I challenge you not to click
I really don’t want to be the spoiler, so watch the clip and see how you go. For me, the temptation was too great.
If you are tempted, here’s the site.
Australia - the bit that broke off
Great little video done for Kea - a New Zealand-based talent community. Good example of some really simple (cheap) animation being carried by a clever idea, great copy and humour.
Design your own cover
FHM are running a campaign (FHM Recovered) through Ninemsn at the moment, allowing users to create their own cover and go into the running to have it published in the May issue of the magazine, as well as winning $5000 and one weeks internship at Holler - the campaign creators.
You can create your masterpiece online in ‘amateur’ mode or download the templates in ‘professional’ mode. There’s a gallery to vote on and some nice sharing tools - post the covers to different networks.
I think it’s been well done but lacked some of the impact of other similar campaigns going around. Take for example the recent campaign for Puma - I am 60 - both play on similar ideas around customising an image with uploads, nice flash tools and some copywriting wit, but one is easily more successful than the other. Check it out and judge for yourself.
Great new microsite (Amnesia Razorfish) for Smirnoff titled, “It started with a mule” set in 1940’s LA. Save Ginger and win a trip to Hollywood is the general premise. Great visuals, nice integration of video and product.
Toyota - ‘Why not?’ campaign
Toyota has just launched a microsite to support it’s “Why Not?” advertising campaign. The slick 3D interface asks users to contribute environmental innovations in six areas - safety, water, land, air, community and energy - and at the same time learn about Toyota’s efforts in these areas.
“The goal in creating this ‘virtual world’ was to open a dialogue between Toyota and people across the country - while making it fun to use at the same time,” said Mike Wilson, chief creative officer, Dentsu America (global creative agency). “Over time, the suggestions of users will ‘grow’ the landscape of the site.”
Having a look through some of the ideas already submitted, shows how much time and effort people are willing to invest in ideas around sustainability and innovation. There’s propositions that take 5 minutes to read while others are so short and obvious that you find yourself asking why they haven’t been done already.
To reward people’s efforts, Toyota has put up a week-long VIP tour of Toyota’s plant in Kentucky and the opportunity to meet with top innovators in New York City as a prize.
Burger King’s “Whopper Sacrifice” campaign
How many friends would you abandon in real-life for the chance at a free Whopper? Not many I’m guessing.
Well, Burger King developed a Facebook campaign around this idea where users were encouraged to dump 10 friends to receive a free Whopper. Unfortunately Facebook regarded this as running afoul of their rules as each dumpee received a notification that they’d been axed from someones friend list.
Douglas Quenqua of the New York times presentes an interesting position on this: “As social networking becomes ubiquitous, people with an otherwise steady grip on social etiquette find themselves flummoxed by questions about “unfriending” people: how to do it, when to do it and how to get away with it quietly.” Keep reading…