SoreThumb Media

i n t e r a c t i v i t y

2006-12-01T05:46:00.000-08:00

As a college student, an equestrian, and a female, I know all about competition. Essentially the world is just in a state of heightened competition that will only keep growing. Colleges are harder to get into (and more expensive, cough cough), ribbons are harder to win, good men are harder to catch, and media is harder to differentiate. But we all stand up to the plate when it comes time to bat. Media has twisted and turned into guerilla, viral, and attention-demanding marketing. The central link that holds together these new faces of media is i n t e r a c t i v i t y.

There's so many ways media is exploring interactivity and agencies are only getting more and more creative with the expanded competition. The level of involvement the ketchup packets obtain from users is through asking the audience to take an action. It's not just something to look at, watch or ignore. It's a small but potent experience. And the Pilot watch uses a different technique. They don’t demand anything from the customer. Rather, they take an action the consumer will most likely be doing anyway, and expand on it. By taking this small but habited action, you are immediately in the ad without having to step outside your normal, everyday activities.

Netflix used a different and more conventional tactic in getting their audience involved. It was the good, old prize incentive. While this method is by no means new or original, it's definitely a classic way to get the audience completely involved with the brand. Hastings, Neflix chairman and CEO, told the New York Times, “The beauty of the Netflix prize is you can be a mathematician in Romania or a statistician in Taiwan, and you could be the winner." When Saatchi & Saatchi used life-size cut outs of men urinating all over New York City, it's effectiveness gained ground in the competitive battle for consumers’ attention. If the consumer wanted to know what this figure was all about, they had to physically walk up to the "guy" and read his shirt. This doesn’t demand anything of the consumer, but rather simply draws them in with the need-to-know factor. If they want to be "in the know" they have to take the steps toward the cut out.

Similar to the peeing cut out campaign, the sidewalk lined with crosses asks the public to read to find out. However, the crosses are below eye lever and I feel this makes them less demanding of the passerby. Of course, it ultimately depends on the lifestyle of the consumer and state they're in at the moment their passing by, which is an unavoidable factor in consumer behavior. There is a very thin line between demanding too much and not demanding enough. The best way to avoid this line is the customization option. Allowing customers to personalize their product or even player (as seen in the Northwest Airline advergame) can only lead to positive associations. Who doesn't want to give their plane a 1970s afro? Customization is one of the best ways to cut through the competition and land on top.

Customization comes in all shapes and sizes as we see with the Durex Dickorations. While they might be a bit personal and invasive to some, the generation that's pulling through the new millennium is much more comfortable with sexuality. And lets be honest, these Dickorations and Durex condoms in general are not aimed at senior citizens. Lastly, I can't discuss interactivity without talking about viral videos. I have to admit, I'm not a huge watcher yet but after this assignment, I've been to www.youtube.com almost daily. It's an amazing technique to use especially since our generation is such heavy television users. We adore media that accesses more than just one of the senses.

In conclusion, as the world grows into an elevated state of competition, interactive media is one of the best ways to open doors between media and customers. It effects our level of awareness, the media used by agencies, and, most importantly, our perception of products, companies, and ideas. Our generation is jam-packed with experiencers (from VALS). Interactive and viral marketing ask the consumer to come into the ad and make it more than just an ad, make it an experience. To flip the scales, blogs are a picture perfect example of the new wave of interactivity. Our wonderful world wide web has become a community of communicators and what we used to simply read has now become an experience to take part in.

It's a Viral Cycle

2006-11-29T11:30:00.000-08:00

Viral videos are an amazing way to spark buzz among the public and target audiences. They're very easy to point in the right direction and ensure the right audience sees them. At the Learning Center, you'll learn important viral video tactics such as filming yourself sitting at a desk, the art of falling, hurting animals, using animals to hurt people, working with excrement and vomit and "many more." But this is no normal viral video. This hilarious DRTV spoof takes whacks at both the DRTV genre and viral video itself.

But what is the point of this viral video? Simply to poke fun at viral video? No. This viral video is actually promoting a website that is….yes….all about viral video! Quite the ironic situation. The site is called Ziddio and is one of those "we pay you for your video" sites.

Frankly, as humorous as it is to have a viral video that's promoting viral videos by making fun of viral videos, I think if I was actually enjoying the slander that I would be severely annoyed once I found out the true cause of the movie. But that might just be me.

Adrants

I See Dead People

2006-11-28T10:32:00.000-08:00

Australia's Watch Around Water is placing images of a little drowned boy at the bottom of swimming pools to improve pool safety. I have to say, one of these posters would definitely catch my eye. Of course eventually people are going to catch onto this whole fake-dead-people-as-props thing and it's going to lose shock value. Then what will happen? People will start walking around and if they come around a dead boy in a pool they'll just shrug.

Essentially this ad campaign is playing the game of the agency-who-cried-wolf. But seriously, it's a very effective idea. It's eye-catching and gets the audience emotionally involved immediately. Not only is the effect immediate, but also it reaches everybody. No one can ignore the image of a dead boy in a pool. It's simply human nature: I know I shouldn’t look but I can't help it.

There's a fear factor involved in this campaign and I'm not sure it's of appropriate measure. I feel it might create a negative association with the firm even though it might work in terms of increasing drowning awareness.

Adrants

Dickorations

2006-11-27T12:35:00.000-08:00

Durex has created a new fashion and it's found in cities dominated by college students. But you can't find it in department stores, shops, or boutiques. In order to find this sexy little fad you have to go to men's restrooms, Maxim, FHM, and the Durex website where you can print out costumes ranging from tuxedos to superhero capes. And there's nothing subtle about these ads, even the text is forthcoming: "Click here to download this dickoration."

While I highly doubt that many college guys (sober college guys) will actually cut out these paper outfits and use them, the ads do seem to perfectly match their target. The immaturity of the typical college guy parallels the immaturity of dressing up his lower member. I cant say I know a single person who wouldn't find this campaign amusing to say the least.

All in all, a well done and extremely creative campaign designed to create buzz. I like the way Durex plays on the idea of wrapping your tool and makes it something fun and colorful. Durex is now addressing and dressing two heads instead of one...

Adrants

Kleenex; Thinking Outside the Box

2006-11-18T07:11:00.000-08:00

Kleenex has come out with a new Oval promo for their new oval-shaped tissue dispensers. This new packaging is targeted at hipsters who obvioulsy enjoy clean noses. For as long as Ford has made cars, Kleenex has used the ho-hum quadrilateral box. Cheers to Kleenex for changing it up for once! The campaign they're using to promote these new boxes is actually quite clever actually.

Ads use other objects like a lime or a rug that have colors directly reflected in the colors that appear on the corresponding boxes. For instance, the lime used in one ad represents "tangy oval", a box strewn with light greens and yellows. As shown above the "bling oval" is decorated in shades of pink and white to reflect the gem above.

The true reason this campaign caught my eye is because upon arriving at home on Thursday, I noticed different looking tissue boxes. And sure enough! The same boxes placed around my house are the new Kleenex Ovals. What a small world! While I feel the idea of an oval box is cute but nothing to brag about, I really find the ad campaign pretty decent. Not inspiring, but clever in "we're not trying to be super clever" kind of way.

Adrants

More OJ Please?

2006-11-17T12:18:00.000-08:00

Remember when O.J. was just a drink? Those were the good old days. On November 27th and 29th, Fox is going to air the OJ-sponsored special called OJ Simpson: If I Did It, Here's How it Happened. When you're driving on the highway and suddenly traffic builds up due to an accident up ahead...the worse the accident is, the slower you drive by it. The same phenomena is going to happen when this tv special airs because it has a certain "I shouldnt look but I have to" appeal.

This two hour segment will allow OJ Simpson to reveal to Judith Regan and the public how he would have killed Nicole and Ron IF he actually did commit the crime. Of course, we dont realllly believe he did, not a famous football player like himself. Mike Darnell, Fox's executive Vice President of alternative programming, says "This is the definitive last chapter in the Trial of the Century."

Frankly this hypothetical admittance while admitting that he's not actually admitting to anything is just slightly disgusting. When I saw this article I was in disbelief that something like this would actually be allowed to happen. It's an interesting way for OJ to position himself to the public. I really can't imagine that this doing any good whatsoever. I'd be surprised if it doesn't hurt his reputation even further. I'm very interested to watch the special and report on the reactions it gets from the public.

Adrants

Love; Passion or Politics?

2006-11-15T13:40:00.000-08:00

Online dating has become the new fad, I should know. My mom, my dad, my sister, and pretty much every single adult I know has resorted to it. My mom, after two plus years, is still with one of her first dates and, as it happens, they just bought a house together. However, my dad has been through three girlfriends in one year and my sister just went on a date with a guy who's idea of affection is to lick her neck seven times in one hour at a bar (on their first date!). So it's fair to say the results are mixed, but nonetheless, everyone is doing it.

You can find your "perfect match" through niche sites specifically organized by location, religion, and now, political views! Yes - that's right, two new dating sites have sprung up: Democratic Match and Conservitive Match. Many hearts have been broken over conflicting political views, it's true. These parties are embedded in our interests, beliefs, motives, opinions, and lifestyles so of course they're going to play a major role in a relationship. Letting politics play a certain part in love is acceptable, even expected, but how far is too far?

When you go to a site to find a potential partner and this site blocks out everyone except democrats, one has to wonder, are you blocking out your partner as well? Not necessarily because they're not a democrat, but simply because they may not identify themselves as such in the dating scene. As much as this isnt exactly an example of guerilla marketing, this marketing ploy is coming from the public. As with marketers, sometimes we target too specifically, thus blocking out potential buyers. Ultimately this dating arrangement, as well as most societal constructs, is being far too exclusive.

Part of love is acceptance; loving the flaws in a person simply because they're part of them. I mean, really, what happened to Prince Charming? Mr. Right? That can't eat, can't sleep, reach for the stars over the fence, World Series kind of stuff? Is this isolated way of marketing ourselves targeting our dating pool too much? Are we messing with what's "meant to be"?

Adrants

Looking, Seeing, Feeling

2006-11-14T11:37:00.000-08:00

Coming from Boston, Massachusetts I've seen my share of the homeless lying in the commons or sitting on the sidewalks of Harvard Square. I know what it's like to walk past them, staring straight ahead at some focus point, just so you dont have to look in their eyes. This is how we justify the idea in our minds that these people dont actually, really, truly exist.

ACLC, a Toronto-based firm, created a heart warming campaign for Canada's Salvation Army. This creative campaign exemplifies excellent craftsmanship and asks the public to open their eyes to what they've been so actively trying not to see. We are asked to see those less fortunate who are in dire need of our help. We are asked to see that something can be done to help them, something that all of us can do.

This campaign, which includes print and TV, is called "Invisible" and shows how ridiculously easy it is for us to let underpriveledged people fade away into the background to a point where we dont even see them anymore. We only see our focus point that allows us to look past all that we dont wish to notice.

Adrants

Coming Zune!

2006-11-07T10:47:00.000-08:00

Right now I'm listening to "I Lost It" by Kenny Chesney on my iTunes and do you think I bought it? I think it's safe to say that the majority of MP3 owners are not actually paying for their music libraries. But shhhh...it's a secret! No, seriously, it's just so easy to download music files especially in a college setting where the internet connection is top-notch. I dont know a single person who buys MP3s, it's just unheard of.

However, Microsoft is embedding viral expansion into Zune, the new iPod "competitor". People using the Zune MP3 players can send songs to friends through a Wifi connection between the snazzy devices. Their friend has 3 days to listen to the song before it's disabled. If said friend chooses to purchase said song within said three-day time span, the sender will recieve credits for a portion of the song's selling price. These credits can then be used towards purchasing music or other items from the Zune marketplace. (I took a peek at what they have to offer - not too shabby - less selection than Apple but that's to be expected.)

Obviously it's going to be um...very dificult (understatement of the century) to compete with Apple's iPod. However, this approach is a great example of a way brands should be venturing away from traditional advertising, providing concrete motivation for consumers to use their product. While this strategy seems like it will push consumption, increase brand awareness and loyalty, and up Zune's market share, I'm not sure it'll actually work. It depends how easily credits are accumulated and how much they're worth, but I hightly doubt it'll be enough to make consumers stray from Limewire and BitTorrent. Even though it sounds easy enough, it doesn't sounds easier than the means we use now. I'm skeptical...

Adrants

Personalize Your Plane

2006-11-03T10:20:00.000-08:00

Northwest Airlines is the world's fifth largest airline and, with its partners, serves more than 900 cities in more than 160 countries on six continents. One of these partners is KLM airlines which has recently launched a new advergame called Fly for Fortune. Prior to playing the game you are invited to watch a Pixar-style game trailer that promotes the game and features of "cars-style" talking airplane.

What makes this game really special is that you can personalize your plane with different hair styles and facial features. The whole experience becomes individualized upon designing your plane. Players fly to catch certain objects and avoid others. Those who are successful can win tickets o anywhere in the world. Also, not only does the game come in 10 languages but also, players from 58 countries can enter the contest.

At first glance the idea seems fun, engaging, and interactive but aimed at an irrelevant target audience: kids. However, once I learned the reward for winning this advergame, I was whole-heartedly supportive and impressed. This game allows adults tap into their inner-child's secret infatuation with the mario brothers nintendo game. And better yet, it gives them a completely justifiable reason to do so. I kind of want to play...

Adverblog

Nikon Finds Flickr

2006-10-25T10:31:00.000-07:00

A picture says a thousand words and Nikon lets them do the talking. After selecting a group of Flickr users, Nikon sent out a bunch of their D80 camers and said snap away photo fans, snap away! They collected several submissions and created a three-page spread which ran in magazines and journals like BusinessWeek. In this spread were the pictures Nikon chose along with the message "We gave them the new Nikon D80. What they gave back was stunning." Nikon allowed the flickr members to use their camera's and make available their creations, thus benefiting both sides of the scenario.

The best thing about this campaign is its credibilty. Nikon puts forward the work of the people who matter the most: the consumers. Not only that, but they follow the philosophy of "show, dont tell." The capability and quality of their product is displayed in the pictures in a way that is also interactive for the customer. I love that this campaign gave a certain power to the flickr members allowing them to actually develop, recognize, and express their positive experience with Nikon.

This positive experience is almost guarenteed in a campaign like this one. The consumer gets to experience the product, bond with the product, and therefore, bond with the brand. A satisfactory relationship is formed between the consumer and Nikon just for being given the hands-on experience with the product. I really like this campaign as a whole.

Jaffe Juice

The "Cross-Walk"

2006-10-24T11:49:00.000-07:00

Coming from Boston, you see a fair share of hunger and the homeless, usually holding up cardboard signs that read "help me feed my dog" or something equally as depressing (my favorite being "i wont lie, i need beer"). So of course, poverty is no phantom issue in my mind. Just last night on adverblog I saw a review of a campaign done recently in France. It's a guerrilla marketing campaign done near Médecins du Monde to draw attention to people sleeping and dying on the streets every winter because of the cold.

Black crosses line the sidewalks up and down streets and on the bottom of the horizontal board reads, "Every winter, hundreds of homeless die on the sidewalks. React." It might not be the most original concept considering lots of campaigns incorporate the cross to symbolize death. However, sometimes reverting back to classic, simplistic thinking is a great way to make a lasting impact.

The pictures of this campaign definitely caught my eye which makes me think the actual crosses would have as well. However, my major issue with this marketing tactic is the fact that the copy (while effective as it may be) is way too small. People are lazy. I am lazy. If I was walking by those crosses, I can't say for sure that I would care enough to bend over (possibly interupt the sidewalk traffic flow) to read the teeny tiny writing on the cross. And frankly, even if I did take said action, I might be hoping for a slightly more creative message after giving up a whole moment of my time. I think a possibility would be to personalize each cross with a name and sentence-long story then state "this is my grave."

Adverblog

1 Million Dollars!

2006-10-23T16:23:00.000-07:00

Netflix, the world's largest online movie rental service, announced the creation of the Netflix Prize. The challenge: create a software that will achieve certain accuracy goals in movie recommendations based on personal preferences. The goal is a 10 percent improvement. The prize.....1 MILLION DOLLARS (dr. evil pinky to the mouth). The company made 100 million anonymous movie ratings ranging from one to five stars, available to the contestents. This was the largest amount of data ever released of this kind.

Currently the Netflix system looks at movies that customers have purchased in the past to predict movies that they are likely to enjoy in the future. Netflix Chairman and CEO Reed Hastings said that such recommendation systems would play “an increasingly significant commercial role in the future” as the company expands. Hastings told the New York Times, “The beauty of the Netflix prize is you can be a mathematician in Romania or a statistician in Taiwan, and you could be the winner."

Netflix said it will publish a detailed description of the winning approach for the benefit of companies, entrepreneurs and academicians. If no one wins the grand prize, the company said it will award a $50,000 prize to whoever makes the most significant headway towards the goal and will award a progress prize annually until someone wins the grand prize.

Complete details for registering and competing for the Netflix Prize are available at www.netflixprize.com .

Reuters

Watch Out for the Pilot Watches!

2006-10-06T10:30:00.000-07:00

The next example of viral marketing I stumbled upon that caught my eye was another work done by Jung Von Matt! Only this time it was for watches. Images of their Big Pilot watch were placed on the holding hand straps on airport shuttles. When passengers put their hands in the straps, it looks like their wearing the watches on their own wrists. This gets the consumer involved with the product without even entering the store or even the realm of where the product might be. Not only that, the consumer doesn't even have to be aware of the product or remotely interested.

This is an excellent example of demonstrative advertising. The consumer will automatically notice the ad because you have to look at the holding strap when putting your hand in it. However, some people who hate advertising and the overwhelming amount of it we encounter daily could get annoyed by this. But I have to give props to this campaign despite the inevitable risk it takes (as all advertising does) to the fact that the placement is perfect. The business travelers who take those shuttles on a weekly and monthly basis is the exact target market that need watches and can afford nice ones. This campaign is uncontrollably noticable, relevant, interactive, and creative. Well done.

Adverblog

The Hard Truth

2006-10-06T07:29:00.001-07:00

Last March, a popular newspaper in Germany called Bild, devised a guerrilla marketing campaign to solidify their position as "truth-tellers". This campaign ran during the German Art Director's Club awards show in Berlin. Jung von Matt Hamburg posted special mirrors directly over the men's urinals and slightly at an angle so the men would see their best friend while performing their physiological duties. Below these mirrors was the slogan "Nothing's harder than the truth".

I applaud this campaign for using sex with humor to actually make a point, since our society is so...for lack of a better word, apprehensive. Of course, this is in Germany and, rest assured, you'd ever find it in the U.S. But in any case, the slogan used here is one that will unavoidable make a man think twice. The feeling of "hey, i get it!" will resonate with the image of Bild creative a positive correlation in the mind of the consumer.

This is all great news but when reading some of the comments posted in reaction to this campaign, one read "I must confess I have seen my dick before. So the surprise was not that extraordinary." Bild definitely risks viewers shrugging a unenthused shoulder to there oh-so-clever slogan. However, the word "bild" in German means truth so if the viewer knows this, they're likely to feel the satisfaction of being "in the know." Thus, they'll form a connection to the brand. All in all, I think it's pretty clever, but then again it's exciting because it's unusual (to me aka an American).

Adverblog

Ebay is Looking a Little Sold-Out

2006-09-25T11:48:00.000-07:00

Ebay is like Apple, very popular and very hard to compete with. Hebbes.be, eBay's competitor in Belgium, recently launched an online guerrilla campaign on eBay itself. Basically the agency, snow by LG&F, came up with the idea of selling some items on eBay complete with pictures saying "Sorry, already sold on Hebbes.be". So when a customer searches for one of these items and click on it, the site goes to an ebay page but in place of the picture of the item, there's a picture of a small sign with that caption on it. It's actually quite funny.

LG&F is one of the most creative advertising firms in Belgium, and they dont hesitate to show it through this campaign. It has shock value, it has humor, it has everything needed to make the audience curious. To no surprise, Ebay has already taken down the pages made by LG&F. While this campaign is to say the least, malicious in strategy, it's the kind of ad you can't help but sit back and giggle at.

When guerilla marketing is really good, it makes you wonder..."why didnt I think of that?" It's definitely the situation where half of your smile is out of appreciation while the other half is pure jealousy.

Adverblog

Public Urinattention!

2006-09-25T10:38:00.000-07:00

Saatchi & Saatchi is one of the leading advertising firms in the world and their work is to say the least, innovative. On a more personal note, I love them. Ever since I declared Integrated Marketing Communications as my major, I've aspired to intern for them when I ship out to LA next semester. So of course, aside from the obviousl reasons, this ad caught my eye since it was made by Saatchi & Saatchi New York.

Recently in New York City, there was a sight so alarming that even the city's apathetic commuters couldn't help but look. Pedestrians stopped to stare, cab drivers yelled, and parents turned their children's faces. At first glance it looked like several New Yorkers had decided to use their city streets as their own personal bathroom. Angry citizens wanted to give these free spirits a piece of their minds, that is until they discovered these “strategically posed” folks were made of cardboard.

These people were positioned urinating all around the city in different locations to grab people's attention. This excellent guerilla marketing campaign aims to highlight the shortage of public restrooms in New York City. These incredibly realistic cut outs are stealing looks, glances, and glares as well as sending a message. On the backs of their shirts it reads a caption about the need for more toilets in New York.

Today, because of its effectiveness in gaining ground in the competitive battle for consumers’ attention, Guerrilla marketing is playing a more important role in the overall marketing plan. It only goes to show how forward this trend is moving towards interactive advertising.

Adverblog

Connect

Make Way for Cows!

2006-09-18T14:18:00.000-07:00

Being born and raised right next to Boston, I'll always call this city my home. And yes, I'm going to take a moment to point out that it is, indeed, the best city in the world. It's history, culture and scenery make it one hell of a place to be. So over the summer I went to the public garden for a swan boat ride to celebrate my brother's girlfriend's birthday (man those rides are cheap!). Anyway, on our walk through the commons we noticed a few of the painted cows posing outside the T station, including, the MBTA cow!

CowParade Boston kicked off in June this summer and featured nearly 200 life-sized painted cows with no two the same. Pascal Knapp is the Swiss artist who designed the sculptures and his father, Walter Knapp, is the originator of the CowParade concept which has grazed on cities all over the world. The cows are painted by local and national artists and display a wide variety of genres from Boston sports teams (including Fanny the Fenway Cow) to Holidays to different cultures. These "udderly" unique sculptures will be sold in an auction to raise money for the Jimmy Fund of Dana-Farmber Cancer Institute.

For anyone who's curious, cows were chosen due to their bone structure, surface area, and they way they enable artistic accomplishment. Also, cows are nurturing, quirky, and never threatening. Not to mention they give us milk! Basically everyone loves cows and everyone loves this moo-seum!

Boston Cow Parade

World Water Day Gets Sticky

2006-09-16T12:03:00.000-07:00

In 2006, the World Water Forum was held in Mexico City to confront the issue of water use. Soon after, Duval Guillaume Antwerp thought up a campaign idea to get people's attention on something so simple and mundane; water. More than 500 Green Belgium stickers were stuck in washbasins, cinemas, pubs, restaurants, public toilets, universities and stations in nine Belgian cities and in Mexico City.

The picture of a little boy wih his mouth opening where the drain is, has an emotional impact at first glance. Look a little closer and you can read the sign on his forehead that reads, "IT TAKES YOU 1 SECOND TO GET DRINKING WATER. HE HAS TO WALK 20 KM." This marketing strategem is compelling and commands the eyes of the beholder.

I really admire this campaign for two reasons. First, it has a high shock value. There's no feasible way to look at this ad and not feel a thing. No matter who you are, this ad will interupt your thoughts and force you to take a second to feel sad, angry, guilty, something. My second reason for applauding these stickers is that there is no feasible way to ignore them. With noise being such a problematic aspect to the advertising field, if you can create an ad that no one can tune out you've won half the battle.

Adverblog

Ketchup Gets Dramatic

2006-09-16T10:31:00.000-07:00

Publicis Mojo supported CALM, which stands for the New Zealand Campaign Against Landmines, with designing new ketchup packets. On the front is a picture of two legs and the designated "tear me" line goes through the left ankle so when you open the packet you're literally tearing off the poor guy's foot. And of course, that obnoxious bit of ketchup that always uncontrollably spurts out, looks like blood oozing from the mini leg. On the back of the packet the text reads, "In 89 countries walking on a mine is still routine."

The Truth organization is one of my all time favorites when it comes to effective advertising and this campaign has a strong similarity in style. The message is clear, the creativity is brilliant, and the execution is powerful. The strongest element in these ads is the level of involvement they obtain from users. It's not just something to look at, watch or ignore. It's a small but potent experience.

My only concern with this campaign is that while it's goal is to be moving and alarming, people (especially children) may twist it into humor. I can just imagine little kids at McDonald's ripping their ketchup packets as hard and fast as they can to creat the "best" injury to the helpless half-person. The fact of the matter is that fast food restaurants aren't exactly serious environments which could lead users to pass right by the point and severtiy of it. Then again, this could provide an edge for the ads by really catching the audience off guard. Overall, I thought this was an impressively creative marketing ploy.

Adverblog

You dont have to watch...

2006-09-11T15:53:00.000-07:00

I was skimming through adverblog and the image of a fat, naked, man caught my eye. . . obviously. Demner, Merlicek & Bergmann of Austria designed this campaign to promote Momax shower curtains. The ads were put on the streets of Wien with the intention that if viewers didn't want to watch the man showering, they could, and were invited to, pull the curtain shut and enjoy the eye-pleasing designs. When the shower curtain is pulled all the way across the not-so-pleasing image, the tagline reads "looks better, doesn't it?" The campaign just won the Golden Award of Montreux for Home Furnishing in 2006.

We all know humor is one of the best methods to keep your brand resonating in the minds of the consumer. There is a slight risk in using overweight models. Now had this naked man been exceedingly obese the negative reaction of the viewer could have been associated with the Momax brand. However, this naked man was just "plump" enough to add some laughs and not so fat that people would run to the nearest bathroom.

Anyway, on to more important aspects. This campaign was a great way to not only make potential customers smile, but also to get them involved with the brand. That one smile or laugh or feeling like they're part of an inside joke will be exactly what they think of when they see Momax shower curtains. This small act of creativity will without doubt increase brand awareness, more than likely raise brand preference and potentially lead to brand loyalty.

Oh how far a fat naked man can go...

Adverblog