In the last month, we’ve been lucky enough to see two totally ingenious campaigns which have done exactly that. Proving that this is where the future of our industry lies, both campaigns have relied heavily on social media to get their messages out there.
The first came to us courtesy of the creative minds at Old Spice (yes, the cheap and nasty aftershave our dads all wore in the seventies). Looking to reinvent itself as a cheeky, witty brand which knows how to poke fun at itself, they developed a hugely entertaining ad campaign featuring smooth, sophisticated brand ambassador, NFL athlete Isaiah Mustafa – “the man your man could smell like”.
The ads were a huge Youtube hit, gaining more than 25 million views worldwide, but what really took the campaign to the next level was its interactive element. Viewers were invited to tweet their questions to Mustafa @oldspiceguy with the promise that he would get back to as many as possible with a personalized video response. It doesn’t get much more interactive than that. With everyone from Perez Hilton to GQ magazine getting in on the act, Old Spice Guy went stratospheric as media clamoured to get their own personalized content created.
185 personalised videos later, the campaign ended in a blaze of glory, having cemented its place in history as one of the best – if not the best – use of social media to date.
The second campaign which has had us all in fits of jealousy was masterminded by stationery brand Tippex. The up-til-now dull as dishwater product decided to utilize Youtube for an interactive campaign aimed at the hard to impress youth market. The campaign invited viewers to “rewrite” the ending of a video in which a hunter was preparing to shoot a bear by typing in their own command. The viewer is then played a new ending of their choice.
It’s a brilliant and funny concept which has the potential to waste many hours, but what was particularly innovative was the brand’s use of Youtube. Instead of simply creating and uploading videos like every other user, Tippex created their own bespoke video application, designed to look and behave like a normal Youtube page. In this way, they were able to create a multitude of alternative endings for their story. It also enabled the actor in the video to literally reach out of the screen and grab the product, masquerading as a bog standard Youtube ad, and incorporate it into the video. All very postmodern.
If anyone remembers the Burger King Subservient Chicken campaign from a few years back, you’ll know the concept itself isn’t completely new, but its delivery and ingenious use of social media is definitely groundbreaking. If you’ve not already checked out either campaign, then you’re in for a real treat.
View them here: www.oldspice.com and here:
http://www.youtube.com/profile?annotation_id=annotation_980821&user=tippexperience&feature=iv
