You may of seen the latest trailer for the film 'Step Up 2-The Streets' on TV. But what I didn't know about that the first movie 'Step Up' and in fact the latest one, is that their success is down to the social networking site 'Myspace'.
In 2006 'Step Up' movie marketers and in fact creators created a community around the film. Online. At Myspace. The trailer says
'In 2006 the Myspace community made the movie 'Step Up' a phenomenon'. In 2007 you get to help us make the sequel'
asking for the public to upload their own video's, either performing dance moves with your crew, dancing solo, and singing. Obvious the best ones got chosen. They got the chance to perform their own dance moves in the movie and sing on the 'Step Up 2- The Streets' soundtrack.
I would presume they asked to do the same for the first movie as well judging by the quote above.
Heres the trailer asking for new moves and songs for the current movie in 2007:
What a way to get some much possible content for the movie, thousands of videos, and a lot of talent. An online casting convenient and easy for everybody involved. Defiantly the brand.
What does this do for the brand? well bang, they have created a community which gets everyone talking within. Taking advantage of their fans social communities. Placing their brand where everyone is, making it easier to target their desired audience. Quickly and directly.
Again the push to pull idea, they provide an web presence that we want to use. We go to them. Once we are there, we can them be subject to more information about the movie, more advertisements, and to register. Taking our email address which they use for future promotions.
We pull them in. It engages us interactively. Its a fun, enjoyable, and potentially rewarding experience. Creates a community around the brand. Takes advantage of social networking, broadband and more compotent users? Sounds like a web 2.0 application to me
Friday, 21 March 2008
Thursday, 20 March 2008
Are virals an example of web 2.0?
So how do virals relate to web 2.0?
Mash-Ups
Firstly It takes advantage of social networking with the ability for us to easily communicate with each other over various channels, and broadband connections with more competent users, people know how to attach something and send it on.
Virals use social networks and include a new application built for the new web. These are mash-ups, these are new applications that have ability to retrieve data from one source and place it within another. By using mash-ups, the brands viral ad can be placed anywhere, anytime. It can have a much wider reach to its audience, spanning over all the different social networking channels. Like a virus, it starts to appear everywhere allowing the brand to get endless amounts of publicity, good and bad.
To show an example, I have done it above, placed YouTube videos within my blog. Users can now view videos without having to go to the direct source. I will explain a bit more about mash-ups hopefully later on.
From user to participant
Its fun, enjoyable, they do something, they become active. instead of just reading content. they are almost writing it. user generated content. What we want to see, not the brand.
Architecture of participation
It demonstrates the 'architecture of participation' it gets the user to do something, in this case easily send something on, with minimal effort, but with maximum results.
All these things make up an excellent brand recognition for the product or service, intentionally or not. Its different in the way the brand isn't pushed in our face, its ambient approach to selling the brand allows us to enjoy these ads. And it this enjoyment, shock, or humor thats makes us unaware that we are marketing the brand subconsciously ignoring the face that its an advertising campaign.
People have the power
In web 2.0 brands are realizing the importance and power of internet users. Each and everyone one of us can see our friendship and communication trees expanding. Mainly through social networks. More information and data can be passed around far more quickly if it comes from us. allowing the brand to get more publicity over a wider audience.
But I think the main advantage we have is that we become the marketer for the brand. The advantage of this is that people receiving messages from their friends or people they know, respond more favorably than being targeted directly by a business. It has more credibility if we recommend it to others. We are unaware we are being targeted by an advertising message because it has come from someone we know. Like I mentioned in a previous blog entry, we are more media savvy than ever, and brands must find and devise equally savvy techniques to market their brands which we do not recognize as an advertising message. Otherwise it will get ignored. And i believe viral advertising gets across brand recognition in a very interesting way. Only if done correctly.
Push to Pull
Viral video's don't push the brand upon us, they don't wave it in front of our faces. They simply pull us in. The laughter and controversy gets everyone talking, either way your going to want to see it. People want to see what the fuss is all about, and go to the website or try out their products due to what they have just seen.
Theirs no direct sales pitch from the brand, it simply works on laughter. The fact its sent to us by a friend, we don't even see it as an advertisement so we don't ignore it. therefore watching it and eventually passing it on again and again.
It's up to us to go check out the brand, either through buying products, or going to their website, but we don't mind doing it because we had a laugh with the brand and find them more human.
Mash-Ups
Firstly It takes advantage of social networking with the ability for us to easily communicate with each other over various channels, and broadband connections with more competent users, people know how to attach something and send it on.
Virals use social networks and include a new application built for the new web. These are mash-ups, these are new applications that have ability to retrieve data from one source and place it within another. By using mash-ups, the brands viral ad can be placed anywhere, anytime. It can have a much wider reach to its audience, spanning over all the different social networking channels. Like a virus, it starts to appear everywhere allowing the brand to get endless amounts of publicity, good and bad.
To show an example, I have done it above, placed YouTube videos within my blog. Users can now view videos without having to go to the direct source. I will explain a bit more about mash-ups hopefully later on.
From user to participant
Its fun, enjoyable, they do something, they become active. instead of just reading content. they are almost writing it. user generated content. What we want to see, not the brand.
Architecture of participation
It demonstrates the 'architecture of participation' it gets the user to do something, in this case easily send something on, with minimal effort, but with maximum results.
All these things make up an excellent brand recognition for the product or service, intentionally or not. Its different in the way the brand isn't pushed in our face, its ambient approach to selling the brand allows us to enjoy these ads. And it this enjoyment, shock, or humor thats makes us unaware that we are marketing the brand subconsciously ignoring the face that its an advertising campaign.
People have the power
In web 2.0 brands are realizing the importance and power of internet users. Each and everyone one of us can see our friendship and communication trees expanding. Mainly through social networks. More information and data can be passed around far more quickly if it comes from us. allowing the brand to get more publicity over a wider audience.
But I think the main advantage we have is that we become the marketer for the brand. The advantage of this is that people receiving messages from their friends or people they know, respond more favorably than being targeted directly by a business. It has more credibility if we recommend it to others. We are unaware we are being targeted by an advertising message because it has come from someone we know. Like I mentioned in a previous blog entry, we are more media savvy than ever, and brands must find and devise equally savvy techniques to market their brands which we do not recognize as an advertising message. Otherwise it will get ignored. And i believe viral advertising gets across brand recognition in a very interesting way. Only if done correctly.
Push to Pull
Viral video's don't push the brand upon us, they don't wave it in front of our faces. They simply pull us in. The laughter and controversy gets everyone talking, either way your going to want to see it. People want to see what the fuss is all about, and go to the website or try out their products due to what they have just seen.
Theirs no direct sales pitch from the brand, it simply works on laughter. The fact its sent to us by a friend, we don't even see it as an advertisement so we don't ignore it. therefore watching it and eventually passing it on again and again.
It's up to us to go check out the brand, either through buying products, or going to their website, but we don't mind doing it because we had a laugh with the brand and find them more human.
Is Viral the way?
Millward Brown points out an excellent section in his POV again. Viral advertising isn't for every brand. Excellent ending to his article. Although Virals can be a success. They can also be a failure if not executed and presented in the right manner.
I recommend you read this article.
Is Viral the Free Ride Your Brand Needs?
'For the right brand, viral advertising offers a powerful means to reach target consumers for little cost. But despite the growing interest among marketers, viral may not be the right strategy for every brand. Unless carefully thought through and executed, these "experiments" may do as much harm as good. Free exposure online will be valuable only when the execution fits brand objectives, resonates with the target audience and does not offend viewers outside the target group. If a viral campaign can't work within those parameters, an advertiser would be well advised to pass it up rather than pass it on.'
I recommend you read this article.
Wednesday, 19 March 2008
Dove-Evolution-The Campaign For Real Beauty
The video demonstrates an example of how the fashionistic world often creates unattainable images of beauty that real women feel pressured to live up to. Illustrating how our perceptions of beauty are manipulated and distorted. Finally showing what goes on behind the scenes making us aware that these model pictures are not 'real'.
Viral ads- Once its out, it aint coming back!
Obviously viral marketing has its disadvantages, its not all fun and games, and doesn't necessarily work for every brand. If its not very well thought out and executed it does have the potential to ruin the brands image. Millward Brown points out.
Close to the bone
Ok, the ads maybe humorous or whatever, but did the advert actually increase the sales of the Sports Ka? yeah it got people talking, and reached millions, but did it help Ford?, or did it ruin the brand for many others. I suppose as it was so cheap to produce, they are not to worried about their bank balance, but did it potential wipe away potential buyers after the ad was released? and be to close to the bone for some.
The wrong crowd
Also with a viral ad going to so many different people all over the world, a brand may start to attract the wrong crowd, and communicate to the wrong people. They may not even want to be associated your brand. Ok, this is not the end of the world, because you rely on the millions of other people it reaches. Its very much like bait, some fish bite it, and others swim away.
Brand Dilution
Another key point is 'Brand dilution' viral marketing depends solely upon the public, not the people involved in your brand to do the "selling" for you. The brand lets go, and they decided to let us make it a success or not. Thats why if its not done properly, like the examples you seen, then more than likely it won't be passed on. Dissolving, instead on evolving.
Forcing Sales
I think the success of the 'good' viral ads i have shown in this blog, all demonstrate one thing. The brand comes second. As i mentioned before, the transition from push to pull marketing is evident with some viral ads. I have mentioned it before, and I will mention it again as I think its important. A good viral campaign will not push the brand in front of the consumers eye. It won't wave around sale discounts, brand logo's, or product prices. They are so successful because their commercial sales pitch is so ambient we don't realize it. Normally a small logo at the end or brand name appears, but its at the end, and by this time we watched the ad.
Its successful elements of shock, humor, edgy, or successfully communicating the brands service or products comes first, overriding the second (the brand). This is what makes us pass it on, unaware that we are subconsciously selling the brand to the next person, and unaware subconsciously that we have been subject to an advertising message because it comes from our friends first. The brand second.
Media Savvy
If the brand image is not ambient enough within the message, it becomes just another advertising which ultimately get rejected, ignored and worst of all, not passed on.
We as consumers are becoming extremely media savvy, we are starting to know, if not already how the media works. We are becoming more and more savvy of what we are being fed, we can chose what we want to digest, but also what we leave on the plate.
If a viral ad becomes like any other traditional advert, more than likely we will go starving
Close to the bone
'Viral does have a downside: the potential to damage brands. In trying to develop ads with sufficient shock value to capture attention, agencies may stray too far over the line of acceptability'.He goes onto to explain about the Ford Ka adverts.
'For example, an ad for Ford SportKa portrayed a cat being decapitated by the car's sunroof, with the tagline "Ford SportKa: The Ka's evil twin." Ford denied authorizing the release of the ad and claimed to have rejected the concept. A partner ad, which featured a pigeon getting whacked by the Ka's hood, did make it on air in the U.K. but was pulled because of viewer complaints. Without doubt, these two ads differentiated the SportKa from the Ka, which was perceived as a mundane little runabout. But many potential buyers, even those not in the market for a SportKa, may have taken exception to the ads and been put off the idea of buying a Ford'.
Ok, the ads maybe humorous or whatever, but did the advert actually increase the sales of the Sports Ka? yeah it got people talking, and reached millions, but did it help Ford?, or did it ruin the brand for many others. I suppose as it was so cheap to produce, they are not to worried about their bank balance, but did it potential wipe away potential buyers after the ad was released? and be to close to the bone for some.
The wrong crowd
Also with a viral ad going to so many different people all over the world, a brand may start to attract the wrong crowd, and communicate to the wrong people. They may not even want to be associated your brand. Ok, this is not the end of the world, because you rely on the millions of other people it reaches. Its very much like bait, some fish bite it, and others swim away.
Brand Dilution
Another key point is 'Brand dilution' viral marketing depends solely upon the public, not the people involved in your brand to do the "selling" for you. The brand lets go, and they decided to let us make it a success or not. Thats why if its not done properly, like the examples you seen, then more than likely it won't be passed on. Dissolving, instead on evolving.
Forcing Sales
I think the success of the 'good' viral ads i have shown in this blog, all demonstrate one thing. The brand comes second. As i mentioned before, the transition from push to pull marketing is evident with some viral ads. I have mentioned it before, and I will mention it again as I think its important. A good viral campaign will not push the brand in front of the consumers eye. It won't wave around sale discounts, brand logo's, or product prices. They are so successful because their commercial sales pitch is so ambient we don't realize it. Normally a small logo at the end or brand name appears, but its at the end, and by this time we watched the ad.
Its successful elements of shock, humor, edgy, or successfully communicating the brands service or products comes first, overriding the second (the brand). This is what makes us pass it on, unaware that we are subconsciously selling the brand to the next person, and unaware subconsciously that we have been subject to an advertising message because it comes from our friends first. The brand second.
Media Savvy
'Yes, absolutely. But as we exist in a media savvy world, so the stunts have to be equally savvy. They need to have a style and humor that makes sense with the brand they are related to, rather than just being a stunt for a stunt’s sake'
Kevin Murray, Chairman of the Bell Pottinger Group, the Public Relations Division of Chime Communications
If the brand image is not ambient enough within the message, it becomes just another advertising which ultimately get rejected, ignored and worst of all, not passed on.
We as consumers are becoming extremely media savvy, we are starting to know, if not already how the media works. We are becoming more and more savvy of what we are being fed, we can chose what we want to digest, but also what we leave on the plate.
If a viral ad becomes like any other traditional advert, more than likely we will go starving
Tango's spoof- Better than the original!
Another great example of a viral ad campaign. Bloody excellent!!
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