Coca Cola continues to spread happiness through everything they do. We still see many ‘Buy 1 Get 1 Free’ offers as we scan a supermarket aisle. They are mostly faceless promotions purely driven to push product down our throat (or wherever else) with no brand building or engagement at heart. And here we have Coca Cola creating a spin on the same old same old.
Cocal Cola uses a bit of creativity to turn a Buy 1 Get 1 free promotion into a branded experience using a simple vending machine. The idea was to create a taller than usual vending machine that can be used normally but with the help of a friend can get you two cans for the price of one. What do friends need to do? They need to help each other reach the top of the machine where they can click the button which dispenses two cans. Alone this button would simply not be reachable.
The idea is wonderful at many levels. Besides the immediate impact on sales Coca Cola has created another on-ground experience which leads to genuine ”happiness”, this time between two friends. By capturing those moments on a video the same can and is being amplified in a big way online. This has turned a small scale brand activation into social content which is likely to go viral and further contribute to building the brand. Check the video below. The results are spectacular!
Pepsi takes the lead with a cutting-edge innovation using IntoNow. What is IntoNow? It is an iOS app that does to TV what Shazam did to music. It can listen to a clip of any TV show live as it happens and tell you the name of the show and the specific episode. Plus it can do that for any show for the last five years. Amazing in it’s own right!
Now Pepsi has managed to pull off a breakthrough using this technology. Users who tag a Pepsi MAX commercial as it airs get a digital coupon redeemable for a free Pepsi MAX. A brilliant idea that has some profound implications. For the first time ever technology has enabled linking a TV commercial message with a real world action. This idea opens up a world of opportunities. The dynamic can be applied to develop many ideas that combine live TV content with real world action – from a promotional offer, to an experience that continues in the real world to something that unlocks exclusive access to a desired product or service. The possibilities are indeed many.
Another aspect of this idea is it’s ability to bring the analytics of digital to TV viewing. It is now possible to determine exactly what was the profile of the people who tagged the TV commercial. Of course, this could bring about privacy issues and I am not sure if such data was shared by IntoNow but even if broad demographic data is shared it is of great value to a marketer.
I think this is part of a larger theme of real time marketing enabled by mobile technology connected to the digital world. We have seen KLM deliver surprises in real time using location based applications. Here Pepsi is offering free product based on an event based application. This merging of the real world with the digital world is something of a trend that is expected to become more common in the days to come. A proof of it’s potential is the fact that Yahoo! bought IntoNow for a reported $20-$30 million dollars according to estimates by TechCrunch. Not bad for a service that has been running for only about 12 weeks. And this was announced days after the Pepsi MAX execution. It seems this was the final clinch to the deal. Watch this space! More real time marketing to come…
Seriously! If you are reading this then somewhere something inside of you made you question ‘what if this is true!’ Most of you are feeling very skeptical I am sure, but the curious ones amongst you wanted to find out more. Well I have good news…your curiosity is about to be rewarded! This is for real.
The all new Lamborghini Aventador was launched at the Geneva Motor Show last month. OK! So what? Except for those extreme car enthusiasts most of us did not hear about it and will not hear about it unless you see it in a movie or something. More importantly most of us will not be driving one of these unless we are the chosen one! So why should we care? Well the official film has just been released and it has blown me away! WOW! is the word. I have to say this is one of the most awesome car commercials I have ever seen. But then I say this about every Lamborghini commercial.
Why is this such a big deal? Simply because of the fact that this car is a 700hp V12 beast with the highest power to weight ratio compared to any car in it’s class. Which is really a big deal! (By the way I learnt that fact after seeing the film). So what then! Why did this video excite me more than the rational information about the car itself. Well they say a picture is worth more than a thousand words and this video really captures the sheer performance, power and handling of this raging bull in a way that is simply superb! It evokes emotion with every frame!
Trying to decode my own reaction and what you are about to experience in a bit I remembered a concept I had read about in Buyology by Martin Lindstorm. The concept of “mirror neurons”. The idea being that when we see something like an action, our mind replicates and exhibits the same energy and activity of someone who is actually experiencing the act. So for these next three minutes because of the way our mind works, we feel like that driver who is smoothly drifting and cruising through earthquakes and armageddon! So when I said drive the new Lamborghini Aventador NOW I really meant it. At least in your mind! So without any further delay I proudly present to you an experience in the Lamborghini Aventador – the newest bull from Italy. Check it out!
Hyundai adds a little extra to an already novel marketing tool – 3D Projection Mapping. The power to transform a landscape and immerse the viewer into an alternate reality is what’s driving the WOW! factor in these executions. With the evolution of projection technology, becoming both high definition and cost effective at the same time, combined with a growing expertise of 3D talent the frequency of these executions worldwide is increasing at a rapid pace. Executions can be seen everywhere for anything from promoting movies like Tron and Iron Man 2 to events celebrating new year’s eve to some simply promoting a tourist location. Of course, of all the players in the game brands are right on top with some great work done for Samsung, Vodafone, Red Bull and Hot Wheels to name a few.
This time however for Hyundai the team behind the event in Malaysia has added a little twist. Instead of doing what everybody else is doing. They have managed to create a true to the brand immersive experience by actually putting the car at the center of the stage. The result is a fascinating journey that to my mind is a step above the rest. It rightly delivers on the brand promise of “New Possibilities” – imagine a car driving on the wall! Check out the video below and see for yourself!
“Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic”Arthur C. Clarke, “Profiles of The Future”, 1961
This is probably the best way to describe Magnum’s Pleasure Hunt – an interactive experience that has been created to launch a new flavor for their ‘Temptation’ range. Like all good ideas, unconnected elements have been brought together to create an entirely new concept. Treasure hunt, the age-old game used by marketers to death, is presented afresh in the form of a virtual ‘pleasure’ hunt, taking a big creative leap from the original. The target group of ‘pleasure-seekers’ and their passions have been nicely captured through the array of brands selected for the experience.
In the end it’s a simple flash game that makes good use of technology and creativity to create a feeling of going from site to site as our virtual girl interacts with elements on the screen to collect bonbons. I think this is a great example of an interactive brand experience executed to perfection. You can experience the magic here or check out the video capture of the game below. It’s definitely worth a play!
