Speed Date With New SLK

Mercedes US have launched an interactive campaign utilising social media to showcase the new SLK to the world.

The campaign works as a choose your own adventure type of interactive movie, where you, the user, are treated to a test drive by a fictitious Californian called Ksenia Lauren. Throughout the test drive, the story unfolds differently depending on the choices you make after being prompted at various points. You are also offered a chance to become her Facebook friend, which will update you as the campaign unfolds if you choose to become a fan.


To experience the SLK for yourself, click here.

Via - Mercedes Benz

Mercedes Powered By "Tweet-Fuel"

Mercedes Benz US recently launched a social media stunt driven by the twitter platform.

The idea revolves around a challenge for four teams of two from around the US who have been picked to race Dallas at Cowboys Stadium - with one team each leaving from New York, Tampa, Chicago and Los Angeles. Mercedes' ultimate goal is to achieve a combined 7087730 followers through the challenge.

Each team needs to collect something Mercedes is calling "tweet fuel", which will help push the team a little bit further in their respective vehicles, with NY behind the wheel of a 2011 Mercedes-Benz CL550 4Matic, Tampa driving a 2011 E550 Cabriolet, Chicago getting the keys to a 2011 GL350 BlueTec and LA will use a 2011 S400 Hybrid.

If they "win," each member will receive a 2012 Mercedes-Benz C-Class Coupe.

Via - Mercedes Benz

Aston Martin's 6 Minute Commercial

The communications for the new Aston Martin Rapide 4-door sedan was launched last week with a heavy digital presence.

The centerpiece of the campaign is a commercial that runs 6 minutes and 25 seconds, which can be watched in three parts on a section of the Aston Martin Web site.

The campaign idea, "True Power Should Be Shared", is brought to life in the web series that follows a mission embarked upon by four Britons who are tasked with the sharing of the ultimate "Power" - that of time.

James Temple, executive creative director at R/GA London - the agency tasked with the campaign - said the communication will seek to bring to life the concept that a four-door Aston Martin “provides the same exhilarating experienced expected and loved in the two-door Aston Martin.”

The campaign will also play out in social media. For instance, the four members of the mysterious team are on Twitter and they will send messages to people who follow them.

Below is the first episode:

Via - Aston Martin

Heineken Retails Whilst Social Networking

Heineken has consolidated it's online presence on Facebook and YouTube and aims to use it's fan base of a million or so Facebook users to sell merchandise directly from the social networking site.

Over and above Heineken branded clothing and other merchandise, the brand will also encourage users to suggest what the brand should offer, making for a more immersive and collaborative experience

Heineken is current finalising plans to standardise its branding globally, too. Having altered its logo design, including moving the star to above the centre of the word 'Heineken', it is now rolling out standardised bottle and can designs to ensure consistency where ever you might be.

Via - Brand Republic Marketing

Beck's "Music Inspired Art"

Becks has launched an interesting interactive initiative in promotion of their campaign, dubbed "Music Inspired Art".

The beer brand has installed interactive billboards all around London that invite passers-by to plug in their MP3 players and view their selected tracks in the form of visual displays. The interactive poster generates a graphic display from the music that is being played on the iPod. Once the track is over a still is taken of the display and uploaded to becks.co.uk/flickr.

Uploaded pictures are tagged to the various posters sites, which completes the interactive circle for participants.

Via - Talking Retail

Connecting The Old Fashoned Way

Whilst Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and YouTube have been considered essentials for any marketer worth his or her salt in the 21st century, it'd seem that one of the most established communications tool is making a comeback and offering an older, but perhaps more effective way of connecting with consumers.

A small company based in the Silicon Valley called SayNow has been offering a free service allowing stars to connect with their fans (65% of whom are teenage girls) via voicemail over the past few months. The approach has been gaining in popularity, with the service claiming that it averages 10 million fan calls per month - equating to one million voice minutes per day.

Callers can also leave voice messages of their own, many of which are then made public on SayNow.com. Callers can sign up to get text alerts when stars like Selena Gomez, of “Wizards of Waverly Place,” or the Jonas Brothers (22 million SayNow calls from fans and counting) record a new message.

Artists can also choose to chat on live conference calls, as well as returning calls for one-on-one conversations that can be broadcast to the entire group. Part of the value-add SayNow provides to it's users is the ticket sales alert, allowing fans to be the first in line to purchase tickets to see their favourite artist in person.

With cellphone penetration ever increasing worldwide, SayNow's business model is certainly one worth keeping an eye on for brands.

Via - NY Times

Audi To Unveil Electric Vehicles?

3 YouTube clips about electricity appeared recently. Below is an example:

A dedicated YouTube channel contains the other 2 videos with an url at the end of each clip driving users to ElectricityUntamed.com.


Once there, users will discover that the clips are mechanisms driving traffic to the Audi global site, with a count-down clock until the 15 September.. when Audi plans to unveil their iteration of "Electricity Untamed". The site also shows that Facebook is utilised as a viral mechanism. My guess is that the German marquee plans on showcasing their version of an electrtic vehicle. For now, we'll just have to wait and see.

With Audi having lagged behind other premium motoring brands in establishing their green credentials, could this be the first major effort for the VW-owned brand?

Consumer-Generated Vitaminwater

Glaceau Vitaminwater is making use of social media for research and engagement with their latest Facebook application, which monitors buzz from various sources including Google News, Twitter, Flickr and food blog Foodgwaker to create a list of the top ten flavours at any given moment.

If a certain flavour consistently causes enough of a buzz, a final top-ten list will be published on the virtual Flavour Creator app where a final ballot will be held and the most popular flavours available in stores by net year.

Another nice touch calls for consumers todesign the label for the bottle, name the flavour and write the entertaining blurb explaining the water's health benefits, with the winning design selected by Vitaminwater's celebrity partners 50 Cent and Carrie Underwood. The new flavour and label will be announced in December with the winning designer taking home $5000 for their efforts.

Basically, the entire process allows Coca-Cola to create the most popular flavour for the relevant target market, by simply handing over the power to the consumers themselves.

Via - Brand Republic

Don't Ever Abbreviate

For every trendy "new" past-time, there're bound to be anti-trends. Not even the latest darling of social media, Twitter - which has seen phenomenal growth over the past year or so - is exception to this rule.


Woofer is now online for all those who are frustrated with shortening their profound thoughts of the day into 160 characters. It has been irreverently described as the new anti-Twitter 1400 character 'macroblogging' service, which offers everything you would find on Twitter, but with the benefit of a lot more words.

The site has allegedly already grabbed the attention of some celebrities such as Jimmy Fallon and Ryan Seacrest, as well as more than 11000 other registered users at the time of posting.

Could this be the next big thing? Or will it's bark prove worse than it's bite?

Via - Funkadelic Advertising

Report Suspicious Non-Human Activity

Sony Pictures UK has launched a successful online campaign in promotion for SA film, "District 9" which calls for all humans to dial in to a 24-hour line and report any suspicious non-human activity. According to the digital agency handling the promotion, hundreds of callers have already left messages about alien sightings in the UK since the phone line went live last week.

The online campaign have also included takeovers of various popular UK sites, such as Sky Sports and MySpace.

Rich-media ads will also appear on The Guardian, which lead to sites that have been created to support the films release - including its very impressive homepage at www.d-9.com

The ads also encourage users to share their video content via social networks, helping drive online buzz on websites like Facebook and Twitter. It's a fantastic example of a cleverly integrated online campaign which we'll hopefully see more of in the future.

Via - Revolution Magazine

Nokia’s Smartest Phone Ever

In a world where the efficiency and technology on your phone affects your productivity, a phone is no longer a tool used only for voice calls. Brands that where not traditionally ‘cell phone brands’ such as Apple and LG have challenged the more established cell phone manufacturers and are leading the race in innovation and usability. Nokia has responded with the N97, Nokia’s smartest phone so far.

The N97 is the first Nokia phone to use a large touch display, but also has the traditional key pad for those who are not entirely comfortable with touch screens. It is also the most powerful smart phone with 32GB internal storage. The innovation includes live, up to the minute, news updates and Facebook live page. With so much competition in the technology and cell phone industry, the consumer is the ultimate winner as Nokia takes on the competition.

Via: nokia.com

Micro-financing via Cellular Phones

Entrepreneurs in developing countries have had difficulty bridging the technological divide between their countries and the technologically advanced western world. Innovative attempts to catalyse development in poor countries through the use of computers; in initiatives such as Kiva and C4 world have failed. These initiatives are aimed at bridging the gap between Western and African entrepreneurs by offering mentorship and micro-financing via websites.

There are more budding entrepreneurs with cell phones compared to those with computers. Mobile Movement has introduced a mobile phone solution that will enable entrepreneurs in developing countries to gain access to micro finance and mentoring from western donors by using their cellular phones.

The process works as follows: potential financiers and mentors view the profiles of entrepreneurs and business ideas from developing countries through a central secure website. The financiers can place a comment and the system then sends that message directly to the entrepreneur’s cell phone. When the entrepreneur replies, the system notifies the interested financier. The final steps are done entirely via cell phone, the financier can transfer money to fund the entrepreneur via paypal and continue mentoring them via sms. The system is a solid attempt in establishing a stronger relationship between businessmen in the western and developing countries. Lets all hope the criminal element, which is a virus for development, does not spoil the party.

Via: springwise.com

Ashton Kutcher Series: Exclusively on Facebook

Katalyst Media, the production firm led by Ashton Kutcher, has entered into a partnership with leading social networking apps developer Slide Inc. to launch a Web series on Facebook. The venture marks one of the first examples of original and professional content debuting exclusively on the social network.

The new short-form offering, KatalystHQ, is conceived as a mock reality series providing viewers with a behind-the-scenes look at the goings-on at the Katalyst offices in Los Angeles. The first episode, "Method Acting," features Kutcher preparing a bit too seriously for an upcoming movie role.

Episodes of the show, which debuted yesterday, are being distributed via Slide Inc's FunSpace app, which is used by 150 million users on Facebook.

In terms of monetisation, Slide executives said episodes of KatalystHQ would regularly contain product integration. Cheetos is featured in the first episode.

Via: Brandweek

Prove Your Love For The Whopper

There's no such thing as a free meal, but how much is a free Burger King Whopper worth to you? In the fast-food chain's latest promotion, a free Whopper comes at a small price of 10 Facebook friends.

Interested customers need to install the Whopper Sacrifice application on their Facebook profiles and begin the de-Facing process to claim their Whooper.

Considering the sheer number of vague contacts so many of us have on Facebook, the deal might as well be free. So far, according to the promotional site, over 48000 friends have already been converted into meals.

Via: Adverblog, Whopper Sacrifice

Jameson Cult Film Clubs

Jameson is no longer just about making whiskey. The UK arm of the brand has recently launched a branded club known as the Jameson Cult Film Club.

The club will host a monthly screening of classic films at six venues around the country, the first of which will be seen by the public at the end of November. The selected screened films will be chosen by popular vote of fans who have signed up on the jamesoncultfilmclub.com.

The Australian representatives of the Jameson brand have gone one step further. They have launched their own production company known as John Jameson Productions. The company has already produced 3 indie-films, all with whiskey as the central theme.

Via: Brand News, Jameson Cult Film Club

Second Exclusive Mercedes Site On The Way

Mercedes in the US, having found success with their previous Generation Y focussed community, now has their sights set on launching a new private, online community next year, the yet to-be-named site will target boomers.


Steve Cannon, vp of marketing, has found the site—generationbenz.com—so efficient and useful that he can envision it replacing some types of focus groups, particularly those that delve into broader issues, such as “green-washing.”

Mercedes launched a password-protected test version of the site six months ago. Through questionnaires, polls and live chats, the company seeks to better understand what makes Gen Y tick. It uses the forum to get feedback on an array of topics from product designs to advertising concepts for the 19- to 32-year-old crowd.

The site currently has about 800 members, each of whom was invited by Mercedes. Nearly half have visited in the past 60 days, and of those, a few hundred are “very regular users,” Cannon said.

About a third of the members own Mercedes cars; the rest are generally interested in the brand and may become owners in the future.

The luxury car maker honed in on Gen Y initially because it’s a “big and important” group that’s comfortable with technology and represents great potential buying power, Cannon said.

Via: BrandWeek

Social Networking For Small Brands

An product - which began as a joke between founder and friends Dave Lefkow and Justin Esch - has taken off in the US, all through the clever use of social media.

The duo thought it'd be a great idea to make a spice which made everything taste like bacon and began working on the product, now known as Bacon Salt.


Once production of Bacon Salt got underway, the two posted a MySpace profile dedicated to it. They then spent countless hours mining MySpace data, sending messages and "friending" anyone who declared an affinity for bacon in their profiles. Allegedly, they found 37,000 MySpace members mentioned bacon in profiles.

The "spamming," as Esch initially called it, generated a surprising result: not only were people adding Bacon Salt, they were ordering the product even before Lefkow and Esch had ramped up production. Their "cute side project," as Lefkow described it, suddenly got serious.

Before long, the word on Bacon Salt was spread virally on other social networking sites. One of those friended on MySpace wrote a lengthy post about the product on Phog.net, a message board for University of Kansas sports fans. The one post alone drew over 2,000 comments - and another spate of orders.

Now, they're branching into advertising in social media. They've found success with Facebook ads and were early testers of MySpace's MyAds self-service banner system. Esch said the ads end up amplifying the buzz Bacon Salt has generated through blogger outreach. What's more, the social buzz has leaped into mainstream media, including a prominent placement on the MSN home page, Entrepreneur magazine, as well as several US TV and radio segments.

Via: Adweek

Collaboration Between Shoppers & Designers

Ponoko is a company that manufactures highly creative and bespoke products. The company initially began by selling unique items designed by aspirant designers. But realising that many consumers have great ideas for products and as another way of appealing to the target market, the company has introduced a clever new option, Ponoko ID.


Ponoko ID allows users to submit a request, including a description, reference material, as well as their ideal price and delivery deadline. The request is then sent to a selection of designers who can put forward a bid by emailing a brief proposal to the shopper.

After reviewing bids, the shopper can accept the one that best matches their Once the designer confirms the transaction, the request/bid becomes a binding agreement. The shopper makes payment to the designer (through Ponoko), and the designer creates the item. While this may seem an arduous process, it does create transparency for both groups. By allowing shoppers and designers to review each other's profiles, the transaction also feels far more personal for both parties.

David ten Have, Ponoko's CEO comments, "Ponoko ID is the world's first online service for getting unique products custom designed just for you, without the costs and hassles involved in finding a designer, manufacturer and materials."

Sounds like a win-win for both parties, and it's a novel way for aspirant designers to ply their trade in today's world.

Via: Springwise

US Police Serve By Twittering

It amazes me how a seemingly simple tool like Twitter can be utilised in so many different, interesting and useful ways.

It seems the Arizona Police force in the town of Scottsdale are pioneering the use of the micro-blogging service to better serve the public. They are currently using Twitter to send out alerts on pertinent town information such as road closings, traffic problems, power outages and severe weather warnings.


PSFK says: "Although Twitter’s track record of periodically not working isn’t a good fit for disseminating critical information, more communities looking to get the word out may see Twitter as an easy to use broadcast system."

Perhaps if we applied our minds to some of the challenges we face in this country daily - ranging from traffic congestions to resource management - we can also pioneer creative ways to solve problems.

Some Mad Men Now Twitter

New York Times reports on a new Twitter trend for some of its users. It seems many are posing as characters in their favorite TV shows and updating their followers on their virtual movements.
Most notably, there is an unusually active group of people whose screen names are from the AMC television show “Mad Men,” and they have been posting updates in the characters’ voices.

For instance, the Twitter version of Don Draper, the creative director for a circa-1960s advertising agency, adheres rather closely to his television persona. “Heading into a meeting with @Roger_Sterling,” the user wrote on Wednesday, referring to Mr. Draper’s television boss.

Mr. Draper’s virtual self has nearly 2,000 followers on the Web site. There are also Twitter accounts in the names of Mr. Sterling and Peggy Olson, as well as other characters from the series.

It's unclear whether AMC approves of the use of their characters in such a manner, or whether this is in fact their latest marketing genius, but having fans actively involved in any manner can't be a bad thing for the brand, can it?