Brand-Aid

January 31st, 2013

“The brands we choose arguably say something about our identity – what we value in the products we use, how we perceive ourselves,  and how we want to be perceived.”

And so begins a recent PSFK article about Brand Mapping, a visual resource created by Storm Brand DNA that shows what brands people interact with at which point in their day. By visually mapping people’s interaction with brands, we begin to see patterns in how and when people engage in branded experiences and a bigger picture begins to form, one that displays how brand-interactions shape our day-to-day lives. It’s 7 AM? Whip out that Gilette razor and be “all a man can be.” 8 AM rolls around and it’s time to “Think Different” on your Mac. Forget making “Tonight Taco Night,” cause you’re having yesterday’s leftovers of Old El Paso by 1….You see where I’m going with this.

In Conversational Capital
, we discuss the ways in which brands can incorporate ritual into consumption experiences.payday loans But what this study shows, interestingly, is how people have incorporated brands into the rituals of their lived experiences. In this way, brands have become a banal part of how we experience our time and have helped structure our daily lives. More than that, work like this supports our notion that consumption experiences have become identity shapers and that consumers use brands to create personal narratives. As the article claims, the study doesn’t just articulate what brands we choose to buy, but also “how we want to be percieved.”

As PSFK suggests, as a “standalone visual, the information contained in this infographic might give you a limited perspective into the multitude of brands that this individual chooses.” And so it would be interesting to also graph not only which brands a consumer remembers using throughout his or her day, but also the total number of brands a consumer comes into contact with - visually, accidentally, tangentally - as their day progresses. This would no doubt extend this graph to immeasurable heights. I mean, just think about how many internet windows you have opened right now and how many brands that alone represents. It’s pretty staggering.

The big question mark remaining in this study is why. Why do these consumers choose these brands? Why do they represent something valuable to the consumer? Why Apple over IBM? Why Twitter over Facebook? Why do some brands inspire emotional investment in us where other brands fail?

Those are the questions this data leaves us with. And it’s up to us, as advertisers, to figure those why’s out.

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Mitchum's Hardest Working

January 30th, 2013

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In today’s blog-news, we have the case of Mitchum and its new campaign, “The Hardest Working.” The campaign centers on a collection of online films, each featuring the hardest working professional in a given line of work. Incidentally, each of the films have been produced by Brett Ratner. (You see, guy?! This is what happens to your career when you bring Rush

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into the world). The videos follow the hardest working people in America (a cop, a cattle rancher, a web entrepeneur, a baker, a coach, a green developer, a physical therapist and a florist), all the while glorifying the puritan-stream of the American work ethic and reminding viewers that Mitchum is the “hardest working anti-perspirant” out there. It all caps off with a contest, inviting users to submit their own videos in a bid to be declared America’s “Hardest Working Person.”

Five reasons why this is the smartest thing I’ve heard today:

1. Myth: with this campaign, Mitchum has presented some very rich stories that resonate deeply with viewers. More than that, the stories link to Mitchum’s new brand positioning, which makes them the self-proclaimed toughest, roughest sweat-stopper out there.

2. Over-delivery: The best part of Mitchum’s “Hardest Working” campaign is the very enticing ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS that’s up for grabs to the cog that can prove themselves worthy of the title of “Hardest Working Person in America.” If you nominate yourself, create a video featuring you hard at work and convince enough fans to vote, you could win $100,000 and the bragging rights of certifiably being the hardest working person in the country. (So you see? The reward is actually a total curse!)

3. Endorsement

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: Naturally, part of the campaign to win the 100 G’s is selling onself. Entrants promote their own video - and, by extension, the Mitchum brand - while campaigning through social media. Mitchum therefore invites participants to endorse

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its brand in the process of “get[ting] as much attention as you can.”

4. Continuity: As an extension of endorsement, participants in this little contest are implicitly rallying for Mitchum’s cause. That means that regular consumers are certifying that Mitchum is what it says it is: the “hardest working anti-perspirant in America.” This, in turn, means that gaps in continuity have been reduced between what the brand says it is, what it actually is and what consumers say it is. Tricky, tricky.

5. Tribalism: Naturally, Mitchum’s videos are hardest-hitting with the least desirable tribe

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of them all: the sweaty and overworked. (Okay, that last one was a joke).

In sum, I’m a total fan of this campaign. It weaves various elements of Conversational Capital into an inventive and intuitively talk-worthy campaign.payday loans After all, doesn’t everyone fancy themselves the hardest worker out there? Before I conclude, though, I’d like to throw out my nominations for Hardest Working Person (or Thing) in America:

1. Hardest Working Spender in America: Dean Metropoulos.

2. Hardest Working (and Richest) Nerd in America: Steve Jobs.

3. Hardest Working Carmudgeon in America: Bob Herbert.

4. Hardest Working Grudge in America: M.I.A’s against NYTs reporter, Lynn Hirschberg.

5. Hardest Working Disaster in America: Gulf Oil Spill. (Runner up: this)

6. Hardest Working Bra in America: Christina Hendricks’s

Director

January 18th, 2013

A view on Conversational Capital’s surprising ability to appear in unexpected places…

My parents are both in their late sixties. They’re still active, enjoying their weekly 6 mile ramble across the warwickshire countryside. They’re technology aware - both having mobile phones, albeit having to find ‘the right glasses’ before texting, and they use their DVR - less to block out advertising messages more so they can rewind and make sure they understand the plot.

All pretty normal. One, perhaps, break with the worlds current view of our older generation, is that they’re not natural ’sliver surfers’. Although they have a computer at home, they’re not connected. Maybe they’re still thinking back to the negative ‘word-of-mouth’ of a long gone past, that cited: the internet will infect your PC with corruption and spy-ware, hackers will find your account details, your life will be mirrored and infiltrated.

So instead of the relative ease of going into the spare room to log on, they choose to make regular visits to their local library to do just that. Still, it gets them out the house!

Anyway, it’s against this background that a couple of months ago they announced that they had bought a Nintendo Wii.

I must admit this surprised me. And the ongoing outcome continues to do so.

What made them choose a game station as a key ‘life’ purchase is one question. Why they settled on the Wii is another.

They certainly didn’t fit into the typical gaming tribe. But what is interesting is how they are starting to shape certain tribalistic traits - they now know the latest games to play and they talk as if their ‘avatars’ have a life of their own. One characteristic they have gained is the ability to ‘connect’ they their grandchildren - also members of the Wii tribe.

Perhaps this type tribalism is growing up. Perhaps there has always been the sophistication within the tribal makeup, allowing for subcultures within the structures of modern consumer driven tribes. Several multi-faceted strands, all with their own individualism, but able to inter-connect, united under a single banner.

Perhaps today’s consumer tribes are more like the utopian, equalising groupings of like-minded people, that society just hasn’t managed to master.

So, back to my parents, for them all the elements of Conversational Capital are in place. They belong to something, they are active within a unique personal experience, they have found that they like the initiation of having the find all the ‘i’s in Sports Resort, and they believe in the continuity of brand and experience.

And the outcome of all this..? They talk. They phone me up and tell me they’ve just just won a mega game of tennis again the Wii (although they’re having to rest a while because their arms ache). They have invited their neighbours round for ‘Caffeine fuelled Wii mornings’. They share positive experiences with their grandchildren.

Conversational Capital at work.

But is there something built into the fabric of the Wii that makes it foster Conversational Capital? Was this part of the design process? or is it inherent in certain types product?

Can Conversational Capital really shape the outcome of any product or brand, B2B as well as B2C? Even, say a roofing supplier?

My feeling (after reading the book) is yes. But with a caveat - as a creative myself, trying to implement such things into the building of client brands - I encounter the problem of ‘the client’. So many (maybe smaller or just unwilling) clients are blinkered with marketing’s ‘old ways’ - one can suggest, propose and present effective strategies, to be all to often faced with “kind of interesting, but I don’t really see how it’s going to sell me more products. No, let’s do what we’ve always done…”

I think the bigger or more savvy brands ‘get it’ but there’s plenty that don’t. I guess that’s the way with all things! Does anyone else have the same experiences?

There’s education to be done out there, but, maybe, like the slow erosive powers of water we can break these barriers down. One thing is for sure, Conversational Capital (the book) contains a great, fundamental ‘idea’, that will hopefully lead to sifting attitudes, better marketing and positive word-of-mouth.

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Avatar

January 13th, 2012

Ah, James Cameron. Everytime I attempt to escape your clutches, you suck me right back in again.

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While Avatar

may have experienced a slow burn at the box-office in opening week, it’s now secured Cameron the bragging rights of being the biggest second weekend total in history (with $75 million), the fastest film to reach $1 billion at the box office and, oh yeah, in four short weeks it’s now amongst the top ten highest grossing films in US history (and might soon become a competitor for the number one spot, up against Cameron’s other titanic money-maker). It’s literally gotten to the point that audiences are being pleaded to redirect their hard-earned cash to Haiti instead of the film.

These kinds of numbers can’t be explained away by the fact that, if you’re James Cameron, your bright blue freak show is actually a half-billion dollar bombshell. Nor are they the result of the film’s PG-13 rating, which Cameron allegedly secured by ridding the film of a Na’vi sex scene that now sleeps on the editing room floor. And it’s not as though the film’s cast was a big draw (no offense, Sigourney Weaver). No, Avatar’s success is the result of the emphatic endorsement of Avatards who’ve broadcast their love for the film left, right and center. Enter: Conversational Capital.

When we talk about Conversational

Capital, we’re talking about the authority of word-of-mouth. And that authority can serve to convert, endear and leverage audiences, much to the benefit of filmmakers everywhere. So even if your film “groans under the weight of clumsy storytelling in the second half and features some of the most godawful dialogue this side of Attack

of the Clones

,” some influential support for it (from the right kinds of people) can still, well, put it on the way to becoming one of the highest grossing films in the history of cinema. And while I can’t speak to the experience of having seen the film myself, I can say that that kind of support is there and it’s there in spades.

When people find something meaningful in a product, they’re willing to make it part of their own story as they recommend it to friends and pass their interpretations of the experience onward. These kinds of stories about consumption experiences are particularly salient when they come from certified tastemakers and it’s exactly those kinds of people who, I would wager, are responsible for so much of Avatar’s success.payday loans online And, hey, if those people aren’t getting their point across, maybe the film’s Golden Globe wins will bolster the film’s box-office earnings. Either way, it’s undeniable that Avatar

has recieved a boost from word-of-mouth. I mean, I could care less about the movie, but I do know that it’s a film that needs
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to be seen. And so, while I initially had no intentions of hopping on that big, blue bandwagon, I’d say that it’s near well guaranteed that I will soon.

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In summation: James Cameron, you win another round. Now please just buy an farflung island somewhere off the east Lanai, gold-plate the whole thing and then just leave me alone!

H&M

January 7th, 2012

We’ve blogged about the phenomenon of unwanted tribal


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followings before, when WWD reported on the Berlin police’s ban on Fred Perry and Ben Sherman, two brands that had (unfortunately) become synonymous with skinhead subcultures. But what do you do when the worst

tribe of them all–people who are jobless and broke with no prospects for the future–want your off-the-runway style clothing?…BURN IT ALL!

So the basic story, as The New York Times reports, is that a group of trash haulers uncovered that the H

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Regis and Kelly go to P.E.I

October 11th, 2010

What fresh hell?!

Daytime talk television’s other aging lesbians, Regis and Kelly, recently completed their voyage to Prince Edward Island, the land that time forgot. The visit was orchestrated on behalf of the province’s tourism board, which convinced the pair to film two live tapings of their show from Charlottetown. In addition to the actual airing of the show, Tourism P.E.I will spend some $800,000 on commercials set to air during the broadcast of Live! with Regis and Kelly. According to the province’s premier, Robert Ghiz (hope that’s not pronounced how I think it is), “[this] is an unprecedented opportunity to build awareness of the island as a travel and culinary destination.” But we really have to ask: how enduring will that awareness be?

To put this into perspective, picture the core audience of Regis

and Kelly (middle-aged, Nebraskan, Toddlers and Tiaras stage moms) and then ask yourself: are Regis and Kelly really going to convince them to spend thousands of dollars to visit P.E.I., a province whose primary tourist attraction is a fictional girl-child with braided, crimson hair? I’d wager no. As big a spectacle as Regis and Kelly will inevitably make of themselves on the island, their stay will remain just that: a spectacle. And that, in a nutshell, is what we’d like to call buzz. It’s just short-lived, high-impact communications that pique interest rather than fueling engagement and sway few consumers in the long run.

So, then, how do you generate sustained interest in a destination?

Well, allow us to pull an example from the vault - our own, in fact. The Tourism Montreal website works as an ever-evolving online travel guide written by those who know the city best: Montrealers themselves. Sid Lee and Tourism Montreal enlisted the help of five bloggers to profile the city’s hidden treasures on their own blogs, social media profiles and YouTube channels. Add to that some street interventions in New York and Toronto and what you’ve got is something that, while admittedly lacking the buzz-factor of Regis and Kelly, produces sustained and engaging awareness of a travel destination. And, might we add, it’s proven to be very successful.

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Sadly, P.E.I’s tourism board claims “they realize they can only draw on Regis and Kelly for so long before having to come up with a new promotion for next year.” Which begs the question: what pair of insufferable, dimwitted daytime TV hosts could P.E.I hock next?

Only time will tell.

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Buck-a-Book

October 11th, 2010



In three hundred years, long after the ice caps evaporate and extraterrestrials inhabit the earth, little alien archeologists will set themselves to discovering the how’s and why’s of our society. And when they do, they’ll come across the modern publisher, Penguin classic and big red financial report in hand, and view them as we do now the Dodo. They’ll see that as desperately as the publisher might’ve tried to adapt, their evolutionary number was up.

But that shouldn’t suggest they went without a fight.

Case in point: the decidedly German publishing house, Hamburger Automatenverlag. Amongst the buroughs surrounding the University of the Hamburg, Hamburger Automatenverlag has retooled out-of-date cigarette vending machines, packing them instead with literature. Filling the automats with books, graphic novels, travel guides and, for the artsy set, tomes of poetry, the publishing house has re-envisioned a role for the vend-a-smoke, replacing what were once literal dealers of death with treasure troves of knowledge. (Okay, so that’s a totally lame, inspirational-school-poster way of putting it, but you get my drift).

So what makes this Conversational

Capital-worthy?

What Hamburger Automatenverlag has done with this initiative is over-deliver in its role as publisher by bringing the product to the people. It has intensified and modernized what is inherently a very classic delivery system, returning books to the reader’s side, thereby making them more relevant and resonant in their lives. The publishing house has found a way of clambering through the omni-presence of the Nooks and Kindles of the world to reach consumers out-of-home with the elevation of a good read. It sounds so simple - and it is - but it’s also a clearly talk-worthy approach (at least based on all the terrific endorsement

they’ve received from blogging big-timers like The Consumerist and Gizmodo).

At the same time, it’s an approach that targeted a very specific tribe: the scholars of Hamburg. It is for a specific community and therefore has natural conversation-starting abilities. More than that, the automats hold an air of RSO (Relevant Sensorial Oddity). The machines disrupt a consumer’s routine experience by holding such peculiar contents. Finally, they provide an excellent example of initiation

. By buying a Hamburger Automatenverlag book out of a vending machine, you’ve experienced an introduction to the brand that, as a form of ritual, has transformed the banal and everyday into the unusual. And so the brand has combined various engines of CC

, mixing them with a flair for the unexpected. (Plus they’re not stroking that deadly nicotine addiction of yours. Hello added value!)

All told, then, this gesture isn’t exactly industry-revolutionizing - it’s not going to save the traditional publisher from extinction - but it sure does have wheels as a conversation-starter.

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Going, Going Green

October 11th, 2010



In retrospect, Coca Cola–bane of the environment–might not have been the best choice of companies to openly laud for its green credentials, as we did in a recent post. Still, reducing the carbon emissions associated with packaging is a step in the right direction and we can’t really chastize Big Red for that. But the problem remains: while reducing emissions associated with packaging is a start–a slow one, at that–it can’t be the end goal. And it so happens that one London company, Unpackaged, is proving that sentiment true.

Unpackaged revolves around the “belief that there is a better way to sell food.” Pray tell, Unpackaged: “we want to make it easy for our customers to do the right thing – the right thing for themselves and for the environment.” In a nut shell, that means eliminating all non-reusable packaging at their store, instead requesting that shoppers bring their own bags and packaging, providing only reusable bags for shoppers to purchase. What’s more, the majority of Unpackaged’s food is certified organic and fair trade where possible, showing preference to local suppliers in addition to refusing to sell air-freighted food. And they’re involved in other environmental campaigns. In sum, it’s a bottom-up approach, focusing on eliminating wastes at every possible step of production.

This is an example of a brand that hinges largely on a creative and strictly-applied founding narrative

. Since the beginning, Unpackaged’s story has been one of minimizing waste in every practical way. They have truly overhauled traditional commitments to the so-called green movement, which has far too often veered into “greenwashing”/dumb corporate initiative territory. And so I would imagine that an approach like this is definitely something to be talked about.

More than that, requesting that shoppers bring their own packaging means that Unpackaged has incorporated ritual

into their brand experience, offering consumers a hook to get conversation going. Oh, and they’re getting some very loud endorsement

from the likes of BBC, CBS, The Guardian, The Grocer, Vogue, Tree Hugger…the list goes on and on (although a new site designer wouln’t exactly be uncalled for). In turn, Unpackaged itself endorses

fellow do-gooders, linking to inspirational organizations like The Transition Movement and One Planet Living on their homepage.

Unpackaged is only one shop at the moment and, go figure, it’s all the way around the world. But that a company like Unpackaged can survive and thrive should suggest that consumers are excited and willing to brag about a company whose values and commitment seem genuine and unwaivering. From what I understand, Unpackaged is

that very company, so let’s hope we see it expand (or at least copy-catted) sometime soon!

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Lady Gaga: Lessons in Branding

March 8th, 2010



The Church of the Customer recently commented on the success of beloved hermaphrodite and preposterous dresser, Lady Gaga, in all matters branding. The article, “Loyalty Lessons from Lady Gaga,” delves into the elusive source of Gaga’s success, attempting to figure out exactly how someone so bizzare and seemingly unposed for superstardom found such unbelievable success. I mean, she’s no Bob Dylan, lyrics-wise, nor is her voice her greatest asset. And it’s not exactly as though she’s pop-star beautiful. (Post-op-star beautiful, maybe). But she’s made up for these rather significant flaws by becoming one of the most aggressive branding machines out there. So how did Gaga do it right?

1. “Give fans a name”: To celebrate her fans’ loyalty, Gaga christened them her “Little Monsters.” As a matter of fact, she even tattooed the words on her arm and tweeted it. Now, isn’t that the perfect way to create a tribe around your harebrained empire and show the love you feel for it? Yes. Yes it is.

2. “Make it about something bigger than you”: Gaga dedicates each of her shows to her fans (and each of her awards to her gay fanbase). She even recites her “Manifesto of Little Monsters” at each performance, claiming only to be the “jester” to their kings and queens. By letting her fans know that shes knows (that everyone knows) that they have the “power to make or break her,” Gaga has made her success shareable. And so, however much her success may not actually be about her tribe, it sure does feel that way.

3. “Develop shared symbols”: The official icon of the Little Monsters is Gaga’s “Monster Claw” hand. As part of her “Bad Romance” choreography, the monstrous hand gesture has caught on with her fans, Oprah Winfrey chief among them. Now, this is exactly what we talk about when we discuss icons as markers of shared experience. What the “Monster Claw” has come to represent is something much deeper and more meaningful than a silly hand gesture. The icon has become a component of identity-making for fans, demarcating their interest in the aesthetic politics that Gaga stands for.

4. “Make your customers feel like rock stars”: Now, this falls square within the over-delivery portion of Conversationai. Apparently Gaga will randomly select fans to go up on stage during her concert and then invite them out for a drink afterward. In doing this, Gaga doesn’t simply add value to her ticket price but also creates experiences that stand out by virtue of being so “extra.”

5. “Leverage social media”: With five million Facebook fans and three million Twitter followers, Gaga has social media on her side. But it’s not all about quantity with her, it’s quality too. She keeps fans constantly updated, whether at the Grammy’s or waiting for pizza. She even lets her fans film her concerts and then post their videos on Youtube. Clearly this woman has figured out how to benefit from social media and has subsequently enriched her brand as a result.

I’d also like to add some things to The Church of the Customer’s list:

6. Defy expectations: When they expect you to zig, zag. When they expect the ordinary, bring them the extraordinary. When they expect an ornate hair-bow-tie, psych them out with the severed head of Kermit the Frog (with a matching Kermit ensemble, naturally). Gaga may just be the prime example of why the ritual engine of CC doesn’t stack up: nothing about her lasts (and that’s precisely the appeal).

7. Relevant Sensorial

Oddity is your friend: If anyone proves our point about the importance of dazzling the senses, it’s this psychopath. Lady Gaga is the branded spectacle par

excellence. She challenges people’s tendencies to shut out their environment and has challenged the world with new modes of aestheticism.

8. This might not come up in the day-to-day workings of most brands, but when the press suggests you were born with multiple reproductive organs, OWN. THAT. SHIT. In fact, wear a strap-on on the cover of a major music magazine while proclaiming, “I want everyone to see my dick!” Do it because you don’t care what people think but also do it because it plays into the absurdity of your own myth-making.

As with all pop art whosiwhatsit, Gaga’s appeal is necessarily circumstantial. I mean, why should Gaga’s fame continue to soar when proportionately insane sideshows go by the wayside? For now, it seems that Gaga’s sticking around and that her fanbase is as loyal and fierce as ever. I’d never thought I’d say it, but brands, take note. Gaga is one to watch.

Honda: The Saviour of Free Press?

February 15th, 2010

As of 2011, the New York Times’ online content will no longer be available for free. Well, that’s the idea at least. Kind of. Allow me to explain:


See, after assuming that print was played out, the New York Times made the questionable decision to begin charging readers for access to their online articles in 2011. The paid model for NYTimes.com, importantly, would be a “metered model.” What this means is that users will be granted free access to a certain number of articles every month before they have their lights cut off. That way, the NYTs will generate a secondary revenue stream, providing “the necessary flexibility to keep an appropriate ratio between free and paid content” while staying “connected to a search-driven web.” Now, those who are already paying for the newspaper’s outrageous subscription fee will of course have access to all of the paper’s online content, but for those freeloaders who max their article limit, well, it’s off to the L.A. Times with you. Oh, the times we’ve had!


While some have argued that, yes, newspapers are a product and as such should not be given away for free, others have highlighted the opportunities that are afforded to sites that maximize their readership by offering free content. The NYTs seems to be caught somewhere in the middle, trying to generate some extra cash while keeping their audience around. But isn’t there another way? I mean, can’t someone save free press for the masses? Who amongst us is willing to stand up and take charge?

ADVERTISERS, THAT’S WHO!

As we trundle closer and closer to 2011, the NYTs metaphorical rent-due-date, Honda is already making the best of a bad situation. See, the misers at The Wall Street Journal have been charging for their content for ages (a business magazine doing business–go figure). But on February 3rd, Honda’s advertising dollars provided the wherewithal to open WSJ.com’s content to everyone. Advertising the Acura ZDX, Honda’s one day partnership with the Wall Street Journal allowed all users to access content which was previously only unlocked for subscribers. What an awesome idea!

If more brands take Honda’s lead and provide access to sites like NYTimes.com, consumers will no doubt respond favourably. Advertising dollars finally put toward providing
services, as opposed to simply creating buzz? That’s precisely the kind of over-delivery that consumers are looking for from today’s brands. And what works perfectly about this initiative is that it goes part and parcel with the brand’s recent “Honda Helps” do-gooding.

Let’s hope we see more of this in the future. I need my free New York Times!

Word-of-Mouth Oakland

February 10th, 2010



Cool Hunting recently posted their “Word-of-Mouth Guide to Oakland,” that focuses on what independent businesses people are talking about in the land of oak. (You can skip along to the video itself over here). Seeing as we, y’know, write a blog about word-of-mouth and everything, we thought we’d take this opportunity to delve into some of Cool Hunting’s selections and see if our Conversational Capital hypotheses stack up. And (you guessed it), they do! Let’s take a look at what I mean…

First up: Manifesto Bicycle Shop. Manifesto Bike Shop is an Oaklandian bike shop that functions with a few central credos: “promote customization, recycling and the spread of urban bike culture.” Getting people to bike, in other words, is Manifesto’s manifesto.  These young politcos focus on “urban bikes” and sponsor art openings as well as a “bike church” on Sunday mornings replete with baked goods and “old church music.” Now, that there is over-delivery. It’s an example of a brand exceeding consumer expectations by offering more than would be expected of them. Those gestures also go by the name of tribalism

, helping to form a loyal consumer base by fostering a sense of group identity around their service. I mention again that Manifesto is all about promoting customization, which in CC terms is Exclusive Product Offering

. And so it’s a big non-shock that Manifesto has managed to amass such word-of-mouth, especially with credible sources like Cool Hunting endorsing

them.

Next on the docket is a little bakery by the name of Bakesale Betty. Bakesale Betty’s “very homestyle, classic American” menu features baked goods and pastries as well as a butter-milk fried chicken sandwich that looks damn good. Their founding

myth can be found right there on their website, which tells the story of Betty’s founder (Alison Barakat), who travelled from Australia and arrived in Oakland to sell goods at a local farmer’s market. It was there that she met her husband who opened Betty’s and still to this day they continue to sell at local farmer’s markets. Oh and the video also mentions something about a weird backstory involving a Giraffe muralist. I’m not really sure, either. Just watch the video. Anyway, I should also mention that their blue wigs are exactly the type of unexpected icon

that we speak of in Conversational Capital, iconically bringing an image of–I don’t know, utter zaniness?–to the brand. Also, ha! Their website even has a jingle. Hilarious!

Then there’s Bloom Screen Printing, which supplies screen poster resources to graphic designers and fine artists who produce works not unlike the stuff coming out of The Heads of State team. The community around Bloom Screen Printing is an example of a tribe forming organically around a very specific kind of brand. BSP is a part of that community, even being spotted selling silk-screened works at Art Murmur. Oh and they promote public space, etc. So…good for them.

In sum, these business represent a number of different industries and sell a wide array of products. Each of them, however, has enriched their experience (intentionally or not) with the engines of CC. The result: making the word-of-mouth list of a site as widely-read as Cool Hunting. And so, the engines of Conversational

Capital

have, implicitly or not, been an essential part of these businesses’ success. I would say, then, that our hypotheses stack up quite nicely.

Game and set, as well as match, thank you.

Green Machine

February 5th, 2010



Okay, so the “green movement” isn’t really the most topical subject of conversational at this point. That said, I’m willing to point out great creative work when I see it-especially when it serves the purposes of environmentalists. And so, let’s talk about some brand new, Conversational Capital

-worthy green initiatives taking place around the blogosphere.

First up: Creative Review’s compostable packaging (which, coincidentally, features Sid Lee right on the cover. Bonus points to them)! Creative Review’s new shipping packaging is fully compostable, made from something called “Harmless-Compost,” part of a range of compostable goods from Cyberpac. Now, the bag is for subscribers only, so you won’t find them on newsstands. Still, Creative Review has to package magazines sent in the mail (to protect it during shipping and for a place to put the address) and they’ve determined that the best way to do this, eco-wise, is to rid themselves of that pesky petroleum-based plastic packaging. Along with the compostable packaging, Creative Review has also thrown in tomato seeds, to encourage would-be greenthumbs to get into the garden and grow. Now, before anyone gets in a huff, the whole bag (i.e., inks included) are all biodegradable and tested for toxicity. This means that food growing out of that bag is suitable for consumption and, needless to say, that’s exactly the point. Creative Review has recieved some excellent press for this creative and practical initiative, proving that you really do reap what you sow.

Next: WhatisFresh, a New York-based website that allows users to search for the best local, seasonal and farmer’s markets in their communities. The site is divided into several categories (vendors, markets and products), which detail weekly calendars for markets in addition to listing all the farmers involved (including what they produce) and the products that are for sale. WhatisFresh is a perfect example of how social media can be incorporated into day-to-day efforts at staying green, with an easy-to-use interface that makes shopping local anything but a chore.

Finally, there’s these new Coke bottles, made partly from the leftovers of sugar cane plants. Coke has reduced the use of petroleum-based plastics for their bottles by nearly 30%, helping to reduce their carbon footprint by up to 19%. Now, while 19% may not sound like a huge deal in the grand scheme of things, it’s actually quite a lot. I mean, consider the billions of Coke bottles currently circling the globe. Now consider that the carbon footprint of 1/5 of those bottles has been eliminated. That’s some massive change! The bottles recently made their debut in Denmark, the host of last month’s United Nations Climate Change Summit and we can only hope to see them on this side of the Atlantic sooner rather than later.

What makes each of these initiatives Conversational

Capital-worthy is their ability to disrupt and exceed the expectations that we have of brands, particularly those amongst the horde of quasi-green companies that almost always leave something to be desired. Because the potency of traditional advertising and marketing has becoming increasingly reduced, brands will have to learn to distinguish themselves from the ubiquitous masses in highly innovative ways and that’s exactly what these three brands have done. That they do so on such creative yet simple terms certainly doesn’t hinder their efforts either.

But, at the end of the day, the goal is green, so congrats to these brands for making what steps they can towards that end.

MyBrandz

January 25th, 2010

MyBrandz is a new social networking site for brand fans.

The point of the site is to allow consumers to publically declare their allegiance to particular brands, while hosting a space in which they can post brand-related content, all in an effort to engage consumers in a two-way conversation and, more generally, to facilitate endorsement

. MyBrandz is currently also playing host to a contest that’s giving away 100 free shares of the top-traded brands, including Apple, McDonald’s, Coca-Cola and Disney. So if you want to get a chance at that, head on down. Anyway, this video introduces the service and helps elucidate the intents behind it. (Incidentally, it also illustrates what “social networking” is. Now, if only they would explain that “the internet” thing, we’d be in business). Continuing, the video claims that “MyBrandz has created an online, independent community for all the brand lovers around the world, where you can talk, share and update,” before pausing to question, “do people really love brands that much?”

To help find an answer, the impresarios behind MyBrands headed to Burning Man to uncover the most subversive, non-commercial people on the planet and ask them what they think of brands. Answer: they’re into them. Case closed…or not. See, MyBrandz then went to “Free Tattoo Day” in San Francisco where 130 people had registered to tattoo logos onto their bodies. This helped the people behind MyBrandz deduce that if fans were willing to tattoo a logo onto their bodies, they’d also probably be willing to sign up for a free, brand-devoted service. And what kind of person is that?

Anyway, a service like MyBrandz pretty much cements us as prophets of things to come. With the publishing of Conversational

Capital two summers ago, we argued that “stories about consumption experiences have become identity shapers” in addition to claiming that “consumers use brands to create personal narratives.” Well, one MyBrandz site, several social media revolutions and eight episodes of Jersery Shore later, we’re pretty much seeing our ideas come to fruition. More than ever people are incorporating brands into their day-to-day lives. What’s more, people are using brands and branded experiences to help convey who they are, what their preferences are and how they spend their lives. Pauly D, for instance, wants you to know that, like Cadillac, he is the mirror image of class and luxury, with all the panache of a Kennedy. Also, like the gas-guzzling Escalade, the hair products that motor his brainbox are slowly destroying the ozone layer.

Jokes aside, this is really the crux of the book: experience means something to consumers and they’re more than happy to share that with others. From a brand perspective, this is where money can be made. Instead of being routed into advertising fees, we focus on what will get people

talking. And this feature–this horizontal movement of information–is precisely what is relevant to MyBrandz, a site that has provided a space in which to emphasize the ways we’ve incorporated brands into our lives.

But the real question: will a site like MyBrandz function successfully?

Only time will tell.

Vitamin Water Connects

January 20th, 2010

As though Facebook hadn’t already infected all sectors of your life, it will now be in your body.

Thanks to Glacéau, the makers of Vitamin Water, you will soon be able to slurp the world’s first Facebook-inspired drink. The new black cherry-lime flavoured Vitamin Water, dubbed “Connect,” launches in March and will feature Facebook logos and slanguage all over the bottle, alongside a new label and the usual Vitamin Water bottle palaver. Recalling Mtn Dew’s Dewmocracy, the new flavour was the result of online voting and, yes, a little viral video hype as well.

See, the infomercial-style vid that Vitamin Water produced features the admittedly hilarious “Canadian celebrity” Steve Nash and it also leveraged the brand’s symbiotic relationship with 50 Cent. As BrandFreak recounts, the “two parts too-soon Billy Mays spoof” encourages Vitamin Water fans to participate in the “flavourcreator” Facebook application, where they can propose new flavours for the brand. Now, how Vitamin Water’s million-plus Facebook friends could collectively blunder and will black-cherry lime flavoured water into being is anyone’s guess, but they did. And now those same people are responsible for deciding the name and look of the new drink. Hello, “Connect.”

Now, it’s not all bad. Yes, there are finger prints all over the label (weird). And yes, it’s a “Facebook-inspired” drink (worse). But!, at least it reflects a brand’s strong commitment to its tribal

following and ensures that the opinions and ideas of its fanbase are being voiced in a reciprocal conversation. Democratic decision-making, social media call-and-response and, ultimately, the creation of a new drink experience are all part of what makes this initiative worthy of tribal

appeal. It shows that Vitamin Water has over-delivered when it comes to audience response and has created a product that’s devoted to those who are devoted to the product. What’s more, when people feel involved in the process of creating a product, they’ll be more apt to endorse

it to friends, family and colleagues.

And, hey, if all that fails, maybe the addictive capacity (burden?) of Facebook will somehow rub off on this flavour.

Maybe.

adidas Originals Collabos with Star Wars (and Sid Lee!)

January 18th, 2010

Quoth Kanye West: “This was well done.”

Well, thanks, Yeezy.

See, Kanye’s talking about the new spot that Sid Lee produced for adidas Originals in anticipation of the brand’s new 2010 adidas Originals Star Wars collaboration. The ad itself welcomes you to “the street, where originality comes to life as artists, athletes, and celebs celebrate their style. Everyone’s invited to our street corner along with some special guests, who traveled from a galaxy far, far away to launch a year’s worth of celebrations.” What this translates into is Snoop, Beckham, Darth Vader and a bunch of international celebrities partying in some Blade

Runner-esque landscape, except with more adidas and break-dancing and a lot less homicidal robots on the whole. (Daft Punk excluded, naturally).


Being a Sid Lee joint, the spot features some hallmarks of Conversational Capital

. For starters, it has leveraged the endorsement of certified taste-makers from a number of different industries and nations. That kind of trusted endorsement, from celebrities who remain relevant to various tribes, is exactly what persuades consumers to try new things. And I would wager that these tastemakers are exactly the kinds of people who will be able to successfully share their enthusiasm for the brand with a wide consumer base.

The myths of Star Wars and adidas Originals might at first seem disparate ones, but consider that the two overlap in being retro-revivals. That is, adidas Originals and Star Wars see their birth in the mid-to-late 20th Century but both have been retrofitted for a new generation. And so it makes sense that the collaboration (adidas Originals’ biggest to date) should bring together “a striking collection of sneakers and apparel inspired by the characters and crafts youve followed for a lifetime.” It’s all about the authentic, time-tested traditions that both brands exude.

In true Conversational

Capital form, the piece also features

“the most iconic moments and beloved figures from the Star

Wars saga” who have been “translated to the streets, telling their creative story across a forceful collection of adidas Originals footwear and apparel.” And that story–as I’ve mentioned–is one of originality, creativity, individuality and authenticity, the founding principles behind the brand. The iconic sounds of the Imperial March have even been remixed, providing a sonic boom to an old tune.

Launched only four scant days ago, the video has already scored over 430,000 views! Couple that with positive press across the blogosphere and it would seem adidas (and Sid Lee!) has a viral hit on its hands.

Congrats!

Niuu Wave

January 8th, 2010

Dipping out of the world of advertising for a minute, the Germans now have a daily aggregate newspaper.

Launched in November, Niuu, has partnered with some 17 daily publications, from national (i.e., Berliner Morgenpost and Der Tagesspiegel

) to international (New York Times and The

Washington Times), to bring readers some choice in their daily news. With the service, readers can select exactly which pages in which publications interest them and build a 24-page, personalized newspaper out of that. Also offered are blog posts from RSS feeds and, for the lazy, premade newspaper templates with preselected pages.

So, to reiterate Niuu’s plan: pick-and-choose from more established publications, glue together pieces that are relevant to the individual reader, then turn around and issue those articles as a single newspaper. In print, no less. As in paper, with type. Which really makes you wonder: why not just put it together online? Well, as co-founder Wanja Oberhof explains, “we asked [students] what is the most comfortable and which is the best distribution channel; is it an e-paper, is it only on mobile, is it printed or online?” Their questionable response: print is apparently still the best man for the job.

But, really? Newspapers? Now? Haha. No. With 2009 just behind us, a year that saw massive layoffs at Forbes, the death of magazines like Domino and Gourmet

and scads of firings at all major newspapers, Niuu is hoping to make its patchwork periodical fly? Yes, of course, that’ll work. Niuu is simply indispensable to the modern thinker. And so it’s not like it might suffer the same fate as The Printed Blog, a similarly-conceived aggregate newspaper that went under in 2009 after being open no less than a year.

But even if some lessons just won’t be learned, others can be. And that’s because–at its core–Niuu has stumbled upon a genuinely awesome idea. Offering a pastiche of newspaper articles targetted at specific readers is a particularly nice application of Exclusive

Product Offering (EPO

). It reflects precisely what the reader wants to know without any of the padding found in so many large publications (ahem, Sunday NYTs). And this works perfectly with an industry like journalism because it’s an industry unlike most consumer products. Indeed, journalism seems to provide an almost unique resource for mix-and-match products like Niuu. Because each newspaper can be broken down into dissociable units (i.e., articles), a new user-specific publication can be easily built up from various sources. Sure, we might subscribe to particular journalistic brands for their quality or reputation (The New York

Times comes to mind), but doesn’t a newspaper curated to your interests sound more enticing? That’s why press sources like Gawker or Jezebel work. Hell, that’s why a Google Reader is one of the world’s best tools! Each filters down stories that are relevant to a particular audience from a number of (generally) acclaimed news sources. But Niuu takes it a step further. Beyond simply offering commentary on various news-stories, Niuu provides those stories as they’re published, making them completely curated to you as a reader. This really is the fourth estate at its best.

Now let’s just hope it’ll last the year.

[SOURCE]

Voice of McDonald's

January 6th, 2010

According to this NYTs article, McDonald’s is launching an “American Idol”-style competition called “Voice of McDonalds.” Now in its third iteration, the competition gives regular McDonald’s employees the chance to achieve greatness: singing at an Orlando tradeshow!

Here’s how it all played out: McDonald’s employees across the globe were invited to submit a video of themselves singing their favourite song to McD’s headquarters. Some 10,500 entries were handed into McDonald’s, of which 30 were selected by trained vocal coaches to stand as semifinalists. The semifinalists were then asked to select a piece from a catalogue of Sony songs that McDonald’s had license to use and those were posted online. Using Facebook, Twitter and other social media conduits, McDonald’s customers were asked to vote upon their favourite entrant, the response to which has been hugely successful. Close to 700,000 customers have pitched their ballot in for the best vocalist, which has helped cull a list of 12 finalists who were given the good news at their places of employment by a camera crew and a McDonald’s representative. Now the final decision on who is the real “Voice of McDonald’s” will be made at a McDonald’s Worldwide Conference in Orlando, Florida.

Sound simple? It kind of is. But when you really think about it, it’s actually quite complex. Blending reality television and the virtual world of social media with the is-it-real-or-isn’t-it menu of McDonald’s is such a toss-up of artificial and real-world that it could’ve inspired The

Matrix. But it’s just crazy enough to work! And here’s why:

With “Voice of McDonald’s,” the fast food chain has invited people into a three-way conversation between McDonald’s the Company, McDonald’s the Franchise and, of course, consumers. As Rich Floersch, McDonald’s chief HR officer explains, “we know that customer perceptions about your employment brand do have some impact in terms of people’s decisions to frequent certain restaurants” and so this kind of internal marketing can bolster public opinion while ensuring a new generation of employees is there to follow suit in these pseudo-Cinderella stories. As for the consumers part, well…

This initiative also speaks to McDonald’s founding

myth

, which is apparently all about opportunity. The opportunity to rise from downtrodden burger bar brothers to billionaire, wingnut plutocrats, for instance. In any event, opportunity is being touted as a fundamental element of the McDonald’s narrative, with Floersch explaining, “our employees can become entrepreneurs and end up owning stores, or come up through the ranks in the company.” So “Voice of McDonald’s” aims really to inspire all would-be franchisees with the hopes that they too might secure a $25,000 prize presented by tepidly-famous stars like Ne-Yo. Really, what better a light at the end of McDonald’s’ three-way tunnel of opportunity, American idealism, and yes-we-can-do attitude?

Lastly, I would argue that this stands as an attempt to help create a loyal group of users. That kind of tribalism works by targetting a specific group (i.e., the far-flung fanatics of broadcasted song competition) and facilitates their bonding over a branded experience (i.e., Voice of McDonald’s). By playing on the need of associating with like-minded people, McDonald’s has ensured that their brand is more communicable within that group. And, of course, there are also ripple effects created outside of that tribe

, generating PR for the brand on a wider scale.

As someone who has no

interest in online song competition, even I have to admit that I find this initiative impressive, well calculated and well played.

What do you think? Let us know!

[SOURCE]

Conspicuous Consumption

January 4th, 2010

How would you feel about your credit card records being made public? Would you mind everyone seeing where you spent your hard-earned dollars? Or are there some unmentionables you’d rather keep concealed?

That’s the question being posed by Blippy, a soon-to-begin social networking site that allows users to publicize their purchases. The site publishes credit card purchases on a Twitter-like interface, letting everyone know where your money’s going. The experiment will be launched by social media impresario Philip Kaplan, who previously owned a website that documented the demise of the early-aughts’ internet bubble. Following that venture, he begun AdBrite, which places ads on more than 100,000 affiliated sites, before leaving the multi-million dollar business to take on Blippy.

So how exactly does Blippy work? Well, let’s say you buy $15 worth of books at Amazon.com or spend $30 at iTunes buying a few new albums. Blippy would then report those transactions via tweet-like submissions, documenting where you spent money and, in some cases, what you spent it on. The charges show up automatically in what Kaplan has termed “passive sharing,” although, as with Twitter and Facebook, users can select whether or not their profiles are public or private. Blippy, then, lets users endorse the brands or products that they like, proving that they spent their money on a new album, outfit, book or what-have-you.

Continuing, Kaplan explains that, “the idea is that most Americans have two or three credit cards in their wallet. You sign one of them up to be the social card — it’s connected to the site. The other cards you keep private. If I use my public card at a Starbucks, for instance, all my friends know that I’m at the Starbucks, and they can come and see me, or whatever.” Those approved to see your purchases will not only know where you’ve been but also where your money’s going, proving our point that consumers are interested in making brand stories their own. That is, consumers are increasingly choosing to move information horizontally, passively endorsing

products and brands with their buying habits. Blippy simply literalizes that endorsement by making a record of it.

The remaining question: doesn’t publically publishing your credit card information sound like a bit of a stretch? Like, are we really

going to give up our private information that easily? Perhaps. Perhaps not. But let’s consider that Facebook currently broadcasts and owns

hundreds of embarasssing photos of us that we all hoped would never see the light of day. Or that Twittererererrrrs spend hours a day distributing twitpics of themselves posing in the mirror across the web. The point is that the public/private wall has crumbled, unveiling our exhibitionist craziness for all the world to see. And like Kaplan says, “I guess you need to have the right temperament if you to want to blog and tweet and Facebook and all that. It’s just another way of saying, ‘Here’s what I’m doing,’ or ‘Here’s where I am,’ or ‘Here’s a band that I’m really into’ — obviously, because I just bought five of their albums.”

And besides, leveraging the social aspects of  consumption is really what Conversational

Capital is all about. When consumers find something meaningful in a branded experience, they want to make it known and are prepared to adopt that brand story as their own. From a brand-perspective, that can actually be quite important. Peer-mediated endorsement carries a greater authority than top-down communication strategies and so if you can facilitate that endorsement

with services like Blippy, consumers will be more open to sharing your brand story.

[SOURCE]

Happy Holidays!

December 22nd, 2009

Hey gang,

We’re taking a break here at the CC blog until the new year, when it’ll be all about the ‘10jamins! Until then, here’s wishing you and yours a happy and safe holiday from everyone at the Sid Lee team.

See ya in the new year!

"HP Computers Are Racist"

December 22nd, 2009

Making the rounds of web culture today is this viral video, simply titled, “HP computers are racist.” In the video, two people, a black man (Desi) and a white woman (Wanda), demonstrate that HP’s new face-tracking camera technology fails to respond to people with darker skin tones. Hence, “HP computers are racist.” The video is definitely worth watching and the point they’re making seems indisputable and evident, however awkward the running monologue might be (i.e., “once my ‘blackness’ enters the frame…”). But at the end of the day, viral effectiveness always relies on reaction, which, of course, has been mixed. Racialicious is calling HP’s camera just another aspect of structural racism (which it very well may be) while Geekologie ironically chastised the “sheisty bigots” at HP and Gizmodo deeply pondered, “this is awkward.”

But amongst the allegations of racial idiocy, HP has taken things fairly diplomatically.  Their response: “the technology we use is built on standard algorithms that measure the difference in intensity of contrast between the eyes and the upper cheek and nose. We believe that the camera might have difficulty ’seeing’ contrast in conditions where there is insufficient foreground lighting.” Oh yeah, they go on to thank Desi, the creator of the video, as well.

As far as that goes, I believe AdAge summarized it well in saying, “I can see two plausible explanations: (1) The company didn’t test this bit of technology at any time on anyone with dark skin. OR (2) The company did test it on various skin types but only tested it using optimal lighting.” Either way, isn’t it kind of moronic to have gotten into this position in the first place?

Yes. Yes it is.

In any event, though, HP has maintained face (continuity

) by recognizing their wrong, attempting to offer an explanation and by basically being cordial to someone that’s trying to point out what racists they all are. Given the circumstances, that’s actually probably the best they could do.

But the question remains: is

HP racist?

I have to say that I don’t see HP as a racist brand for this technology failure. A company is racist when it hates/fears/stereotypes/forbids/pigeonholes/intentionally inhibits/etc. a race of people. If HP deliberately designed inaccessible technology, then yes, it’d be racist and in that case it would deserve to go bankrupt. But can we really infer that HP chose for their cameras to not work on darker skin colours? No, of course not. Unlike this much-chided “$5 Holla” Subway ad, which was a clear mockery of African American subcultures, HP’s computer glitch was just that: a glitch. And so, while some of the employees at HP may well be ignoramuses (ignorami?) for not testing their technology on a variety of skin tones, I doubt that a deep-seeded hatred for darker-skinned people lay at the core of their error.

Your thoughts? Let us know!

Zipcar Zooms, Fumes and Booms

December 22nd, 2009

This is the funniest morning news I’ve heard in a while!

Zip-car patronage, tremble in fear: according to this Consumerist article, the rental service’s fleet is prone to overheating…and exploding! Okay, so what actually

happened was that a man named John and his wife had reserved a Mini Cooper from Zipcar to drive to Catskills for their anniversary. While driving back to New York City, they noticed the temperature gauge on the dashboard red flagging them and thus slowed down and looked for an exit. With no exit in sight, the couple pulled over to the side of the road as the car started to make “odd noises.” Five minutes later: car fire.

Now, Zipcar did send roadside assistance in addition to offering the couple reimbursement for their car ride home and they even gave them credit for another day of car rental. Buuuut, they neglected to pay for the destruction of the items that the couple had in the car (totalling $300). Their reasoning: Zipcar isn’t responsible for items left behind in a car. Apparently, even in case of the car being towed away, completely incinerated. And that, it would seem, is John’s major gripe with Zipcar. Because, really, don’t you think that in the event of, you know, car-explosion, it should really fall on Zipcar to bear the costs? After all, anyone who has seen Fight

Club can probably remember how car explosions typically end up.

To me, this signals a gap in continuity for a company that proclaims to be all about ease, convenience and reliability. And in the era of the Consumerist, you’d think a brand would be aware enough to reimburse a person when its product literally explodes. Things get a bit murky when you consider those things that Zipcar did do for the couple (i.e., arrange another free day of rental and reimburse them for their trip home), but even so, if your

Zipcar exploded, would you expect anything but complete compensation? Would you otherwise feel that you had been reiumbursed?

And therein lies the problem. Brands should not simply exceed consumers expectations. They must also account for those times when their experiences break down (figuratively, or as the case may be, literally). And when that happens–particularly when that happens–brands should be quick to admit their wrongs and deal with them with the utmost attention paid to what the consumer needs or, as in this case, has actually lost as a result of choosing that brand. And here, in this case, Zipcar has failed to do that.

And that’s how you wind up on the Consumerist, for all the world to see.

Pepsi's Fresh Start

December 22nd, 2009

According to a recent Wall Street Journal piece, Pepsi’s dropping its entire

Superbowl advertising budget. And what are they doing with all that extra cash? The answer may shock you.

Charity! Yes, Pepsi is foregoing their superbowl spot in favour of a new platform they’ve christened The Pepsi Refresh Project. With the Refresh Project, Pepsi plans to award grants to community-based projects that are proposed and selected by consumers online. The cause-related campaign, then, is less about a singular event and more about a sustained marketing platform and it comes in a move that The WSJ is calling “an about-face for Pepsi, which was the biggest advertiser on last year’s broadcast of the big game and has long made the National Football League championship the centerpiece of its marketing strategy.” Do you know what this means? No Britney! No Beyonce! Not even Ozzy Osbourne! And in their place: just some lousy charity money. Yeesch! What has that socialist President done to America?!

The Refresh platform will see Pepsi put 60% more of their advertising dollars into online marketing, relying largely on web ads and PR to market their various brands. The slogan of this new campaign will be “Every Pepsi Refreshes the World,” as a pitch to attract the attentions of the Generation O(bama) do-gooders.

The real question: does $20 million shovelled into “refreshing” communities (via online sources, naturally) signal TV’s swan song? I mean, when even the Superbowl’s biggest moneybuckets is jumping ship on the crown jewel of advertising spots, what hope does the rest of television have? There’s really only so much daytime television that Cellino and Barnes ads can fund, right? Answer: meh, we’ll see. But in the meantime, Pepsi’s archrival, Coke, is reportedly swooping in to fill the spot and is even now putting the final touches on the Simpsons

-cast ad. What’s more, Doritos, a Pepsi subsidiary, is also helping foot the bill for the big game with their own commercials. And besides, the Superbowl is still seen as a “must buy” for many brands, with a audience of almost 100 million annually. But, claims Pepsi, it’s just that “it would be too hard to explain Pepsi’s new marketing campaign in a 30-second TV spot.” (Umm, because this ad is so comprehensive).

From a Conversational Capital

perspective, I must say I like the direction Pepsi’s going. Rather than contribute further to the now $138 million Pepsi’s invested in Superbowl publicity since 1981, they’ve decided to engage their audience in an ongoing conversation. Better still, it’s a conversation that hopes to effect some positive change, which can really only benefit Pepsi. What’s more, Pepsi is over-delivering

by reaching out to charities in need and inviting consumers to do the same, contributing to a richer, deeper, more meaningful brand experience.

All in all, a good step. Now let’s see if it works out the way they plan.

Orangina: Biggest Furry of them All

December 21st, 2009

What’s a juice ad without some interspecies S&M?

Orangina couldn’t tell you because they’ve so cleverly deployed a whole series of “sexy” ads featuring anthropomorphized animal-people. The latest from the Big O is this ad which features a middle aged man, a circus ring and a bikiniclad, dominatrix panther-woman. Hmm, how weird and irrelevant. The spot begins with a balding, middle-management type–not unlike Dwight Schrute–shaking in his brown dollarbin suit. A whip cracks and we’re suddenly eye-to-eye with his hellcat dominatrix (at this point the ad’s already taking the bullet train to Incomprehensibilitytown). The cat lady begins to whip the man and systematically undress him until he is literally balls-in-hand at which point the logo for Orangina Blood Orange erupts on screen.

Of course the ad is already being dismissed by feminist sites like Jezebel and Shakesville because, I don’t know. Because it’s sexist or racist or promotes rape culture or something. Meanwhile other sites like Ad Week are simply pointing out the sheer stupidity of the spot. But only a few have pointed out the weird string of “sexy” animal people that have been featured in Orangina’s campaign lately. A taste:

See how sexy those are?! And then there’s this ad, starring peacock showgirls and Jennifer Beals as a deer. So far Orangina’s TV spots also included animals gyrating around poles and beasts spraying Orangina onto the “breasts” of other animals and also ads in which they ride bottles until they explode. Weird, just weird. The ads have been criticized by organizations like Kidscape, a UK-based children’s charity and have been outright banned to air before 9 PM.

And so my questions: Who do these ads appeal to? Added value, where is it? What about experiential marketing? What sustains our interest in this campaign (other than sheer absurdity)? Also, who do these ads appeal to outside a fanbase of furries? And lastly, do we as a society really want them running our media?

Orangina, let us know!

The Keds Are Alright

December 20th, 2009

This week, classic shoemaker Keds has announced it will be relying on minions to do its work. Not exactly a new idea, but Keds has nonetheless unveiled the Keds Collective with which users can design their own shoes online. With the standard Keds kicks at its base, users can select patterns, colours, trims and other details from a prescribed palette. THE TWIST: Keds is allowing consumers to sell their shoes through select stores at both retail and wholesale rates.

Yes, Keds will be allowing users to not only design their own creations but market and sell them too. The program involves a “wholesale business-model change” for Keds who will, essentially, be selling a pair of shoes at a time. But therein lies the problem. “How,” PSFK wonders, “does Keds expect to not only make a profit, but also promote designs that aren’t by big name collaborators?” Answer: word-of-mouth. Keds will be makin’ its moneys by “banking on the highly underestimated power of consumer word-of-mouth and the (not-so-recent) social media revolution.”

Now that’s a creative move because, you know, “marketing has evolved into a conversation with the consumer.” And that, it seems, is a good for a brand like Keds that has already incorporated social media into its website with useful initiatives like its user-based lookbook. The brand’s ambition hasn’t stopped there and I would wager that the Keds Collective will be successful on the basis of Conversational

Capital. Being more or less customizable, each pair of shoes is relatively one of a kind. (Hello, Exclusive Product Offering). What’s more, “social media,” sez the Wall Street Journal, “can turn those custom sneakers into an advertising juggernaut when the designers—you and me—proudly holler about them from the rooftops of the Internet.” (Endorsement

! You’re here too). And, of course, the playful experimentation with shoe design hints at Relevant

Sensorial Oddity

as well.

Letting would-be designers create their own Keds may seem like a slightly sketchy idea, but that DIY mentality has surrounded the brand since the ’90s. And isn’t it inspiring to see a brand willing to hand over its aesthetic reins to consumers? Ultimately I think that this initiative sounds intriguing, even if the financial technicalities of it are a bit dubious. I guess we shall see where this lands Keds. Only time will tell.

Giving the Gift of Facebook

December 16th, 2009

You know when you hear about people who aren’t

on Facebook and you think, “there’s no way they could be so socially isolated and incompetent?”

Well, turns out they are. According to a recent article over at 1 Good Reason: Social Media, giving the gift of a Facebook page is the newest trend this holiday season. Now that Facebook is the number three most visited site on the web for the 65+ set (yes, number three

), the social networking monolith needs a helping hand in mentoring those apprentices. And who better to tap for that job than the Youngs?!

Yes, Facebook is petitioning the youth of today to get out there and start up accounts for their family members. That includes selecting a profile picture and setting up a friends list (with the “gift” reciever’s siblings, children and loved ones included). You’ll probably also be asked to adjust privacy settings and to set their homepage to Facebook (for those who can’t grasp the URL function). Then the real treat: teaching them how to use Facebook. What a total nightmare!! 1 Good Reasons claims, “for an older family member this gift for the holidays will have an incredible impact upon their life,” but of course you know better. Gift-wrapping the blackhole of time that is Facebook? Giving the gift of the inevitable road to Facebook stalkerdom? No thanks. Savour those grins, Facebook-givers. You’re history’s monsters.

Jokes aside, this completely works to Facebook’s advantage as a sweet, loving form of initiation. Better still, it’s a perfect example of endorsement-it comes straight from a family member. Although, at this point, I’m not sure if we need to talk about Facebook’s Conversational

Capital

credentials. And, really, when you think about it what could be more age-appropriate for retired people than Facebook? They’ve got all the time in the world, it helps them maintain social ties with people outside their homes and it lets them watch their grandchildren grow. Of course, by “grow” I mean “pass out at house parties” and “sip on Grey Goose in gold-lame hooker tights,” but they will get to witness those miracles all the same.

Also, it’s not exactly for people our age to get on our high horses about Facebook-use when morning, noon and night we’re glued to various glowing rectangular boxes connected to the web (see: iPhone, laptop, Kindle, etc.) You know that expression “the ghost in the machine?” Well, that refers to our collective generation. We are one with the internet now. We are it. It is us.

There’s no going back.

Burt's Bees and Cee Cee

December 15th, 2009

Lipstick: the silent killer.

Apparently in her lifetime a woman will eat enough lipstick to fill a shoebox. Gross. In light of that disturbing information, Burt’s Bees has asked a simple question: if you’re gonna be ingesting that stuff, shouldn’t it at least bare a trace of natural ingredients?

So far the answer for most brands has been a resounding no. For Burt’s Bees, however, the answer has always been yes. They believe that the ingredients we use to scrub, moisturize, cleanse, hydrate and revive our bodies should necessarily be natural because…well, why exfoliate with bottom of the barrel oil derivatives? Natural products, of course, are also better for the environment in terms of their production (they aren’t petroleum derivatives that need to be chemically processed) and consumption (cause, you know, when you rinse them down the sink they don’t simply marinate the chemical stew that is our drinking water). So, yeah, Burt’s Bees has some reason to gloat about its products.

For our purposes here, Burt’s Bees is a terrific example of a brand accruing positive and sustained word-of-mouth for its strong continuity

. Its integrity and commitment to transparency with customers has driven them to embrace and endorse the brand. One such example of that integrity at work has been the online posting of ingredient lists for every product Bees makes. Another would be the brand’s insistence on listing what percentage of its product’s ingredients are natural on the packaging, in effect making their promises viewable at a glance. That way the brand doesn’t get away with promising that its products are natural when only a small percentage of its ingredients in fact are. And with sales north of $125 annually, Burt’s is a brand that’s chuztpah matches its cashflow.

From what I can glean, that sense of continuity seems to be justified. The brand scored an overall grade of 8.6 from GoodGuide, claims AdAge, a mark much higher than most beauty product brands. Atop that high horse, Beez took the initiative to develop its own standard of product certification, vowing to stay true to its own rules as it worked to get other brands to follow its guidelines. AdAge sez, “Burt’s Bees is proposing a standard that would require personal-care products labeled natural be made with at least 95% ‘truly natural’ ingredients, contain no ingredients with ‘any potential suspected human-health risks’ and use no processes that ’significantly or adversely alter the purity/effect of the natural ingredients.’” Ultimately, that commitment to integrity has reinforced a deeper meaning, brandwise, serving to garner strong continuity

for the brand.

Only problem with this lipstick communication strategy: wouldn’t people prefer not to eat lipstick at all? Like, why would you even want to ingest Burt’s beeswax lipstick? Think, sheeple. Although, hey, if people figure that one out then Burt’s Bees can just hit new-moms where it hurts most: their babies.

Is Michael Bay Victoria's Secret?

December 14th, 2009

Bombs! Boobs! Bare midriffs! Please, won’t somebody think of the children?!

Victoria’s Secret has managed to distill the essence of Michael Bay’s career into 90 seconds. And, man-oh-man, people will just not shut up about this ad. The commercial features about every trick in Bay’s arsenal: a coterie of scantily-clad supermodels, knife play and, yes, about a million unexplained explosions. All I know is that one thing’s for sure, Victoria’s Secret is headed straight for an American Family Association-banning (who, incidentally, more recently deserted Darwin).

All of this comes on the heels of the release of the Bay-commissioned spot on Wednesday. Starring the likes of Alessandra Ambrosio, Giselle Bundchen and Doutzen Kroes, the ad is, true to Bayian form, plotless and exciting. Funny thing, though: this commercial actually works better than most Bay films ’cause at least this way we don’t have to hurdle over the pesky afterthoughts of acting, pacing or character development. The interesting thing about Bay is that his “work” is at a point where you’re left wondering if he’s just parodying himself. Either way, I suppose, it’s made him an obscenely rich man. Even if Megan Fox hates him. Nope, with these ads Bay can just focus on what he loves most: tits and explosions! Perplexingly–and perhaps unfortunately–no actual tits explode in the ad, but who knows? This is already Bay’s third collabo with Victoria’s Secret, so–I’m just putting it out there–exploding boobs could be in our future.

Like I said, this ad has got people talking. (See: Ad Week, Gawker, Cinematical, The LA Times, New York Magazine for a taste). But I wonder, is this really

the type of attention that translates into Conversational Capital? Or is this word-of-mouth as shortspan as Bay’s attention? Normally celebrity endorsement

is beyond ridiculous and unconvincing, but something about this collaboration plays into Victoria’s Secret’s whole schtick (i.e., hiring 3/4 celebrities to hock their products). And I think it’s pretty undeniable by now that models like Bundchen or Tyra Banks or Naomi Klein have served the brand well in the past. They truly have managed to garner the brand success and, yes, lasting attention.

But the question remains: will Bay?

Down the Rabbit Hole

December 12th, 2009

Gone are the days when Hollywood would paste together a trailer, hold a premiere and host a junket. In its place: all types of crazy shit.

Ever since the whole Why So Serious campaign that we blogged about months ago, Hollywood has been especially hard-pressed to up the ante on movie promotions. And, surprisingly, that boot-strap-pullin’ demeanour has managed to extend to the lusterless world of TV movies too. See, while Tim Burton was busy salivating over his new CGI-ridden, live-action version of Alice

in

Wonderland, the Syfy channel was busy with plans of its own. In lieu of much real vision or budget, the cable network developed its own mini-series version of Alice–but with a futuristic twist. By all good sense and reasoning a mini-series like this would be begging to be ignored completely, but its accompanying campaign has definitely piqued my interest. Here’s a recipe for viral success:

1. Get 50 masked strangers to walk around New York City dressed as suited white bunnies. If you want them to choreograph a Stomp

the Yard-themed dance, so be it.

2. Project bunnies running, crawling and climbing around town that are accompanied by an invitation to “follow me” (read: Twitter). Record it. Post it to Youtube.

3. Project advertisements elsewhere amongst town.

4. From the Alice Twitter account, direct fans to The White Rabbit, Inc., a mock detective agency. From the site, another man-rabbit will taunt you into following him to The Wonderland Tea Shop. And from there, you can dip further into the rabbit hole, coming out at the The Happy Hearts Casino.

5. From there, direct users to the actual Alice homepage, on which you will feature summaries, behind the scenes video and interviews with the series’ stars, including the likes of Kathy Bates, who will be playing the Queen of Hearts herself. (Incidentally, the role won’t be much of a stretch for Bates who perfected the part of heavy-set, controlling psychopath years ago.)

6. Notify Not Cot of all your goingson, thus ensuring viral success.

And there you have it: viral success. This campaign, put together by Fallon for Syfy, combines elements of Relevant Sensorial Oddity, inventing an immersive world for Alice fans, while highlighting the rabbit-hole myth that’s at the center of the Alice story. What’s more, it initiates TV watchers into the experience Syfy is hoping to convey while over-delivering on exciting, experiential marketing goodness.

With all of this creativity, however, it’s too bad that the show kinda sounds like a ludicrous, stale flop. I mean, the basic premise is this: Alice Hamilton is a “young, martial arts instructor with commitment issues.” When she rejects her boyfriend’s engagement offer, he gets picked up by a mysterious gang of suited men who are out to nab the precious engagement ring he intended Alice to have. Anyways, one thing leads to another and Alice finds herself trailing one of the men into a looking glass where adventure awaits her. It’s Alice in Wonderland meets Blade

Runner meets The Matrix (which, of course, was already Alice in

Wonderland meets Blade Runner), but with a ’90s, 3rd-wave feminist, Buffy the Vampire Slayer slant. Couple these enormous red flags with the production value of Sliders and I’ve lost all interest in the project completely. But, who knows? Maybe these promotions will get people to tune in.

Maybe.

Teamgeist

December 10th, 2009

The premise behind Adidas’ new Teamgeist site is a simple one: “every team needs a jersey with a story.”

Touted as a graphic novel advergame, Teamgeist features members of Die Mannschaft, the German national football league, and tells the story of their team’s identity. The game aims to convey the history behind Die Mannschaft’s involvement at the world cup, working to make a truly engaging and fantastical story. Indeed, the storytelling in the game can only really be described as epic, taking visual and auditory cues from–amongst others–300, The Lord

of the Rings, and Sin City

. The advergame is accompanied by an Interactive and downloadable comic and the obligatory social media channels are all there to get users involved. The online commerce section, of course, is also at the ready, ensuring that buying a jersey is just a click away.

The game’s cinematic aspect is really what’s important here. It’s prologue situates us in a Sin

City

-esque landscape, as the German team strolls through the desolate streets of a post-apocalyptic Berlin. Meanwhile, a spooky narrator sets up the premise for the advergame, telling us that “a jersey with a story is much more than a jersey; it’s a symbol for belonging, passion, expectations, ambitions. Every player, every team, every fan should know this. Understanding this will make them stronger, but what if there is no story? No History? No Identity?”

After that, a whole lot of X-Men shit goes down and we’re told that we will be taking part in a game that forces us to go back in time to recapture Die Mannschaft’s three world cup stars. Beginning with Germany’s 1954 game against the Hungarians, you take the reins of mobilizing little avatars that resemble Die Mannschaft’s current team (with bios of each player at right). You must get through a total of three games to get the full story. Admittedly, though, I don’t really have time to do that because, you know, I’m at work and all. BUT, if you do have some free time you should definitely retrieve those three world cup stars and get the facts behind the team.

Not to be over-complimentary but, shit, this game is impressive. In terms of RSO, it’s got beautiful art direction, orchestral music and special effects as well as the fun interactive computer soccer game. It evokes the founding myth of the team in a very creative and completely intriguing way while bringing their endorsement of adidas to the foreground. What’s more, it’s a terrific form of initiation for users who have never had any interaction with the brand and, to top it all off, it’s over-delivering

on the adidas experience.

Really, then, this game is almost as close to a perfect example of Conversational

Capital

that we’ve seen. And so it’s no surprise that it’s popping up on everyone’s radar (see: Trendhunter, Creative Criminals, Creativity Online).

Congrats, adidas.

Dockers' Man-ifesto

December 9th, 2009

Apparently “it’s time to answer the call of manhood.” And who better to field that call than Dockers?

Yes, Dockers is screaming “wear the pants!” because, of course, women have overpowered us. The situation has gotten so bad that they’re literally making 75 cents for every dollar men make! The nerve! Anyway, Dockers is here to right those wrongs. And, oh man, have they got something for you. Enter: The Man-ifesto.

Dockers’ Man-ifesto is the brand’s credo of what makes men men and where we’ve gone wrong. Quoth it, “somewhere along the way, the world decided it no longer needed men. Disco by disco, latte by foamy non-fat latte, men were stripped of their khakis and left stranded on the road between boyhood and androgyny.” This new persona that the Man-ifesto introduces will be accompanied by a new range of pants in more colours and fits than ever before, all in an effort to reorient the brand toward a younger audience, claims this New York Times’ article (which, incidentally, begins with this complete non-sequitor: “first, Justin Timberlake brought sexy back. Now, Dockers will try to bring khaki back”).

In sum, Dockers is targetting the Youngs by showing them what real men do. And, fehh, I’m of two minds about this whole campaign. Here’s why:

Point: Dockers is a brand for grown-ups and that is exactly what this campaign conveys.

Dockers is communicating the experience they believe their product offers and they have no gripes about asking a particular audience to listen. And yes, you’ve got to give a brand some credit for displaying a modicum of courage. It’s not as though boasting about your masculine credentials is an easy thing to do, which is exactly why the campaign has already been lambasted by Jezebel and Heartless Doll.

What’s more, I like that they’re appealing to the tribe

of men who actually aim to look like grown ups. I mean, isn’t that better than them trying to target “cool dads” and Jon Gosselin enthusiasts? And it makes sense; grown ups are the ones buying Dockers. As the ad below argues, “you’re not a bloke, not a fellow, chap, dude, gent or bro-ham. Face it, you’re a man.”

Counterpoint

: Who. Are. They. Kidding?

Is anyone convinced that Dockers is the last bastion of masculinity? I mean, isn’t everyone aware that Dockers is a freemason regatta party mainstay? But, yes, let’s pry the ivy-league brotherhood away from those “salad bars” and place them squarely within the icy, staid confines of blue-blooded get-togethers. I don’t care if it means that we have to drag them kicking and screaming all the while! Our national supply of masculinity rides on it!

Seriously, though, I think Jezebel put it nicely when they said, “can I tell you something about Dockers? My father loves them. Wears them when he’s golfing or on a casual business day. They are stain resistant and wrinkle free. They look nice with a sweater or a golf shirt. They are sturdy and reliable and reasonably-priced and my mother has been buying them at the mall for approximately 20 years.” All of which is to say that these pants aren’t being worn by construction workers, cowboys or any of the others badasses of Dockers’ imagination. And it seems entirely contradictory to try to shove this macho bullshit down our throats when meanwhile they’re peddling ads like this:

I mean, just look at that. Now isn’t that the type of latte-drinking, salad-eating, umbrella-twirling dandy that Dockers claims their pants aren’t

made for? He’s carrying a murse for godssake! (Sorry, “European carry-all”). I kid you not when I say that I also found another Dockers ad in which two male models were spritely leaping over a puddle. It was only a thumbnail, though, and so it didn’t make the cut. Rats! Point is, Dockers is a gentlemanly brand and anyone who will tell you otherwise either (a) doesn’t know anything about it or (b) is a dupe to the Man-ifesto.

What say you, internet people of webland? Do you like this campaign? Or aren’t you convinced?

Let us know!

Target to Go

December 9th, 2009

Drive-by Targets, no longer exclusive to South Compton, are popping up all over the place!

Yes, the lesser of two evils, Target, has developed pop-up stores modelled on fast-food joints. Cropping up in New York, Washington and San Francisco from the 11th to the 13th, the stores will stock 50 popular gift items which will range in price from 99 cents to $250. Clients will be able to pick up the prewrapped gifts from the store’s window where they order them by number.

Reminescent of Target’s Bullseye Bodegas, these fast food Targets are “reflective of where guests are at now,” claims Target’s VP of marketing, Shawn Gensch, who adds, “they’re time starved.” Also facing literal starvation, consumers who are staving off welfare this holiday season will no doubt be pleased to hear that Target’s also offering “great products at great, wallet-friendly prices.” Because, lest we forget, Christ was a broke construction worker too.

Capping off the initiative will be the usual social media channels that’ll advertise store locations and give consumers an idea of what’ll be offered at each outlet. Via Twitter, Target will drop hints as to where they’ve planted some 1400 oversized gift tags, each of which is redeemable in cash for anywhere up to $500. For each gift tag redeemed, Target will also donate $100 to the Salvation Army.

AdAge reports that Target’s efforts are meant to attract attention in urban markets where it currently lacks a distinct presence. That’ll no doubt be important for the holiday push, as same-store sales slid as much as 1.5% in November, the seventh consecutive month of same-store sales decline this year. (Alternatively, they could just take the Wal-Mart route and stop providing monthly sales information). Really, then, it’s an effort to reach new audiences who perhaps doubt Target’s urban credentials. In the process, Target has made it easier to shop and cheaper to buy. Meanwhile, it becomes more efficient and less costly for Target to maintain its operations.

Really, though, the important thing is Target’s innovation in retail design. What this reconfiguration of retail space really does is change the retail experience, much to the benefit of both consumer and producer. Target has over-delivered

on what consumers need most this year: the most time- and cost-efficient means to buy. And so this is definitely something to talk about.

[SOURCE]

Ho-Ho-Honda

December 8th, 2009

‘Tis the season to be good for goodness sake. And setting that credo into motion this week is Honda. Honda, for those of you not following online news, is proving its cavalier spirit this month as it gears up for Honda Helps, a campaign that assists Honda drivers in a number of ways.

One such way is by offering drivers roadside fuel-ups, serving gas from a truck on the side of Californian highways. Honda Helps workers have also been spotted handing out umbrellas to Honda customers during rainstorms and distributing reusable grocery bags at supermarkets. What’s more, Honda has taken the intiative to hold doors for coffee shop patrons and they’re even feeding their most profitable consumers, the homeless.

Okay, so jokes aside, it’s always impressive when large companies prove they aren’t the bottom-line profiteers some people make them out to be. And, yes, you could point out that this kind of campaigning no doubt precipitates profits for Honda, but still, let’s applaud Honda for revving up the experience it offers its consumers and proving that money isn’t the keypoint on its agenda. And really, Honda Helps is a perfect example of over-delivery

, rewarding consumers unexpectantly with things that are actually quite beneficial and enrich the consumer experience.

And while this kind of initiative isn’t exactly groundbreaking, it is

the kind of “corporate responsibility” that should be desired–and expected–of every brand. It’s the type of circumstantial evidence that supports strong brand continuity, proving that what a brand proclaims to be (i.e., a good corporate citizen) lines up with what it actually is.

Mind you, this is just one brand and one instance of corporate responsibility. There are, as Honda is proving, a variety of ways in which you can directly benefit your customers.

Courvoisier's Community Cup

December 6th, 2009

Ah, how quickly the internet coughs up hilarious findings when you just dig a little. Like today, for instance, when we’re told that cognac makers Courvoisier have been hard at work casting a punchbowl big enough to serve 25,000, a bowl “so large that you boat across it!” That’s the kind of forward-thinking innovation this economy needs!

Yes, beginning December 8th, Courvoisier will begin to construct the architectural-scale bowl in London. The trick, some say, is in ensuring that something the size of a building is food-safe and at the perfect temperature. Further complicating matters, the bowl needs to be structurally sound enough to withstand the weight of all the alcohol. And so, consulting engineers from Arup are working on the project, ensuring that the porringer doesn’t crack and unleash a tsunami of cognac on the streets of LDN.

To get their swill to taste just right, Courvoisier has assembled a crack team of researchers, sommerliers and mixologists (real word? an actual career path?) that have slaved endlessly in the laboratory to concoct the perfect punch. Tell us, Cakeheadlovesevil.com, what hath science done: “The recipe combines Courvoisier Exclusif, a cognac specially designed for mixing in cocktails, berries, organic cider vinegar, and winter spices and impressed 13 independent judges including Jonathan Meades of the BBC and Ruth Reed the president of RIBA.” All told, the end product will require over a ton of cognac.

The actual consumption of the punch will take place on Christmas day. If you’re in London then and are interested in attending, it’s £6.50 but be forewarned that no swimming in the punch bowl is allowed. Sorry, but this truly is the Real World equivalent of Charlie

and

the

Chocolate Factory’s river of chocolate. And we all know how that ended for poor Augustus Gloop.

Now, onto Conversational Capital. In the first place, I think this initiative is a great example of Relevant Sensorial

Oddity. Beyond the obvious taste factor, the architectural prowess involved in the bowl’s construction will also no doubt be a feast for the eyes. Secondly, an event like this is also an inventive way of initiating a wide audience to your brand. Meaning, for those who’ve never had Courvoisier before, this is an opportunity to introduce them to the brand experience in an engaging way. Finally, this is an obvious example of over-delivery, creating a vast and unexpected project that will no doubt raise consumer expectations of the brand. What’s more, Courvoisier is also donating funds from the project to the environmental charity Article 25, again offering more than might be expected of them.

All told, then, this project seems inventive, interesting and fun. While I’m sure it will generate “buzz,” it’s also not the type of experiential marketing that is irrelevant to the brand experience or something that is easily forgotten.

Cheers!