SmashLab White Paper on Social Media
The latest edition of AdAge outlines a white paper done by SmashLab on social media. Good stuff.
‘Got Milk’ Gets Extreme Web Makeover
Goodby, Silverstein came up with the concept for the site and worked with digital production firm Unit9 to build it
April 22, 2008
Got fun? The new site combines information and entertainment.
NEW YORK While the California Milk Processing Board’s “Got milk” campaign has been a trailblazer offline, the effort has remained decidedly behind the times online. Unlike its cleverly crafted TV spots, GotMilk.com has remained the epitome of “brochureware” — a site that serves up static information extolling product benefits.
The Milk Board hopes to change its staid online image with an overhauled flashy Web site set to launch today. The venue attempts to combine health information and entertainment in a single destination.
“The old site was not only static but pretty boring,” said Steve James, executive director of the Milk Board. “We wanted to do all the things that people expect these days in a Web site, which we didn’t do with the old site.”
James declined to say how much the board dedicated to the online effort. Those funds were diverted from the organization’s TV budget. “We’re spending less on TV because it’s the not the medium it once was,” he said.
Longtime Milk Board agency Goodby, Silverstein & Partners in San Francisco came up with the concept for the new site and worked with U.K. digital production firm Unit9 to build it.
The site is centered around the idea that milk is a “super drink” that provides several different health benefits in a single beverage. The opening page presents an imaginary animated machine to illustrate the energy-producing qualities of milk. Visitors can navigate to a series of interactive games that explain specific health benefits, such as reducing the effects of PMS to strengthening teeth and bones.
The game designed to communicate milk’s ability to aid sleep, for example, is called “Shut-eye Battle Cry.” It challenges players to complete various tasks to help an insomniac owl named Mr. Wide Awake get to sleep. The tasks include closing curtains, getting the dog to stop barking and, naturally, preparing some warm milk. (A related content area pops up with background material on milk’s sleep-inducing qualities.)
Completing each game yields rewards, such as the ability to download a PDF to create cutouts of the animated characters.
The idea, according to Jessica Shank, a copywriter at Goodby, was to reformat the information available on the original “Got milk” site in a more entertaining package. “We were trying to strike a balance,” she said. “It’s a lot of the same content but presented in a much more interesting way.
Other site features include a “recycling area,” where visitors can find artistic ways to use their empty milk cartons, such as fashioning vases out of them. There are also recipes for smoothies. Plus, the site includes a history of the 15-year “Got milk” campaign with a time line and past commercials.
While the Milk Board mostly neglected its Web site over the years, it has seen success in digital channels. Last March, it launched “Get the Glass,” a Web game created by Goodby and North Kingdom. The site gained industry plaudits, as well as sizable traffic for a campaign microsite. All told, the board estimates the game got over 1 million visitors.
“We wanted the new site to provide the same kind of fun and interaction,” James said.
GotMilk.com will not replace the Milk Board’s annual campaign sites. Earlier this year, it launched WhiteGoldisWhiteGold.com) along with a MySpace brand page.
James said GotMilk.com would act as “the mother ship” for campaign sites.
More on Coke’s Social Network Tactics
I read this article today on Coke and their latest attempt at social network marketing. One of the challenges of social network marketing mentioned in the article is, “knowing just how much participation a soda brand should expect from consumers, and figuring out what triggers the interest in the first place.” I think this is true not only for soda brands, but for all brands across the board. When initiating social network marketing tactics, you have to look at the plan through the eyes of the consumer and determine if the benefit of the marketing initiatives is clearly stated.
Coca Cola’s Facebook App, Burn Alter Ego
We’ve seen some pretty interesting advertising campaigns that utilize Facebook’s platform for integrated applications, such as Bob Dylan’s. Most of them have been pretty cool, even in their blatant attempts to get users to spread a brand’s name around to their friends. Coca-Cola’s latest, however, seems like it could be fun.
It’s branding is rather subtle–if you add the app to your profile (click here), you may not even recognize that it’s a marketing effort until you’ve gotten it all set up and begin to play. The product being promoted? Coca-Cola’s drink Burn. The app itself? An avatar alter ego that goes clubbing at night, and reports back in the morning. That report shows up on your Burn app blog, your profile page, and even your newsfeed.
You can choose to go out with your other friends that have added the application, or make new friends while your out. Who knows? You may even bump into a celebrity avatar, and have all your friends thinking you were out with Paris Hilton last night.
At any rate, there’s a bit more to this application than trying to trick your friends on your newsfeed. The more you go out and enjoy the Burn night life, the more options you’ll unlock for your avatar. New outfits, hair dos, furniture for your apartment, and more. Looking through the application’s unlockable extras, there don’t appear to be too many more than what’s already available, so I’m curious to know how far Coca-Cola plans to build out the Burn application and others like it.
Depending on the success of the Burn app, however, and the potential for other services like SceneCaster may be recognized even faster, for use as branding tools across social networks.
From AdWeek Daily IQ/Briefing
Hulu’s Strong Start and Creativity Weekly’s Top 5
After our conversation on Hulu last night, it feels like the company is everywhere around me today. When I got into the office this morning, this article, “Hulu is online — is The WB next?” was posted on the intranet. Then I got an article from my AdWeek Briefing, titled, “Nielsen: Hulu Off To A Strong Start“. I’m excited to follow the progress of this up and coming company and track its progress though the jungle of social media networks.
I’ve also included a link to Creativity Weekly’s Top 5 spots of the week just to keep the creative juices flowing. The redesign for the Publicis & Hal Riney site is pretty sweet.
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Agency Spy’s View on Social Media and the Ad Industry
I must admit that agency gossip blogs are a guilty pleasure of mine. This was an interesting entry entitled, “Part Cuatro: Social Media And The Ad Biz“on Agency Spy this afternoon on social media and the advertising industry.
I especially related to their take on ‘prom king’ brands like Starbucks and Apple compared to all the other brands in the world. These other brands have to be that much more intuitive to what consumers desire from an application or on-line community. They also brought up the research component of social media and I agree that it can be used as a vital tool for brands/companies to find out what consumers truly think about their products. This information can be just as beneficial, if not more than traditional research methods.
Digital Form + Function
check this article on digital design form and function from Adweek. The article outlines the importance that functionalty plays in a brand’s micro-site or social network application. The Domino’s pizza builder application caught my attention right away. The application, built by Crispin Porter + Bogusky, lets users craft their own pizza online, name it, then have it delivered to their door.
It also disucsses the strategy behind the Kashi web site. The article goes on to say the site, “incorporates tools that let users participate in daily health challenges, such as taking 30-minute walks or skipping coffee, while interacting with each other. Product information is secondary to content about a healthy lifestyle and community interaction.” I buy a lot of Kashi products and appreciate this consumer minded thinking.
Simple is Brilliant
Those of us in the advertising industry are taught the vital message of an ad is to come across in a clear and compelling fashion. This is much easier said than done on a day to day basis. This “less is more” mentality is more often lost in the concept’s transition from creative idea to client input and eventually execution. Sometimes, though, the stars align and the message comes across clear as day. I noticed this ad done by Ogilvy & Mather staffers today in an Ad Age Blog I read. Ad Age reports that New York magazine finished its wrap of Eliot Spitzer and commissioned 10 artists to capture the former New York governor’s fall from grace.
Pure. Simple. Brilliant.
