People's Insights Quarterly Magazine Issue 4

Volume 1, Issue 4: October - December 2012

Volume 1, Issue 4,
October-December 2012
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Inside
Foreword
by Pascal Beucler
04
Editorial
by Gaurav Mishra and Nidhi Makhija
05
In India, Bloggers emerge as Influencers
by Ashraf Engineer
Snacking conversations in the United States
by Steve Bryant
09
Small
Business
Saturday
6343
Coke Zero
Unlock
the 007
Nike
FuelBand
31
39
Open
Ministry
Restore
the R
27LEGO
CUUSOO
47
The Beauty
Inside
MTV
Fantasy
Elections
Vicks
Mobile Ad
Campaign
55
58
51It Gets
Better
Intel IQ
Walmart &
Mattel’s Virtual
Toy Store
07
13
17
21 35
Benetton
Unemployee
of the year

Volume 1, Issue 4,
Pascal Beucler,
SVP & Chief Strategy Officer,
MSLGROUP
year-long endeavor to identify the ten
most important frontiers that will define
the future of engagement for business
leaders and changemakers.
In 2013, we will continue to track inspiring
projects at the intersection of social
data, crowdsourcing, storytelling and
citizenship, with a focus on projects in
the areas of education, learning and
capability building; environment, energy
and sustainability; health, wellness and
nutrition; and happiness, kindness and
human potential.
Please feel free to write to me at
pascal.beucler@mslgroup.com to share
your feedback on the magazine, or start a
conversation on how we can help you win
in the areas of social data, crowdsourcing,
storytelling and citizenship.
I am delighted to introduce the fourth
issue of the People’s Insights Quarterly
Magazine, which pulls together the best
insights on social data, crowdsourcing,
storytelling and citizenship from our
global network of 100+ planners.
In the past year, we have written 52 weekly
insights reports to curate the conversations
around the most inspiring projects at
the intersection of these four areas, and
presented them to you, along with original
research from our network, in our quarterly
magazines.
Next, you can register to receive our
annual report titled Now & Next: Ten
Frontiers for the Future of Engagement,
to be released in mid-February as an iPad
app and a Kindle ebook. In this report, we
have synthesized the insights from our
Foreword

5
Editorial
Nidhi Makhija,
Manager - Insights,
MSLGROUP
Gaurav Mishra,
VP of Insights, Innovation & Social, Asia,
MSLGROUP
The People’s Insights Quarterly Magazine pulls
together insights from MSLGROUP’s Insights
Network — a private network created on our
proprietary People’s Lab crowdsourcing platform
— in which 100+ planners within MSLGROUP
share and discuss thought-provoking research
and inspiring projects in the areas of social data,
crowdsourcing, storytelling and citizenship.
Every week, we pick one project from the
MSLGROUP Insights Network and curate
conversations around it — on the network itself
but also on the social web — into a weekly insights
report. Every quarter, we present the thirteen
insights reports to you, along with original
research from our global network, as an online
magazine.
People’s Insights Quarterly Magazine,
Volume 1, Issue 4
In previous issues of the magazine, we have
showcased original research and thinking from
our network on purpose-inspired transmedia
storytelling, the transformation of healthcare in
Europe, and the role of social media in how food
brands are perceived and how moms make food
decisions. In this issue, we share two original
research reports: MSL Seattle on snacking
conversations in the United States and 2020 MSL
on the perceptions of technology brands amongst
Indian bloggers.
We also share thirteen case studies on inspiring
projects in the areas of social data, crowdsourcing,
storytelling and citizenship.

Volume 1, Issue 4,
Check out Issues 1, 2 and 3 of the People's Insights Quarterly Magazine here
Social Data:
• How Nike is reinventing itself as a technology
company with Nike Plus and Nike Fuel
• How MTV created a behaviour change game for
the 2012 U.S. presidential elections
• How Vicks used search and social data to
engage moms in areas with high incidences
of flu
Crowdsourcing:
• How LEGO is co-creating new products with its
customers at LEGO CUUSOO
• How Open Ministry is enabling Finland to
crowdsource new legislature
• How United Colors of Benetton used
crowdfunding to sponsor 100 youth projects
• How Rainier Beer used crowdsourcing to
engage fans
Storytelling:
• How Coke Zero, Intel and Toshiba are using
transmedia storytelling to create immersive
experiences
• How Intel is rethinking branded content with its
social curation platform iQ
Citizenship:
• How American Express created a shop small
movement with Small Business Saturday
• How It Gets Better created a movement to
inspire LGBT youth to share their stories
What’s Next
Next, you can register to receive our annual report
titled Now & Next: Ten Frontiers for the Future
of Engagement, to be released in mid-February
as an iPad app and a Kindle ebook. In this report,
we have synthesized the insights from our year-
long endeavor to identify the ten most important
frontiers that will define the future of engagement
for business leaders and changemakers.
In 2013, we will continue to track inspiring projects
at the intersection of social data, crowdsourcing,
storytelling and citizenship, with a focus on
projects that are shaping the future of education,
learning and capability building; environment,
energy and sustainability; health, wellness and
nutrition; and happiness, kindness and human
potential.
Do subscribe to receive our weekly insights
reports, quarterly magazines, and annual reports,
and do share your tips and comments with us at
@PeoplesLab on Twitter.

7
In India, Bloggers Emerge
as Influencers
For more than 15 years,
bloggers have used
the internet to express
their views and spark
discussions. However,
only in the last few
years has the blog
emerged as a powerful
medium in India. What
started as individual
indulgence has
evolved into a highly
interactive medium
that influences mindsets, brand perceptions and
purchase decisions.
Photo from Thomas Hawk on Flickr
Smart marketers recognise this and are engaging
professional bloggers – as seriously as the
traditional media – as part of their brand-building
and promotional strategies.
In some ways, blogs are a social commentary and
therefore act as an attractive tool to engage with
the audience. In this age of digital media, where
everyone wants to have their say, brand managers
are increasingly becoming aware of blogs’
immense potential.
Keeping this in mind, 20:20 MSL partnered
with Blogathon India to conduct a survey on
what bloggers feel about brands, blogging and
industry trends.
Blogathon India, along with 20:20 MSL,
organised the first edition of the Blogathon on
May 26, 2012. Bloggers across specialisations
come together to celebrate the craft, and the
event became a platform for brands to interact
with them. The 2012 Indian Bloggers Mindset
survey was conducted at the event.
2012 Indian Bloggers Mindset
Survey
Sample size: 90
Geography: All respondents were from India’s
National Capital Region and were participants of
the Blogathon.
Respondents: Bloggers from all domains – from
technology and fashion to food and lifestyle.
There were also bloggers from unique categories
– for instance, a PowerPoint blogger and one who
blogs about blogging.
Analysis: Respondents were categorised into
technology and non-technology specialisations
since preliminary research showed that there are
many who blog solely about the former.
Key findings
The survey reflected current trends as well as
sites and brands that are fast gaining popularity.
The top three brands thought to engage best with
audiences were all from the technology sector.
» Dell and Samsung – in that order – engage
with bloggers the most, said respondents
» Facebook and Twitter are the preferred social
platforms on which to connect with bloggers
» Excluding Facebook and Twitter, Google+ is
Indian bloggers’ preferred social network
» Pinterest is catching up fast
» Most bloggers believe that no social network
can beat Facebook, in terms of number of
users, in the next five years
» Most views for blogs are directed from
Facebook, followed by Twitter and then
Google+
» Digital campaigns for corporate social
responsibility were the most recollected
» Actor Aamir Khan is bloggers’ favourite brand
ambassador
» Flipkart is the top e-commerce site for
bloggers; 39% ranked it the highest, followed
by eBay (10%) and Yebhi (6%)
» Samsung Tab and Canon DSLR – apart from
all Apple products – are bloggers’ most
desired gadgets

Volume 1, Issue 4,
Most respondents said they spent less than five
hours blogging every week. It was technology
bloggers who spent the most time practising their
craft – 30% spent more than 20 hours every week
on it – while only 14% of non-technology bloggers
spent more 20 hours on their blogs. Some
technology bloggers spent more than 40 hours
per week updating their posts. Most bloggers
(44%) accessed the internet from their phone
and/or tablet for more than six hours per day.
When it came to brands getting in touch with
bloggers, Facebook (30%) followed by e-mail
(29%) led the pack as preferred modes of
communication. The preference for Twitter (16%)
over SMS (14%) was marginal. Clearly, non-
technology bloggers preferred traditional means
(read: e-mail) of contact.
If you leave out Facebook and Twitter, Google+
emerged as the most preferred social network
among technology bloggers. Non-technology
bloggers seemed to be more experimental and
spent their time on various other networks.
Aamir Khan (18.8%) enjoyed a strong lead over
fellow actor Amitabh Bachchan (11.8%) as the
leading brand ambassador. Cricketer Sachin
Tendulkar (11.5%) and actor Shah Rukh Khan
(10.5%) came next. With three of the four most-
preferred brand ambassadors being actors,
it seemed that the Bollywood bug had bitten
bloggers too.
In terms of youth appeal, bloggers pointed to
Samsung as the top brand. An equal number of
tech and non-tech companies were in the top 10
list of Indian brands with youth appeal. Among
the cola majors, Pepsi had an edge over Coke.
Through this survey, we have insights into how
the Indian blogger thinks with regard to products,
technology and the medium. Few marketers can
today afford to ignore these powerful voices.
View The 2012 Indian Bloggers Mindset Survey Report on Slideshare

9
Why Hostess Lacks
the Mostest
Steve Bryant gives
his take on the recent
demise of an iconic
American snack
company, Hostess.
Founded in 1930,
the company was
ubiquitously known for
its brands like Wonder
Bread and Twinkies.
What does the fall of the
Hostess Empire mean
for the American, and
even the global, “snack-scape”?
Photo from Christian Cable (nexus_icon) on Flickr
The possible demise of Hostess has played out
in the media as a tale of Twinkies, but the dollars
and cents of the matter come down to two big
issues: the decline of the bread business and the
vast diversification of snacking.
Bread took a serious blow in the low-carb decade
and, despite a perception that “carbophobia”
is history, consumer enthusiasm for bread has
only partially recovered. If that sounds like
today’s economy, the comparison is apt. While
the apparent cause of bread’s decline seemed
obvious, another, more persistent cause was at
work: Changing lifestyles that have pushed to
the extreme our definition of ready-to-eat.
Picture June Cleaver. She whips out a ready-
made loaf of Wonder Bread. (It’s a wonder
she didn’t have to make it herself.) She pops
the ready-cut bread – count that as another
innovation – into her new-fangled toaster.
(Will the miracles of modern convenience ever
end?) Could life be any simpler?
The answer, Hostess can vouch, is resoundingly,
yes.
A nice piece of buttered and jammed toast
takes — what? — three to five minutes? That
could once have defined convenience. Today’s
breakfast makers are more likely to put that
buttered toast and jam into a blender, squirt it out
in bars, and wrap it in a shiny foil wrapper. Grab,
go, eat on the way to work or school, and you’re
done. No napkin required.
Pocket bread, wraps and tortillas have served
up a similar fate for sliced bread, with sales
falling 11.3% from 2006 to 2011, according to
Symphony IRI. Rising whole grain bread sales
are a bright spot, but overall category weakness
has escalated consolidation in the bread business
(Hostess itself was built through consolidation).
But the real mourning these past few months is
all about Twinkies and their snacking kin. They
have well earned a place in the “Snacking Hall
of Fame,” but the world of snacking has changed
radically since their introduction. Sure, you could
chalk up their fate to changing nutrition and
wellness concerns – but you’d be mostly wrong.
There is still an enormous market for consumers
who don’t give a fig for healthy eating!
Here’s the daunting fact: Consumers have vastly
more snacking choices in stores these days. And
the competition is about to get fiercer, with nearly
every major food maker declaring snacks as a
focus of growth initiatives. This new snacking
land grab is a response to the startling fact that,
according to The Hartman Group, about half of
eating occasions are now snacking occasions.
In the branded food and beverage PR business,
a large share of the communications work we
handle is introducing new items that appeal to
evolving lifestyle needs of consumers. There’s a
reason: Consumers make dozens of food choices
a day, and they welcome variety. Brands snooze,
they lose.

Volume 1, Issue 4,
It’s true that brands have lately gained a lot of
traction with communications that mine their
origin stories. “Fruits are found in the roots of
brands,” a colleague likes to say. However, this
brand excavation works best in illuminating a
brand’s enduring sense of purpose.
Like others, I don’t think we’ve heard the death
knell for Twinkies. The indestructible snack may
well live another day, just as Cracker Jacks are
still on shelf … last time I checked. But then,
that’s the problem. We have affection for the
oldies but goodies, but the growth is in options
that are geared to the pace and demands of life
today.
In the latest twist, a court has ordered mediation
and the sun may yet come out for Twinkies and
Snowballs. Along other would be acquirers,
Sun Capital Partners has refreshed its offer for
the company, promising capital for innovation.
Now we’re talking. What are the Twinkies of
Tomorrow? Therein lies hope for the Twinkies of
Yesterday.
Snacking Conversations in the United States
& Recommendations for Brands
The MSLGROUP North America Food &
Beverage Specialty Unit recently published a
new study called Snacking Conversations in the
United States, which examines how traditional
and social media cover the subject of snacking
and the key themes they tend to discuss.
Photo from Sacred_Destinations on Flickr Why Study Snacking Conversations?
Snacking is big business. As Americans move
away from three square meals to a “graze the
day” style of eating, savvy food manufacturers
and foodservice operators are transforming food
products and menu items to meet changing
needs. Consider the following:
» Nestlé’s Lean Cuisine recently launched six
snack SKUs, three flavors of spring rolls and
three vegetable dips with pita
» General Mills, maker of snacks such as Chex
Mix and Bugles, expanded further into the
category in February 2012 with its purchase
of tortilla and sweet potato chip maker Food
Should Taste Good
» Food trend experts offered Perpetual
Snacking as a top prediction for 2012
As food and nutrition communications experts,
the MSLGROUP North America Food and
Beverage Specialty Unit team undertook
a deeper exploration into the always-on
conversation revolving around the snack trend:
» Which products and messages receive the
most media attention?
» How does the story take shape in the
blogosphere?
» To what degree does nutrition matter?
» Which areas are saturated and which have
room to grow?

11
We uncovered a robust conversation, largely
centered on healthy snacking strategies (with
one noticeable exception, the men’s segment)
and a wide variance of opportunities for brands
based on the category within the world of snacks.
Overall, we see a large amount of attention
within the traditional and social media spheres
on better-for-you snacking, i.e., snack products
that marry nutrition with the great taste that
consumers demand. View the in-depth findings of the study and the
team’s recommended actions for brands who
want to join the conversation at
Snacking Conversations in the United States.
Findings
Themes and Their Subgroups At-A-Glance
What do media also tend to mention in
conversation about snacking and families,
snacking and healthy, or snacking and flavor?
View Snacking Conversations in the United States on Slideshare

13
A wearable activity tracker
In 2012, Nike introduced the Nike FuelBand –
a wearable band that measures and displays
people’s daily activity – in a virtual metric called
NikeFuel – to inspire them to stay fit.
Nike
FuelBand
Source: nike.com
Source: nike.com
Journalist Jessica Stanley observed the need for
such a device:
“Just Do It’ is one of the best positioning statements
in the world, but customers started to change.
Don’t just say it, help us.”
Targets ‘everyday athletes’
Nike targets the “everyday athlete” with the
FuelBand, acknowledging that everyday activities
contribute to overall well being, inspiring people
to do more and giving people a way to measure
the actual contribution.
FuelBand user mkloker commented:
“For an average Joe - I like it. It provides constant
feedback and motivation… Before I got one, I never
thought much about my activity level.”
And self-trackers
The FuelBand also appeals to self-trackers,
making it easy for people to measure their
daily behavior and engaging them with visually
beautiful displays and metrics.
As journalist Jenna Wortham mentioned in her
review of the FuelBand:
“From the moment I wrapped the band around my
wrist, I was enamored with the idea of a device that
could help me collect data about my habits and
behavior, so that I could try to improve them.”

Volume 1, Issue 4,
Helps make sense of data
People can sync their bands with their smart
phones and the Nike+ website to see the number
of steps taken, calories burned and NikeFuel
earned over time.
Alyson Shontel commented:
“The statistics are amazing. You can look at your
activity by the hour, day, month or year.”
The app and website also double up as a social
network, connecting people to their friends and
also to members of the 7 million strong Nike+
community.
Source: itunes.apple.com
By taking into consideration factors such as
age, gender, height, type of activity and amount
of movement when calculating the NikeFuel,
Nike gives people one single data point to look
at while analyzing their own activity and their
friends’ activity.
As Catherine de Lange commented:
“Because the fuel currency is universal too, it
means you can link up and compare with friends.”
Or, as blogger Christen Costa put it:
“In short order, Nike Fuel is a calculation that
allows everyone and anyone to compete regardless
of their sex, age and any physical predispositions.”
Acts as a constant reminder
Ever present on the wrists of the owner, the
FuelBand displays the amount of NikeFuel
earned for the day, and motivates people to meet
their daily goal.
FuelBand user Roger Cheng shared his
experience:
“The color LEDs on the FuelBand serve as an
extra crack of the whip: the lights move from red
to green as you approach your daily goal, taunting
you to keep moving until you hit your mark. When
I was a few hundred points away from the goal, I
spent the last hours of the night walking around
my apartment to boost my score (your Fuel score
resets to zero at midnight).”
Alyson Shontel wrote
“The mix of guilt and competition the FuelBand
makes you feel pushes you to make healthier
decisions.”
Gamification of fitness
The FuelBand makes fitness a game by
presenting people with a daily challenge and
rewarding them when they get closer to meeting
their goal, and makes daily activities and chores
fun.
Catherine de Lange commented:
“After using the bracelet for a couple of days, I
found it strangely addictive. Just wearing the device
compels you to take the stairs or walk, even clean
the floor - all those things we know we should do
but seem like a chore.”
Instant feedback - a powerful
motivator
The constant monitoring of data also acts a
powerful motivator. Users found that the instant
feedback and a sense of progress helped bring
about a change in their behavior and make them
become more active.
Gaurav Mishra, VP of Insights, Innovation and
Social Asia, MSLGROUP shared:
“I remember that the year I first bought a Nike+
shoe was the year I ran most regularly. The instant
feedback and the sense of progress was almost
addictive. Then, I lost the sensor, and lost my stride.
“I bought a NikeFuel band a few weeks back and
I have seen my activity levels go up significantly
since then.”
Alyson Shontel reflected:
“Realizing how inactive I was during certain hours
has made me more active in my spare time.”
Social data Nike FuelBand

15
Source: blisstree.com
Source: nike.com
Clockwise: Withings Blood Pressure Monitor, Withings Body Scale, FitBit
activity trackers, MyZeo Sleep Manager, Nike+ iPod
Does it do enough for $150?
While most agree the FuelBand is a great
motivator, the FuelBand has its limitations and,
for the price, people feel it should include GPS
and a heart monitor and should be more accurate
in measuring activity.
CNET editor Roger Cheng summarized the
limitations of the FuelBand:
“The Nike Fuel score is worthless to anyone who
doesn't have a Nike+ product, and isn't always
accurate. There's no way to measure distance for
specific runs, so it isn't useful for athletes or people
who train regularly. At $149, it's also pricey for what
it does.”
Several people shared this view, especially since
Omron pedometer’s come as cheap as $20, and
FitBit’s popular activity tracker is priced at $100.
Others however, believe the FuelBand delivers
on what it promises – it gets people moving. As
FuelBand user CPC08 commented:
“The app is great. I would love it to be more
accurate, but paying $150 for true motivation is
well worth it to me.”
Part of the larger Nike fitness
ecosystem
The Nike FuelBand is the latest addition to Nike’s
suite of fitness products, which includes not only
Nike’s apparel and shoe line but also tracking
products such as the Nike+iPod shoe tracker,
GPS watch and the Nike+ running app.
Journalist Jessica Stanley observed Nike’s
domination of the fitness industry:
“So alongside products like shoes and apparel,
they’ve built an entire ecosystem.”
Other personal data tracking
products
As gadgets get smaller and smarter, self-tracking
becomes easier. Indeed, we are noticing a trend
of innovative tracking devices designed to help
people change their behavior for the better.

Volume 1, Issue 4,
View this report directly on Slideshare
Social data Nike FuelBand

17
What is MTV Fantasy Election?
To educate and engage 18-29 year olds around
the 2012 U.S. elections, MTV launched Fantasy
Election – a game in which players create teams
of politicians and track their performance in five
categories - transparency, honesty, social media
engagement, civility and public opinion.
Players lose or gain points based on their teams’
behavior as judged by five independent websites
including PolitiFact.com and Project Vote Smart.
MTV
Fantasy
Election
Source: fantasyelection.mtv.com/
How it works
Players and members of their leagues can
change their teams on a weekly basis and earn
bonus points by answering daily trivia, checking
in to televised debates on GetGlue and events on
Foursquare, and by reading news articles.
Jason Rzepka, MTV's senior vice president of
public affairs, hopes the game will “instill the
habits of good citizenship among young voters,”
over a sustained period of time. He also said:
“Being a savvy spectator won't be enough to win
the game, he says. Players will need to keep abreast
of the latest news, register to vote via a streamlined
application on the Rock the Vote website and exert
subtle peer pressure on their fence-leaning friends.”
MTV motivated players to stay engaged with over
3,000 prizes, ranging from $5 gift cards to the
grand prize – an all-expense paid trip for four to
the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards and $25,000
in cash.
The prizes are plenty, but so are the challenges
MTV faces in meeting its vision.
A step away from MTV “Choose or
Lose”
With few exciting jobs and growing debt, the
2008 election marked the year U.S. youth chose
but yet lost. As a result, MTV has moved away
from its 20 year election slogan “Choose or Lose”
and created the new entity Fantasy Election.

Volume 1, Issue 4,
As Keith Wagstaff, writer at TIME Techland,
commented:
“Why ditch MTV’s classic “Choose or Lose” motto?
Because despite the fact that more young voters
turned out in 2008 than for any election since
1992, young people in this country face grim job
prospects with $1 trillion in student-loan debt. In
other words, they chose and they lost, not exactly
an empowering experience for a first-time voter.”
Lack of youth interest in 2012
elections
Even with the new campaign, MTV faces a steep
challenge – 45 million millennials (aged 18-29)
are eligible to vote, but studies have found they
are less enthusiastic and less likely to vote as
compared to 2004 and 2008.
A July 2012 Gallup poll found:
“Fifty-eight percent of U.S. registered voters aged
18 to 29 say they will "definitely vote" this fall, well
below the current national average of 78% and far
below 18- to 29-year-olds' voting intentions in the
fall of 2004 and 2008.”
The MTV Fantasy Election thus is very relevant
and serves a good purpose. As Govind, National
Creative Director at MSLGROUP Creative+ and
member of the MSLGROUP Insights Network,
commented:
“This [campaign] is really good. Sensitizing
disinterested youth so they get involved in the
electoral process!”
Source: nytimes.com
Source: gamification.co
A better platform for political
discussions
Despite the youth’s tendency to over-share,
they tend to avoid political discussions on social
media. Bloggers point out the MTV Fantasy
Election may offer a better platform and also
spark more political conversations.
As L.A. Times journalist Rebecca Keegan noted:
“Hangovers, breakups, Katy Perry lyrics —
millennials are notorious for posting information
online that older generations find either too
personal or too trivial to share. But there is one
topic where young people cry TMI — politics. At
least that's what MTV found in a 2011 poll of some
of its 15- to 24-year-old viewers, only 36% of whom
said they would post a political opinion on a social
media site…
“To get millennials… thinking harder about the
election, MTV has turned to a format the age group
is very comfortable with — games.”
Gamification to educate and
engage
Bloggers commended MTV for using gaming
techniques to educate young people about
politics and for making the subject more
accessible and interesting.
As Gary Henkle pointed out:
“Fantasy Election ‘12 can definitely be used as a
tool by student activists to bring their disengaged
friends on board. For any friend who says “I want to
be more involved, but I don’t know how this works,”
this game makes discovery of the political process
more fun than a didactic civics lesson, and as
mentioned brings awareness in less time.”
Social data
MTV Fantasy
Election

19
Source: fantasyelection.mtv.com/
Fast Company contributor Lydia Dishman praised
MTV for its mature and intellectual approach to
creating political awareness:
“Rather than simply showcasing a pop star
wrapped in an American flag (hello Madonna!) and
calling it cool, Fantasy Election ’12 is attempting to
channel the intellectual core of political activism’s
heyday during the 60s and 70s.”
Is gaming an appropriate
approach?
Several people however have criticized the
gaming approach: they do not believe that
gaming techniques should be applied to a matter
as serious as voting, and consider it a frivolous
waste of time.
As JackiMaddie commented at CNN.com:
“If it takes a video game to get someone to vote,
I'm not so sure we want that person voting to begin
with.”
Another CNN reader, nelly0042 commented:
“Considering that half of recent grads are
unemployed or under employed, they might be
better off paying attention to that instead of some
fictitious game.”
CNN reader StopItB on the other hand embraced
the MTV Fantasy Election format as the ‘future of
communications:
“I beg to differ here. I think this could be a rather
successful venture if handled correctly. There
are many political discussions that occur on
Facebook… This is the future of communications.
It should be embraced rather than ostracized.”
Ranking tool helps combat
skepticism
People have also applauded MTV’s innovative
ranking system which helps voters digest the
overwhelming amount of information available
and focus on candidates’ performance in areas
that matter.
As AWM1983, a reader at Time.com, commented:
“While I don't really care about earning points or
playing the game, I do like the idea of on going
ranking system that takes multiple factors into
account. It is a shame that it has to stop with the
election. It would be great if they continued to track
and rank elected officials on honesty, campaign
promises, and lobbyist connections.”
Indeed, it was this skepticism of political claims
that led to the ranking system. As Jason Rzepka
of MTV said:
"Because of the skepticism of our audience, we
decided to use the game as an accountability tool."
Tracking candidates is hard work
It is important for voters to actively tracking
candidates’ claims and elections throughout
the elections season, and MTV generously
offers plenty of incentives to keep young voters
engaged.
As Keith Wagstaff wrote:
“The idea is that while Millennials might not
venture to a host of dry political sites to keep track
of which politicians are disclosing funding sources
and making false claims, they might pay attention
if their Fantasy Election team loses points —
especially if those points can lead to prizes like a
trip for four to the Video Music Awards.”
However, players have still found the effort
strenuous and hard to sustain. As dspringfield
commented:
“This thing is pretty exhausting. I hope it pays off.”
His sentiment is evident amongst the larger
pool of players. While ten thousand people have
joined the MTV Fantasy Election, MTV’s Rzepka
shared that “a lot of the audience is turning away”.

Volume 1, Issue 4,
Can MTV convince youth to vote?
Bloggers acknowledge the need of reaching
millennials online, but question if gamification of
politics is enough to motivate millennials to vote.
Source: fastcocreate.com
As Keith Wagstaff said:
“Will it get young voters to turn out on Election
Day? It’s doubtful that the “gamification” of
politics is enough to counter the disillusionment of
moving back in with your parents or staring down
$100,000 in student-loan debt. Still, the days of
simply prompting young people to vote from a
rock concert are over; twenty-somethings expect
everything to be online — and that includes political
engagement.”
At the very least, MTV believes it can help create
more informed and active citizens in the long run.
CNN journalist Gregory Ferenstein quoted MTV’s
Rzepka on this:
“Even if MTV can't make Generation Y a huge
voting bloc, Rzepka believes the network can still be
influential.
"We're not going to solve the problems we face with
voting alone," he said. "If we as MTV can get them
[young citizens] when they're 18 and when they're
22, they are a long way on their way to being active
and informed participants in our democracy from
now on."”
View this report directlya on Slideshare
Social data
MTV Fantasy
Election

21
Source: nytimes.com
Innovative ad targeting campaign
In early 2012, Vicks combined several layers of
data to reach moms in high flu zones with mobile
ads for their premium Behind Ear Thermometer.
Moms only received ads if they were within three
miles of a retailer selling the thermometer.
Elyse Dupré, a reporter Direct Marketing News,
summarized the campaign:
"The mobile aspect of the integrated campaign
used three components to target its audience and
sent relevant messages. The first was demographic
criteria (e.g., experienced or expecting moms).
Second, the mobile system was set up to use the
Google Flu Trends index to alert moms when their
local flu levels were high. Third, the mobile system
used geo-targeting to provide customers with a
list of retailers selling the thermometer—such as
Walmart, Target, and Walgreens—and directions
within a 3-mile radius."
Vicks
Mobile Ad
Campaign
The mobile experience
Moms received in-app ads which warned them
that they were in high flu zones and directed
them to the closest retailer. On clicking the ads,
moms were shown a video on the benefits of the
thermometer.

Volume 1, Issue 4,
Matthew Arnold, who covers medical marketing
news online, wrote:
“They see an in-app banner ad reading “FLU
LEVELS IN YOUR AREA ARE HIGH. Be prepared
with Vicks' revolutionary Behind Ear Thermometer,”
and “buy at Target .2 miles away.” Clicking on the
banner takes them to a landing page with a store
finder, video and mobile site.”
Layer 1: Google flu data
Vicks used Google Flu trends to find out which
areas were experiencing high incidences of flu.
Google uses search trends and IP addresses to
determine the locations, and provides this data
for free online.
Source: google.org/flutrends/us/#cities
Source: site.where.com
Google explained the logic behind their analysis:
"We have found a close relationship between how
many people search for flu-related topics and
how many people actually have flu symptoms. Of
course, not every person who searches for "flu" is
actually sick, but a pattern emerges when all the
flu-related search queries are added together"
Dr. Robert Brecht, a specialist in healthcare
marketing, explained how the raw data was
validated and made accessible:
“Google’s [Flu] Trends is based on a formula to
estimated flue activity based solely on searches.
Google was able to do that by correlating flu-
related Web searches with actual data from the
Center for Disease Control (DCD). By combining the
search keywords with the IP address of searchers
which provides searchers’ locations, Google is able
to estimate regional flu activity within a day of
outbreaks compared to a week or two lag with CDC
reports.”
Google provides this data for states and countries
in North America, South America, Europe
and also Russia, Australia and South Africa. In
addition to flu trends, Google also monitors
dengue trends in Mexico and some parts of Asia
and South America.
Layer 2: Demographic data
Vicks was able to reach moms and expecting
moms through mobile apps such as Pandora
which collect user data including age, gender,
marital status and number of children.
Andrew Adam Newman, a journalist at New York
Times, noted:
"A mobile campaign by Blue Chip Marketing
Worldwide, which is based in Chicago, places the
ads for the thermometer within popular apps like
Pandora that collect basic details about users,
including their sex and whether they are parents,
and can pinpoint specific demographics to receive
ads."
Layer 3: Location data
Vicks used real-time data from location based
mobile advertising network Where to target
moms when they were within 3 miles of a
closest retail store that stocks the Behind Ear
Thermometers.
Social data
Vicks Mobile
Ad Campaign

23
View the full Privacy Infographic – June 2011 (Survey respondents from UK,
Spain, and Singapore) at gsma.com
Melissa Hoffmann noted:
“[Where] has the geolocation technology necessary
and the ability to tap into Google's flu trends to
properly target the ads.”
Highly relevant proposition
Thinkers point out that the ad campaign is highly
relevant as it reaches only moms that meet all
the targeting criteria and at a time when they are
most likely to make the purchase.
As Andrew Adam Newman pointed out, “ not all
mothers will see the ad on their smartphones. "
Dr. Robert Brecht highlighted the “real time”
factor, and noted that mobile ads are a great way
to reach moms:
"Mobile marketing is an important tactic to reach
moms because of their reliance on smartphones
to help them multi-task to balance the many
demands of their hectic lifestyle."
Michael Johnsen, who covers medical marketing
news, wrote:
“The ad targets users who arguably have a
higher need for the product — a factor that would
presumably increase the purchase intent with that
branded call to action.
The targeting options did indeed have an effect
on the ad performance. Sarah Van Heirseele, VP
of digital at Blue Chip which ran the campaign,
shared:
“Click-through rates during the soft launch
period are more than double what was originally
anticipated.”
Privacy is a rising concern
Marketers and healthcare specialists predict that
the increasing power and possibilities of targeting
options will lead to a widespread debate on
protection of privacy and call for newer and more
relevant laws.
Patricia Kosseim, General Counsel, Office of the
Privacy Commissioner of Canada, addressed this
issue in her keynote speech at an
ethics conference earlier this year:
"[The Vicks] example gives rise to yet another range
of ethical issues having to do with the privacy of
app users in this case -- whether they were aware
that their personal information would be used for
targeted ads by third parties and whether they were
given meaningful opportunity to opt out of it…
"Many of the online practices we see rely on the
assurance that the information aggregated,
used and/or disclosed to third parties is non-
identifiable. However, given the scope and scale of
the information collected, the powerful means now
available to combine and analyze disparate pieces
of data and the increasingly personalized nature
of targeting strategies, there will often be a serious
possibility that information could be linked to an
individual."

Volume 1, Issue 4,
Targeted ads are “creepy”
Thinkers point out that targeted ads and location-
based ads can creep out consumers, and that
campaigns should be designed to appear less
targeted to avoid ‘spooking out’ consumers.
In a blog post on Redefining Privacy: Mobile’s
Privacy Challenges, Brian Morrissey, editor at
Digiday, wrote:
“People carry their phones everywhere, storing
pretty much their most sensitive information on
them, making the prospect of location-tracking
scoring very high on the “creepy” scale that
seems to govern whether issues become privacy
controversies.”
New York Times report Charles Duhigg came
across the same issue when covering retailer
Target’s use of data to identify expecting
mothers and send them tailored product
recommendations. He quoted a Target employee,
who said:
“With the pregnancy products, though, we learned
that some women react badly… Then we started
mixing in all these ads for things we knew pregnant
women would never buy, so the baby ads looked
random…And we found out that as long as a
pregnant woman thinks she hasn’t been spied
on, she’ll use the coupons. She just assumes that
everyone else on her block got the same mailer for
diapers and cribs. As long as we don’t spook her, it
works.”
Big Data
Big Data has been receiving an increasing amount
of attention in recent months, as the amount
of data captured increases and brands become
more data savvy.
In May 2011, the McKinsey Global Institute
released the report “Big data: The next frontier
for innovation, competition, and productivity,” in
which they noted:
“The use of big data will become a key basis of
competition and growth for individual firms. From
the standpoint of competitiveness and the potential
capture of value, all companies need to take big
data seriously... Indeed, we found early examples of
such use of data in every sector we examined.”
Several of our previous case studies show how
media companies and brands are using big
data and social data to cover politics
(CNN I’m Voting app), to engage and educate
youth (MTV Fantasy Elections) and to cater to
self-trackers – people who like to measure and
visualize their activities (Nike FuelBand).
Social data
Vicks Mobile
Ad Campaign

25
View this report directlya on Slideshare

27
What is LEGO CUUSOO?
In 2011, LEGO opened up its Japanese
crowdsourcing platform CUUSOO to global
audiences, inviting adults to submit and vote for
new LEGO product designs. There are currently
3,787 live projects at LEGO CUUSOO. Three co-
created products have been launched to date,
and a fourth one is in production.
LEGO
CUUSOO
Source: lego.cuusoo.com
Source: techhive.com
How does it work?
Ideas that clear an initial review and
receive10,000 votes are formally evaluated by a
LEGO product team for Brand Fit, Business Case
Development (and license agreements), Model
Design and Final Review.
As Levent Ozler, editor-in-chief of Dexigner,
summarized:
“Ideas that are supported by 10,000 votes have
a chance of being selected to become part of the
LEGO Group's product portfolio and sold in LEGO
Brand retail stores and the LEGO online shop.
Consumers who have their ideas chosen will earn
1% of the total net sales of the product.”
Maxine Horn, advocate of safeguarding
intellectual property, commented:
“Lego are certainly an inspiration and what I love
about their new move is that, unlike others using
their customer base to inspire innovation, they set a
challenge and are prepared to share in the revenues
of anything they take forward.”
People can submit their own projects and can
also collaborate with other members of the
LEGO CUUSOO community (Guidelines for
Collaborative Projects). People must be 18 to
submit ideas and 13 to vote on ideas.

Volume 1, Issue 4,
This video explains the LEGO CUUSOO review
process.
Source: LEGO® CUUSOO Process and Summer Review Results
Source: lego.cuusoo.com
Challenges the LEGO business
process
Fan submitted ideas undergo the same scrutiny
as internally developed ideas, and have pushed
LEGO to consider new partnerships to bring
projects to life. For instance, LEGO partnered
with Mojang, creators of the popular video game
Minecraft, to produce the Minecraft set.
The LEGO CUUSOO process has also resulted in
LEGO standing by brand guidelines and rejecting
projects that were not an ideal fit. Ideas have
been archived for being inappropriate for young
audiences (The Winchester - Shaun of the Dead),
for being too costly to produce (Legend of Zelda
set of characters) and due to barriers in obtaining
the license from original copyright holders
(My Little Pony - Friendship is Magic, a property
owned by competitor Hasbro).
In a blog post, LEGO stated:
“Opening ourselves to new product suggestions
invites popular ideas that don’t always fit our brand.
This is the first time we’ve felt that we should turn
a LEGO CUUSOO idea down, but we’re grateful for
the spirit behind projects like the Winchester and for
the opportunity to be challenged. It keeps us sharp
and looking toward the future of the LEGO brick.”
Speed of innovation
With LEGO fans eager to see the products they
voted on in stores instantaneously, LEGO has cut
down its typical product release cycle from two
to three years to as little as six months with the
Minecraft project.
Matthew Kronsberg, writer at Fast Company,
pointed out:
“The first Cuusoo project--the Shinkai--took 420
days to accumulate enough votes to trigger a
review (only 1,000 were needed for the Japan-
only project), while Minecraft, with its 20 million
registered users, racked up 10,000 votes in just 48
hours.
“Such an outpouring of interest would be
squandered though, if that consumer desire
was left to wither through a traditional product
development cycle. And this is where the second,
and possibly more significant piece of the Cuusoo
endeavor comes into play: Lego Minecraft will go
from concept to release in roughly six months,
rather than Lego’s typical two- or three-year
process.”
Staying relevant and constantly
innovating
LEGO enthusiasts point out that LEGO’s agility
and determination to staying relevant to changing
demographics has helped turn the company
around and establish a strong fan base.
As LEGO enthusiast and CUUSOO reviewer
GlenBricker said:
“At one point a few Years ago Lego almost went
bankrupt. Now they are a multimedia empire…
Lego is doing a great job staying relevant to a
changing demographic who has a constantly
expanding field of entertainment opportunities
available to them.
“Sure, it is far from an instantaneous process but
more and more we expect or entertainments to
conform to what we want rather than us to conform
to what is available.”
Power of crowds
Digital enthusiast Luis Remelli Beerbower noted:
“LEGO has many reasons for crowdsourcing:
engaging their customers, accurate estimation,
customer needs, spotting trends, and seeing in first
hand market potential for each product.”
Crowdsourcing
LEGO
CUUSOO

29
Source: bturn.com
Source: AFOL A Blockumentary via fastcompany.com
Crowdsourcing is beneficial to brands in several
ways. In a Tedx Talk, Dwayne Spradlin, CEO of
innovation platform Innocentive, highlighted the
primary advantage:
"What we have created are systems where we
build large facilities and large buildings full of
the researchers that we think can solve the most
important problems. We hire the best in the world
to work on those problems, but we all know the
fundamental limitation of that kind of system. We
couldn’t hire all the smartest people in a given field
if we wanted to, we can’t.”
The CUUSOO model also helps individual ideas
stand out and enter the spotlight. As Peter
Esperson, Lego’s Online Community Lead said:
“If we got all the Lego designers, and probably
even all the fans in the same room and discussed
what it was we should make, and put it to a vote?
It probably would not have been the Shinkai
[submarine]. But some guy in Japan decided he
wanted to do this, and he tapped into the deepwater
marine biology community and then it happened.”
CUUSOO’s 10,000 vote requirement also helps
streamline the crowdsourcing process. As the
Idea Connection team noted:
“Lego receives original ideas but is not weighed
down by too many which can be costly and time
consuming to examine. And fan support can
provide some kind of indication of the potential
popularity of a concept.”
Targets AFOLs (Adult Fans of
LEGO)
CUUSOO caters to the adult LEGO fan base,
a sizable population of people with a shared
passion for and expertise in building things.
Participants of CUUSOO include professional
designers and engineers.
In the words of Fast Company’s Matthew
Kronsberg, AFOLs are “small, all but invisible
demographics, but taken in aggregate, colossal.”
AFOLs are connected offline through local
Lego User Group chapters, meetups and brick
conferences, and through online LEGO platforms
like CUUSOO and ReBrick, a social bookmarking
site for adults to share and discuss user
generated LEGO content.
Co-creating the next generation
of products
The passion people show for co-creating
and shaping products around them, and the
technology to harness their creativity and
feedback has lead to the new generation of co-
created products we are seeing today, with LEGO
CUUSOO and other brand initiatives such as
Philips Simply Innovate.
In a 2009 Forrester report “Future of the Social
Web”, Jeremiah Owyang predicted the role
communities would play in the creation of new
products:
“Socially connected consumers will strengthen
communities and shift power away from brands
and CRM (customer relationship management)
systems; eventually this will result in empowered
communities defining the next generation of
products.”
Indeed, the last few years have seen a rise in
consumer facing crowdsourcing and collaborative
programs and the emergence of a strong DIY
culture and technology driven maker sub-culture.

Volume 1, Issue 4,
Chris Anderson, former editor-in-chief of Wired
and author of the book Makers – The New
Industrial Revolution, believes technology is
responsible for this new maker movement:
“The real revolution here is not in the creation of
the technology, but the democratization of the
technology. It’s when you basically give it to a huge
expanded group of people who come up with new
applications, and you harness the ideas and the
creativity and the energy of everybody.”
LEGO co-creation ecosystem
LEGO nurtures the spirit of creation amongst
adults and children alike with digital tools such
as LEGO Digital Designer and LDraw to create
products with a virtual supply of LEGO pieces,
and social networks such as LEGO Club and
ReBrick that foster knowledge sharing, content
sharing and discussion.
Source: cnet.com
Joren de Wachter, an IP strategy consultant,
noted:
“The genius of Lego is to embrace and share that
creativity, rather than trying to own it.”
Crowdsourcing
LEGO
CUUSOO

31
What is Open Ministry?
In March 2012, the Finland Citizens’ Initiative Act
went into effect, giving citizens the right to
propose legislation to the Finnish Parliament. To
facilitate this, a group of non-profit entrepreneurs
launched web platform Open Ministry.
The platform supports a new era of open
governance. As Journalist Susan Fourtané noted:
“Today, companies are crowdsourcing everything
from designs of cars to marketing slogans. Why
shouldn’t governments follow suit?”
How does it work?
Through the web platform, citizens can propose
and vote on new legislature online. The proposed
legislation must gather support from 50,000
citizens of voting age within six months to be
considered by the parliament.
Open
Ministry
Source: avoinministeraio.fi
This approach empowers citizens to have a say
in their governance, and more. Science and
technology writer David Hill pointed out:
“More than that, Finnish voters can back an
initiative online rather than being physically
approached by solicitors. Not only does that
make it more convenient, but voters can study the
initiatives in more detail and research information
before they sign up, something that is much harder
to do when someone is pushing a clipboard in your
face to sign.”
Collaborative Social innovation
The initiative involves collaboration both between
the government and the people, as well as
among people, with volunteers running the
platform and converting proposals into legal
form.
Journalist Susan Fourtané noted:
“In the meantime, The Open Ministry's team
has been actively working with organizers /
campaigners in planning the initiative campaigns
for the fall. A group of volunteers from different
professional backgrounds evaluate and select
proposals that citizens send through the Website.
Later, the final selection is passed on to volunteer
lawyers who draft the proposals into legal form and
terminology.”

Volume 1, Issue 4,
CSR opportunity for brands
Several banks and telecom providers have
supported the initiative by providing free access
to their verification APIs, thus enabling Open
Ministry to verify the identity of voters. This
partnership was crucial to the Open Ministry
being accepted by Finnish policymakers, and
provides brands an opportunity to support their
consumer’s passions.
Source: peopleslab.mslgroup.com
Source: gigaom.com
Revival of trust in government?
Thinkers believe that the transparency that is
inherent in Open Ministry platform can lead to
greater accountability for government officials
and increase of trust in officials.
Stefaan Verhulst, an academic in law and
communications, wrote:
“Finland’s program forces representatives to
officially take a stand for or against proposals
demonstrated to be important to a large portion of
the population.
“As such, Open Ministry could lead to not only
more immediate direct democracy, but greater
accountability for government representatives.”
Joonas Pekkanen, founder of Open Ministry,
shares similar views, which have been
summarized by Good News Finland:
“Open preparation and decision-making ensure
that real causes and opinion leaders will be heard.
When the processing phases surrounding decisions
and background documents are open to everyone,
trust in government officials and representatives
will grow.”
Matthew Ingram, a writer at GigaOm, pointed out:
“The laborious process of putting together a
comprehensive piece of legislation — which would
require hundreds of pages, legal footnotes and
cross-checking with existing laws if it is to succeed
in any real way — may simply not be compatible
with existing crowdsourcing methods”.
Do we need a new paradigm for
lawmaking?
While some question if crowdsourcing can be
effective in creating serious legislature, some
question whether the current definition of
legislature is still relevant in today’s world.
Academic Stefaan Verhulst wrote:
“Despite the promise of crowdsourcing
towards more participation, transparency and
accountability of the law-making processes several
challenges remain. More importantly, broader
questions exist on whether these efforts aim to fix
a process designed for a previous era or should go
beyond what we currently mean by legislation.”
Can crowdsourcing lead to social
change?
In October 2012, the first citizen-proposed law, a
ban on fur farming, entered Parliament with the
support 55,000 citizens. Thinkers are watching
developments to gauge the success of the
initiative.
Crowdsourcing
Open
Ministry

33
Clockwise: U.S.’s Petition White House, Latvia's Mana Balss,
Iceland’s Constitutional Council, France’s WeSign.it
Can Open Ministry work
elsewhere?
Thinkers highlight the progress of the initiative
to Finland’s open culture and history of
collaboration between citizens and government.
David Meyer, a writer at GigaOm, noted:
“Nordic countries tend to have relatively close
societies where people are enthusiastic about
pitching into civic life… Tech-driven democracy fans
in other countries may not find the environment as
conducive to crowdsourced legislation right now,
but on the other hand they just got themselves a
model to study.”
Though the code for Open Ministry is freely
available open source community GitHub, people
believe the initiative may fall victim to pranksters
if replicated elsewhere. Fruzsina Eördögh, writer
at The Slate, noted:
“While Open Ministry may be spam- and hacker-
proof, there are no signs that it is prankster-proof.
Maybe the residents of Finland don't seem the type
to vote on bogus legislation, but the same can't
be said for citizens of the United States. In July of
this year, two writers from the satire Internet site
Something Awful got more than 62,000 people
to like a Facebook page in order to “exile” rapper
Pitbull to Alaska.”
Other open governance initiatives
People now call for an open democracy and
thinkers believe in a ‘writeable’ society.
In a TED Talk in June 2012, former U.S. Deputy
Chief Technology Officer Beth Noveck argues:
“…we live not in a passive society–a read-only
society–but in a writeable society where we have the
power to change our communities, to change our
institutions.”
Joonas Pekkanen, founder of Open Ministry,
observed the shift in people’s expectations:
“Citizens have begun to call for a more open,
transparent and participatory western democracy
in place of the old rigid system.”
In France, WeSign.it allows people to create
petitions online. In Iceland, a Constitutional
Council allows citizens to offer direct feedback,
re-write and vote on new proposed legislature.
In Latvia, Mana Balss (My Voice) enables citizens
to propose topics for politicians to debate.
In Russia, WikiVote! enables citizens to write
the laws and vote on the different versions.
In Brazil, e-democracia enables citizens to
highlight issues, draft solutions and debate
with other citizens. In the US,
Petition.WhiteHouse.gov enables citizens
to highlight issues to the government. On a
corporate front, IBM Many Bills is a “visual tool
explorer” that aims to simplify legislation for the
public.
This shift in people’s attitudes is evident in the
number of open governance initiatives in Europe,
Brazil and even the U.S.

Volume 1, Issue 4,
Crowdsourcing
Open
Ministry

35
Fighting youth unemployment
Unemployee of the Year is a global initiative
from the United Colors of Benetton UNHATE
Foundation to create awareness around youth
employment and to fund 100 youth projects that
drive social good.
Unemployee
of the Year
Source: unhate.benetton.com/
Source: unhate.benetton.com/unemployee-of-the-year
According to Benetton:
“[The initiative] aims to spread a positive message
of hope and celebrate young people’s ingenuity,
creativity, and their ability to create new smart ways
of addressing the problem of unemployment.”
To spread word about the youth unemployment,
Benetton encouraged unemployed people
between the ages of 18 to 30 to create and share
UNWORK CVs documenting their UNWORK
experience and their own personalized magazine
covers. 42,266 young people participated.
Crowdsourcing & funding
projects
Of these, 1,035 people uploaded projects that
would help their local communities in some way.
18 year old Viktorija Bozhinoska from Macedonia
shared her vision to tackle migration of educated
youth in her home city Prilep. 25 year old
Lili Chong from Belgium shared her plan to
create a community mentorship program for
under privileged children. 29 year old Ludwig
Esposithoven from Italy shared his vision to
create a short movie that would highlight the
exasperation affecting interns who compete for
rare jobs.

Volume 1, Issue 4,
Source: unhate.benetton.com/unemployee-of-the-year
Crowds voted on their favorite projects from
September to October 2012, and the 100 most
popular projects were each awarded € 5000 by
the UNHATE Foundation.
Benetton (finally) gets into social
work
In the past, Benetton has gotten flak for
exploiting social issues in its advertising
campaigns and not creating or contributing to
solutions. Unemployee of the Year is Benetton’s
first initiative that proposes and invests in a
solution.
As Stuart Elliott, advertising columnist at
The New York Times, wrote:
“For almost as long, critics have dismissed the ads
as exploitative because they do not offer solutions
to the problems or assistance to the causes that
could use financial help".
“Now, however, Benetton is going to put some
money where its mouth is — 500,000 euros, to be
exact, or about $650,000.”
Important issue to highlight
Bloggers and journalists agree with Benetton’s
choice of social cause and believe that youth
unemployment is a severe problem affecting that
world. Benetton estimates that there are over 100
million unemployed youths (15 to 29) worldwide.
As mawaltrees commented at guardian.co.uk:
“The issue of youth unemployment is a massive
economic timebomb, it's not a minor issue. A
strong economic climate enables us to improve
society and it's infrastructure for the benefit of
all. A weak economic climate means 'minorities'
will continue to find themselves bottom of the
priority list and scapegoated. The issue of youth
unemployment could not be more important.”
Keeps youth motivated
People have commended Benetton’s efforts to
motivate youth to spend their free time working
on creative and social good projects.
As Govind, National Creative Director at
MSLGROUP Creative+ and member of the
MSLGROUP Insights Network, commented:
“Nice way to channelise otherwise wasted resources
- so many minds with so many ideas, but no jobs.”
Journalist Chidanand Rajghatta also commended
Benetton for channeling their free time to social
good projects:
“A job doesn't define who you are, but what you
fight and strive for does. So if you don't have a job,
don't let it stop you from doing something positive
for your community.”
Source: http://youtu.be/zKZ3w_Vg4o8
Times of India reader Dinesh Prabhakar
pointed out the importance of reaching out to the
youth with this message:
“The campaign highlights a point not ever thought
by others, [everyone] needs words of appreciation
and commendation, the very first thought that
you are needed and are a part of the society where
majority of people are employed, can make one
get up and start doing something beneficial for the
society!”
Good insight, but UNshocking
execution
While bloggers agree with the cause, they have
criticized the print ads for being “too boring”
and not as controversial as previous Benetton
campaigns.
Crowdsourcing
Unemployee of
the Year

37
Source: marketplace.org
As journalist Arwa Mahdawi wrote:
“The way in which Benetton has chosen to
champion Neets in its latest campaign is shocking.
Not because of the choice of subject matter,
but because the subject is presented in such
an un-shocking manner. The ads are so utterly
unprovocative that some commentators are
already calling it Benetton's most boring campaign
ever. Benetton is a company, after all, that is
famous for its controversial advertising.”
Indeed, some bloggers expected a campaign
as controversial as the previous UNHATE “Kiss”
campaign, in which political leaders were shown
kissing each other.
As Adverblog blogger Martina wrote:
“I personally find the insight to be perfect, but I
like the execution less. It’s a bit too elegant and
polished, less edgy than you would expect from a
brand (and about a topic) that wants to generate a
lot of word of mouth not just for a few days thanks
to a massive campaign launch PR effort. Yes,
metaphorically speaking, I kind of miss “the kiss”
scene somewhere.”
Is Benetton’s effort enough?
Several journalists have also questioned whether
Benetton’s efforts are “enough.”
Journalist Arwa Mahdawi slammed Benetton for
not doing more:
“When companies are able to provide tangible
resources to solve social problems, CSR schemes
can be a very good thing. Benetton's Unemployee
of the Year, however, smacks of the flimsiest sort of
brand-aid: a temporary salve that solves nothing.”
Stuart Elliott, advertising columnist at The New
York Times, shared a more balanced view:
“The money to be awarded the winners [€500,000]
is a small sum compared with the estimated
budget for the Unemployee of the Year campaign,
which is 20 million euros, or about $26.2 million.
But it is a major commitment compared with
what Benetton has spent until now on the issues
addressed by its ads.”
“Every little bit helps”
Many people, however, are grateful for Benetton’s
efforts, acknowledging that the economic
situation is dire and “every little bit counts.”
As DJ commented at nytimes.com:
“Actually, it equals about $6,500; and every little
bit helps when you have no job at all.
“Pepsi does it; Levis does it. Who are we to judge if
this company passes on the wealth in any manner
they choose? Anytime a company gives back, we
should be grateful; especially since Capitalism
has done such a great job at promoting profit, not
promoting social welfare.”
Feature-writer Zoe Beaty too noted:
“It’s certainly not going to change the world. But its
humour and support is refreshing. And, let’s face it:
things are pretty dire. Every little helps.”
Marketers predict the messaging and €5,000
grants will help Benetton build a lasting
relationship with the target market. As Tim Nudd
wrote:
“They may be less provocative than last year's, but
perhaps they'll make a more lasting difference in
the lives of the target market.”
Doing good is good for business
Studies show that consumers prefer to buy from
companies that give back to society. Marketers
believe that “doing good” is good business and
brands are implementing programs that give
back to society.

Volume 1, Issue 4,
As Arwa Mahdawi wrote:
“Earlier this year, a study by Nielsen found that
66% of consumers around the world prefer to
buy from companies that have implemented
programmes to give back to society. Further, 46%
claim to be willing to pay more for products from
these companies. Being seen to do good is now
seen as good business and every brand and its dog
now has some sort of corporate social responsibility
(CSR) campaign. Increasingly, companies
are acting in spaces NGOs and governments
traditionally filled.”
Creating jobs is good for
business too
Businesses are beginning to see unemployment
as an issue not just for society but for their future
business performance and profitability.
As Dominic Barton, global managing director of
McKinsey & Company, said in a recent interview:
Source: latimes.com and wired.co.uk
“Adam Smith, in the Theory of Moral Sentiments,
recognised that successful business and a healthy
society are interdependent. When talking about
youth unemployment, we must remember that
these young people are our future workforce, future
consumers and, most importantly, the generation
which will determine the destiny of different
businesses.
“Never has the need been greater for business
leaders to weigh in and contribute solutions. If
we do not, if we fail for example to help address
youth unemployment, our long-term business
performance and, ultimately, our economy will
suffer.”
Several companies have launched major efforts
to boost job creation, including Starbucks,
Citibank and Microsoft.
Crowdsourcing
Unemployee of
the Year

39
A collaborative restoration effort
In July 2012, Seattle’s Museum of History and
Industry (MOHAI) and Pabst Beer invited people
to participate in the restoration of the iconic
Rainier Beer sign, by completing a series of
online challenges at RestoretheR.com.
Restore
the R
Fast Co.Create’s Reggie Ugwu wrote:
“Dubbed "Restore the 'R,'" the campaign relies on
community engagement to help spread the word
about the fallen icon and a recent effort to give it
the renovations it deserves.”
How it works
The website featured a virtual R sign with 258
light bulbs. To light up the bulbs, fans completed
challenges and posted photos/videos as proof.
As a reward, participants were invited to the
opening ceremony of the new MOHAI location
in December where the restored sign would be
displayed.
Torin Daniels, copywriter at the agency behind
the campaign, described the process:
“Step one: get the public involved. We created a
teaser video that served as a social media rally
cry. When people heard that the Rainier R needed
new bulbs, they wanted to help – So we created a
website where anyone in the country could light
up a bulb by completing a Rainier challenge. Film
yourself completing a challenge, upload it to the
site, share it with your friends.”
Journalist Allecia Vermillion wrote:
“The beer conglomeration will pay for a full
restoration of the sign, but illuminating each of the
258 lights [of the virtual sign] requires participation
from the public.”
Taps into local passion for Rainier
The campaign taps into passion for the historic
Rainier brand (established in Seattle in 1878),
and appeals to people who were accustomed to
seeing the iconic sign as a part of the city skyline.
Ad watchers at Little Black Book wrote:
“The “R” in question is the sorely-missed 12-foot-
high, red, illuminated symbol of legendary Rainier
beer, which welcomed Seattle residents and visitors
from atop the brewery tower.”
The sign was visible from the I-5 highway, and
was a familiar sight for travelers. As Seattle local
Cheryl commented:
Source: restorether.com

Volume 1, Issue 4,
“I loved that old Rainier brewery sign - it meant I
was almost home.”
Source: queenanne.komonews.com
Source: restorether.com
The local passion for the Rainier sign is best
summarized by Seattle-based writer Kendall
Jones:
“Before the birth of craft beer as we know it today,
there was Rainier Beer. Around Seattle, it was the
beer. In its heyday, Rainier Beer was ubiquitous
around Seattle, even more than Manny’s Pale Ale
is today. If you drank anything else, it was probably
only for effect. You were probably a contrarian by
nature. Keeping dutiful watch over its dominion
from atop the brewery, the glowing Rainier R
graced the city’s skyline for decades. A smaller
version of the same R adorned the window of just
about every tavern in Seattle.”
The COOL factor
The quirky nature of the challenges helped the
campaign gain traction. Challenges were creative
and fun, appealed to the Rainier fan community
and inspired participation and coverage.
Ad watchers at Little Black Book noted:
“Rainier is known throughout the Northwest for
its quirky, innovative marketing and faithful fans.
The brand’s playful essence and consumer affinity
fostered an inspiring collaboration with a uniquely
engaging strategy as the end result.”
Bloggers at Belles of the Sound wrote:
“Several of the challenges include “finding a
cloud in the shape of an R” and “teach a bird to
say Rainier”… If you decide to complete one of the
challenges, let us know!! We’d love to profile you on
the blog.”
Challenges, such as “Make Rainier your guest
of honor at the World’s Best Picnic,” were social
in nature and participants roped in friends and
family to accomplish them.
Restore the R was also covered on the Historic
Seattle Preservation blog, which called it “one of
the coolest restoration and preservation campaigns
we’ve seen.”
Here’s our favorite submission to the website:
Crowdsourcing share-worthy
content
Thinkers applaud the design of the campaign,
which is designed to generate a stream of share-
worthy content and appeal to bloggers and the
media.
Journalist Allecia Vermillion described the
campaign as a “broadcast media bonanza.”
The editorial team of Little Black Book wrote:
“As the campaign gets underway, with challenges
completed and participant proof uploaded, the
expectation is that certain submissions will find
themselves shared across the web sphere by
Seattle residents and Rainier beer fans nationwide.
And of course, the media won’t be able to resist
getting involved either. What news crew could resist
the sight of someone standing on the street playing
the vuvuzela for a cause?”
Crowdsourcing Restore the R

41
Source: queenanne.komonews.com
On-ground share-worthy content
On-ground, Rainier created awareness,
excitement and an opportunity for people to
share photos on their social networks by having
mascots ‘Grazing Rainiers’ walk around local
parks and neighborhoods.
As Aubrey Cohen noted:
“Pabst also plans to send Grazing Rainiers out
to roam Seattle and Portland parks, events and
neighborhoods. These are ‘mythical creatures best
described as giant beer bottles with legs.’”
Was the campaign successful?
While only 94 of 258 challenges were completed
online, the campaign was successful in
generating buzz around Rainier, favorability for
Pabst and awareness about the new MOHAI
location.
As Nidhi Makhija, member of the
MSLGROUP Insights Network commented:
“Considering the relatively small population of die-
hard Rainier fans (compared to say, Budweiser),
258 challenges may have been too optimistic
a goal. I’d say the campaign was a success – it
generated quite some excitement at the local level
– both for Rainier beer and for the Museum of
History and Industry.”

43
As part of its promotions for the newest James
Bond movie Skyfall, Coke Zero challenged
unsuspecting passengers at a train station in
Belgium to unlock the 007 in them and complete
a mission in 70 seconds.
Coke Zero -
Unlock the
007 in You
Source: youtube.com/watch?v=RDiZOnzajNU
The mission began at a Coke vending machine
and directed participants to race to Platform
6 to win free tickets to the launch of Skyfall.
Participants evaded obstacles such as an old
lady with dogs, a spilled cart of oranges and an
attractive ex-girlfriend. Upon reaching the second
vending machine at Platform 6, participants had
to sing the James Bond anthem to successfully
complete the mission.
Extremely positive response
70 people attempted the mission and a video
showing the successful attempts was published a
week before the UK launch of Skyfall. The video
immediately went viral with 5.3 million views
and 44,692 likes in just 7 days and widespread
positive coverage on blogs and social media.
This headline from Jim Edwards, senior editor at
BusinessInsider.com, sums up the response quite
well:
“This Coke Ad, In Which Ordinary Folks Are
Suddenly Forced Into A 007 Foot Chase, Is Utterly
Charming.”
Taps into men’s desire to be
James Bond
Bloggers and marketers pointed out the
campaign was received well because it centers on
a strong insight – that every man desires to be a
secret agent – and brings the desire to life.
As marketer Christien Smeja tweeted:
“Great campaign from #coke & #jamesbond,
tapping into every man's secret desire to become a
secret agent!”

Volume 1, Issue 4,
Experience matters more than
free tickets
Indeed, bloggers and viewers noted that they
would love to participate not for the chance to win
free tickets (only € 8-10 each), but to experience
the thrill of being a secret agent, if only for 70
seconds.
As Marieke Brinks commented on Facebook:
“I want to do this!!! This is great and really fun even
without the tickets.”
Right amount of humor and
action
Bloggers also attributed the success of the
video to tone and story told – the video contains
the right amount of humor to engage online
audiences and the right amount of action to
delight James Bond fans.
As a blogger in the UK pointed out:
“In anticipation of the new James Bond movie,
Skyfall, Coke Zero have conceived this awesome
public stunt that ties in beautifully with the film,
while adding enough humour and action to create
a compelling video that is sure to rocket up the
viral charts. Unlock the 007 in you puts Coca Cola
customers through their paces and rewards them
for a 70 second dash through a Belgium train
station dodging deliberately clichéd obstacles such
as dogs, fruit stalls and workmen carrying panes of
glass.”
“I wish I was there!”
While the campaign was created a great
experience for people at the event and attracted
millions of viewers online, it leaves too many
people wishing the event would come to their city
and happen to them.
Indeed, 71 people agreed with the sentiment
shared by YouTube user MrJesussaves777:
“I sit here broken hearted because I know nothing
as cool as this will ever happen to me.”
Many more left messages on Facebook asking
Coke Zero to bring the campaign to their home
country. But several people also noted that it
would be impractical for Coke Zero to repeat the
campaign at a widespread level for fear of people
getting hurt while completing the mission and
then suing Coca Cola.
Authentic? Staged? Does it
matter?
Legal liabilities were among the top reasons
some people, like YouTube user tropicalscot,
believed the campaign was staged:
“Definitely staged… the health and safety
implications of random members of the public
running through barking dogs and rolling oranges
would have been too much. Also they’re all too
good looking and clean cut to be real!”
Some, like Alex, believed it was real and criticized
Coke Zero’s editing choices:
“It would be great to see some of the outtakes or
'wrong bits' in a follow up. Also, isn't it the point
that the 'non-photogenic' get to become bond for a
moment?”
Others, like YouTube user metalfender88
enjoyed the video so much, that they felt the
controversy didn’t matter:
“Real or fake I don’t care, I found it very funny! It’s
one of the best advertising I have ever saw (sic)”
As people diverted their attention away from the
video to debate the authenticity of the event and
criticize Coke Zero’s editorial choices, blogger
Storytelling
Coke Zero - Unlock
the 007 in You

45
Source: cokezone.co.uk/007
Anna Richardson Taylor noted the need for
brands to choose authenticity over perfection:
“In the days where authenticity in brand
communication is everything - as consumers
quickly point out the fakes on social media - ad
agencies might have to start throwing in a few
imperfections to convince the viewing public.”
Not for women?
While a few people criticized the lack of women
participants, others, like YouTube user 11Buzzy11
quickly pointed out that it would be impractical to
expect women to participate:
“…MAYBE, no women were gullible enough to go
ripping through a train station on a whim with the
potential prize of some movie tickets. Plus, doing
that in high heels would be incredibly challenging.”
Some, like blogger Maisie Benson, noted that
Coke Zero was targeting men with its campaign,
and not women:
“Coke Zero tends to target a male audience and
so this campaign urging commuters to unlock the
007 within them fits right into their brand strategy.”
Coke’s commitment to
storytelling
Blogger Joseph Pedro highlighted the
challenge brands face as the online space
grows increasingly cluttered, and applauded
Coke Zero’s success on breaking through the
clutter:
“OK, we’ve all watched in amusement for the past
couple of years as companies worked hard to figure
out how to reach consumers through everything
from flash mobs to webisodes. We admit we
became quite jaded toward the whole thing after a
while. So, when we saw that Coke Zero and the new
James Bond flick Skyfall were in viral-video bed
together we loaded it up with hesitation. Thankfully,
it is kind of awesome.”
Govind, National Creative Director at MSLGROUP
Creative+ and member of the MSLGROUP
Insights Network attributted Coke Zero’s success
to its long term commitment to storytelling:
“Coke keeps coming with these interesting
engagement ideas all the time. This is a matter of
being committed to this strategy of storytelling.
Can't happen just by chance.”
Bringing the story to life online
Medina, a reader at SocialTimes.com, pointed
out the opportunity for Coke Zero to recreate the
Unlock the 007 in You experience online:
“This is a genius engagement idea! I'm thinking,
how can we take this type of fun and bring it into
on-line social?”
Indeed, Coke Zero empowers people to achieve
their dream of becoming James Bond online as
well, through a series of daily challenges. In the
run up to the UK launch of Skyfall in October
2012, Coke Zero posted daily assignments for
“Coke Zero Agents” at the Coke Zone and on
Twitter using #CokeZero007. Agents used their
secret agent talents to decipher clues and win
prizes.
Staying true to brand values
By creating a real mission for everyday people
and enabling them to play the role of James
Bond, Coke Zero stays true to both, the spirit of
James Bond and also to its brand position: Make
it Possible.

Volume 1, Issue 4,
As Nidhi Makhija, member of the MSLGROUP
Insights Network, commented:
“With "Unlock the 007 in You" Coke Zero gives
everyday people (and James Bond fans) exactly
what they wanted - the chance to face obstacles
and become James Bond for 70 seconds.
“The campaign connects very well to Coke Zero's
brand positioning "make it possible.”
Zoe Howorth, marketing director for Coca-Cola
Great Britain, too pointed out the connection
between James Bond and the Coke Zero brand
tagline:
"Skyfall is without a doubt one of this year’s most
anticipated film releases, and we are very excited to
be a part of it and to continue our relationship with
the world’s favourite movie franchise.
"James Bond is a global cultural icon who
consistently takes action to create what’s possible,
making this the perfect partnership for Coca-Cola
Zero."
Storytelling
Coke Zero - Unlock
the 007 in You

47
A social film from Toshiba and
Intel
The Beauty Inside is a six episode web series
in which the audience plays the lead role of
Alex - a shape shifter who wakes up in a new
body everyday and documents his identities in a
Toshiba Ultrabook.
The Beauty
Inside
Source: facebook.com/thebeautyinsidefilm
Source: facebook.com/thebeautyinsidefilm
People were cast alongside Hollywood stars
and TV actors Topher Grace (That 70’s Show),
Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Final Destination 3)
and Matthew Gray Gubler (Criminal Minds), and
directed by Sundance acclaimed director Drake
Doremus.
As the film’s tagline puts it:
“It’s Hollywood’s first social film that lets everyone
in the audience play the lead role.”
How it works
More than 4,000 people across the global
auditioned for the lead role of Alex. 26 people
were cast in the web series, and an additional 50
were featured on The Beauty Inside Facebook
page via photos and videos.
Power of Hollywood + Social
media
The star power attracted people to the audition,
and viewers to the final film. People then used
social media to spread the word and to discuss
the film in depth.

Volume 1, Issue 4,
As Ella Riley-Adams wrote:
“This project seems like a solid combination of
vital entertainment factors. “The Beauty Inside”
features one familiar young celeb, one up-and-
comer… Viewers can easily get involved and have
input in the plotline when they audition, and they’ll
then spread the news to their friends and followers.
This may be an elaborate creation for some simple
product placement, but a branded movie with
both star power and shareability seems likely to
succeed.”
Adweek blogger Tim Nudd pointed out that
social media was key to engaging so many:
“A man wakes up as a different person every
morning—and one day, against his better
judgment, he falls in love. It's an intriguing
premise—not quite right for Hollywood, perhaps,
where movies need one or two unchanging stars,
but perfect for social media, where involving as
many people as possible is the whole point.”
People submitted their photos to add to Alex's story.
source: facebook.com/thebeautyinsidefilm
Source: youtube.com
The combined power of Hollywood and social
media helped the series attract over 5 million
views, and a following of 14,531 subscribers on
YouTube and 95,500 fans on Facebook.
Why storytelling works for Intel &
Toshiba
Storytelling helps Toshiba and Intel engage
people, and generate interest and buzz around
their products, a feat, marketers say, that is
usually a challenge for non-Apple tech brands.
Todd Wasserman, business editor at Mashable,
wrote:
“Since relatively few people are interested in
discussing new hardware (unless it’s from Apple),
the campaign broadens the discussion with a bit of
branded entertainment.”
Adweek reader Wayne Wood too applauded the
storytelling approach:
“This is one of the most brilliant approaches to
marketing of a technical brand, without hitting the
buyer over the head with geek speak. and its about
getting inside the head. the human touch.”
Seamless and effective product
placement
By writing the Toshiba Ultrabook into the script,
the filmmakers ensure the product and its
features are evident, and that it doesn’t call
attention away from the core story. A beautiful
example of product placement.
As blogger Ben said:
“Presented by Intel and Toshiba, the branding is
evidently there, but subtle enough not to intrude on
the experience or hinder the concept…”
Blogger Denise Fernandes noted the role of the
laptop:
“The biggest challenge was how to identify Alex in
each scene, but the agency found a subtle, product-
friendly solution—he's always the one with the
Toshiba laptop.”
Storytelling
The Beauty
Inside

49
Source: http://itmightbeserendipity.tumblr.com/
Ashraf Engineer, member of the MSLGROUP
Insights Network commented on the
effectiveness of the product placement:
“To me, this was a great way to get your target
users involved in the message you want to send
out and to display the versatility and utility of your
product.”
Ben also pointed out the role of the product in
the larger scheme of things:
“What the brands have done is clever. They've
let the experience speak for itself and respected
the fact that people are at the end of the product.
Entertain those people, play to their emotions, and
keep them gripped in a great story and half the
battle is already won.”
Discussing “Inside”
Ultimately, the film is one big metaphor for the
Intel tagline “Inside,” and succeeds in getting
people talking about the “beauty inside,” and
subconsciously connecting with the concept of
“Inside.”
People on YouTube, such as Kathryn Fornier,
discussed the deeper significance and ‘moral ‘ of
the film:
“I believe that the reason why he stops changing
and becomes the true Alex is because he has
found someone to love him despite his physical
appearance... She didn't care if he was old, fat, ugly,
a woman, or a man. Leah loved Alex. She loved
"the beauty inside" of him. That's it for me.”
On Tumblr, people shared quotes from the movie
and blogged about their take on inner and outer
beauty.
Even Steve Hall of Adrants was enthralled by the
emotions brought up by the film:
“True love is blind. That's the lesson here. But
how many people actually experience true love?
How many people could fall in love and live with a
person that looks different each day?”
Nidhi Makhija, member of the MSLGROUP
Insights Network commented on the connect to
Intel Inside:
“When I shared the story with a fellow advertiser, he
was unimpressed and asked ‘What's the connection
to Intel?’
“Without even realizing I was echoing ‘Intel Inside,’
I replied, ‘It's not about what you look like on the
outside, it's who are you within.”
Power of the story, and the lead
character
At the end of the day, it was the interaction that
attracted people, but the power of the story and
the character Alex that kept people engaged for
six weeks and hungry for more.
This comment from YouTube user
AshleyNicoleTM is but one of hundreds:
“I'll be sad that I will not hear anything more from
Alex. He was truly such a beautiful person. I'm glad
he found happiness. I'll miss my Thursdays looking
forward to hearing about more from him. However
I'm glad he finally found his happy ending.”
As PJ Pereira, co-founder of the agency behind
the film commented:
“What we've learned is that viewers will come for
the innovation of a project like this, but they will
stay for the story. The story matters a lot."
A new kind of experience
By allowing people to co-create the story and to
be part of the story, The Beauty Inside delivers
a different kind of experience altogether. As
blogger Denise Fernandez pointed out:
“One of the most fascinating aspects of the series
is the fact that it’s Hollywood’s second ever “social
film”, and the first one of its kind that offers
everyone who has access to a webcam the chance
to play the lead role, since Alex has no definite
appearance.
“…the entire social film experience gives viewers a
sense of intimacy and belonging, something cinemas
and television have never accomplished yet.”
Building a case for Immersive
Storytelling
The Beauty Inside is the second social film from
Intel and Toshiba, after launching the social
thriller The Inside Experience in July 2011. The
overwhelming positive reactions to both imply
that people are ready for more integrated,
immersive storytelling experiences.

Volume 1, Issue 4,
Storyteller John Ford noted:
“Inside attracted a huge following, fans not only
enjoyed the experience they begged for more, so the
arrival of a second experience was always likely…
[The Beauty Inside] concept lives and dies by the
quality of the storytelling and the immersion of the
users.”
Storyteller Howard Blumenthal believes
immersive storytelling is the way of the future –
and especially in the digital age:
“Today, the power of computing can provide
spectacular realism and the promise of deeply
interactive experience–in which the individual
participant and the story framework become one.”
Source: Latitude: Future of Storytelling
Research findings from consultancy Latitude too
support the increasing popularity of immersive,
and interactive, storytelling.
Other social approaches to
storytelling
Other social films include Toshiba & Intel’s
thriller The Inside Experience in which audiences
help a woman escape a closed room, AT&T’s
Away We Happened in which fans decide the
course of the story, and Discovery and Ridley
Scott’s Life in a Day which crowdsourced scenes
from around the world.
Clockwise: Discovery and Ridley Scott’s Life in a Day, AT&T’s
Away We Happened and Intel & Toshiba’s The Inside Experience
Storytelling
The Beauty
Inside

51
Purpose-inspired movement
In response to a rise of gay youth bullying and
suicides in the U.S., Dan Savage and Terry Miller
created the It Gets Better Project, soliciting
personal stories from LGBT adults and allies to
let LGBT teens know that life gets better.
It Gets
Better
Source: itgetsbetter.org
Overwhelming volume and
diversity of stories
Since its launch in September 2010, more than
50,000 stories and messages of support have
been shared on YouTube from LGBT adults and
allies including political figures Barack Obama
and Hillary Clinton, actors Anne Hathaway and
Neil Patrick Harris, TV personalities Tim Gunn
and cast members of Modern Family, comedians
Sarah Silverman and Stephen Colbert, musicians
Adam Levine of Maroon 5 and Ke$ha and
professional football team San Francisco 49ers.
Several companies including The Gap, Google,
Facebook and Pixar, too have shared videos with
stories and messages from their employees. The
videos have collectively been viewed more than
50 million times. The project has spread beyond
the U.S. with chapters in countries including
Australia, U.K., Chile, South Africa and Malaysia.
Elizabeth Weise wrote:
“They sit down in front of the camera, and they
start to talk. In English, in Spanish, in American
Sign Language. Proudly wearing their U.S. Marine
uniforms or wedding rings or holding squiggly,
giggling children.”
A reader shared her surprise at the volume of
support the cause gathered:
“Until you see a trend like this, you have no idea
of even a fraction of the overwhelming amount of
support that is out there - you know in theory, but
you can't really gauge it.”
Social media as a free platform
Social media and YouTube gave the co-founders
the opportunity to reach out to supporters and
LGBT teens across the globe with their message
in real-time and without the need of seeking
approvals or spending money.
In an interview with ABC News, Dan Savage co-
founder of the It Gets Better Project, said:
“It occurred to me that we can talk to these kids
now. We don't have to wait for an invitation or
permission to reach out to them using social media
and YouTube.”

Volume 1, Issue 4,
“Co-founders Dan Savage and Terry Miller share
their story in the first It Gets Better video”
Connecting people with stories
In addition to the platform, the movement also
relied on personal stories to connect people
around the cause and to spark participation
and action both from adults and from the teens
themselves.
In their book It Gets Better, Dan Savage and Terry
miller wrote:
“Thousands of LGBT adults who thought they were
just going to contribute a video found themselves
talking with LGBT youth, offering them not just
hope but advice, insight, and something too many
LGBT youth lack: the ear of a supportive adult who
understands what they're going through.”
Blogger Christine Friar pointed out:
“Obviously, it's important for there to be a national
discourse about bullying on TV and in the paper,
but for the kids who have to wake up every morning
and deal with victimization on a personal level,
the fact that The Huffington Post covered the issue
might not do a lot to make them feel less alone.
“That's where It Gets Better comes in. It's the
internet at its best: connecting people to one
another through their personal stories and letting
them know that they're not alone.”
Personal stories drive change
Change can be a slow process and a struggle for
the change-drivers. Thinkers make the case that
personal stories are vital to bringing attention to a
cause and engaging people around it.
Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7IcVyvg2Qlo
Clockwise: It Gets Better MTV Special Trailer, It Gets Better – The Book and
it gets better tour
Drawing a parallel between the civil rights
movement and It Gets Better, journalist Kate
Tuttle pointed out:
“Whether or not the adults can agree on much-
needed policies to help them, one thing we can
learn from both Eckford's story and the messages
from the It Gets Better Project is that change
comes with struggle, and telling the story is a vital
part of the process.”
Role of transmedia
Each transmedia adaptation adds to the
movement. The two one-hour specials on MTV
help reach more people via multiple devices,
the book of essays has been donated to school
libraries, and the musical tour involves audiences
at the local level.
TV Academy chairman and CEO Bruce
Rosenblum said:
"The 'It Gets Better Project' is a great example of
strategically, creatively and powerfully utilizing the
media to educate and inspire…
"This is television moving well beyond the
traditional physical set in the viewer's living room to
the intimacy of the monitor, laptop, tablet or mobile
device and delivering the ideal mix of inspiration
and creativity to affect awareness and, ultimately,
change."
Jimmy Nguyen, creative producer of the it gets
better music tour and LGBT advocate, wrote:
“[The show] adds a vital dose of community by
interacting – both on and off stage – with straight
and LGBT students, teachers, residents and singers
from the town… With these novel twists, the it
gets better tour does not just speak to a passive
audience. It depends on the community to get
actively involved. And it asks the all-important
question – once the show leaves, what will local
residents do to help their LGBT youth?”
Storytelling
It Gets
Better

53
Source: itgetsbetterproject.tumblr.com
Clockwise: Undroppable, All Out and Alpenliebe Kindness Movement
Transmedia Activism
Some thinkers list It Gets Better as an example of
transmedia activism for its use of content, stories
and multiple platforms to inspire, connect and
educate people, and create dialogue around the
cause.
As Brannon Cullum wrote:
“While there are numerous examples
demonstrating the thoughtful use of digital
media for advocacy, there are a select number
of cases where organizations and activists are
using multiple digital platforms and distribution
channels to connect, educate and inspire
supporters. These instances can be referred to as
‘transmedia activism.’”
Community-driven movement
In addition to stories, the movement was also
fuelled by community support and gives merit
to the theory that some successes can only be
accomplished by a ‘loosely affiliated group’.
As Clay Shirky, thought leader in internet
technology, wrote in his book Here Comes
Everybody: The Power of Organizing without
Organizations:
“the loosely affiliated group can accomplish
something more effectively than the institution
can.”
In the case of It Gets Better, the community was
responsible for spreading the word, initiating
discussion at the grassroots level and changing
teens’ perception of life.
In a paper on “Fraternity and Social Change in the
Digital Age,” politics student Maxwell Mensinger
noted:
“By wresting control of its narrative, an entity
(again, a group or individual) may begin to reshape
the dominant interpretation of its story in a way
that changes public and private perceptions of that
entity’s identity.”
Other grassroots movements
Movements use either story or community, or a
combination of the two, to connect with people
and gain supporters. For instance, Undroppable
uses stories to encourage students to stay in
school. All Out uses community to drive LGBT
activism online and on-ground. Alpenliebe
Kindness Movement uses both stories and
community to inspire people to share kindness
and happiness.

Volume 1, Issue 4,
Storytelling
It Gets
Better

55
What is Intel iQ?
Intel uses iQ, its dedicated branded social
curation platform, to curate content from
influencers and employees on how people
are using technology in inspiring ways, and to
showcase technology’s impact on media, life and
the planet.
Intel iQ
Source: iq.intel.com
Source: iq.intel.com
How does it work?
The iQ algorithm sources content from vetted
online sources based on social popularity.
Then, it crowdsources the most popular content
amongst Intel employees based on what they are
sharing publicly, and publishes links and excerpts
from them, along with original commissioned
content from sources like Intel Free Press and
Intel’s Creators Project.
Around 160 employees currently participate in
the iQ program.
We live in a content economy
Brands have invested heavily in communities, and
need to create shareable content on a regular
basis to stay top of mind.
Luke Kintigh, Managing Editor of iQ, noted:
“As brands build up these large communities on
social networks, it’s forcing them to think more
like a publisher. All of a sudden they have this
community that needs to be fed this valuable
content.”

People's Insights Quarterly Magazine Issue 4

People's Insights Quarterly Magazine Issue 4

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