Red Bull Goes Surfing Dude

"Imagine adjusting to the rhythm of the surfboard as you ride Tahiti's Teahupoo. Suddenly, a huge wave envelops you. You have two choices: stop it or watch it from all angles as the water crashes down."

On February 22, 2008, AdWeek featured an article titled "Red Bull Hangs 10 with Surfers" by contributing writerShahnaz Mahmud. The article discussed how energy drink maker Red Bull launched a new web site dedicated to surfing. Redbullsurfing.com has incorporated video technology (by Immersive Media) give viewers and "web-surfers" the feeling that they are a part of the action. "The technology uses a special camera that captures 11 separate video streams, which are arranged according to geodesic geometry to create a spherical image intended to provide a 360-degree view."

Apparently, this new initiative came about after TAOW Productions, charged in a marketing brief by Red Bull, sampled the Immersive Media technology off the Florida Keys in a gunboat simulation. Butch Bannon, director of special projects and business development at global marketing agency TAOW described how that is when it hit them-- "Our mission is to connect brands with their core consumers in ways that really impact and affect them in a multi-sensory fashion."

They went to increase traffic to the site by offering the target customer an experience they crave, compelling footage that will make them want to return to the site, and support the brand that brought this about--Red Bull!

EvenB. Scott Taylor, founder and president of TAOW, stated that"Red Bull is at the forefront of experiential marketing techniques that will have a profound impact on the industry."

We all know of the "Red Bull will Give you Wings" campaign, one that has stuck in our minds, that most can spot from a mile away. However, this is a new technique, a new campaign, with a new innovative idea.

Experimental marketing, much like nontraditional is almost crucial to any campaign now. Brands are more than over competing for thier consumers attention and retention- and the smartest way to win thier hearts is to give and show the what they want.

Huggies on the Big Screen!

In an an Article in BrandWeek titled "Huggies Goes to the Movies," Vanessa L. Facenda discusses Huggies recent new ad effort for its kids bath and body products. "A singing flamingo shaped like a toilet and a hippo with a soap dispenser for a head star in the "Cleanteam" music video which debuted last week before the new Dr. Seuss movie, Horton Hears a Who!"

This 60-second ad runs in more than 3,500 movie screens nationwide through April 24. It will also air before Nim's Island, Food Fight and Wild Child.

Huggies new "Cleanteam" is a seven-SKU toddler bath and body line, featuring products such as bath wash, shampoo and hand soap. This new campaign also introduces cleansing cloths and new inspired packaging (the line launched in January 2006).

Like the commercial ad, they created a two-minute bath time "Webisode" which combines animated characters with real people. "The music video brings the characters to life to engage the toddlers and their mothers. The bath time Webisode is more about product usage," said Stacey Tomoda, Cleanteam media and relationship marketing manager. Huggies, owned by Kimberley Clark utilized Mindshare, New York, to create the music video and Webisodes.

More than anything, this campaign hopes to drive consumers to the newly created Huggiescleanteam.com, which launched March 17.

Cleanteam is also teaming up with Nick Jr. and PBS Sprout to air the video on video-on-demand programming. Nick Jr. also will air a 30-second trailer before VOD programs. At the same time, Webisodes will air on Nickjr.com, BabyZone.com, Parenting.com and Kaboose.com.

The brand spent about $1.4 million on Cleanteam in 2007. The Cleanteam campaign part of K-C's ongoing effort to increase their nontraditional efforts. They estimate their Nontraditional spending should reach 34% of its total marketing budget this year, up from 25% last year.

It seems that K-C is really trying to integrate nontraditional advertising in to their mix, not only with Huggies, but also with Cottonelle (discussed in my blog "Unconventional Toiletpaper"). Brands like K-C, that try to appeal to a specific market (Toddlers/ their moms) while utilizing unique media and methods, are usually the ones that see their profits, their brand equity and image go up-- especially when they are creating a consistency within the umbrella brand.

Target remains traditional. Considering Policy Shift

In an Article in PRWeek titled "Target Mulls Media-Policy Shift," author Keith O'Brien discusses how the super-brand Target has restructured its communications department, increasing the number of spokespeople, and reconsidering a long-standing nontraditional media ban.

As of now, as mentioned in one of my previous blogs, Target's current policy is to dismiss media requests from nontraditional publications, including trade titles and blogs. It seldom makes exceptions, as the company did with PRWeek for this story.

Amy von Walter, senior manager of communications at Targer, said this policy had much to do with thier lack of resources, but affirms that they are rethinking its options after boosting its spokesperson force from few to 40!

The way they went about achieving this was by combining the media relations, IR, and internal communications departments-- which now allows all communications professionals in the company to act as spokespeople, rather than making outreach the sole activity of the media relations department.

As mentioned in my last blog about Target, "Sorry says Target, we don't mess with Nontraditional, "when they recieve criticism of the company, as they did with New York Times coverage which stemmed from a policy statement released to a youth marketing blog that called a recent ad featuring a young model 'sexualized. They release a statement back that reads: 'Thank you for contacting Target; unfortunately we are unable to respond to your inquiry because Target does not participate with nontraditional media outlets. This practice is in place to allow us to focus on publications that reach our core guest.'

Von Walter said the statement was meant not to alienate or dismiss blogs completly, but to highlight and therefore stress Target's policy of not interacting with trade titles, therefore "focusing its resources on publications that frame stories specific to its customers."

When asked about this outrageous and even infuriiating policy, Von Walter said, "'Our policy (was) due to the limited number of resources we've had previously, we recognize that blogs are increasing in number and that our core guests' write and read blogs."

'We will be reviewing that blog policy going forward,' she added. 'We just don't want to make any decisions we can't follow up on.

With considering a ban on nontraditional media, target is risking an angry cyber-audience that will continue to use this agaisnt the brand, and disucss it online. To appeal to all kinds of markets, I perosnally think Target must reconsdier this ban, and realize that this might be the hugest mistake they ever make. I would say, accept nontraditional, and get with it!

facebook for you, me, and advertising?

In an article in Adweek titled, "Why Advertising Needs a Facebook," Benjamin Palmer discusses the huge explosion of the web, and contends that in a matter of no time, the public will learn how to make ads itself, OH NO!

He tries to make the point that since everyone is already talking about how the industry is changing with the boom of nontraditional media and fragmented audiences, and it is obviously competition to the traditional ad shops---"but it's not that hard to adapt, if you really want to."

He says we should start with the idea of open sourcing creative within each company, how improved a big agency would be if it collaborated on everything. "If user-generated content and open initiatives are so powerful, why are we hiding from them? Let's unleash the wisdom of crowds within our organizations."

He says that at certain key points in the process, companies must treat the entire company as the creative department. A brief should be sent to the whole company, and solicit everyone's first instinctual response (which is usually the best thinking anyhow, from a pure inspiration perspective). You don't always know who is going to have the best solution for a problem. So look everywhere.

It is about finding the BEST way. This is how a brand like Facebook is way ahead of its competitors. For advertising creative development, it's about eliminating "crap" and finding the best ideas.

Palmer emphasized the idea of a "full-service" agency, which means a larger variety of skills and tactics than previously. If a company specialized in the web, "it can't just make a microsite anymore." Similarly, if a company specialized in PR, it can't just talk with reporters anymore.

His argument is that in the midst of our social and technological progression, it's time to put an end to "fixed-feature development processes."We need to resonate with the audience,that way the audience will start commenting on it. As of now, they seldom comment positively which is a success, and sometimes negatively, which causes a start over--- our response times are stunted.

To wrap up his argument, he contends that this industry is still building broadcast spots and Web marketing as if the 24-hour news cycle never happened, as if the blogosphere doesn't exist. If the advertising industry were a social network, we'd be MySpace: old, and "played out."

Facebook came along with an entirely new development method, making new features every couple of weeks, constantly changing it up, listeningto feedback, and is doing laps around MySpace. Advertising needs a Facebook.

The industry needs to take on this mentality and develop marketing experiences as quickly and lightly as possible, launch them, listen to feedback, and launch them again, modified and improved every couple of weeks until it works perfectly! And like facebook, do it all out in the open, letting the audience see what's going on.

What's wrong with finding a perfect system?" It's time for us to stop being scared of Web 2.0 and take some inspiration from it."

NBC rolls out...more media

In a recent article in MediaWeek byJohn Consoli, titled "NBC rolls out Digital Out-of-Home Net," it is announced that "NBC officially rolled out today to more than 200 media agency and advertiser executives its NBC Everywhere network of digital out-of-home platforms in a presentation held in Studio H at its Rockefeller Center headquarters in New York City."

So far, NBC has strategically added platforms to the network and today announced the addition of fitness centers and college campuses to the mix.This bring NBC to a total of nine nontraditional digital platforms that will carry and present NBC content, and are of course available for advertisements.

One of the deals is with IdeaCast, it will be called NBC@The Gym, and with the University network, visitors at 900 fitness centers nationwide which offer IdeaCast will provide digital delivery of content and advertising. They will also get to see programming from MSNBC and CNBC on large screens strategically located within the gyms' cardio areas.

Of course, there is room for advertisers as well as they will be able to run spots within the content or participate in sponsored-vignettes, such as workout tips, which will air during the program breaks (the ads will be sold jointly by IdeaCast and NBC).

The deal with University Network will allow NBC content to be shown on 181 campuses nationwide where University Network has screens set up strategically in high traffic locations. Of course, NBC will create specific content targeting the college demographic and the segments will be hosted by young stars of NBC shows.

Did i forget to mention that Advertisers will be able to buy advertising that appears on a portion of the screen while the content is airing as well?

This is yet another way to get more ads in more places. Don't you guys think for one minute that we have reached some sort of plateau because we have not. More companies are trying harder to reach everyone, and by everyone, i mean everyone they want to reach, anyone that might use the product or service. So here we go...some more ads ...while we work out!

Also, there was another platform discussed at the presentation- FuelCast which is a Network powered by NBC. This special gas pump is connected to a digital screen that is activated only when gas begins to be pumped--Now at 480 gas stations around the country.

Exclusively NBC content begins to show and after every 30 seconds of content, a 15 second ad message is run. The screen obviously shuts down when the gas pumping is finished.
The number of commercial views can be measured and the advertiser pays only for those views- so it is indeed "advertiser friendly."

The FuelCast Network is in Shells, Conoco and Phillips gas stations in Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Chicago, Washington, D.C. and Miami. And advertisers can buy specific time periods in specific markets for specific products each day.

Now we can't even do something as mundane as pumping gas without ads. How lovely.
And how great for the industry :)

Nascar changing tactics...

In an article titled "Marketers Are Putting Nascar on Different Kinds of Circuits," in the New York Times, author Stuart Elliott discusses the 2008season for the Nascar Sprint Cup Series. The hooplah began on Sunday Februrary 17th and ita sponsors accelerated efforts to reach fans through the Internet and other nontraditional media.

For years, marketers with Nascar deals -- among them Best Western, Coca-Cola, Ford, General Motors, Molson Coors, Nationwide, Office Depot, Procter & Gamble, and others, focusing their ad spending in mainstream media like television, radio, print and billboards.

The author notes that Nascar was pretty conventional in thier advertising, "If they were in a daring or experimental mood, they would -- gasp! -- buy some commercial time on cable."

Because of social, technological, and media progression this is now changing with campaigns with Nascar drivers and cars on Web sites, cellphones, digital video recorders, satellite TV and radio, video games, and mobile devices.

''It's incredibly important to reach the fans in different ways as they engage with our sport in different ways,'' said Steve Phelps, chief marketing officer at Nascar in Daytona Beach, Fla.

''If we don't do that,'' he added, bringing up a rival mode of transportation, ''we're going to miss the boat.''

It is becoming more and more evident that comanies nationally are recognizing the need to incorporate nontradtional media into thier mix. Even Nascar, an already established brand, hosuehold name, hasmillions of fans, 30 million of them, already consuming 8 hours a week of Nascar media.

At the same time, Nascar remains loyal to conventional media, as it is still a very important medium,"But as media becomes more fractionalized, we need to make sure we're finding the places where the fans are.''

One place the fans can be found is with thier cellphones. Hence, in 2008,Sprint is sponsoring a multimedia campaign with the theme ''Speed is beautiful.'' The campaign is by Goodby, Silverstein & Partners in San Francisco, part of the Omnicom Group. There will also be a Nascar Sprint Cup mobile application for Sprint cellphones that will give information about driver lap times, speeds and point standings; radio broadcasts of races; and ''in-car driver communication'' for the cars entered in the Daytona 500.

Also, another popular way to increase new-media presence of Nascar sponsors is microsites, which are specialized Web sites devoted to Nascar that are separate from their mainstream sites.

For instance, Office Depot has officedepotracing.com, and Best Western has bestwesternracing.com

As you can see, even multi-successful companies like Nascar go all out on their advertising, and creative resources. Companies and brands have the task of keeping up with society, with our lies and dislikes, with our new gadgets and technological advances. Even if you have loyal customers and fans, you have to keep them happy, show them you still have it, reassure them, while swaying potential consumers to join the club.