3. WOW!
Money might make the world go round. But people
that’s amazing!
As the online and offline worlds converge, and the
are increasingly looking for different ways to make ‘internet of things’ gets closer to reality, there are
life richer. all manner of opportunities for brands to create
deeply involving experiences. Interaction is now
It’s all about life experiences; and brands that
possible across multiple platforms and in multiple
can move beyond passive communication into
time-frames, allowing brands to interact with
truly immersive adventures will thrive in this
consumers in incredibly engaging ways.
environment. We’ve been talking about ‘return
on interest’ for a while now. But imagine if that In the examples we’ve brought together here, you’ll
can manifest itself in reactions as diverse as joy, see that it’s not about your brand. It’s about the
reflection, agitation, anticipation and hairs-up-on- experiences you can bring to life.
the-back-of-the-neck exhilaration.
Leave people exhilarated, perplexed, animated,
stimulated, breathless or with any other reaction
you can imagine. But most of all leave them with a
story that makes their own life that little bit richer.
4.
5. comfort
IKEA builds
into the lives of Parisian commuters.
We love some of IKEA’s activities. They have
managed to integrate themselves naturally into
everyday lives with genuine wit and charm. Here’s
just one example…
“Parisians waiting to catch the bus could wait in
comfort as IKEA had decked out 12 of the most
crowded stops with comfy sofas, shelves, lighting
and decorations. The campaign, promoting IKEA’s
Winter range, brought welcome respite to the daily
grind.” Source: Trendwatching.com
Allowing your message to find its way
into everyday lives is one iteration of
the new integration (more on that if you
want to chat, but we digress). For brands
with services rather than products,
activating sponsorships with a little
imagination is one way into this world.
What kind of experiences does your
own brand have license to invent?
6. Ralph Lauren clothes buildings in
extrAvAgANce.
Exquisite design is one of the driving forces of
modern culture. It runs through everything from
computers to corkscrews. We loved this example
of how to turn the ordinary into something really
extraordinary…
“US luxury label Ralph Lauren showcased a four
dimensional display on the facade of its stores
in New York and London to celebrate the tenth
anniversary of Ralphlauren.com. Montages of
Ralph Lauren imagery and film were projected onto
the brickwork and the audiences could ‘feel’ the
images floating in space towards them. The whole
performance was swept along by a beautiful music
track and the air was redolent of Ralph Lauren’s
unique fragrance.” Source: Trendwatching.com.
As the squeeze on budgets gets tighter, there has been a natural tendency towards
the rational and measuring every pound spent. But emotional reactions can have
far longer term business benefits. Never mind what you say, how would you like your
consumers to feel?
7.
8.
9. Geronimo gives women license to take a
selfish hour.
Radox was perceived as a little one-dimensional; It became the narrative to a story that unfolded
good for soothing aches and pains away in the across lots of different platforms and culminated
bath. It was saturated in brand equity but needed in the creation of a Touring Selfish Sanctuary. We
a serious shot of modern day relevance. literally took selfishness on the road and allowed
women to enjoy the indulgence they deserve,
The insight that sparked our campaign was a
pampering them with manicures, pedicures and
quote that every mum will recognise, “I spend
all manner of soothing treatments.
all my time looking after other people and never
take time for myself.” This wasn’t about trialling the Radox product. It
was about a temporary respite from one of life’s
Our creative platform: Take a Selfish Hour.
great and unfair truths.
Bliss.
10. restaurant
Yellow Pages opens a
in the trees.
It’s always worth keeping an eye on activity down
under. In this case, it’s the New Zealand Yellow Pages.
In the virtual world, sometimes the best place to
start creating meaningful content is the real world…
“Rather than taking the usual path to recruiting new
advertisers in the Yellow Pages, these Kiwis laid down
the following challenge: Build a treetop restaurant
in four months, using only companies that are in the
Yellow Pages. The campaign kicked off with a job
ad seeking an energetic project manager with great
presentation and people skills. A dedicated website
and blog followed the project’s rollercoaster ride from
A classic example of lighting a small fire crazy idea to real-life sensation.
which was fanned by deploying the
It caught the public’s imagination, was featured
activity across different channels: blogs,
in 10,000 online articles, got huge TV coverage
interviews, inviting ideas and simply
and became the model for future Yellow Pages
asking for help. But more than that,
initiatives – all for the cost of placing a recruitment
it left a visible and tangible legacy.
ad.” Source: Trendwatching.com.
How can your own brand get behind
something that both invites co-creation
and leaves behind a beautiful footprint?
13. the same story can have lots of different chapters, but just
stick to the script. What’s the DNA for experiences across
all your brand touchpoints? What are the assets you can
amplify to provoke the emotional reaction you are seeking?
‘MINI Adventures’ is one of the great ongoing brand stories. This time
they have taken it into their showrooms…
“It began when MINI opened a tiny showroom in Tokyo. The showroom,
called MINI GINZA, hosted different events such as parties and art
installations. This little building, full of big events, was also transparent,
allowing those outside to see what was going on inside.”
Source: Trendwatching.com.
14. Red Bull is the daddy when it comes to on-brand experiences. This
particular activity has been going on for a while but still captures the
essence of what we are trying to say here: Create experiences where
people are immersed in your ethos and come away with fantastic
stories to tell.
“Red Bull Flugtag: Ask people to build their own flying machines and
then get them to jump off a pier. This hilarious event first took place
in Vienna in 1991. Since then, more than 35 Flugtags have been
held around the world, from Ireland to San Francisco, attracting
up to 300,000 spectators. But the real secret to their success is the
resulting TV coverage, and of course the hours of user-generated
video content now online.” Source: Trendwatching.com.
can’t fly.
You’ll believe a man
Why rely on someone else to create the
events, when you can come up with your
own? red Bull have always been out
there, but Orange is in the running too –
‘owning’ cinemas on Wednesdays with
their own sponsorship programme. Where
can you weave fun into your consumers’
lives? How could localised activity make
your brand more salient?
