One ID Man

Hilarious Take On How to Shoot the News

2010-07-29T10:41:00.000-07:00

Ah, how I love it when big, fancy brands can poke fun at themselves. This is a thing of beauty.

Brilliant branded entertainment for the World Cup Classical Musician

2010-06-30T10:40:00.000-07:00

This little bit of branded entertainment from Berliner Konzerthaus is just so awesome for so many reasons. Apparently some of the German fans are a little less than "fond" of the ubiquitious Vuvuzela. So they make their case for the "instrument" by poking fun at themselves in a very charming way. This is a "win" for so many reasons. First and foremost it allows a classical concert group to be seen 1) by lots of young people 2) as a group that is fun and relevant 3) as entertaining, not stuffy. Originally appearing on Zeit Online, I've provided the subtitled version from YouTube here for your enjoyment. And if you don't like it, I say "pfffft!".

Branded Entertainment about Branded Entertainment

2010-06-22T15:18:00.000-07:00

For anybody who ever wondered about branded entertainment, here it is! Take a look at THIS wonderful offering from Pinkberry which is fun and entertaining while it pokes fun at the very brand the piece is designed to enhance. Way, WAY fun. Kudos to the folks over at William Morris Endeavor for this painfully accurate look at modern moviemaking.

Does Your UPS Man Look this Hot?

2009-06-19T10:35:00.001-07:00

I'm guessing, probably no. But that's probably because he's not, a fashion model like the guy in the picture above. AND he hasn't been outfitted with one of the new award winning designs from the fashion design contest recently hosted by UPS.

I have to admit, when I think of the men and women in Brown, "fashion" is not the first word that comes to my mind. But I think this is a really smart piece of cooperative marketing launched by UPS.

It seems that UPS and the Royal College of Art (RCA) hosted a design competition that challenged graduate fashion students to to create clothing or accessory designs that combine the concept of ‘free movement’ with the distinctive elements of the UPS brand, culture and heritage.

Talented duo Robert Huth and Simone Sommer, who are studying menswear and womenswear were named winners of the competition at the annual Royal College of Art Graduate Fashion Gala, attended by new talent and senior figures from the fashion and retail industries.

Long story short, a nice lift for what could be seen as a fairly stodgy brand. Myself, I think they needed to integrate this into an episode of Project Runway, and they need a sexier website, but that's just me. I give them a A for concept, a B- for execution and an E for effort.

You can read more about it here:
http://www.uk.upsalamode.com

Sponsorship, You're doin' it gr8, and not sew gr8 acksually.

2009-05-26T21:28:00.000-07:00

I've posted previously about my favorite Lolcat site, icanhascheezburger.com. For those of you who may not know (or have been living under a rock for like 2 years) a Lolcat is an enduring meme which features a picture of a cat with a humorously misspelled caption. I posted one here. Anyhow, icanhascheezburger is a very popular site with over 1 million unique visitors per month, so it's small wonder that they are trying to monetize some of their efforts.

Just this week, I've seen two different attempts, one that seems to have generated very positive feedback and one, not so much actually.

The first to appear was a game sponsored by Walmart and Iams. The game is actually quite cute, albeit very simple. The Lolcat is maneuvered around to pick up the pieces of cat food (kibble).

There are a few problems though. One is that every cheezpeep (the denizens of the site) knows, cats won't make much effort to eat anything that is not canned (gushifuds or toona). The other more serious problem is that a lot of pet lovers have big problems with Walmart, Iams and Proctor and Gamble for perceived poor practices in animal testing for their products.

Whether or not these perceptions are accurate or justified, the game spawned a spate of nasty comments, resulting in the moderators closing the comments down after only 22 comments. (On a really popular picture comments can reach over 300.) So the comments are negative, and many of the cheezpeeps felt that their beloved site "sold out" to the animal-abusing mega mart. Not so gr8 actually.

However just today, I saw a much better example of integrated advertising/entertainment on the same site. The site is now hosting a "rawr" contest where viewers can submit their favorite "rawr" pictures (depicting kittys roaring like a lion) to promote the upcoming "Land of the Lost" movie. The winner gets a Blu-ray player and a seven Will Ferrell movies on Blu-ray.

Although there is a bit of confusion about the rules (and jokes about how the second prize is 20 Blu-ray discs starring Will Ferrell) the response is much more positive. Undoubtedly this is due in part to the fact that the "Rawr" is a very popular meme that originated with the site.

Users get to participate in a very natural way through the preexisting channels, and users feel like the contest "belongs" to them. Naturally, the comments were much happier and folks are jumping to respond.

So, what can we learn here?
1. If you're going to offer branded entertainment in an online space with a public forum, make sure you don't have a big red target taped to your butt.
2. If possible, make something that engages the participants in a creative way.
3. Make sure your "contest" feels natural for the space.

Just a few observations by the One
ID Man.

DogTime Sparky

2009-02-17T09:51:00.001-08:00

Posted using ShareThis

I'm so SPECIAL

2008-07-25T15:16:00.000-07:00

Yet another fabulous entry on behalf of the guys at Burger King. Their new ad campaign, which is based on the idea that if you eat their new steak sandwich people might think you think your special is a bit of a yawner for me. But their new online viral campaign is so bang on and fun, ya simply gotta love it.

It's based on the idea that we all grew up thinking we'd be special and we'd end up on the local hometown news. For this broadband viral campaign, you simply upload your picture and your name, click on a few choices and voila, a hometown news segment is built and posted on YouTube starring YOU.

I was so tickled with this thing, I did it like 5 times. (Each selection randomly selects among four or five random outcomes for a total of 20-30 options.) Here's my score:

Concept: A
Freshness: A
Execution: A- (Have to wait to get an e-mail telling you it's on YouTube)
Viral Infection Rate: B+ (Same note as above)

You can see one of my favorites HERE.

Or click HERE to go make your own.

Enjoy!
The OneID Man

Hot, HOT coffee

2008-07-15T16:33:00.000-07:00

The WETV folks have done it again! Now they've posted a new section on their website called their "Hot Coffee Break" and they got it SO right! Different 30 second clips of hot guys sans shirt doing things around the house that chicks are SURE to dig (cleaning, cooking, PROPOSING--you get the idea). Precisely the right level of high production value, cheese factor and cheesecake to keep the chicks clickin'. Jason up there, who is not only washing his girl's car, but also leaving her a mushy I love you note on the windshield when he's done, is probably my current fave. Just click HERE for a sneak peek. Who cares that these guys are snotty models who don't eat carbs and spend more on their hair and nails than I do--a girl can dream, right?

Sigh...

Going (Publicly) Insane for Batman

2008-07-15T10:31:00.000-07:00

Everybody always knew that I was insane. Now they can find proof on my Facebook profile with Verizon and Nokia's "Commit Your Friend" application. All you have to do is go to the site, upload a picture, and you or your friend is magically installed in a video of Gotham's own Arkham Asylum. You can see my video HERE.

It seems frighteningly easy to commit somebody these days. And post their commitment on Facebook or elsewhere for all to see. This brilliant bit of viral fun was created with the help of the folks at Oddcast. Simple. Easy to use and share. Linked to a nuclear hot content property. And fun in a nasty, slightly vengeful way. What more could you ask for?

Addiction Skinned

2008-05-22T12:41:00.000-07:00

So a few posts back I told you how much I loved the BP Gas Mania game and what I terrific job they did on the branded entertainment portion. Thankfully, I had gotten good enough at this game that it wasn't much of a challenge and I wasn't spending gobs of time on it any more. UNOFORTUNATELY the people at WEtv went and skinned my addiction. Yup, they went and developed a version for the WEtv show "Bridezillas". OK, now this show seems questionable to me in terms of content. I mean after watching one or at max, two matrimonial meltdowns I personally have seen enough. However, if ever there was a show ripe for viral treatment, this would be IT. And the WEtv folks have done a pretty good job of brand extension with this thing. There are a variety of games including one where you dodge "Bridal Hurdles" and one where you "Whack a Worry". As cute as the other games are tho, they don't match "Wedding Planner Bridezillas" for execution. They added a cute Bridezillas jingle when you start the game. And as a subtle but brilliant nod to the Bridezilla Brand, the characters in the game roar like Godzilla when they get impatient. I love it. I HATE IT because I've wasted way too much time on it already, but I love it. They also have some quizzes (Bridezilla Boot Camp, You Might be a Bridezilla if, etc.) and apparently there's a "Make Yourself a Bridezilla" application on the way. But for now, I'll just contentedly waste time with my Bridezilla Wedding Planners, thank you VERY much.

The One ID Man

Green Porno and Illicit Insects

2008-05-20T21:23:00.000-07:00

Brilliant, brilliant, BRILLIANT. What else can I say about Isabella Rosellini's Green Porno? Fantastic marketing hook, great concept, great writing and a very clear understanding of what works well in a broadband/mobile screen. Don't read a single word more until you go watch it here:

GREEN PORNO

See what I mean? Simple editing. Simple backgrounds. Beautiful colors. Blissfully short. This stuff is specifically designed to make the most of teeny tiny screens and it shows. Isabella really gets it.

It puts me in mind of another group of performances that may not have been specifically designed for mobile (they are videos of live performances) but would translate beautifully. Take a look at Lejo:

You'll see a lot of the same fantastic qualities of Green Porno, with the added bonus of being language free and ready to be viewed anywhere in the world.

Now one thing to keep in mind here is that these are not mega budget projects. They are very well shot with excellent lighting, good sound, good image quality and good compression. But they shine because somebody had a great idea that connected well with viewers in the screen space and time allotted.

Something to think about when planning your next broadband or mobile magnum opus.

The One ID Man

Fortune Cookie Wisdom, Glamour and Celebrity Swag

2008-05-01T21:14:00.000-07:00

So, I've been planning a special section for this blog for some time. I decided I'd call the section "Fortune Cookie Wisdom" as I am always fascinated how often the my cookie fortunes come true. I'm sure this is a sort of cosmic, psychic, placebo effect, but I enjoy it nevertheless. So, ever since my ever lovin' got me a digital camera I have been taking pictures of the fortunes I get at Asian-inspired restaurants. (Naturally, I've procrastinated about the actual POSTING part.) So tonight, we went to Panda Inn. And at the end of the meal they brought us those white chocolate dipped fortune cookies. And naturally, mine had a wonderful, positive, upbeat fortune in it. And naturally, I took a picture of it.

Now, my camera is relatively new, and I really, really suck at taking pictures. So this process of taking a picture of a cookie at a restaurant is not nearly as covert as would be prudent. It generally involves a lot of cursing and "here let me look at thats" and "RTFM darlings". Anywho, a very bright general manager at the Panda Inn saw the proceedings and asked me, "Oh, do you Yelp?" No, she wasn't talking about making sort of squeaky, distressed noises. She was talking about Yelp--a wildly popular, online review site where ordinary people post reviews of restaurants and stores.

I couldn't tell a lie. I told her that I was preparing a section on my blog called "Fortune Cookie Wisdom" and that I frequently photograph fortune cookies in restaurants. "Oh," she said. "Well I thought you might be doing a review." I told her that I was doing a review of sorts, on my blog. "Cool," she said.

Now actually this manager was not only attentive about the whole picture taking thing, but had been attentive all night, in making sure that we had what we needed--full water glasses, hot food etc. And so overall, I'd say our experience was pretty positive.

But for the sake of honesty and total avoidance of flogging, I must disclose that she ultimately offered me a bribe. She ultimately came out with a bag of 12 of those chocolate dipped fortune cookies. "Now you can have a different one, every day for 12 days!" I was pretty impressed, I can tell you.

So how do you like them apples? This represents the very first celebrity SWAG for my little blog. I guess that's a sort of glamorous and luxurious. I mean it's not the Academy Award gift bag, but it's a start.

I'm telling you, those fortunes are simply uncanny.

The One ID Man

Branded Entertainment--Game Addiction

2008-04-18T16:20:00.000-07:00

BP Gas Mania

Keep your customers happy!

Play this free game now!!

I admit it. I am totally and helplessly addicted to those little casual games you can find on the internet. As long as it's free. As long as it doesn't require massive "twitch skills" and as long as I can get the game concept in five seconds or less, I'm there. I recently fell in love with this little branded entertainment gem from BP. The graphics are fun and cute, the brand graphics are integrated in a delicious way, and the game play has just the right difficulty level and ramp to keep you playing for over an hour. The little song (which stuck in my head for DAYS) did a terrific job of getting the marketing message across in the background without being TOO blatant. And why do I keep playing? Well it's one of those multitasking "get ten things done at once game" where you have to manage to keep an increasing number of customers happy at a faster and faster rate. I am utterly unable to manage this IRL (in real life). However, in the game, I was multitasking like a GENIUS. So there you have it, good brand integration and fantasy fulfilment. What else could you ask for?

The one ID man.

LOL Cats and Baseball Bats and Little Gals Named Ivy

2008-04-17T07:35:00.000-07:00

I've been spending a fair amount of time in LOLcats land. Specifically in the world of icanhascheezburger.com I know, I know, I'm really coming pretty late to the party, as LOLcats are hardly new. For the few of you who DON'T know, a LOLcat is a picture (quite often of a cat) that has had a funky, sarcastic, beat poetry-type caption layered over. Usually the caption is in a white sans-serif font. These pictures are kind of fun to look at and sometimes solicit the viewer to LOL. But the truly fascinating thing about the LOLcats phenomenon particularly on the icanhascheezburger site is the unique culture that has evolved around this seemingly simple meme.

First and foremost is the pidgin language of "kitteh speak" grammar and spelling. This language evolved organically around the pictures and includes simple spelling substitutions i.e. kitteh, mah, bukkit. Unique grammatical constructions also evolved such as:
"I can has...?"
"My _____ let me show you it."
"Invisible __________"

And over time, unique plot lines also developed, most famously involving the LOLrus and his missing bukket.

But beyond the pictures, and their funny captions, an entire society has grown up in the comments fields. Including rewards (If you are first in line to comment on a given picture, you are typically rewarded with a song and a beverage) and punishments (If you are first in line to comment and you do not include a witty comment about the picture, but instead say something lame about being first, you are likely to be censured and receive a "low burger rating.) and entire evolving plot lines between the characters.

The Universe has become so rich, that n00bs (newbies) may refer to an entire LOLCats dictionary with over 100 vocabulary entries, just to help them figure their way around.

What is perhaps most interesting about this, is that the vast majority of these transactions are based on TEXT. No pictures. Just people using their imaginations.

Hmmm. And that's exactly what I'm going to ask you to do gentle reader. When it comes to linking baseball bats and little girls named Ivy into my story, I'll ask you to use your imagination...