focus on one BIG, VIRAL, RELEVANT, DIFFERENTIATING IDEA (based upon a unique brand insight) - then amplify it across all relevant channels in meaningful and engaging ways.  

But of course, that’s just our two-cents.  What do you think? Check the site out at www.legendarybiru.com.  

Sapporo Beer from Lollipop on Vimeo.

Sapporo Beer from Lollipop on Vimeo.

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Goodbuzz Inc. is a Toronto-based Digital Agency that creates social media campaigns that entice consumers to play, create, and share brand experiences. This is accomplished by focusing on developing "branded utility" - moving away from interruptive 'push' models towards more meaningful ways of connecting. From simple metrics to actionable insights that enable data-driven marketing decisions - Goodbuzz links social media efforts to business outcomes. Visit Goodbuzz or join us on Facebook. Any / all product names mentioned in this document may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies and are hereby acknowledged.

Infographics from "SLIGHTWARE: THE NEXT GREAT THREAT TO BRANDS"

This book by Kenneth J. Weiss provides some excellent infographics on:

Forces in the User Experience

Campaigns and Conversations

The User Experience Funnel

The User Experience Lifecycle

Innovations and Artifacts

Above content expert’s from Chapter 1 of Kenneth J. Weiss’s book “Slightware: The Next Great Threat to Brands”

About the author

STELLA ARTOIS LAUNCHES MOBILE AUGMENTED-REALITY BAR GUIDE

The worlds top Belgian beer; Stella Artois has launched an augmented-reality bar guide application called “Le Bar Guide”.   “Le Bar Guide” is a free 3D Augmented-Reality iPhone application that lets consumers search using geo-tracking for bars nearby via ZIP, Postal code, country or user rating. The simple premise of the new application is to enable Stella Artois to promote all bars that serve Stella Artois.

Le Bar Guide fuses the real-world view of the consumer’s immediate surroundings in augmented reality, providing a guide to bar locations.  When the iPhone is held vertically, Le Bar Guide shows profiles of bars in the consumer’s immediate vicinity. The profiles are overlaid on the street view from their location.  Consumers can hold the phone with the camera pointing at the ground and the application will show arrows pointing the consumer in the direction of nearby bars.

This social application also importantly features user-generated content.  Consumers can rate bars according to the menu, atmosphere, other clients and the service.  The application also has a section for comments about locations for other Le Bar Guide users.

The application currently has more than 50,000 bars listed worldwide. Bar data comes from a Stella Artois Web service that provides geo-location information on all the bars that serve Stella in the U.S. and worldwide.

The Le Bar Guide’S handy “Le Taxi” feature even sources numbers for Taxi services from a local country directory.

Using the iPhone is also perfect for Stella’s target of affluent males between the ages of 25-35.    Adding Augmented Reality, the overlay of images on the real world via a device’s camera, adds a heighten experience and a more intuitive user interface.  Moreover, “Stella Artois chose this technology because they believe over the next three-to-four years augmented reality will be the primary delivery mechanism for location-based services. This is where the users are.”  

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SPRITE GETS MOBILE

The Coca-Cola Co. has launched an application to promote its Sprite brand, emphasizing that mobile has become an integral part of its 360-degree marketing strategy.

Sprite has launched Zoozbeat Sprite, the first iPhone application to be offered through Sprite’s ongoing Under the Cap promotion. When consumers enter Sprite cap codes via text message, they receive mobile rewards, including the new Sprite-branded, music-focused Zoozbeat application.

“Smart marketers are looking at all the different ways to communicate with people—traditional, in-store, out-of-home, online and mobile,” said a spokeswoman for Coca-Cola. “Since the Sprite brand is focused on youth, we want to focus on mobile in particular, and this is the first big Under the Cap program we’ve launched in the U.S., which we’re looking to grow moving forward,” she said. “If you’re not taking that 360-degree approach today, then you’re not marketing effectively.”

Zoozbeat Sprite’s music, recreation, and remix studio has been downloaded more than 1 million times since launching in the Apple App Store in November 2008.  Zoozbeat Sprite transforms iPhones into mobile music studios, letting users create their own tracks with downloadable beats and samples from music producers and artists such as Dallas Austin.

Zoozbeat Sprite works by shaking, tilting or tapping the iPhone screen to create and combine rhythmic and melodic tracks that can be uploaded to the Web for listening and sharing in mp3 format with friends.  Users can unlock additional beats within the application by twisting the cap off any Sprite or Sprite Zero bottle and texting in the keyword ZOOZ followed by the code under the cap.  Sprite will then provide consumers with a Zoozbeat Sprite code that can use be used to unlock more beats.  Additional artists being featured on the Zoozbeat Sprite application include hip-hop producer Khayree, Alex Christie, SY Scott, Novel, Sheed, Laron Brant and Spree Wilson.

The target demographic for the iPhone application is the same as overall target demographic for Sprite—multicultural youth ages 13-24.  As young people have their iPhones attached to their wrist a mobile app was a natural fit.   

Coca-Cola will also run mobile advertising across the mobile Web sites and within other iPhone applications to promote Zoozbeat Sprite.  Coca-Cola launched the iPhone application as an enhancement to the larger Under the Cap program Sprite has been running.  Consumers participating in the program can opt in to receive SMS alerts and other messages from Sprite.  The Under the Cap program is also promoted on packaging for the Sprite brand, encouraging consumers to text in to receive various rewards.  

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WHAT’S THE NEXT BIG THING IN DIGITAL MAKING BUZZ IN 2010?

Looking to add some real “buzz” to your 2011 brand activities? Goodbuzz urges clients to take advantage of today's environment of pervasive technologies and overlapping media to create new kinds of entertainment.

With that in mind, here are our “Top 3” opportunities for 2010 that will separate you from the pack:

1.  OUT-OF-HOME:  Imagine urban environments transformed (using technology) into public places for play,

2.  ONLINE + MOBILE:  Both games that respond to broadcast TV in real-time, and Game events driven by real-world data,

3.  SITUATED MEDIA:  Multimedia and hypermedia that are embedded in the surrounding spatial environment.  Essentially, it’s media that corresponds to
a users specific locations and contexts.

GOODBUZZ works with advertising agencies, media firms, networks, and large consumer brands to build brands that radically differentiate.  What can we do for you?

ESTEE LAUDER’S MOBILE HOLIDAY WISH-LIST SENDER

According to Deloitte’s 24th Annual Holiday Survey of retail spending and trends (2009), one in five consumers—19 percent—plan to use the mobile channel for holiday shopping this year, with 25 percent of those customers planning to use a mobile phone to make a purchase.

To capitalize on this, Estée Lauder launched a mobile storefront where users can go to send gift ideas to friends and family during the holidays. The Estée Lauder storefront contains product images that consumers may select and send to their friends and family members’ mobile phones.

This is not the first time Estée Lauder has used mobile.  The brand is also helping raise awareness for breast cancer via an ad campaign that is running on Kargo and Hearst Magazines’ mobile properties (see story). The cosmetics giant also offered a Gift Time SMS Text Reminder service allowing consumers to sign up to receive text-message alerts (see story).

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BUDWEISER GETS MOBILE

Budweiser, owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev, the worlds largest brewing conglomerate, ran mobile ads for its Bud Light Lime brand on the Weather Channel’s mobile site and within its iPhone application to promote its mobile initiatives.

Ads included videos and click-to-Bud Light WAP sites and the Apple App Store. The iPhone application banner ads were expandable ad units, so a user can touch the ad to expand it to take up a majority of the screen on the device, featuring a video that played within the ad unit that conveyed being on the beach and having a Bud.

“The idea was to promote Bud Light during the key summer months, with The Weather Channel iPhone application providing an exclusive opportunity and audience reach,” said the Vice President of mobile for The Weather Channel Interactive, Atlanta.  “Several creative executions rotated with important seasonal messages about Bud Light Lime and Bud Light’s Port Paradise promotion”.

The strategy behind The Weather Channel ad-supported app for iPhone was to make the top weather app even more useful while still remaining free for consumers.  It’s clear that Mobile customers respond to superior products and services---with more than 6.5 million downloads.   The Weather Channel application is now the top weather application in the Apple App Store, and its rich media expandable 320x40/300 ad unit offers a breakthrough creative execution.

Many of the banners in Bud Light Lime’s campaign drove consumers to the company’s Bud Light Lime Summer Hotspots iPhone Application. The application helps consumers locate hot spots in their area where they can cool off with a Bud Light Lime during the summer.  Also, consumers were driven to http://www.budlightlime.com/m/budlime.

Ads within the iPhone application also promoted Bud Light’s Paradise sweepstakes. Consumers were asked to text the keyword CRUISE to short code 23377 (BEERS) for a chance to win a cruise.

Bud Light’s adult consumers are heavy users of the mobile Web and 92 percent of TWC’s iPhone application users are 21 years of age or older.  The app is a great benefit to users and advertisers alike – opening the doors for expandable ads, click to video, GPS and more – all without sacrificing user experience.

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THE MUPPETS GO MOBILE WITH BRITISH ROCK BAND QUEEN

Disney Interactive Studios launches “The Muppets Animal Drummer “for the iPhone and iPod touch. Available now on the App Store for $1.99 USD, the application puts users in the drummer’s seat for a game that will test the skills of wannabe rock drummers.  Users can watch and listen to Animal play then match Animal’s beat and timing to score points and unlock new songs. 

Music has always played a key role for the Muppets franchise, so to develop a music-based game with Animal, as the star was a great way to introduce the brand on the platform.  This is, according to Disney, the first step to a broader mobile initiative for the Muppets brand. The Muppets Studio LLC is a subsidiary of the Walt Disney Co. 

TMS plans to develop new content in all arenas, including television, feature films, Internet, music and theme parks, and to enhance the Muppets global licensing and distribution presence.  The Muppets Animal Drummer application features a Free Play Mode where users can rock out with Muppets character “Animal” to original music or songs imported from users’ iTunes music library.  Users can also score points and create combos to charge their Rock Meter and power their stage presence.  They can also use the application to create original music, then hit the record feature and watch Animal replay their jam session.

In addition to this application release the Muppets have teamed up with legendary British rock band QUEEN to record a version of "Bohemian Rhapsody."   “The Queen and Muppets’ version of ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ was released digitally by Walt Disney Records on December 15, so users of Animal Drummer can actually rock out with Animal and the song in the app's Free Play Mode by first downloading ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ through iTunes for $0.99 to their music library and then importing it into the app,” Mr. Saiz said.  “The track is also available as a ringtone on traditional mobile devices,” he said.

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VITAMINWATER application downloads over 250,000 times in two weeks

We mix the vitamins, you mix the beats:  Vitaminwater-branded Sound Lab application featuring hip-hop superstar 50 Cent was downloaded more than 250,000 times in the first two weeks after its induction.  The application lets fans download and remix the artist’s newest single “Baby By Me.” A mobile advertising campaign pushed 50’s Sound Lab application to No. 1 in the Top Free Music applications in the App Store.

“We met with vitaminwater in the summer and they were very keen on using music as a vehicle to reach their base," said Jon Vlassapulos, CEO of Moderati Inc., San Francisco. “They’re forward-thinking and they like the Romplr platform, which gelled with their overall consumer base.

“Coca-Cola’s Energy Brands thought an iPhone app would be an appealing natural extension of their relationship with 50 Cent, who is a founding partner of the vitaminwater brand, and it also dovetailed with the release of his new album,” he said.  Brands can get extra value out of endorsement deals via mobile. Energy Brands, also doing business as Glacéau, is a privately owned subsidiary of Coca-Cola based in Whitestone, NY, that manufactures and distributes various lines of enhanced water such as vitaminwater. Rap artist Curtis Jackson—known as 50 Cent—obtained a 10 percent share of the company as part of an endorsement deal.

This application reinforced vitaminwater’s brand objective of getting out the message that its product has vitamins in it with the tagline "We mix the vitamins, you mix the beats."The application came out the same day as the record, and it was a perfect storm where Apple picked it up, fans liked it and it shot to No. 1 after a few days in the App Store.

Successful app marketing
In addition to the download tally, which is approaching 300,000, user engagement figures included close to 1 million remixes uploaded to the companion site at http://www.50soundlab.com.

In addition, the application drove conversions—more than 64,000 downloads of 50 Cent’s latest single “Baby By Me.”  In-application purchases of mobile content are a growing trend to look out for in 2010.

The Sound Lab remix platform lets fans interact with music by creating their own versions of tracks by their favorite artists, thereby becoming part of the creative process themselves.  The 50’s Sound Lab application gives fans access to the key elements of the original recording and provides creative tools to connect with and personalize the new single.  In addition to being able to remix the new single, 50 Cent is giving one fan a chance to show off their skills and travel with a friend to meet the artist in New York City.

Once all of the vitaminwater remixes have been uploaded, 50 Cent will scout out the best remix of his latest single and invite that person to meet with him.  Users can record and share their personal mixes via Facebook, email or on the online interactive music companion site at http://www.50soundlab.com.

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LG LAUNCHED AN OUT-OF-HOME CAMPAIGN IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE FILM “AVATAR”

Handset manufacturer LG launched an out-of-home campaign in conjunction with the film “Avatar” to coincide with the launch of the latest Chocolate devices.  The two-week campaign featuring the new LG Chocolate BL40 and the forthcoming Chocolate BL20 ran across London 6 sheets and national bus T sides, in addition to the five interactive touch-screens in bus shelters.  The digital bus shelters featured information about the LG handsets, plus characters information, and trailers from James Cameron’s “Avatar” film, in theaters Dec. 17.

Engaging bus commuters
The interactive bus shelter hosted a 42-inch touch-screen combined with a PIR motion-activated system and camera.   When inactive, the screen features the eyes of Na’vi—a character in the film—until a member of the public approaches and the motion sensor activates a talking Avatar before the new Chocolate LG40 comes into the shot.

A short video shows the touch-screen and QWERTY keypad navigation, a walkthrough of the Web browser, Google maps and GPS applications before going to the media browser and selecting a video clip which launches the 30-second Avatar trailer.  Returning to the media browser carousel, the user is then invited to opt in by pressing icons on the screen to view more product information, take part in a competition or view the trailer again.

The partnership will be supported through a TV spot that features the “Avatar” movie trailer footage projected from LG eXpo and an interactive micro-site, which includes exclusive movie content.  The campaign’s TV ad began airing Fri., Dec. 11, on CBS during NCAA games and ESPN.  The TV broadcast ad is also running during cable programming such as CSTV, Adult Swim, Comedy Central, Discovery, G4, History Channel, Science Channel, Spike, SyFy and USA.

LG said that it wanted to have an impactful execution that would bring the new LG Chocolate’s feature set to life in an accurate and creative way that would both grab attention and involve consumers in the content.   Despite the high-tech, interactive nature of the campaign, there were a few missed opportunities.

An SMS call-to-action in the bus shelter would have given LG and Avatar the opportunity to ask consumers to text a keyword into a short code and opt in for alerts, coupons or future remarketing.  Also, there is not a mobile-optimized/WAP version of the micro-site, and there is no mobile advertising in conjunction with the campaign.   LG and “Avatar” however did launch an exclusive joint-sponsored Facebook page between Fox and MTV. 

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