August 17, 2010

What happens when you stop trying to be all things to all people? You win.

Piperlime 

I just came across this ad campaign today and am loving every minute of it. I love the fact that Piperlime is asking ladies to take a stand against sneakers, sweatpants and flip flops.

But what I love most is that, according to this, they understand the ramifications of taking such a stand. They know that some people simply aren't going to like it. And they've decided that's ok.

It appears that Piperlime (and Butler, Shine, Stern & Partners) understand that it's better for some to love you and some to hate you than for all to feel indifferent about you.

The proof is in the "likes" and the chatter:

Despite its critics, the campaign has generated plenty of interest on Facebook. According to Piperlime, its "likes" increased 934% between the weeks of Aug. 2 and Aug. 9, while there was a 479% increase to the number of comments on the page.

Way to go guys. Today, we salute your bravery (and marketing smarts, too.)

Posted by Tug McTighe on August 17, 2010 at 10:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Categories: Advertising , Branding , Social Media

August 04, 2010

TheFunTheory.com Blows My Mind

I may be late to this party but I don't care: This shit is amazing. The thesis as put forth by thefuntheory.com:

This site is dedicated to the thought that something as simple as fun is the easiest way to change people’s behaviour for the better. Be it for yourself, for the environment, or for something entirely different, the only thing that matters is that it’s change for the better.

As proven by the piano/stairs video, they got it totally right. Add the fact that they also have a contest to crowdsource more ideas that prove their thesis,  with videos and voting and such and the whole thing goes from great to simply brilliant. Seriously.

The biggest thing for me though, is who is sponsoring the whole thing. Right, it's VW. They are paying somebody to manage the site, to do the original stunts and to maintain the whole thing. Yet aside from the front page of the site, I don't see a VW logo anywhere. Or a picture of a car. Or a link to our newest TV campaign. Or even a list of correctly-spelled dealer names. Sure you've got a © Volkswagen at the bottom, but of course you're gonna get that.

My questions: 
1. How do we get our clients to sponsor this kind of "initiative"? There's clearly a shocking amount of earned media here, but, as you guys know, that's really difficult to pin an ROI onto.

2. Are some clients just too unsophisticated or simply unwilling to greenlight a project like this? And if so, is there any way to get them to change their thinking?

3. What can you do that takes a non-advertising idea and turns it into way to get your clients earned media and, dare I say, viral attention?

In all, I think this is about the most awesome thing I've seen in awhile. What do you guys think?

Posted by Tug McTighe on August 04, 2010 at 10:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBack (0)
Categories: Advertising , Brave New Marketing , Consumer Content , Current Affairs , Entertainment , Marketing Trends

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