[ONIT] Digital Media Mashup

Twitter Verified a Pumpkin Spice Latte But Not Captain Obvious. He's Obviously Annoyed

contact@onitdigital.com(Onit Digital) — Thu, 01 Oct 2015 18:34:26 +0000

Captain Obvious doesn't like Twitter telling him he's not real. Even though, you know, he's technically not.

Like many avid Twitterers, he's on a quest to be verified by the network. But Twitter is not yet budging, despite the character's months of campaigning. Twitter certainly doesn't seem opposed to verifying brand icons, as you can see from the fact it gave the check mark to Mayhem, Jake From State Farm and even a Pumpkin Spice Latte.

Invented last year by Crispin Porter + Bogusky as a campaign centerpiece for Hotels.com, Captain Obvious has been the star of a multi-channel effort to point out the obvious things in life (like, say, where to book hotels online).

To boost the captain's legitimacy, CP+B has been pushing for Twitter to verify his account, which has amassed more than 216,000 followers and has recently commented on everything from the GOP presidential debate to National Punctuation Day.

His campaign for verification is now several months along, with no official validation to show for it.

My full legal signature. Don't try to copy it unless you look exactly like me. @Twitter #VerifyCaptainObvious pic.twitter.com/mMMX0UMVlW
— Captain Obvious (@CaptainObvious) September 22, 2015

Would a fake person get mail? Not unless they're a Nigerian prince. @Twitter #VerifyCaptainObvious pic.twitter.com/ZAvGza6zsn
— Captain Obvious (@CaptainObvious) August 27, 2015

The baristas get my name wrong every time too. Just like a real person, which I am. @Twitter #VerifyCaptainObvious pic.twitter.com/uX3aKpRvuc
— Captain Obvious (@CaptainObvious) July 29, 2015

Even if verification doesn't come around for the captain, chasing the ever-elusive check mark hasn't been a total waste of time. It's sparked conversations for Captain Obvious with high-profile supporters and even competing (but verified) brand icons like Cheetos' Chester Cheetah and Travelocity's Roaming Gnome.

"It's a fun way to play with the medium," said CP+B creative director Brian Friedrich. "So Twitter, they have their rules, they have their things.... If you always play it safe, people can get used to that from other brands and other places, but if you have fun with it people tend to engage quite a bit more."

CP+B assembled this collection of responses that Captain Obvious' verification campaign has received so far (click to expand):

Twitter's FAQ on verification doesn't outline how it decides which accounts get verified and which don't, noting only, "We concentrate on highly sought users in music, acting, fashion, government, politics, religion, journalism, media, sports, business and other key interest areas." But the network also points out the process might not be immediate.

"Even if he doesn't [get verified], we've done a good job of proving that he's real," Friedrich said, "that he's not just some fake salesman for somebody, that he's out in the world doing his thing."

Captain Obvious is popping up elsewhere as well. This spring, he took the hard-sell approach for a number of short spots. In June, he had some fun with Facebook's silently autoplaying videos, featuring him silently playing the piano. A few weeks later, the company hid the details of a giveaway within the typically boring legal copy of a 15-second spot.

But on Twitter, very few of his deep thoughts have anything to do with the brand he promotes. Friedrich said Captain Obvious's less-than-pushy perspectives on social media should bolster his case for eventually becoming verified.

"He just happened to become (Hotels.com's) biggest fan and a big supporter of what they do because they are so obvious in what they offer," Friedrich said. "That enables us creatively to do some different things and for him to own his own voice, and that allows us to do with it what we want to when we need it."

Your Brand Can Be as Famous as Sour Patch Kids

contact@onitdigital.com(Onit Digital) — Thu, 01 Oct 2015 17:46:00 +0000

Feed Courtesy Onit Digital
During her presentation at Advertising Week, Farrah Bezner, marketing director of Halls and Candy at Mondelēz International, talked about how the brand captures the hearts of teens and millennials, and how you can do it too.

Here's How a Toyota Marketer Is Already Using Facebook's New Twist on Multimedia Ads

contact@onitdigital.com(Onit Digital) — Thu, 01 Oct 2015 16:55:30 +0000

[ONIT] Digital Media Mashup

Twitter Verified a Pumpkin Spice Latte But Not Captain Obvious. He's Obviously Annoyed

Your Brand Can Be as Famous as Sour Patch Kids

Here's How a Toyota Marketer Is Already Using Facebook's New Twist on Multimedia Ads

Ad Age Extends Deadline for BtoB Best Awards

Should Your Brand Be on Snapchat?

There Is No Mobile Experience: The Key to Understanding Mobile Data

It's About Time, Google!

Here's Why Digital Retail Matters: Mobile Sales Will Exceed $252 Billion by 2020

Hershey's Looks to New Video Metrics for Cool Blasts Videos

Is Native Advertising Content Marketing?

Social Content Helps Fast Food Brands Beat Stigma

How Wearable Technology Is Driving More Accountability

Jennifer Convertibles Comes Back with Influencer Content

Beverage Brands Illustrate Importance of Online Content for Offline Products

Standing out with Instagram: Q&A with Creative Lead, Eric Oldrin

In China, People Cover Brands' Online Videos With Snark

Advertising Week: John Hegarty on the Need for Creativity in Data

2015 Essential Guide to Email Marketing

Email, Like Fine Wine, Gets Better With Age

We've Got Our ISPs on You

Hot List: Vote Your Picks for 2015's Top Digital Brands, Games and Gadgets

Here Are 4 Different Reactions to Jack Dorsey Reportedly Being Back as Twitter CEO

Keep Earthquakes Weird

Tim Armstrong Says AOL Is in the 'Best Position' to Fight Ad Blocking

How a Blasé Approach Helped Swedish Fish Reach Gen Z

Pandora and Spotify CMOs: Music Is Everything When It Comes to Millennials

Samsung Is Sending One Person to a Tibetan Monastery for 100 Days to Watch TV in Peace

Developing a Mobile Content Plan That Works

Legal War on Ad Blocking May Be a Loser, if Recent German Rulings Are Any Guide

Twitter Gives More Marketers Easy Access to Its In-Tweet 'Buy' Button

Apple Just Expanded Its Music Streaming Service Into China

Using Facebook and YouTube to Bring Your Video Content to Life

That Out-of-Home Campaign Rolling Around Advertising Week Has a Secret Message for Robots, Ad Execs

Now Marketers Can Buy Sponsored Content Programmatically

Twitter Expands Its 'Buy' Button Just in Time to Grab Holiday Ad Dollars

5 Ways to Create an Irresistible Call to Action

Exploring Consumer Insights Beyond Brand Benefits

Why Quality Content Can Help Top Rankings

Content to Consumer Marketing: Spotlight on Eventbrite's Eric Meyerson

New Lenovo Campaign Plays Up Weird in the Good Way

Hearst's Programmatic Ad Man Talks Cross-Device Attribution

Adblock Plus Wants Advertisers and Publishers to Help Administer Its Blocking

Archidirectors

Why Creative Programmatic Ads Are Attracting Brand Marketers and Tech Investors

ComScore Merges with Rentrak to Build the 'iPhone' of Media Measurement

If Twitter Goes Beyond 140 Characters, Brands Will Follow With More Customer Service

Google Debuts Two New Chromecasts, Pushes Fingerprint Payments

Video Desires Vary by Country

Small Publishers Are Most Affected by Ad Blockers, Says IAB

The IAB Calls Ad Blocking 'Highway Robbery' and Ramps Up Its Call to Arms

YouTube's Most Native Ad Yet Puts Shoppable Cards Into Organic Videos

Why Sheryl Sandberg Says Big Brands Should Spend Their TV Ad Budgets on Facebook

4 Ways Spotify and Pandora Target Millennials Differently

Comcast Sets Up Digital Beachhead With Watchable Video Service

Spotify's Chromecast, PlayStation Deals: Part Marketing, Part Moneymaking

Edward Snowden Is Now on Twitter, and He's Picked the One Perfect Account to Follow

Why Facebook's New Branding-Focused Tool Changes How Its Ads Can Be Targeted

This Video Earned Quaker Canada's Agency a Zero-Gravity Work Retreat

IAB Starts Publicity and Engineering Battle Against Ad Blocking

Unruly Opens a 'Future Video Lab'

New on the #Viral Chart: Six Decades of Honda in Two Minutes

5 Tips to Make Sure Your Content Connects with the C-Suite

Startups: R/GA Says If You Can't Beat Them, Join Them

See the Spot: Latest Dove Video Shows Every Girl Wants to Change Something

Urban Airship Tears Down Mobile Data Walls for Redbox

How Can Data Turn Your Content into Marketing Gold?

Here's Exactly How Facebook's New TV-Inspired, Surprisingly Old-School Ad Buying Works

How Is UGC Changing Content Marketing?

The Key to Data and Analytics Success: First Be Prepared

Axel Springer Agrees to Buy Business Insider for $343 Million

Why Now Is the Time for Advertising and Marketing Technologies to Converge

Getting the Most from Your Email Content

Determining Your Content KPIs for Maximum Business Impact

5 Ways to Increase Engagement with Interactive Content

LinkedIn Rolls Out Elevate Content-Sharing Platform

Brands Still Matter - Just Not Like They Used To

The Tuck Effect

Why Mentoring Is More Important Today Than Ever for the Well-Being of Agencies

Facebook Wants to Complement TV with New Ad Metric