Yet another aggressive, interactive ad campaign that has taken over ESPN's homepage. It is perhaps the most aggressive campaign that ESPN has run... and they have run several rich media campaigns recently:
Now, ESPN has used all available real estate other than the headline box (300 x 225) to promote the DVD release of Taken. I like integrated campaigns (in moderation). I like when ad units expand on interaction. But this, frankly, verges on being too much. The only saving grace is that you have to interact with either ad unit to turn the video unit on.
Apple released another terrific rich ad campaign - this time on the Wall Street Journal and promoting iLife. Apple seems to have mastered the interactive double ad-unit (horizontal and double-width leaderboard) where the two components interact with one another. The campaigns are integrated with other marketing efforts and encourage user engagement on the publisher's site... an win / win.
Services and brands enter mainstream pop culture when they:1. Reach critical mass, and/or
2. Provide value in a way that makes their usage critical
Use Facebook and Twitter as examples. From print to television, both are now routinely included as informational sources and communications tools (for instance, CNN's in-show advertisements for their Twitter accounts and ESPN / Sportscenter's ticker promotion for their Twitter accounts).
Then there are services that have great online popularity but are far too geeky (or perhaps irrelevant) to go mainstream... and thus reach offline popularity. Despite being the most popular URL shortener - Bit.ly remains an online utility that is essentially a tool usage on more popular sites like Facebook and Twitter.
Perhaps that is changing. The below image is from ESPN The Magazine and includes a reference to a bit.ly URL. It serves a purpose for ESPN: it is there to save space (and likely also not directly promote the website's brand).
But do most people know what to do with this? There isn't even an 'http://' before the 'bit.ly/blueroom' mention!
McDonalds has launched an advertising campaign alongside their new McCafe coffee line. You've likely seen the new McCafe spots during prime time television and today McDonalds overtook YouTube's homepage (see screenshots below).
The campaign is interesting in itself - primarily because of the real estate and integrated components... and in a format that we have seen before.
But the most interesting part is how McDonalds defines their iced coffee: based on the diagram it is about 90% "light cream" and 10% "brewed coffee". Is this actually considered a coffee drink? Did McDonalds diagram it incorrectly and reverse the ingredients? Whatever it is... it cannot be right:
Most advertisers will preach best practices like:
- deliver a clear and concise message
- keep it simple and precise
- make it visual and grab the viewer's attention
By breaking most common advertising rules, PlentyofFish's ads actually caught my attention (enough so that I spent a few minutes creating the images, blogging it, etc).
The ad flips through two units:
1. My name is Markus and I created Plentyoffish.com; my site is completely free and we generate about 800,000 relationships a year. The majority of users are single professionals and users who are serious about meeting someone.
Lots of text with lots of qualifiers. Just as you would find it off-putting if your date said "me, me, me" - the use of "my name" and "my site" is awkward.
2. If you are looking for someone you may as well join us; we have millions of people and best of all we're free! You aren't going to meet anyone trolling bars or supermarkets so... signup here.
My favorite part is the very strong call to action: "You may as well join us" [followed by a semicolon].
Yesterday, Apple and ESPN teamed up for another integrated campaign that ties into current television / print advertising... and it too was well done - although a little more aggressive as ESPN actually pushed all of their content below the ad and below the fold. Take a look:
Two things to notice here:
1. Ads have replaced the standard headline links on the right side (now below the fold)
2. Those ads are 'fake' - they actually link to Apple and are part of the experience (not sure how I feel about this)
Notice how those 'fake' ads are now overtaken by the "PC. Easy as 1-2-3" roll out.
After the ad concludes, you get the above message. It is strange that the horizontal unit is so plain. I would expect that it would at least have two large calls to action: replay or go.
Mobile advertising agency Medialets has created ads utilizing the iPhone's accelerometer and audio capabilities. The below interactive ad is a full take over on the iPhone (shown in SGN's iBowl game). When a user shakes the iPhone, the Dockers model break dances accordingly.
Here's the simplest way to think of campaigns like this:
A. The consumer enjoys the ad and interacts with it... often repeatedly
B. The advertiser wins because the consumer is proactive and motivated to share
C. The publisher wins because A+B = far greater CPMs (supposedly 10x here)
If advertisers can effectively and meaningfully engage consumers (the A in this equation), B and C fall into place. That is why I firmly believe that the most valuable ads will also be the most engaging and/or relevant... and that targeting and interaction are critical:
Other formats and ad actions from Medialets:
Available Ad Formats
Chiclet - Clickable content that can be stylized to fit app by app developer
Icon - Icon which can be manipulated to fit app display. Clickable
Banner - Fixed size clickable content
Text - Clickable text
Overlays - Translucent popup that supports image, text, video, full button, or combination
Interstitial - Full screen ad shown between pages of an app
Branded Experiences - Custom built applications to your specifications. You’re only limited by the capabilities of the device.
Splash Screen Placement - Full screen ad shown before app home screen
Home Screen Placement - Full screen ad on home screen that scales down to a banner, chiclet or logo.
Custom Brand Placement - We’ll work with you to create a unique brand placement that caters to your needs and imagination.
Available Ad Actions
Click to Call
Click to Full Screen Video
Click to Overlay Video
Click to Video In Ad
Video As Ad
Video Text Overlay
Video Graphic Overlay
Video Button Overlay
Click to Embedded Web Page (Online)
Click to Embedded Web Page (Offline)
Click to Online Web Page
Click to Offline Microsite
Click to GeoLocate
Click to Email
Click to App Store
Click to iTunes Library Content
Click to iTunes Store (Audio & Video)
Click to Lead Capture (Online)
Click to Lead Capture (Offline)
Click to Share
Twitter received great placement in Sprint's latest ad campaign: The Now Network (and Twitter gets even better placement on Oprah today!). The second commercial features both Pandora and Loopt.
The commercials are hip, interesting and covey the size of Sprint's network (not exactly evident to most consumers). And the best part? They are better than the old Dan Hesse campaign:
First Microsoft had Lauren. Now they have Giampaolo, a "technically savvy" twenty-something looking for a computer that fits his $1,500 budget (higher than Lauren's $1,000 budget).
Because Giampaolo's budget is higher, he is actually able to choose between Macs and Windows-based laptops. And like Lauren, he is attracted to the Mac: "It is so sexy. But Macs to me are about aesthetics more than the computing power." This is a more roundabout way to say what Lauren said in the previous commercial: Macs are too expensive.
I love the commercials because they do a great job positioning value in a poor economy... while admitting (and jabbing) that Apple may be the "cooler", "sexier" brand.
Both points clearly aggravate Apple owners because these two Microsoft spots have garnered massive attention and caused quite among bloggers... which is exactly what Microsoft wants.
Two things to notice here:
1. Ads have replaced the standard headline links on the right side (now below the fold)
2. Those ads are 'fake' - they actually link to Apple and are part of the experience (not sure how I feel about this)
