VW AR OMG!

Jump to the 21s mark for the steak.

Think non-traditional and take the competition for a ride

Continuing our 'take it to your competition' theme of the week, we share this simple idea where Volkswagen literally takes the fight out to the parking lot.



For all the rhetoric about "do you know what's being said about your brand online?", it's important not to overlook the impact participating in the outside world can have on the consumer conscience and competitors' nerves.

So think: Where can you ambush your competition in the wide open? What public spaces can you use to tag your competition? Where are they most vulnerable?

The answer will take the competition for a ride and consumers by surprise.

Thought bubbles hang like the sword of Damocles, awaiting their next victim.

Mad Men Mania

AMC’s third season of the colossal success that is Mad Men returns this Sunday at 10pm.

In case you’ve just emerged from decades in your fallout shelter (in which case this series will make you feel right at home), you're probably well aware of Mad Men’s acclaim, including Emmy and Golden Globe nods, not to mention its influence on fashion and all around cool culture (one word: hats).

Before times of sensitivity training and political correctness, it gives us a refreshing view of “bad” behavior in the workplace that is somehow still…refined. When throwing back a scotch at the office was commonplace, and the idea of casual Fridays would’ve been absurd. And what is a better backdrop for this “anarchy” but Sterling Cooper, a Madison Ave. advertising agency in the 60’s.

Not only does the series demonstrate mastery from an art direction and writing standpoint, it seems to have some real staying power, leaving audiences wanting more and more inappropriate ad agency drama.

Clever also have been the sponsor's tv spot executions during the show, often leading into commercials with an artcard factoid about whose spot you are about to see.

Art imitating life imitating art.

This seems to be the concept in promoting the 3rd season as well. You can create a ‘60s style Mad Men avatar of yourself or win a walk on role in conjunction with Banana Republic.

But like the storylines, the new season doesn’t come without industry drama. About what else, but...advertising.

To sell more advertising space and make up for lack of revenue, AMC has shortened the length of each episode by 2 minutes of actual programming. However, due to this thing called an economic downturn, most advertisers aren’t able or willing to purchase the spots. Thus leaving AMC to sell the space at a premium or form partnerships with the likes of Vanity Fair, Banana Republic, Clorox, Variety.com and BMW, who will be the exclusive sponsor of the Season 3 premiere, providing limited commercial interruptions.

Just another reminder that Mad Men is really about the good ‘ol days of advertising. Will they ever be back?

Make mine a double.

GreenGraffiti cleans up the ad business

GreenGraffiti has powerwashed Domino's logos into dirty sidewalks across America as part of the pizza chain's 'American Legends' campaign. Laying a stencil down on the street, they spray the self-proclaimed eco-friendly images into the grime on the street using a high-pressure water hose.

Now, before the skeptic in you scoffs at the environmental claim, our internal cynic already did some digging and found things like GreenGraffiti invests in a water harvesting project for each liter of water they use, and the stencils are made from recycled materials. Heck, they even claim their web site is powered by the wind.

More than 200 of these Domino’s ads currently litter the streets of New York, L.A. and Philly.

Google expands ad offering

Google announced this week that they would start offering expandable ads similar to the ones we talked about last week. Although unlike some banner ads, users will have to click on them to expand them, so no one gets frustrated by an ad that keeps blocking their view just because they moused over it.

This is good for users, good for advertisers and bad for those who host the ads on their blogs and other Google-powered sites. That's because the cost-per-click only applies if the user clicks through to the advertiser's web site (this would require a second click). But by streaming video or allowing for some interaction with their brand in the banner ad, users will likely not need to go through to the site to get the experience and take away the impression the advertiser is looking for.

Again, the beauty of interaction without interruption.

Breathing new life into web deadends

The sign of well-executed campaign is when the media is the messaging and the messaging is the media. We discovered this little gem on the interweb that shows how simple delivering on that axiom can be.

The Alliance for Climate Protection wanted to let the public know that despite the hype about clean coal technology, there really is no such thing as "clean" coal. To get this message out, they created a series of banners that were placed on highly trafficked 404 webpages, the "file not found" pages that make you feel like you just tried to hack into the WOPR. more >>>

How do a high volume of visitors end up on internet pages that don't exist, you ask? Well, most of the sites targeted were large news sources and publications. Since news sites are constantly revising, adding and taking down content, it is not too uncommon to click a link or enter a search term on those sites just to have it result in a "file not found" error.

The result was a banner that drove 500% more traffic to the ACP's web site than the conventional media buys did, according to sources close to the project. Proving that on the web, everything can connect to something -- even a deadend.

Interacting without interrupting

Just saw this banner ad for G - the brand formerly known as Gatorade. Admittedly, we're not big fans of the new direction/identity crisis G is pushing. But it is always refreshing when brands create ways for the audience to interact with a brand without interrupting what they're doing. After all, this isn't a campaign we're drawn to, but the ease of the experience compelled us to participate. Simply roll your mouse over to expand the window and play. more >>>

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Granted, not every pixel has to push the envelope, and oftentimes the content publisher has limitations to how big the ad file can be. But the web banner is one of the most basic of interactive ad mediums, and one whose full potential often goes unrealized, especially if you have a good media relationship with the dot-com or offline publication.

It's understanding that the real goal is to drive sales and brand impressions, not necessarily web traffic. Unless, of course, you're brand is built around online sales, but sites like eBay take full advantage of the banner ad as a way to let people experience the site and the items available without having to stop what they're doing.

Think about it. What if people don't visit your site to play your online game or get coupons from you? Have you lost? Not if you create ways to bring those things to them. If the audience can play in your world without leaving their own, they will be more willing to experiment with a new product or offering. (Widgets are also a great example of this, but do require an extra brand buy-in that banner ads don't.) The sooner a brand realizes that it's about interacting without interrupting, the more naturally consumers will embrace you and incorporate you in their online and offline routines.

To paraphrase Frederik Carlstrom of Great Works America: Absolut doesn't care if people go to absolut.com. They can't sell anything there. What's important is that people spend time with the brand in magazines, blogs, bars and anywhere else people are talking.

See, it's the conversation that translates into sales. Let visitors turn the site they're on into your brand's playground. They'll appreciate the control.

Looking for more inspiration? When you're surfing around, look for ads from Mini Cooper, eBay, maybe Orbitz and even (gulp) General car insurance. Got some great examples of your own, add them to this post. More on this G thing later...

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