Because we all got into marketing to have a little fun mixed in with our business (come on admit it, you did too), we will highlight marketing fun on our blog every Monday. Follow and contribute and you will become an inspired marketer plus the most interesting conversationalist at your next cocktail party, all courtesy Something Massive – #MonFun.
Monday Funday returns this week highlighting the work of the smart folks over at Method who are good at finding lots of fun and effective ways of hocking their soap. Sometimes controversial, always buzz-worthy, Method makes a big splash with a relatively small budget over and over again.
Take this spot, Shiny Suds, that Method aired in October. The point of the video is that you don’t really know what’s in your cleaner and that congress should mandate full disclosure of all of the chemicals that a typically marketed cleaner contains. The ad closes by touting peopleagainstdirty.com, a microsite that details the initiatives currently in the House and Senate addressing the need for greater transparency on home cleaners. AdAge reported that crowd at the Association for National Advertisers, where the ad was debuted, seemed to love the ad. A group of feminists was less impressed. Method pulled the ad but of course in our virally-charged marketplace, the creative piece lives on. I for one am not offended and I think the point is most excellently delivered. Buckets of fun right here:
Next the Method folks decided to have a little fun with their big-budget competition in Clorox. Recently, Clorox filed a cease and desist letter with Method over use of the yellow daisy image which Method has incorporated into its packaging and advertising for the last 6 years, long before the Clorox GreenWorks line was introduced. In response to the letter, Method has launched a microsite votedaisy.com where visitors are encouraged to decide who should own the daisy, Method, Clorox or Mother Nature.
Both of these initiatives drive to peopleagainstdirty.com where visitors are encouraged to contact their local representatives and urge the bills to pass. Method also touts their “cleaner clean” positioning and talks about the need for transparency. Method qualifies for Monday Funday status because they so skillfully use levity to call attention to serious matters and of course sell their soap. Method has just introduced their Laundry line and we can’t wait to see what viral initiative gets launched next.
Method, if you are listening, Something Massive is picking up what you are putting down. Way to get your point across and make us chuckle a little bit too. We salute you!
Because we all got into marketing to have a little fun mixed in with our business (come on admit it, you did too), we will highlight marketing fun on our blog every Monday. Follow and contribute and you will become an inspired marketer plus the most interesting conversationalist at your next cocktail party, all courtesy Something Massive – #MonFun.
One of our very favorite marketers, Scion, announced their latest marketing innovation this morning. “Reinvent the Wheels” is a 6-part web-only reality series that chronicles the journeys of 6 creatives as they build a car that will further their creative craft and push the boundaries of self-expression. Scion has lined up tattoo artist ZULU to serve as a mentor and three tuners from famed garages to help bring the vehicles to life. True to the reality format, surprise challenges will give the contestants the opportunity to win additional time to put toward customizing their car.
You can watch the trailer here. For Scion, this is a perfect expression of their brand which has always sought to highlight and support indie creative, and of course to underscore the ultra-customization that Scion enables and encourages. And watching the series won’t feel at all like watching an ad. That’s fun.
Of course, content like this that is produced by brands is not entirely new. Although some brands adopted the format several years ago, we believe that only now are the stars aligning to make these kinds of initiatives a viable and effective means of marketing. The web has become a destination for entertainment – even beyond the 30 second funny video on YouTube – with the popularity of sites like Hulu. Plus, even despite the crazy proliferation of cable channels, the web remains the very best place to find niche content opportunities that speak directly to an individual’s taste and interests. Now brands can bring the kind of niche content that a movie studio or television network wouldn’t take a chance on to an audience perfect for their product or service. And if it’s popular enough, who know what format that content might take next – book, television, or big screen. It has been our experience that these kinds of opportunities are ripe for the taking, IF a marketer has a team on their side who understands the intricacies of creating compelling programming and distributing it via the web. We’ve got that know-how so reach out if you’d like to talk some more.
Because we all got into marketing to have a little fun mixed in with our business (come on admit it, you did too), we will highlight marketing fun on our blog every Monday. Follow and contribute and you will become an inspired marketer plus the most interesting conversationalist at your next cocktail party, all courtesy Something Massive – #MonFun.
Mad Men has been a huge success with AMC, no doubt. Based on purely anecdotal evidence, I would venture that the advertising industry is leading the way. I know few advertising pros who don’t obsess over each episode of the highly-acclaimed drama. Now, AMC in a very fun move is extending the Mad Men mania with a line of Barbies from Mattel. Don, Betty, Roger and Joan will be fantastic in plastic when the dolls become available in June.
I’ve got to imagine that this is more of a PR move than an income generator. There’s a great article from the New York Times that goes into some detail about how Barbie and Man Men make great partners (not the least of which is the fact that Barbie’s debut was during the Mad Men era). The article does mention that fans of Mad Men will appreciate Mattel’s attention to detail. Which only leaves me wondering where Joan’s curves are and why I don’t see any cigarettes or cocktail glasses as accessories. I’ll give Mattel the benefit of the doubt on leaving out Mad Man’s most famous vices (sex enters the equation with the inclusion of Roger and Joan). But the curves, for the sake of all women and girls, really ought to be there.
Regardless, kudos to AMC and Lionsgate for a fun angle on promoting their Mad Men. Nice way to think outside of the box! Time will tell if it will draw additional audiences for the fourth season. I know I’ll be tuning in!
Because we all got into marketing to have a little fun mixed in with our business (come on admit it, you did too), we will highlight marketing fun on our blog every Monday. Follow and contribute and you will become an inspired marketer plus the most interesting conversationalist at your next cocktail party, all courtesy Something Massive – #MonFun.
Today there has been a good bit of buzz over Apple’s iPad commercial during last night’s Oscars. (Naysayers note: Oscars placement means Apple is positioning this product for the mainstream and I’m not one to bet against Apple.) The ad itself looks like a redux of the product video on Apple’s website. By my estimation, that was good thinking on Apple’s part since that’s the very marketing bit that tipped the scales in the iPad’s favor for this focus group of one (yours truly).
What about this ad then qualifies it for Monday Funday status? That song! It’s called There Goes My Love and it’s by a Danish band called The Blue Van. The Blue Van is also responsible for Independence, the theme song to one of my favorite summer guilty pleasures – Royal Pains on the USA Network. Honestly, The Blue Van is ALL OVER TV and if it’s good enough for TV, then it’s good enough for me.
Add it to your iTunes for sure fire summer listening fun (and think of your friends at Something Massive each time you rock out). Do it now and you’ll be cutting edge until The Blue Van hits the US teen mainstream … I give it 36 hours.
Because we all got into marketing to have a little fun mixed in with our business (come on admit it, you did too), we will highlight marketing fun on our blog every Monday. Follow and contribute and you will become an inspired marketer plus the most popular conversationalist at your next cocktail party, all courtesy Something Massive – #MonFun.
Devo, of Whip It fame, has a new viral marketing initiative circulating the Internet. I, personally, had always thought of Devo as sort of a one-hit wonder and assumed that each of them was working some corporate job somewhere. Shows you how much I know. Check out this Wikipedia article on all the things these energy-dome-wearing nut cases have been up to for the last couple of decades. As you may have seen, Devo was selected to play a concert at the closing ceremonies of the Winter Olympics this weekend. It was their first televised concert in 20 years. Given the quirky, make-fun-of-itself humor that Canada embodies and actually flaunted in last night’s hilariously weird production (didn’t you love Bob Costa’s quote about the “always enjoyable giant inflatable beaver”), Devo was a perfect fit.
Devo is using the Olympic stage and an upcoming performance at Coachella to hype the release of their new album. In true Devo fashion, they have opted to make fun of all things corporate by launching the Devo Color Study. The experience starts like this:
Devo is inviting its fans to participate in a “market research” survey that will help determine the future of the band – the color of it’s haz-mat suits, logo, and even energy domes. The survey asks questions like these:
(I’m especially fond of the second since I’ve repeatedly told my husband that a yellow Ferrari is the ultimate jerk-mobile.) The campaign will be live at least until the new album releases, which would explain why the band looked like this last night:
(Photo: Coffrini/AFP/Getty, grabbed from the Rolling Stone site where you can read a whole lot more)
The Color Study is just the beginning of their market-research driven reinvention. Devo is calling for their fans to take part in selecting the songs for the CD release and even its choices for vocal style and instrumentation on any song. It’s a fun experience, made more fun by allowing their new single “Fresh” to play in the background. You can check it out here. Speaking of fun, the band’s David Casale told the LA Times, “It’s an art experiment. The experiment is the business of art. It’s always there but nobody ever talks about it. It’s just fun to use business as a part of the creative process, even if it’s satirical.” David, we think business should be fun too. So happy Monday Funday, Devo. Something Massive salutes you.
