BBDO Atlanta

Skipping a Beat in New Orleans

bbdocreativeinspirations — Thu, 16 May 2013 09:21:21 -0400

I had been toying with the idea of going to Jazz Fest all winter, but I didn’t actually book the flight or buy the tickets until a month before the event. My friend, who still lives in New Orleans, offered to let me stay at her shotgun in the Irish Channel. So, I looked forward to a weekend filled with the good New Orleans music I’d been missing. I planned my music itinerary with the JamBase app on my phone: The Funky Meters at Tipitina’s on Friday, Galactic’s set at Jazz Fest on Saturday, and Dirty Dozen’s set at d.b.a. on Frenchmen to cap off the whole weekend. As it so happened, I didn’t see any of those bands. Not a single one.

To preface this story let me just say, my friend is a rambler. She’s about the journey rather than the destination. So caught up in the present, she often gets lost or loses track of time all for the sake of the present experience. More often than not, I get lost with her. And that’s exactly what happened. When I got into town, I was so focused on reconnecting with my friends that I kept putting off the music. Don’t worry, there’ll be plenty of time for that later…for later…for later. This, I told myself, this weekend is about good times and good friends. The music will come. We skip the Funky Meters to catch up with friends in the French Quarter.

Saturday, the second-to-last day of Jazzfest: I meet up with my friend at the restaurant where she works. I don’t want to go by myself because that kills the mantra, good times and good friends. We leave the restaurant at a decent hour, but get lost driving around the levees and Lake Pontchartrain. Set back = 1 hour. Even so, we’re late but on track to see Galactic. Her LSU nursing school pass gets us into the parking lot for the LSU school of dentistry, but her lack of direction gets us lost. Still, I tell myself “the music will come.” We wander around City Park, taking in the New Orleans sun that was hidden all week by storms and clouds. It’s a gorgeous day at the park. People walk their dogs, people picnic under trees, geese waddle through the grass, families ride the miniature red train along miniature train tracks, and kids diligently work their lemonade stands. Set back = 3 hours. We’ve missed Galactic.

When we walk through the gates, there’s absolutely no line, which shows just how late we are, and the headliners have already started their sets. So we shove our way through the crowd to get a decent view of Fleetwood Mac. Along the way we make friends with a group from Colorado, a group from New Jersey, and so many others whose details we somehow miss because we were distracted by the good times. My friend and I laugh as we cross the massive puddle of mud that’s formed right in the middle of everything. She loses her Toms in the muck, but shrugs it off. We catch another set before noticing the hordes of people moving out. “We’ve got to go,” she tells me, “everyone’s leaving. We’ve got to go.”

We walk along with the masses and watch as an impromptu band plays and locals hose off people still muddy from Jazz Fest. On our way back, we get lost wandering around a graveyard. Both of us taunt the spirits to show themselves and give us some proof they exist (an act I apologize for later as I’m huddled under the sheets in bed). We get dinner on Magazine and head back to her place to shower and relax before the night. I wake up in a cold sweat at one AM. Both of us had fallen asleep the moment we sat down. I’ve missed Dirty Dozen.

I returned home frustrated by my complete failure to see any of the bands I wanted to see. I almost write the trip off as a failure, that is, until I scroll through the photos I took. Then I relive it all: the park, the mud, the friends, and the graveyard. I realized that in my frustration I missed the whole point of visiting New Orleans. It’s not about the music, the culture, or the food. It’s about having one really great story to share with your friends. It’s about the, “Remember that time…” and the “I can’t believe we…” Those are the moments that aren’t planned, but stay with you for as long as you can remember. And so, my mantra for the weekend held true after all: good times and good friends.

-Samantha Kirby

Defining "Tetiquette"

laturley — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 14:23:00 -0400

laturley:

Guilty. We all are. How much time do you spend nose-deep in a digital screen of some kind that you forget to experience what’s happening right in front of your face?

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Online Lab Rats; The Lack of Authentic Voice on Millennials

bbdocreativeinspirations — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 12:46:00 -0400

After listening to the cacophony of online op-eds on the Millennial generation, I’ve had just about enough. That isn’t to say that the information isn’t relevant to marketing and advertising—see: corporates in suites scratching their heads trying to create pithy Millennial marketing platforms.

Instead, what disturbs me is how my generation is being poked and prodded like online lab rats. Are they lazy? How obsessed with technology are they? How are they connecting to the real world? Shouting theorists flood online platforms with contradicting content on Millennials. One article establishes a fundamental truth and yet another dismisses it entirely.

Of course, this isn’t the first time pseudo-anthropologists turned marketers define a generation in order to sell products. Take the Baby Boomers. This is a generation that has been broken down and categorized in more AARP articles than one can count.

(NB: I use the Baby Boomers as a nearest of kin example primarily for the intense focus and scrutiny it has endured and because Millennials are sometimes referred to as “The New Boomers”)

However, it is the intensity of the focus that has shifted from these old Boomers to the new Boomers. This is in part due to the current pervasive nature of the Internet and its intrusion on our lives; here, the delta between reality and online identity shrinks everyday and what’s left behind is the flotsam of conceptual society. In this case, that translates to bloggers screaming on online forums about the implications of our self-identified humanity.

To the point: when Baby Boomers were the “It” generation there wasn’t the widespread availability of conversational platforms. If the Internet existed 40 years ago the way it does today Baby Boomers would have the satisfaction of establishing a been-there-done-that archetype. Instead this responsibility falls to the Millennial generation.

Another contributing element of the Internet is relevance, rather, immediate relevance. Since Baby Boomers are on the way out (better luck next time mom and dad) the focus is shifting to this new growing demographic in society. Bloggers and self-prescribed experts are anticipating this growth by jumping the gun and defining a generation that’s barely out of high school.

What I’m getting at is a lack of authenticity in the plethora of thought pieces on Millennials circulating the Internet. Just how comprehensive can any sort of research be on a growing (I’m talking hormones and acne) generation? Only the very tail end of the generation has established its place and solidity in the world, the rest is dealing with such a state of personal flux that it’s difficult to establish a solid axis.

And so a deceptively creative portion of this population accommodates for this uncertainty by speaking on behalf of the Millennial generation. I like to think of this particular writing paradigm as word Botox. As if creating a voice of authority injects authenticity to a piece of writing. To these people I say, “Die.” Not only because I hate what these people are doing, but also because I’m tired of everyone speaking for me. I channel Ludacris when I say, “Get back mother*****r you don’t know me like that.”

Because here’s the thing: if you’re not part of this generation you’re not going to really know what’s going on. People can poke and prod all day long but in the end the only conclusive evidence is the authentic experience. So to all those eager beavers out there desperate to define the status quo for clients I say this, you have to wait for the book to come out before you can take it to the big screen.

Until the next generation evolves out of its current primordial state there isn’t a point of reflection for the Millennial generation. For us, this is all we know. Without the two points of a before and after, it’s difficult for Milennials to fully reflect on where they stand in the generation spectrum. Tomorrow the world could completely change and redefine this generation in an unexpected way. Give it another ten year and the story will be completely different. Until then, keep calm and quit jabbering about Millennials.

-Samantha Kirby

Building New Experiences with Google Glass

laturley — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 20:13:53 -0400

digitallablive:

Google Glass developer evangelist Timothy Jordan unveils Glass to anxiously awaiting SXSWesters today.

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Our #firstposts on #vine

bbdocreativeinspirations — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 13:11:00 -0500

Our #firstvine “@mattsillimanBBDO faces… vine.co/v/bJEM2J3P2YH”

February 1, 2013

Silly #bbdo faces #vine vine.co/v/b1OvXK5PKqZ

February 1, 2013

@bbdoatl robots! @harleyj237 @mattsilliman rox! vine.co/v/b1ew6livBn2
— mattsilliman (@mattsilliman) February 1, 2013

bbdoninjas101: What is Vine? Twitter released an iOS mobile...

bbdocreativeinspirations — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 13:06:10 -0500

bbdoninjas101:

What is Vine?

Twitter released an iOS mobile app allowing users to just tap, shoot, and share a 6-second mini-video or animated GIF.

Similar to Instagram, Vine makes it easy to edit videos with the touch of your finger so anyone can become a self-made photojournalist, editor, filmmaker or director.

Warning - don’t search #porn

Instead check out videos like Pinocchio’s Gangnam video

If Pinocchio had Gangnam Style. #magic @psy_oppa vine.co/v/b5lxxOnMwMT

If Pinocchio had Gangnam Style. #magic @psy_oppa vine.co/v/b5lxxOnMwMT

January 26, 2013

January 26, 2013

What’s cool about it?

It’s quick & easy - with the touch of your finger, shoot & edit a video to share all in seconds.

The audio is just as important as the video - sound sometimes are the story

People will actually watch it - when you only have to commit to 6 seconds and don’t have wait for a video to buffer, most are in!

It has invented a new form of storytelling - it won’t be long before a Vine Video Film Contest erupts!

What are the stats?

In one week it has:

reached the top 10 free apps in iTunes

taken #1 spot in the social category

Produced almost 1/2 of the videos on Twitter in the last week came from Vine — approximately 243,000 of them, to be more specific

The next app with video links on Twitter was Socialcam, with 120,000 video links on the world’s briefest social network

How are brands & people using it?

Presenting visually appealing progression videos - products & logos

GE leveraged a promoted tweet of a pen to paper logo building

Innovation starts at the drawing board. #animation #loop #magic #2013 vine.co/v/b5PUVEEE9tn

January 25, 2013

Red Vines is having fun with their product & consumers. Check out their video that sparked an impromptu challenge to a consumer

Sneak attack. #vine vine.co/v/bJLBdZKUdWx

January 31, 2013

Yo @skatershayna. We’ll do you one better. #vine vine.co/v/b1Z9YDTa2WZ

January 31, 2013

@redvines Ooohhhh. Well now I gotta kick it up a notch. Now I will buy 5 boxes and in addition, will make the most epic commercial&skate vid

January 31, 2013

Ritz, Dove and Trident Gum are some other brands getting in on the action too.

Revealing sneak peaks or insider’s looks

NBC gave a mini tour of the Rockefeller center

A quick tour inside 30 Rock with @twitter’s new mobile app, Vine. vine.co/v/b5H9K2WIYej

January 24, 2013

Buzzfeed shows off a quirky side

Dancing vine.co/v/b5dpFadpuUQ

January 25, 2013

Hacking the API

www.vinepeek.com was created to livestream, record and save the latest & greatest videos

www.vinecats.com live streams all of the best vine cat videos of course

http://www.vineit.co/ was created to make adding vines to Tumblr easier

Rich blogging & newcasting

The Daily Beast caught Obama on Vine

.@thedailybeast #vine of Malia Obama photobombing, ha! vine.co/v/b5HA7MJ5eAU

January 26, 2013

Celebrity hijacking

Tyra Banks has to put her own spin on it

“@manofstatureld: If your not on @vineapp yet you sleepin’ Check out @tyrabanks vine.co/v/bJ6XwBuAY7h” gracias, boo.

January 30, 2013

And of course taking cute videos of your kids

Cookie Monster! vine.co/v/bJFxIP7uraZ

January 30, 2013

Links to Learn More:

http://socialfresh.com/brands-using-twitters-vine/

http://mashable.com/2013/01/28/twitter-videoads-are-here/

http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/23/twitter-vine-embedded-video-tweeti/

http://mashable.com/2013/01/24/hands-on-with-vine/

http://www.cnbc.com/id/100413561

http://techcrunch.com/2013/01/31/one-week-in-vine-could-be-twice-as-big-as-socialcam/

THE SCOOP: Looks like its Fourth Meal for life.

bbdocreativeinspirations — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 10:18:00 -0500

THE SCOOP: Looks like its Fourth Meal for life. :

A great post on Millennials & their dreams that the future will be a lot like Taco Bells new Super Bowl spot “Viva Young”.

bbdointerns:

We Millennials all have dreams of what life is going to be like when we are old and wrinkly. We tell ourselves that we are not going to be like our grandparents and stick to the traditional boring golf and knitting stereotypes. That we will be the generation that has Drake, Kanye West and…

Believe it or not, Millennials aren’t all cold-hearted couch potatoes

bbdocreativeinspirations — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 17:49:00 -0500

Somehow, the assumption has formed that Millennials are lazy, spoiled brats that don’t care about others (or something like that). In fact, almost 70% of American workers believe that Millennials are lazy when it comes to their jobs. Perhaps worse than that, the

American Psychological Association published a study stating that Millennials are less participatory in politics than previous generations, have less concern for others, and are less concerned with saving the environment than previous generations.

Maybe it’s the fact that they post about their every waking moment on Twitter, or maybe it’s the thousands of pictures they tag themselves in on Facebook. However this assumption came to be, it’s not foolproof.

Some hard facts to the contrary:

At least 75% of Millennials donated money to a nonprofit organization in 2011

63% of Millennials volunteered their time in 2011

Beyond the most traditional giving methods, Millennials are using their purchases to prove a point too:

Millennials are the most likely generation to base a purchase decision on the causes a brand support

37% expect the brands they buy to support social causes

Sources: 2012 Millennial Impact Report, Scarborough USA+ Study 2012, Mintel 2011

One hypothesis is that Millennials hold brands and companies to a certain level of accountability because they grew up with a wealth of knowledge at their fingertips. Whereas previous generations may not have been privy to the charitable actions of their favorite brands, today companies are expected to shout their support from the mountaintop that is social media.

While this may not surprise many, the abundance of Millennials that are finding completely new and unconventional ways to help others is often overlooked. While there are many truly wonderful examples that you should read about, let’s start with a story about toilet paper.

Australian entrepreneur Simon Griffiths created Who Gives A Crap: toilet paper that helps provide bathroom facilities to the developing world. Half of the product’s profits go toward building toilets, which help eliminate diseases and contamination, among other issues. Oh, and the toilet paper is environmentally friendly to boot.

By piggy-backing onto an already-ingrained human behavior, Griffiths was able to make a big difference to those in need without requiring consumers to make a big change in their behavior. Griffiths, however, made a slight change to his everyday life by gluing himself to a toilet until he raised the $50,000 needed for product development.

Or how about Josh Nesbit, 20-something CEO of Medic Mobile? Nesbit started the company as a college student after seeing a breakdown in the medical system in Malawi. Nesbit and his friends then used free software to help connect patients with doctors via text message, eliminating the need for multi-day treks to convey information. Since 2009, the company has helped more than 600,000 patients in at least 11 countries.

In all his free time, Nesbit also created Hope Phones, a subsidiary of Medic Mobile, to collect and recycle discarded phones in the United States. Funds from the program provide health workers with functioning phones, enabling them to better help their patients.

Admittedly, not all Millennials have successfully started their own life-changing business. However, plenty are helping others achieve their own ambitions through crowdsourcing sites like http://ifwerantheworld.com/. There, you can type in anything you’d like to do (from something as small as planting a garden to providing clean drinking water to the entire world), and you’ll be connected to others who are looking to achieve the same goal. Users can pick and choose their level of involvement through various “microactions,” which eventually ladder up to your ultimate goal. To date, 1,978 have been completed through the beta site.

bbdoninjas101: 5 Learnings from Thanksgiving to Cyber Monday...

bbdocreativeinspirations — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 11:49:00 -0500

bbdoninjas101:

5 Learnings from Thanksgiving to Cyber Monday 2012

1.) Consumers now expect Black Friday & Cyber Monday sales to start early & end late

Many retailers chose to encroach on Thanksgiving festivities, opening doors Thursday evening to give customers a first swipe at this holiday season’s hottest toys and tech. Many of the deals extended through the weekend.

2.) Traditional shoppers are more tech-savvy consumers this year both online and in stores

Seven out of ten Black Friday shoppers were toting smartphones armed with apps to ensure they were receiving the best deals.

Mobile purchases soared with 24 percent of consumers using a mobile device to visit a retailer’s site, up from 14.3 percent in 2011. Mobile sales exceeded 16 percent, up from 9.8 percent in 2011.

The iPad generated more traffic than any other tablet or smart phone, reaching nearly 10 percent of online shopping.

3.) Online shopping is pushing in store purchases to the curb during during the busiest time of the year

Last year’s Cyber Monday spending hit $1.25 billion to rank as the heaviest online shopping day in U.S. history, according to ComScore. This year’s Black Friday, traditionally the kickoff to the brick-and-mortar holiday shopping season, eclipsed $1 billion in e-commerce for the first time in history.

4.) Black Friday Shopping Becomes Less Social for Most Retailers

This Black Friday, social media drove more customers into stores than it drove direct online sales.

Shoppers referred from Social Networks such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube generated .34 percent of all online sales on Black Friday, a decrease of more than 35 percent from 2011.

However, online social retailer Fab.com reported record-breaking Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales with 25% of traffic traced back to social sources

5.) Social activity reaches all time highs this holiday on Twitter & Instagram

50 million tweets related to Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping were generated, with peaks of nearly 100 tweets per second, according to a report by DataSift.

Instagram saw a new record set during Thanksgiving 2012 in the US with 10 million photos shared at a rate of 226 per second.

Instagram typically sees over 5 million photos uploaded each day, and that Facebook averages about 300 million daily.

How Brands Capitalized On Social & Mobile this Year:

Consumers used Social more on Black Friday & Mobile more on Cyber Monday to connect to brands

Social:
Brands used social media more as a means of driving customers into stores or engaging with them than as a direct sales tool, according to early shopping data released Black Friday.

Macy’s

Macy’s posted announcements on Facebook all month about its Black Friday deals: half-carat diamond earrings for less than $200 and 40% off coffee makers and espresso machines.

But Macy’s most engaging post was a photo from the Macy‘s Day Parade below which received 375,874 Likes 9,598 comments and 23,097 shares

Walmart

Walmart, which was also bombarded on Facebook with criticism for opening at 8 p.m. on Thanksgiving, was actually the most successful brand on the social network during the two shopping days, according to Socialbakers, & from Nov. 16 through 27 attracted 639,632 new fans.

Walmart’s Pumpkin Pie/Apple Pie showdown pre-Thanksgiving post was responsible for a lot of this success receiving 291,781 likes, 10,159 comments & 21,381 shares

Toys R Us

Toys “R” Us increased its Facebook fan base by a period-high 5.22 percent

Their most engaging post was a Black Friday preview offer below receiving 32K likes, 1,899 comments, & 1,044 shares

On Black Friday, they posted a photo of the new WII U & received 28k likes, 942 comments, & 635 shares

Amazon

On Black Friday it was Amazon, and not a brick-and-mortar store, that saw the largest Facebook fan growth, with 63,657 new fans.

Amazon ran Black Friday deals through the entire week, even creating a Facebook event for the occasion that had almost 60,000 guests marked as attending.

Mobile:

Preparing for price check comparison apps & showrooming reality this holiday season, Brands ramped up with their own mobile apps & offers

Macy’s and Sears had exclusive deals for app users, for example enabling customers to find Black Friday deals at specific store locations — down to the department and floor.

Macy’s App

Sears App

WalMart gave early access for some Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals to shoppers who download the Wal-Mart App

American Express launched a Mobile Gift Cards app, which lets cardholders redeem points for mobile gift cards that can be used immediately at stores including Gap, Old Navy, Pottery Barn and Williams-Sonoma.

American Express App

Links to Save:

http://thenextweb.com/facebook/2012/11/23/instagram-sees-new-record-during-thanksgiving-over-10m-photos-shared-at-a-rate-of-226-per-second/

http://www.marketingprofs.com/charts/2012/9627/black-fridaycyber-monday-weekend-sparks-50m-tweets

http://www-01.ibm.com/software/marketing-solutions/benchmark-reports/black-friday-2012.html?cm_mmc=holiday2012-benchmark-reports-_-press-release-_-wire-_-text-link

http://www.smartercommerceblog.com/smartermarketing/2012/11/24/2012-ibm-black-friday-cyber-monday-benchmark-results/

http://www.nerdwallet.com/blog/markets/2012/analysis-black-friday-cyber-monday-break-records-online-sales-explode-traditional-retailers-compete-ecommerce/

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/the-best-apps-for-black-friday-shopping-2012-11-20

http://socialnewsdaily.com/5054/instagram-saw-over-10-million-thanksgiving-photos-largest-day-ever/

http://www.insidefacebook.com/2012/11/28/macys-amazon-com-walmart-and-other-retail-pages-see-gains-in-ptat-over-holiday/

http://socialfresh.com/fresh-facebook-6/

The evolution of the road trip

bbdocreativeinspirations — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 17:54:00 -0500

Imagine it: it’s 1960, and America is booming after the end of the war. Families are popping up left and right. Working conditions are improving. The Interstate Highway System is growing at a rapid pace. The logical next step? Take a family vacation, of course!

Families hit the open road, free and ready to experience whatever the wind might bring. The lure of new adventures pulled people from their homes, and hotels popped up everywhere to accommodate the travelers.

As travel became more commonplace, expectations and the desire to “know the plan” rose. Which hotel would we stay at on the third night? What if we couldn’t find anything to do driving through Montana? I remember riding in the back seat of our family van, listening to my parents debate:

“Want to stop at this one, or keep going a little while longer?”

“Let’s just stop here, who knows when there’ll be another hotel.”

And so it went. We’d stop at a Hampton, only to pass our preferred Holiday Inn a mile down the road the next morning. But that’s how it was—a guessing game. Same went for attractions and events. Sure, we’d have a few “must-haves” on the list, but mainly, we made it up as we went.

Then, when I got a little older, things changed. The internet came into play. Mom would spend days online, comparing hotels and events months out from our trip. We’d all weigh in from the comfort of the living room to decide what sounded best. Any detail that could be planned out was.

That brings me to now, when we all have iPhones with us at every waking moment. Knowing that 65%+ of the population currently books hotels within 24 hours of staying there, I’d say we’ve reverted to our old ways of making it up as we go. Advancing technology, which compels us to travel in entirely new ways, simultaneously takes us back in time. I’m sure that ten years ago, I would have predicted that detailed, readily available information would have made us plan further ahead—but I’d be wrong. Instead, we use it to improvise and experience the freedom of the open road (or sky). And why shouldn’t we? There are tons of apps built specifically to help get the most out of a spontaneous trip.

My personal favorite: Roadtrippers. The platform helps travelers customize their trip based on the distance they’re willing to deviate from the direct route and what kind of attractions they’re looking for. From the traditional hotel and amusement park search to finding “offbeat hotels” and “folk art & photo opps,” Roadtrippers takes the guesswork out of traveling, but maximizes the opportunity for fun.

Coming in at a close second, mtrip touts itself as your personal travel guide. The app utilizes your travel dates, hotel location, attraction preferences, availability, and user reviews to generate an itinerary. You can even input how “intense” you’d like for your day to be so that mtrip can adjust accordingly. The app then connects with maps, social networks, and email to help you find your way and share your adventure with friends.

Last but not least (on my list of favorite anyway) is Hotel Tonight. Not only does the application make it easy to find available rooms at the very last minute, but it finds deals too! So instead of booking late out of pure necessity, consumers are now being rewarded for procrastinating. I can’t imagine that hotels mind filling up those extra rooms, either.

These apps are just the tip of the iceberg; the list goes on and on. For more examples, CNN has a great list here.

Obviously, the way that people travel has changed. Apps and tools have changed accordingly. But travel provider brands have not. The list of travel tools and apps is full of awesome ideas, sponsored by third-party vendors, and hotel, airline, and car rental companies are absent. C’mon, guys! What are you waiting for? This is your chance to get involved in the travel process, marry your name to utility, and jump to the top of consumers’ favorite brand lists (if those actually exist). Sure, it’s a little different than what you’ve done in the past, but it’s time to make way for the traveler of the future.

Sources: Expedia, CNN, Springwise

Brands Just Wanna Have Fun

bbdocreativeinspirations — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 10:04:00 -0500

Clients are always asking for brand “interaction” and “engagement,” yet they settle for “relationships” that consist of Facebook Likes or coupon scans. Does that really qualify as the beginning of a beautiful relationship? I think not. Instead of settling for boring

interactions that lead to lackluster perceptions, brands can inspire fun, interesting experiences that get people talking and liking you (in real life).

There are a few brands doing just that, creating experiences that transcend transactions and oftentimes, even the immediate environment itself.

Coke Zero Meets James Bond

To coincide with their sponsorship of the new James Bond Movie, Coke Zero challenged vending machine customers to race to another platform in order to get free movie tickets. But to make it more than just a cool way to engage users, they strategically placed obstacles, garnering extra attention in the London train station.

You can’t deny that the chosen “agents” had a blast dodging beautiful women, leaping over spilled fruit, and ultimately singing the Bond theme song. As a mere viewer, I found myself laughing. It’s almost as if the real prize was being able to run around the train station, and the free tickets were just a nice afterthought.

Improve Your Chances, Improve Your Prize

Disney Vacation Club frequently offers “play-to-win” sweepstakes for the chance to win a vacation package of some kind. Now I’m sure we’ve all seen these before, and we’ve shamefully given our email address/business card/alternative form of contact information to a company in exchange for the chance to win a prize. I’ll admit it, I’ve skipped right past whatever content they’re trying to share just to fill out the required fields and move on.

But Disney took another step. They offered consumers a chance to better their prize by playing an online board game. This isn’t just any game though, it’s a customizable, three-piece board game where users can choose their own themes based on Disney movies. As users play against the villain from the selected themes (for example, Scar in the desert theme) they have the opportunity to collect souvenirs and/or vacation points, all the while sweetening their potential reward.

What else makes this great? If you don’t want to play, you don’t have to (but that would make you a party pooper).

Play to Work

To help launch AT&T’s newest phone, the Nokia Lumia 920, Will Arnett teamed up with the brand for this spot:

Pretty cool, right? But to get users to actually play around with the phone, users can customize their own Nokia Lumia 920 to earn the chance to meet Will Arnett. Even cooler? After customizing a phone, Will Arnett “interviews” you and gives customized feedback on the phone you created, even putting your name on a business card. Not a bad way to show off product features if you ask me.

BBDO THANKSGIVING BAKE OFF/ CROWDSOURCE CULTURE Yesterday we...

bbdocreativeinspirations — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 18:44:00 -0500

BBDO THANKSGIVING BAKE OFF/ CROWDSOURCE CULTURE

Yesterday we celebrated our annual Thanksgiving feast at the office with the main event being the bake-off. To say it was a success is an understatement. Stomachs were full. Sugar levels at an all time high. Lines formed outside the door & down the stairs before the official 2PM ok to enter to get dessert. I was lucky enough to be a “judge” of the bake-off contest and had the pleasure of tasting all 30 something entries. I may never eat sweets again after that.

It’s funny how even at something as simple as an agency bake-off it becomes clear that we not only live in, but now expect a crowdsource culture. 4 judges were asked to taste and award the prizes for the best desserts, but the crowds forming outside of the door joked how they wanted to “know our credentials as judges” & that they thought it should be an “all agency vote” for the winners.

All jokes aside, it brings up a valid point. Crowdsourcing has become the norm, not the exception. Crowdsourcing can play a role in everything. Let’s take a look at some examples:

Budweiser

Early next year, Budweiser is planning to launch a new golden amber lager developed through a crowdsourcing competition between the Brewmasters at it’s 12 breweries.

GE Ecomagination Challenge

This is a platform in which GE reaches out to businesses, entrepreneurs, innovators and students with breakthrough ideas on energy issues. There has been 2 challenges sofar. It has been great to see how GE has looked to social media to amplify initiative.

General Mills

The G-WIN program at General Mills has received several industry awards. You can get an idea on why by checking out these five tips by Jeff Bellairs on how to jumpstart an open innovation program – great insights!

Lego Cuusoo

You gotta love Lego! They are constantly experimenting with new ways of working together with partners. Their new thing is Lego Cuusoo in which they team up with Cuusoo, a Japanese pioneer of user innovative product design that introduced a design-to-order process already in 1998.

Local Motors

The world’s first open-source community of car designers and fabricators. It is actually pretty cool!

Nokia

As Nokia fights for its life, the company also turns to consumers with their IdeasProject. This might be too late, too little from Nokia, but they are at least trying now.

Boo! Do you like being scared? Whether Halloween is your thing...

bbdocreativeinspirations — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 15:33:00 -0400

Boo! Do you like being scared? Whether Halloween is your thing or not, everyone can enjoy a little Halloween fun & brands are finding ways to capitalize on all of the fun too. Here are 10 favorite Halloween inspired brand-o-ween campaigns this year.

1.) Sprint LG: So Real It’s Scary

Going viral a few weeks ago this Sprint video really scared the bajeezus out of some people in an effort to show off how lifelike their new IPS screens are.

2.) Snickers Horseless Headsman

As a part of the “You’re not you when you’re hungry” campaign, Snickers had some fun with their Facebook page by turning it into the voice of a “Headless Horseman” who just isnt himself when he’s hungry so he’s actually the “Horseless Headsman.” They launched this exclusive online edit video of the Horseless Headsman video to their fans in addition to other fun posts & content.

I’m not myself when I’m hungry. -Horseless Headsman

Has anyone seen my horse? -Horseless Headsman

3.) Little Caesars’ Forbidden Pizza

Barton F. Graf 9000’s “Do Not Call” campaign boldly tests the limits of quirkiness and customer curiosity. A radio spot begins the reverse-psychology scavenger hunt with this warning: “We’d like to take this opportunity to educate you about calling Little Caesars—Don’t do it. You see, at Little Caesars, we have hot and ready pizzas available all day, every day. … Not only is it faster to just swing by Little Caesars and pick up a hot and ready pizza, if you call 1-800-Try-Little-C, bad things will happen to you.” A call predictably yields chastisements for calling, along with multiple warnings to avoid visiting ForbiddenPizzaWebsite.com or “you will definitely regret it.” Once there, ignoring instructions not to type in your address results in the final bit of bad news: your house is now haunted by ghosts.

4.) REI Zombie Survival Infographic

REI celebrates this Halloween with an infographic on all the gear you need to fend off the zombies. A common problem, to be sure.

5.) Chipotle’s Do Some Good This Halloween

Chipotle released this funny video promoting their Halloween burrito discount — come into Chipotle after 4 p.m. on Halloween in costume, and get a $2 burrito. It’s not just a funny video though - it’s also a cause marketing promo! If you watched the video, you’ll notice the entire theme is this trick-or-treating Frankenstein talking about Halloween as a do-good holiday. If you get the $2 burrito, the proceeds, up to $1 million worth, will benefit the Chipotle Cultivate foundation. So do what they say and “Do some good this Halloween.”

6.) Dunkin Donuts Instagram Contest

How would you dress up your Dunkin’ Donuts cup for Halloween? Dunkin’ Donuts is encouraging fans to decorate their cups with a costume and then share a picture on Instagram using the hashtag #DresseDD for the chance to win a gift card. Who knew a disposable coffee cup could be so fun.

7.) Kmart Costume Change World Record

A great example of a retail brand reaching out to social media users it considers potentially influential - Mommy Bloggers.

Kmart, along with its agency DraftFCB, asked Chicago hip hop dancer Monternez “Monty” Rezell to move his way through over 150 different costume changes in under eight hours which successfully broke the existing Guinness world record. The result is a pretty cool 90 second commercial below but they key to social success was their blogger outreach Mommy Bloggers.

They also promoted on Twitter through (#KmartWorldRecord) & on their Facebook page.

8.) Oriental Trading Company’s What’s Your Inner Monster Duck App

Have you ever wondered what your “inner monster” rubber duckie would be? Odds are probably not, but this is kind of fun & gets you in the Halloween spirit.

Unleash your inner zombie duck by checking out the app on their Facebook page or go to http://innerduck.com/

I’m the Black Cat Duck!

Smooth, playful and oozing confidence, your friends are always spellbound by the

way you make the city your playground. You have a knack for letting confrontation roll off your shoulders.

9.) AT&T #Ghostbombing

What better way to promote the outstanding digital capabilities of the HTC OneX mobile device, which captures high-def stills from videos than through #ghostbombing?

In this video, paranormal expert Leslie Enlow PhD explains that ghosts have in fact been photobombing us for years, but only with the HTC OneX has he been able to prove it. Visitors to AT&T’s Facebook page are able to see further examples of ghostbombing in action through to Halloween.

10. Google Happy Halloween Doodle

It cant really be Halloween without a proper Google Doodle right?

Check it out live today for yourself & after you’ve clicked all there is to click, Google redirects you to a search for “Happy Halloween!” Or just watch the video below:

Contrary to the flailing stock price & media hype, Facebook...

bbdocreativeinspirations — Fri, 26 Oct 2012 00:31:00 -0400

Contrary to the flailing stock price & media hype, Facebook isn’t dead, yet. With last week’s announcement of reaching 1B users, Facebook is certainly here to stay and plays a large role in every brand’s communication strategy. This week’s Top Stories in Digital takes a look at how brands like JetBlue & Johnnie Walker are using Facebook in simple yet innovative ways, the latest on Facebook’s newest “Collections” feature for brands, as well as a whitepaper from Hyfn8 & Centro on how to enhance your Facebook marketing strategy.

JetBlue Sends Voters Out of the Country With Election Protection Sweeps

Are you convinced the republic will collapse if job-creating-failure President Obama or let-them-eat-cake challenger Mitt Romney wins?
JetBlue is giving you the chance to get your wish & leave the county if the other guy wins with their new sweepstakes

Johnnie Walker Creates Interactive Facebook Cover Photo

Through a live stream of Instagram photos automatically pulled into their cover photo, Johnnie Walker takes fans on inspirational brand-related journeys
3 popular Instagram artists take over the brands Instagram account & provide exclusive behind-the-scenes glimpses of the iconic whiskey’s world

Facebook Launches Collections, Allowing People to Buy Items Pictures

How many times have you seen a brand share an image of something that you’d like to buy?
Facebook is taking a step toward closing that loop with Collections, allowing users to not only like, but collect, want, or buy products that brands share through images on the social network
Brands first to test this new product: Pottery Barn, Wayfair, Victoria’s Secret, Michael Kors, Neiman Marcus, Smith Optics, and Fab.com.

Listen. Engage. Build. Whitepaper

An Integrated Approach to Your Paid, Owned & Earned Media to enhance your Facebook Marketing Strategy
Not all social media is consumed equally: Facebook, Twitter and YouTube user behavior
Brands cannot afford to remain silent anymore: The importance of reciprocal, 2-way communication with consumers

Check out the video recap of our BBDO Office...

bbdocreativeinspirations — Thu, 25 Oct 2012 15:07:00 -0400

Check out the video recap of our BBDO Office Olympics.

bbdoolympics:

#BBDOOlympics Wrap Up: The Good. The Bad. The Ugly.