W+K: Awwweeessome

W+K knows how to make me smile & they know how to make me all giddy inside full of inspiration & childish hope for great creative marketing campaigns. I get all warm and gooey inside.

They got me with their external promotion of themselves.



W+K is hiring. What a fun way to get me interested in you. And W+K thanks for making me feel warm & fuzzy inside. Go & experience the application process - so fun!

Office Max Launches Elf Yourself 2.0 - The Start of a Christmas Tradition

Marketers pay attention.

It's good to acknowledge an old campaign that worked and it's ok to bring it back to life. Actually, sometimes it's better than ok - it can be even more successful.

I applaud Office Max. Welcome Elf Yourself 2.0. Hopefully, the start of a Christmas Holiday tradition. I expect an Elf Yourself 3.0 next year and a 4.0 the year after that.

In 2006, the Elf Yourself microsite for Office Max was a big success bringing in 200 unique visitors per second and creating 8 new elves per second (according to viralblog.com)and generating 36 million visits in just about 5 weeks for a small budget (Office Max created 20 microsites - one being Elf Yourself - for a budget of 3 traditional TV spots. Not to mention how much press time and consumer buzz this creative effort received. You can still find Elf Yourself 1.0 examples on Flicker and YouTube - even the Good Morning America crew created elves and don't forget the ever hilarious farting elf.

To give you an idea of the extent of the success of Elf Yourself 1.0, Burger King’s Subservient Chicken generated 14 million visits in one year.


So, it's 2007...
and, right in time for the 2007 Holiday season, Office Max launches Elf Yourself 2.0. I believe the one difference is that this time you can select multiple dancing elves. Exactly what my little sister decided to do with me, my mum, my grandmama and of course herself - click here to laugh your pants off...I'm the slow elf.

The aspect that I really appreciate about this effort it that it's a fantastically fun and engaging consumer experience that I WANT to share with friends, family, strangers and it actually starts to shift my perception of the stogy and undifferentiated Office Max brand. I caught myself considering shopping at Office Max for a Holiday present. And trust me this is a store that normally would not even come remotely close to falling into my consideration set. I have very high standards - admittedly, a bit of a shopping experience and brand snob.


A couple recos for Office Max:
1) Make this an annual Holiday tradition. Make yourself part of our Holiday experience by providing us with an Elf Yourself version every year. Great way for a brand to become emotionally attached to a consumer during a highly emotional and transactional period of time.

2) Ever hear of Facebook, MySpace, iVillage, Social Networks? I'm missing the Facebook Elf Yourself 2.0 application for 2007. Missed opportunity to generate even more buzz and participation. I would keep an eye out in 2008 for the latest online environments that can help this effort have an even larger presence. Just remember not to force it and to keep it authentic. That's one of the beauties of Elf Yourself.


Now, go spread the cheer and create your own elf.

Goosebumps

One last creative inspiration for today. This time from Construction and Audi. I do miss working on Audi - fantastic client and amazing products. Back on track - view this new spot for the Audi R8. Unlike most other car adverts out there. Gives you goosebumps and draws you into the process of the automotive building process.

Imitation is the Sincerest Form of Flattery

And I'm on a Sony Bravia kick today. A Fallon UK spot - Paint. Another fun TV spot messaging Bravia's amazing color benefit.

This blog entry though is about something even better - a consumer's response to the Paint spot. It's great. The sincerest form of flattery is imitation and participation and what more could you ask for as a marketer than having your consumer freely participate with your ad campaign. Sony is a lucky company and this Brit is fun to watch. Enjoy the spoof.

New Sony Bravia Spot - This Time From Y&R Singapore

Great new Sony Bravia spot done by Y&R Singapore. True to the brand and plays off Fallon UK's original Bravia work. Brilliant and fun. Makes me love my Sony HD even more - the color is ahhhhhh.....amazing.

The New Benz Site

Have you seen the new Mercedes Benz site? What a fantastic way to educate the consumer on product features. And in a way that's true to the core values of the brand and engages and entertains the consumer. A home run! Nice job, Agency Republic.

Sony Playdoh ... It's Almost Here

I can't wait!!!! Bravia Paint and Balls were awe-inspiring. Creatively and consumer wise. Have you seen the consumer response to the most recent Paint spot. So genuis. Sony/Fallon nice work! And thanks for inspiring me and help me remember part of why I love this biz so much. Simply Brilliant. Product Attribute: Color.

In the meantime, check out this tweeter if you're hungry like me to see Sony Brave Playdoh. Holding my breath...

Oui, oui only in France

Amazing what they can get away with in France. I cant' even imagine (even in my wildest dreams) that this type of vivid creative (even if it's not actual people) could be sold stateside. And now for your viewing pleasure...I present the video of the hour...my boy lollipop