A great example of a relatively unknown brand taking advantage of an internet viral legend…

You may or may not be aware of an internet phenomenon going on known as Chuck Norris Facts. In 2005, outlandish and incredible statements were being quoted as Facts about Chuck Norris. Things really took off when a quote generator appeared in the wildly popular game World of Warcraft, an online game that boasts 10 million active users at the start of 2008. The next step has been taken with a quote generator on Facebook.

They are very funny and deal with how strong, fast and manly Chuck is. For example – “There is no chin under Chuck Norris’s beard, only another fist” or “Chuck Norris’s tears cure cancer, ironically, he never cries”…there are hundreds more.

I’m sure most of you have seen the new campaign launched by Dos Equis Beer. Entitled “The Most Interesting man in the World”, the multi-media campaign (TV, Radio, Online) has made their spokesperson superhuman and above most other people.

He can do things like post a letter without a stamp, but it will still get there. The police often question him, just to hear his voice.

What we see here is a creative execution based on something that began on the web. The concept of humour is nothing new to the beer category but this is a fresh take on it. The fact that they have taken something that was basically created on the web and applied it to a brand, speaks volumes to the power of word of mouth and the internet as a tool to reach your target.

http://staythirstymyfriends.com/

http://www.chucknorrisfacts.com/

It’s not surprising these days to see big brand name sponsors supporting many Hollywood parties but Lindsay Lohan has just raised the bar.

The young star recently celebrated her 22nd birthday and with the help of a promotions agency, opened up various components of the party for branding and sponsorship. This obviously isn’t the first time that a star has endorsed products, but this event offered logos on the invite, product availability on site, and images of Lindsay posing with the product… not exactly subtle.

If purchasing all media space surrounding a hollywood star’s birthday is in line with your brand image, then it might be a worthwhile investment.

I am however undecided on who would want their brand at Lindsay’s party…

Check out the website for Lindsay’s sponsorship opportunities at:   http://www.dizmajiz.com/clients/tr/18.html

Imagine if all media & creative could work so magically together that it would evoke a “car-stopping” response - causing you to pull out your camera, take a picture, and share with your friends!

Coca Cola’s new Outdoor campaign shows the powerful brand not only convincing its thirsty passerby’s to “Refresh on the Coca Cola side of Life”, but reveals the talent behind OTHER media executions jumping on board!

How did this obscure Optical join forces with power brand Coca Cola?

Upon asking my friend Google ….

Parinne Optical seems to be the creation of Coca Cola’s marketing masterminds.

Although Parinne is fictitious, this media execution opens up the possibility for two clients to work successfully together, leveraging the notion that maybe 2 boards (and 2 Brands!) are better than one.

The POWER lies in the CONNECTIVITY of the 2 Boards.

Is this a missed opportunity for Hakim or the Ma & Pa Optical down the road?
Would the nostalgic Coca Cola Bottle have the same stopping power on its own??

In the spirit of sharing some stunning creative for one of our clients (and to give myself a kick-start into our blogging world here!), please have a look at this British television ad for Honda/Acura. For those of you who haven’t yet seen it, prepare to be dazzled! The description accompanying this video reads as follows:

If you thought that the people who set up a room full of dominoes to have them knocked over later was amazing, you haven’t seen anything yet. There are no computer graphics or digital tricks in these images. Everything that you see happened in real time exactly as you see it. The recording required 606 takes and in the first 605 takes there always was something, usually of minor importance, that didn’t work.

It was necessary for the recording team to install the set-up time after time and it took several weeks working day and night to achieve this effect. The recording cost 6 million dollars and it took 3 months to finish, including the engineering design of the sequence. The duration of the video is only 2 minutes, but every time that Honda shows the commercial on British television, they make enough money to support any of us for the rest of our lives.

However, this commercial has turned out to be the most displayed in the history of the Internet. Honda execs think that it will pay for itself simply because of the free showings (as Honda is not paying one cent for you to see it). When Honda senior execs viewed it, they immediately approved it without hesitation-including costs.

There are only six Honda Accords built by hand in the whole world, and to the horror of Honda engineers, the recording team disassembled two of them for the recording. Everything you see in the sequence (besides the walls, floor, ramp and untouched Honda Accord) is part of those two automobiles.

The voice is that of Garrison Keiller.

The commercial was so well received by Honda execs when they saw it, that their first comment was how amazing the computer graphics were. They almost fell out of their chairs when told that the recording was real without any graphics manipulation.

By the way, about the wind shield wipers in the new Honda Accords, they are sensitive to water and designed to start working as soon as they get wet.

Enjoy!!

Lastminute.com has taken guerrilla marketing to an all new level. In order to promote theatre ticket sales, the company hired several performers to dress in plain clothes in a London airport and break out into song amongst a group of passengers waiting for a flight. By the looks of it, the performance definitely grabbed people’s attention and gave them something to talk about later. Check out the video below.

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