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Mar 27 2012
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Absolut Vodka cuts through with Bionic Dogs

absolute greyhound facebook app

My sister-in-law is going through a Vodka phase. Apparently you don’t get hangovers when drinking Vodka. When my wife asked her if we could bring anything to dinner she requested the cheapest bottle of vodka available. After perusing the shelves of the local Vintage Cellars I recognised the usual brands. Apart from price I had no rationale for which Vodka to buy. I never drink it straight and find that, as it’s mixed, they all taste the same. Grey Goose was pricey. Absolut was on special. I recall friends talking up 42 Below. I got a bottle of Finlandia. It was one of the cheaper ‘name’ brands.

With Vodka on the mind I recently found a gem of an ad on my Facebook wall. Produced by TBWA\Chiat\Day the commercial features a bonic greyhound race on a saltplain desert. A Lady Gaga/Hunger Games inspired crowd cheers as the dogs race (powered by Swedish House Mafia Matrix style). It’s left of field and bold creative that captures the imagination and cleverly connects the brand to an aspirational sci-fi decadence that Ridley Scott would be proud of.

The campaign lives on via a Facebook App (calling out for Timeline optimisation) that includes a behind the scenes video, the ad (below) and digital decks allowing you to remix the Mafia tune and share it with your friends.

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Feb 13 2012
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Digital Production

Great Branded Content: Air New Zealand’s ‘Kiwi Sceptics’

Air New Zealand has launched a fantastic series of online videos that tell the stories of four Australians who are tricked into visiting New Zealand. Titled ‘Kiwi Sceptics’ the videos present an eclectic mix of protagonists who are buddied up with like minded New Zealanders.

Air New Zealand’s biggest campaign in ten years is an excellent example of how branded content can entertain and engage. After watching one video on Facebook I quickly checked out the remaining three clips on Air New Zealand’s YouTube channel. The voiceover by Rhys Darby (from Flight of the Concords) is surprisingly amusing. I’m a big fan of New Zealand but I could completely relate to the participant’s reservations and revelations.

Additional content lives on Facebook and a NineMSN microsite that includes profiles, itineraries and Q&As. You can also snag a cheap flight across the ditch.

This campaign is going to be big. Expect awards and, hopefully, a second series where the participants return to New Zealand with their friends and family.

Kudos to Host, Candid Films and PHD for putting this together and Air New Zealand for taking a risk.

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Dec 28 2011
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Social

KFC Big Bash hits a six with Social Media

Sydney Sixers

I went to my first Twenty 20 match last night. It was loud, fast and fun. The tournament is currently leveraging social media to drive fan engagement and awareness.

All the teams have twitter accounts and use them for match updates and promotion. Clever hashtags like #smashemsixers are used for twitter conversations which I’m sure other sports will look to adopt in 2012. Selected tweets from fans scroll across the big screen at the ground. The Sydney Sixers should look at including user handles as this would increase the ‘reward‘ for fans supporting their team.

Facebook pages have become great places for fans to show their support for their teams and players. Users from the West Indies, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and India are using social media to support their fellow countrymen as they play in the Australian tournament. For many, social media and the internet is the only way they can connect to the game.

renegades facebook support

All the teams have template based and multiplatform friendly websites. Fox Sports holds onto highlights for a little too long (for example highlights from last nights game are only available on the flash riden foxsports.com.au and not on the team websites or YouTube).

It’s the social media presence that I’m most impressed with. The Big Bash is a new competition trying to succeed in a sport saturated market. The organisers have understood the power of social media and are harnessing it to both market the game and empower fans.

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Oct 12 2011
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Social

Is Social Media narcissistic?

Social Media T-Shirt

“Some of the youth of today have a higher level of narcissism than perhaps the youth of the past, but one needs to take into account the developmental context to this…Narcissism is a normal stage of life that people often grow out of and it’s not the end of the world if children or youth are going through a narcissistic stage” - Dr Ranil Gunewardene

Watched a pretty interesting episode of Insight last night about narcissism. As a father-to-be and a Digital Producer it raised several interesting questions about parenting and social media.

Social networks are often referred to as been narcissistic. Users can portray themselves in a much grander, more positive but delusional light. I’m sure everyone follows someone who over shares ‘look at me’ photos, checkins or status updates that are nearly always of them having a great time or boasting about their successes. I may even be guilty from time to time.

Surely the positives of social media out way the negatives. One person on Insight suggested that Facebook is sometimes the only social interaction for people who work in offices. I know without Facebook I’d have no idea what my brother was up to in Munich. Arguably, without LinkedIn, I wouldn’t have my current job. Twitter is such a convenient way to stay up to date with the latest news and I use FourSquare to find/share good coffee shops and restaurants. Social media is about prioritising the good stuff from all the crap on the net. Yes it can be used for evil in the wrong hands but most of the time it’s a great lifestyle enhancement tool.

The picture above is from a T-Shirt design that you can buy from Despair.

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