Where's the Idea?

Converting consumer rants into opportunities - Bodyform

2012-10-19T02:12:00.000-07:00

As a business, there are always going to be times when you face off with your customer. Times when the customer is upset by your product, your sales staff behaviour or even your communication. This is the reality of business.

Now, figuring out how to handle this customer is where ingenious ideas can be born.

Bodyform, a sanitary napkin brand in the UK turned the complaints of a man on their facebook page on its head with a in your face video.

We know it is an idea when a brand can convert this:

into this:

Ingenious and engaging!

I want an R8 - Audi's Twitter genius

2012-10-18T01:15:00.005-07:00

Audi R8 is Audi AG's 4.2 litre engine mini monster. A driving machine that is desired by many, but accessible to few.

Now, one excited (or over excited) customer went on a twitter frenzy and created the hash tag #WantAnR8 at the end of each tweet. The Marketing team at Audi took notice of this and made her dream come true. She got to drive the R8 for a day.

Audi, then decided to continue this and 50,000 odd people asked for an R8 on twitter. They made the dream of 5 come true.

Audi successfully created memorable experiences with the people who love their cars. This they did, even though these people might never be able to actually by an R8. But, what gets left behind is an experience they will never forget.

In my opinion, that is job well done!

Red Bull: Project Stratos

2012-10-17T11:42:00.000-07:00

Now here we're talking about a brand with probably the highest penetration and largest share in the global energy drink market. We're talking about a product that gets people high on caffeine and gives them the feeling that they have wings. At the same time, we are also talking about a brand who knows what the bloody hell they are doing when it comes to marketing their product.

Gone are the days when you see a large number of Red Bull commercials on TV, where you have random cartoon characters behaving oddly after consuming the drink. Today, you chant the Red Bull name proudly because Sebastian Vettel took pole position in a Grand Prix, you happily take photographs at the Red Bull Arena during the American Soccer Season.

It is because Red Bull is now a part of your everyday behaviour, a part of the sporting calender that the brand is so strong. The Brand is strong because they are consistently, and to the delight of customers delivering content that customers want to share. This liquid content (content that is easily sharable) is what makes the brand strong.

The point in focus is Red Bull's gutsy new project: Red Bull Stratos. On paper it seems simple: One Man - Go to Edge of Space - Jump - 120,000 feet - First Human to break sound barrier - Make Records - Get Talked About.

The red bull team has been working on this project since 2005 and finally seem to be on the horizon of success. They just completed their second test jump, where, Felix Baumgartner, the 'jumper' completed a jump from over 96,000 feet and gained speeds of nearly 820 KPH! If weather permits, we might be treated to the final jump very soon.

You can see the video about the project here:

If you want to know more about Felix, heres another video for you:

It is content like this that will get brands talked about. The success lies in finding a great idea and then following through.

This is the new generation of marketing. If brands get this right, we will see a new wave of consumer engagement where TVCs will become obsolete.

So, Where is the Idea?

Here, the idea lies in identifying an opportunity and finding the right man to do something that people will talk about, not only for a few months, but till the record is broken. And the best part is, people will talk about this while the other record is being broken. That is the power of the idea.

Puma - The World's Fastest Purchase

2012-10-16T23:58:00.001-07:00

Puma claims to have the world's fastest sneakers called the FAAS500. In order to promote the sales of these sneakers, they created The World's Fastest Purchase.

The Idea is simple, effective and most importantly, FAST! The faster you buy your pair of FAAS500s the more discount you get.

It is always a great idea to help your customers save some money. And it is a better idea to let them have some fun while doing so.

On your mark, get set, SAVE!

The Zero Calorie Cinnabon

2012-10-16T21:49:00.001-07:00

Each Cinnabon, the famous and tasty cinnamon roll on an average contains around 600 calories. Now, the Cinnabon management team was more than aware that this might become a major challenge for their sales. So they decided to create the 'Zero Calorie Cinnabon'

Watch how they went about this:

Amazing Experiences with brands, help your customers remember your brand. It is after such experiences that they share and champion your brand!

The Hamburger Timetable - McDonalds

2012-10-15T22:24:00.000-07:00

McDonalds, probably one of the most favored snacks all over the world. Kids love McDonalds.
That does not mean that McDonalds has to stop being innovative in engaging with their customers. Every opportunity to bring a smile to a customer's face must be made the most of.
It is only when people really enjoy what a brand does, do they say "I'm lovin' it"

A McDonalds outlet in Poland did exactly the same thing. Through an innovative engagement idea, they increased traffic to their outlet and generated free news coverage from all over the country.

A truly innovative idea!

Google's (D)oodles of Engagement

2012-08-21T23:06:00.000-07:00

Google, the globe's most widely used search engine gets millions, probably billions of hits and searches each day. It is this kind of attention that brands crave for and it is this attention that Google is making perfect use of.

Google had to find a way to get Internet users spend more time on the Google page and interact with it in a way that people will enjoy, talk about and most importantly, share.

What seemingly started out as a creative expression of major events and historical milestones, the Google Doodle has now become a tool of global engagement.

The most recent use of the Google Doodle during the London 2012 Olympics, was astounding and interactive. Most importantly, the Doodles were contextually relevant and in sync with major competitions happening at that time.

People could actually play the sport on the Google Homepage, see and share their score and then also get an update on the actual event and its results.

People happily shared screen shots of their scores on their Facebook profiles to compare with their friends.

There will be people who say that these Google Doodles are a waste of productive time, but I believe that is dependent on the user. Google Doodles are not the only form of 'distractions' out there.

Apart from the London 2012 Olympics doodles, Google has consistently been delivering amazing doodles to mark global events. People can click on these doodles, and move to the search page covering information about the Doodle.

Google's archive of doodles allows you to revisit old doodles and interact with them even at a later point of time.

Some amazing doodles over time:

It is no shock that people enjoy interacting and engaging with Google, they do a bloody good job of keeping you hooked!

Coca Cola: Where will happiness strike next?

2012-08-01T07:30:00.001-07:00

There are times when I wonder: 'What is the true purpose of a brand's promise?'; 'What can a brand really stand for?', 'What is the measure of a brand's success?'; 'Is advertising just about persuading a customer into choosing your product over another?'

I might sound like a skeptic, and we have fair enough reason to do so with false promises being hammered across the media and brands doing everything in their power to make the customer choose them over the others.

The promise of happiness is one such blatantly exploited promise by brands, and rightly so, because happiness is probably one of the easiest emotions to relate to.

My opinion on the misuse of this emotion changed the moment I saw this video:

There is not much for me to say about the idea, because the video speaks volumes for itself. I saw this video at an advertising seminar in Goa, and mostly everyone in the packed auditorium had a tear in their eyes (me included).

It is Coca Cola’s innate ability to touch that emotion, through simplicity and genuine action that helps it be one of the most valued global brands. Their philosophies are true and honest and that’s what helps us connect to the brand.

Actions like this can help a brand be seen in a different light, in a light that is brighter.

When news becomes engaging

2012-07-29T22:52:00.001-07:00

News is being made in every corner of the world, every minute of the day. With greater digital access, we get news updates more frequently on our handhelds. But, for those whom consuming news is a ritual, news isn’t great on its own. News has had some great companions over time and the best of those are morning coffees.

This insight was identified and taken very seriously by Gulf News, the leading English Newspaper in their region.

With a local coffee shop chain as their partner, Gulf News started sharing latest news with every cup of coffee sold.

This idea, as the video suggests helped Gulf News increase their subscriptions by a significant margin.

The beauty of the idea lies in its simplicity. Executed in way that they keep the news brewing all the time

Taking it to the next level: It needs to be more than just an ad commercial!

2012-07-29T00:13:00.000-07:00

It is very encouraging to see well executed television commercials by a lot of the major agencies in India. It is great that the output now rivals the best in the world. The only problem is that the best in the world stopped focusing on great output a long time ago. They have mastered that and now it is a table stake. What they are focusing on is engagement.

A recent TV ad caught my attention. It is the new ad by MTS with an online singing starlet Shraddha Sharma. It is a great example of how always being connected through social media can help you reach out to a very base of customers and fans.

Although the execution is great, the problem is that it ends there. Today the world knows this singing sensation and yes, the number of ‘likes’ on her Facebook page have gone through the roof, but is that a true measure of the success of the campaign? The problem is MTS have stopped at the stage of ‘liking’ the page. There has been no engagement after that. There is so much that can be done.

Why are there no live concerts over Facebook, song contributions or singing auditions to be a part of her next song! The list can of ideas can be endless.

That is where the problem lies: Advertiser’s and Marketer’s jobs do not end at creating a great television spot anymore. It’s a lot more than that. The job only begins at being ‘liked’; the main objective is to stay ‘likable’