BENG!Buzz

Experiential Marketing & Customer Engagement

2012-03-06T10:40:00.005-05:00

In yesterday's post I discussed the most simple definition of Experience Marketing. The underlying necessity for knowing your customer and using that knowledge to create an experience that will be worthy to them and ultimately provide you with the engagement you are seeking for your brand or product.

Here are some examples of great experiential pieces. They were successful because at their core they spoke to customers on a behavioral level, and the experience was deeply rooted in what the brand and product had to offer.

The Mercedes Benz Tweet Fleet
Mercedes Benz wanted to promote their park assist feature in their cars. The app helps you find parking spaces in your area, and navigates you to the spot. Knowing people's frustration with finding a parking spot in an urban environment, especially around the holiday's was the main impetus for this great campaign. Mecedes Benz created the Tweet Fleet, and their experiential campaign was born. The company had cars driving around Stuttgart, Germany tweeting empty spaces with geo-tags so that followers were alerted to the space and it's location via the navigation system.

Not only was Mercedes Benz one of the most popular brands through out all platforms of Social Media in Germany for the duration of the campaign, it was in the Top 3 of talked about brands. A win-win for customers, who considered the Tweet Fleet Park Assist campaign a game, but for the brand who received accolades, and a lot of unsolicited press. Great buzz always works!

Also check out my Four Fun Interactive Campaigns post from last week. The T-Mobile Live Angry Birds promotion was a clear success and a personal favorite. T-Mobile, wanting to promote themselves in Barcelona, created a live Angry Birds game in a public space. It's not a far stretch to associate T-Mobile with virtual and gaming fun. They capitalized on the incredibly fun and popular game, and customers who engaged had fun. Fun they will associate not only with the game, but with T-Mobile. Check out the video and see the looks on everyone's faces. There is a community feel that just made this campaign perfect!

Have your own example of a great Experiential piece? Share it with me and let's talk about it!

Experience - The Future of Marketing

2012-03-05T11:31:00.000-05:00

Experiential is the buzzword of the year so far, and everyone says it is the future of Advertising and Marketing. The only problem is that the definition of Experience is still a little unclear. Experience means something different to everyone who uses it...and experiences it - no pun intended! So, how do I define experience? The fundamental definition would be an interaction with the physical world. Of course, for those who love to play in the virtual world, you could take it one step further and say it is an interaction with both the physical and/or virtual world.

Once you are able to exemplify how people react to their physical world, you can provide a way for them to experience the physical world through the eyes of your brand or product. That requires research - both psychological and market research to make sure the direction you choose is the right one. Take Febreze as an example. When the product was first launched in 1993, it was marketed as an odor killer and it was a major flop. The reason behind it? The people who need the product the most are immune to the smells that they should be trying to cover up. P&G ended up doing some research by monitoring subjects carrying out daily chores in the house. What the marketers found was that subjects were proud when they had completed a task, they had an emotional connection with the physical world around them. Febreze re-branded their product as a post-cleaning sensory award and the product is now selling $1 billion annually.

So, if you can find the way your product or service helps people physically connect with the world around them - the emotional connection, the spacial connection etc. - you can hone in on one of the strongest tools out there right now - Experience. You can use the connection and integrate it into an event that helps you provide an "AHA" moment for your target group.

Stay tuned this week for more on Experience Marketing and some great case studies.

Have you seen a recent experiential event that was really successful? Do you have thoughts on Experience - The Future of Marketing? Leave a comment below and let's get the discussion flowing...

Related Reading:
FastCompany How Alcoa, Starbucks, Arista, And Febreze Kicked Normal Habits And Found Success
The Power of Habbit

Viral Friday!

2012-03-02T10:07:00.001-05:00

Here is this week's Viral Friday for some fun before the weekend starts! And don't forget to stop by our newly designed Facebook page and Like us!

Also, I am doing a little crowd sourcing to figure out what it is that you want to hear about. Send me your marketing concerns, or topics that you would like for us to discuss and let's get started!

Four Fun Interactive Campaigns

2012-02-29T09:11:00.000-05:00

A little fun to help get you through this blistery Wednesday! After yesterday's post about FLAWSOME behavior, I thought today we would look at some genuinely awesome and out of the box customer engagement behavior.

T-Mobile Angry Birds
A promotion by T-Mobile in Barcelona 2011. T-Mobile actually built an Angry Birds set. People place their smart phones in the main hub, and play the game. The game is projected on the big screen on the left and the game is played real time. Not only do people have fun, it builds a nice community feel all associated with Angry Birds AND T-Mobile. Check out the video....it's genius!

Kauko Cafe
A cafe in Helsinki was built as part of World Design Helsinki 2012. You can remotely control the furniture, music, lights and even the height of the chairs people sit on via an app or the Kauko Cafe website. The aim of the project was to get people thinking about how bad design can impact your life...and this video shows that it really does!

The Friskies Playhouse
What cat wouldn't want a playground! Friskies Playhouse is a playhouse for rescued cats. The playhouse is created by facebook fans and streamed online live via the page. Fans are able to remotely control the toys and play with the cats. I love that you never lose the idea that this is presented by Friskies, and it's a great way to engage with their cat loving customers.

KLM Surprise!

I tweeted about this last week. KLM has done some great customer engagement programs recently and this one doesn't fall short either. KLM Passengers who Tweeted or used other social media methods to announce their KLM trip were targeted - and with a brainstorm on the best individual gift to give them - are met at the gate with their personal gift from duty free. So great to be met at the gate before a long flight with something personal. I guarantee people will appreciate it!

[Simply Zesty & Image from Content Solutions]

FLAWSOME! Can Brands Embrace Flaws and Win?

2012-02-28T12:24:00.000-05:00

After reading the most recent TrendWatching brief, I learned a new word: FLAWSOME. The basic definition: brands that are still brilliant and thriving despite having flaws. The basic principle that "human nature dictates that people have a hard time genuinely connecting with, being close to or really trusting other humans who (pretend to) have no weaknesses, flaws or mistakes," helps explain the most recent surge in the FLAWSOME trend. Consumers want (beyond great customer service, a great working product and the feeling of community) transparency and brands that are human aka flawed.

Based on recent studies by Havas Media, November 2011, nearly 85% of consumers worldwide expect companies to be involved in promoting individual and community well being. While only 28% of people think that companies are working hard to combat environmental and social challenges.

With customers living in a social media world, it only seems right that the transparency span to companies too. Consumers share their lives on Twitter, Blogs, Facebook etc. and feel it only fair that companies broadcast and share in the same way. What about the bad stuff you ask? Well, consumers don't believe that flaws and weaknesses don't exist. They want brands to acknowledge problems and mistakes and fix them or at the very least explain them. Flawlessness is an Illusion. Brands need to jump on their issues and take them public and make it known that they are aware of the issue and in the process of fixing it.

Revoo.com, January 2012 study presents the following facts:

68% of consumers trust reviews more when they see good and bad scores.

30% of consumers suspect fake and censored reviews if there aren't any bad reviews in the mix.

There is a 67% conversion rate from Shopper to Consumer for those shoppers who go out and read bad reviews.

So, as brand marketers we get that things will go wrong and that we need to open to responding. What else can we do in the brand marketing realm to see this FLAWSOME trend through?

1. Crowd Sourcing
A super hot trend right now that works? Yes. Crowd sourcing rules at the moment and why shouldn't it. You empower your consumer base, make them feel heard and why not introduce some neat ideas and products at the same time. Getting feedback from your consumer base not only gives you data on preferences, but it helps you engage with who you are producing for in the first place. Create a good platform for a campaign and test it out - either in beta form and get responses - or in real time.

I love the aspect of using crowd sourcing at events too. Why not through a New Direction Launch Party. Add all your potential change makers to your guest list and use the event as a platform for change and engagement. Then follow through and keep in touch with your change maker base. I guarantee they will love being heard, will continue to follow and will help advocate for you.

2. Incorporating Transparency in to Marketing Communications & Events
Countless brands have started to incorporate reviews, comments and public responses to their live websites. This can be pretty scary for brands, but if consumers are going to comment why not have them do so in a controlled environment where you can see them, hear them, understand them and respond to them. It's like having a focus group in your home. Use it to your advantage and get those bad reviews turned around with some great customer service.

A particular favorite - also mentioned in the TrendWatching Brief - is the Tweet Seats idea. We all know and either love or hate the vibrating phones during a show. The lit screens clutched in other viewers hands. Some people just can't let go of Social Media and want to Tweet everything they can about their experiences. Instead of fighting the Social trend, embrace it! Several theaters have created Tweet Seats. Rows of seats designated or those people who insist on using their mobile devices (still on silent). The rows are usually (and should be) in the back so they don't bother other theater goers. This way everyone is happy.

For events, why not have a large twitter board. Have people respond to content - and who doesn't like it to be on a big board. Wouldn't it be great to have a Social Media board be the Step and Repeat at an event? Get those voices out there and embrace them. The more authentic you are as a brand - the better the communication with your consumers. Of course there may always be a bad apple in the bunch who just wants to give you a cantankerous review or comment - but other consumers will see right through that and actually embrace you more.

3. Acknowledging a disconnect - You Either Take Us or Leave Us
Who hasn't seen and loved the new Miracle Whip advertising and marketing promotions?! Miracle Whip is just one of those brands you either love or hate as a consumer. It's no fault of the company, its just a taste preference and subjective. You either like or you don't! I personally have loved their We are not for everyone campaign, and would love to see some other brands who have the same cult following do the same. How about a love it/hate it promo party where you separate the two groups but somehow have them come together at the end. Great way to convert the naysayers while embracing your fans.

4. Take Your Problem & Spin It
I posted on the Domino's turn around story last year for their Times Square ticker and then again a couple of weeks ago with their Think Oven campaign. I can't think of any other company that has done such a great, transparent and incredibly visible campaign to take their atrocious reviews and bad press and spin them in to better sales and customer perception. The Times Square campaign put all of the reviews in plain sight of everyone in NYC's busiest intersection for foot traffic. Good and bad reviews alike were put on display in real time. The most recent Think Oven is a crowd sourcing idea that I hope brings them some great success.

So what can we learn? Be a human brand, embrace your success as well as your failures and work with them! Engage. Engage. Engage. And your customers will reciprocate.

BENG! in the Press

2012-02-27T11:16:00.002-05:00

It's been a few months now since we picked up our Ninja Star at the Best Event Awards in Milan, Italy. Such an honor to be nominated, and to have won - especially seeing the cases we were up against. We have had great feedback since winning and we always welcome questions, comments and chats about what we did, how we did it and what we were trying to do.

Most recently, Event Marketer decided to feature us in their Green Lights section. The article explains exactly what we wanted to do and how to incorporate all of the incredibly important Eco-friendly elements into the event. Click here to read the article.

For more information on BENG! visit our website.

Thank you to Rob Captijn, our Strategy Director, and Ballast Nedam for making this all possible!

Happy #Viral Friday!

2012-02-17T15:12:00.001-05:00

It's President's Day Weekend and it pretty much feels like spring out there. Hope you all enjoy your weekend....and to help get you started check out this week's hottest videos on the web. My personal favorite? #5 Inside every good dog is a Great dog!

Click here for the fun to begin.

See you all next week!

Domino's Think Oven - Outsourcing Innovation to Customers

2012-02-16T11:30:00.000-05:00

I really admire the way in which Domino's engages with their in restaurant staff and their customer community. Listening to their customers helped them turn around their pizzas - and their sales - and helped them become one of the leading brands in the US today. Remember the Raising the Bar campaign we posted about last year?

Domino's continues its customer engagement program this year by creating a new campaign - Think Oven - a Facebook app which lets fans suggest and influence how the brand functions. The brand is opening itself up to ideas for products, customer interaction, online presence and quality. There are 2 main drives behind the campaign: The Project Box and the The Idea Box. Fans can suggest projects, ideas, improvements or anything they would like to see fall under the Domino brand. The best and most well written/visualized ideas will be rewarded not only by Domino's exploring the idea, but also with a cash prize.

[Simply Zesty]
[CP+B]

Coca-Cola Celebrates 125 Years With a Future Room

2012-02-15T15:10:00.001-05:00

Coca Cola recently launched a new addition to its celebratory anniversary. To mark it's 125th year the brand along with Antilop designed a 'Future Room' for the Turkish modern art museum Santralistanbul. The room is an immersive environment using a 270 degree projection system. The room takes you through different Coca Cola time periods, including the future. An aesthetically beautiful room to walk though, you become immersed in the room which mixes, art, beauty and branding.

Coca Cola - 125th Year Exhibition from Antilop on Vimeo.

[Simply Zesty]

Fun Valentine's Day Promotions

2012-02-14T13:28:00.001-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day everyone! There are so many online Valentine's Day promotions, Social Media is lavishing in the day and if you haven't seen Google's homepage today...you should! Make sure you have your volume up. Heineken is also on target with their Serenade on Facebook. Here are two other cute Valentine's Day promotions:

Dove Displays V-Day Tweets on Screen in London Subway
Dove, a Unilever brand, is continuing the theme to their "Campaign for Beauty." On Monday asked consumers, What makes you feel beautiful? Users were able to respond via Twitter, and their responses were displayed on the big screen in Victoria Station. Today, for Valentine's Day, Dove is asking its consumers What do you love about your Valentine? Approximately 350,000 people pass through Victoria Station per day which gives Dove an amazing target audience for their campaign. In addition to the Twitter board, Dove ambassadors will be in the station handing out white tulips to commuters to share with their Valentine.

Innocent Smoothies Prints Personalized Valentines On Their Labels
Innocent always has great promotions. The last one we posted was back in 2011 for the Holidays - The Innocent Wooly Hats promotion. The brand's newest campaign is for Valentine's Day. Consumers can go on to the specially designed Innocent V-Day Microsite and personalize an Innocent bottle label with their own message and graphics. The label can be printed out and glued onto a smoothie bottle. The label can also be shared on Facebook and Twitter.

Any other promotions that you love out there? Share them with us. We would love to know why you love them.

Goodness Pops Up in NYC

2012-02-13T12:56:00.001-05:00

Goodness is a four day pop up restaurant during Fashion Week in NYC. The restaurant will feature a different chef each day from 11am to 3pm, the pop up will feature top chefs including Mario Batali, Leo Forneas, Alain Allegretti and Julian Medina. Elettra Wiedermann a former runway model, founded the proeject in the hopes of providing healthy delicious food in a fun location for a wide audience.

In town for Fashion Week or Social Media Week? Go and check it out. Here is the schedule:

Robert Restaurant at the Museum of Arts and Design
2 Columbus Ave, New York
Saturday February 11-Tuesday February 14
Serving lunch from 11 am- 3 pm
Mario Batali of Babbo – Saturday, Feb 11th
Leo Forneas of ROBERT – Sunday, Feb 12th
Alain Allegretti of La Promenade des Anglais – Monday, Feb 13th
Julian Medina of Toloache – Tuesday, Feb 14th
PreFix Menu: $35

[Trendland]

Happy #Viral Friday!

2012-02-10T11:47:00.000-05:00

It's beautiful outside today...enjoy your #Viral Friday New Yorkers because we are getting some snow tomorrow! Click HERE for your fun #Viral Friday videos and the funniest vids on the web this week.

Have a great weekend!

P.S. If you are on Pinterest - follow our fun and fabulous finds here. Don't forget to like BENG! on Facebook and follow us on Twitter too!

Valentine's Day Hits Times Square

2012-02-09T11:44:00.000-05:00

If you have taken a walk through Times Square this week you will have noticed a giant red heart. Touch the heart and it starts to beat while measuring your love pulse. If you hold hands with your true love or kiss the heart will glow brighter and beat faster. The 10 foot high heart was installed for Valentine's day by the Times Square Alliance. The piece is built from 400 transparent LED acrylic tubes build around a suspended heart. The neon lights of Times Square are refracted in the tubes and create an amazing glow. BIG, the architectural firm responsible for the heart says the heart reflects what Times Square is famous for - people and light. Don't have a gift for your true love yet? The heart will be on view until the end of the month...so take them on a date!

[huffington post]

Taxi Shopping - Buy Directly From The Back Of Your Cab

2012-02-08T10:03:00.000-05:00

Now that the Super Bowl festivities are over, I am on temporary break from Jury Duty and my cold has cleared slightly I am back on board for BENG!Buzz. I have had a lot of time to read while sitting in the court house so be prepared for some great Buzz pieces in the next couple of weeks!

Glamour Magazine and SypderLynk have joined forces to create a new shopping experience. They are testing mobile tags that activate actual mobile purchases from the back of a NYC taxi cab. The program takes off during New York's Fashion Week starting tomorrow Feb. 9th through Feb. 14th. 50 specially equipped taxis will make themselves available in the most frequented spots during Fashion Week - Lincoln Center, Meatpacking, Soho and the Lower West Side - offering rides to Fashion week attendees.

The cabs will be outfitted with print ads for L'oreal beauty products and special on screen programing to help demonstrate how to use the cosmetic products. Riders will be able to take a photo of the Shop The Look Snap Tag QR code and send it as a text message to a short code. SpyderLynk servesr will then send riders a link to a checkout page where they can check off the items they wish to buy. The rider is then sent to billing and check out page where they can manage their online mobile wallet. Once that is done once, the rider will no longer have to punch in their credit card details. They are stored and can be used after logging in with their username and password.

So, I see this program being used in two ways: people watch the videos scan the tag and wait to purchase, or they are brave enough to give it a try. I am not sure there is enough time in the back of a cab to learn about the program, punch in all the information and then purchase. I do however think that people will enjoy the experience and purchase later - either in store or online.

What do you think? If you catch one of the cabs let me know...would love to hear whether you bought something or not.

App Wakes You Up Based on Weather Forecast

2012-02-01T14:40:00.003-05:00

A fun post to help get you through your Wednesday afternoon! Belgian Agency, Boondoggle, has created an app that wakes people up dependant on the weather forecast. Perfect for those surprisingly frosty mornings. Being late because you have to defrost your car is no longer an excuse to be late to work!

Inspiration for the app came from the unusually cold weather last year and many of their employees being late for work. The app works in the same way as a normal alarm clock, however it collects weather forecasts during the night and if the forecast worsens it will change the alarm to wake you up earlier. Leaving you plenty of time to shovel and defrost your car, or leave early enough to catch public transport.

Interesting idea, although I am not sure how many people would opt to use this app. I don't know many people who would trust an app to wake them up earlier than scheduled. And, with the unusually warm winter we are having, there isn't much need. But cute all the same.

[Simply Zesty]

Best Tweeshes!

2012-01-31T13:04:00.001-05:00

Thank you to Simply Zesty for finding this great campaign. Millions of Tweets are sent around the holidays, and this year Belgian agency VVL BBDO decided to bring the wishes together and turn them into a melody. Wanting to start 2012 on a high note, the agency created a campaign to unite people all over the world. Best Tweeshes were user generated messages that ended with the hashtag #tweeshes. Anyone sending a new years message ending in the hashtag would automatically contribute toward a crowd sourced musical piece based on their location across the globe. Each Tweet was assigned a different musical note, and when played together it turned into a very unique melody. Check out the Best Tweeshes website and listen to the music created!

[via Simply Zesty]

Tropicana's Morning Glow

2012-01-30T11:14:00.001-05:00

On Jan. 23rd, Tropicana and art collective Greyworld collaborated to treat Londoners to a little something special. The brand collaborated with artists to create an artificial sun in London's Trafalgar Square. Part of Tropicana's "Brighter Mornings" campaign, the event took over six months to prepare and execute and used over 60,000 light bulbs. The sun weighed 2.5 tons and rose an hour earlier for Londoners than their natural sun. Such a great way to treat your target market - or potential targets - to something special. Winter can definitely get dark and dreary, and associating Tropicana with light and your morning ritual is a great way to get your brand into people's minds. [via PSFK]

[PSFK

#Viral Friday

2012-01-27T12:40:00.002-05:00

I know it's raining, but Happy Viral Friday!! Stay in, put your feet up and check out this week's hottest videos on the web. Click here to view them; I promise...they are worth it!

OceanArmor

2012-01-26T13:43:00.000-05:00

I am so proud to be a member of the Summit Series gang. Last year's conference was at Sea...literally. The group charted a cruise ship, gathered 1000 of the world's youngest and brightest entrepreneurs and created a platform for us all to talk, exchange and put our minds together on how to make the world a better place. With a focus on the Ocean and how we need to save our seas, the group also stared a foundation to raise money and awareness for the loss of marine life on our planet. One of the activities on the boat last year was shark tagging with marine biologists. An awesome experience for a select few who were able to put together the best project material on how they would use their expertise to help save the seas. Branded campaigns, TV ads, Marine Art and much more...

Yesterday, I came across the Surfrider Foundation OceanArmor campaign. The campaign features life size sculptures of sea animals in suits of armor. The main message is that these animals cant protect themselves, we need to help them. Marine Life is often forgotten about - out of sight, out of mind - and we need to help protect as many species as we can before its too late.

Check out the images from the campaign. And, I put the Summit question out to you...If you could use your expertise to help save the oceans...what would you do?

The sculptures will tour galleries and will be promoted via a print, poster and online at oceanarmor.org.

[developed by Saatchi Saatchi in LA, via Inspiration Room]

Automat for Reused and Recycled Products

2012-01-25T11:12:00.000-05:00

Swap-o-Matic is a vending machine that allows users to donate items and receive items. Bascially, operating as an automatic thrift store, customers donate an item to the vending machine and in return get an item of their choice. According to the company, the US — with only six per cent of the world’s population — consumes 30 per cent of its resources. As per Springwise, Lina Fenequito the creator of Swap-o-Matic states "The goal fo Swap-o-Matic is to promote a shift from unconscious consumption to more sustainable living." Once registered through the vending machine's touchscreen, people can login and have the choice to donate, receive or swap. Each donation earns the customer one credit and receiving an item costs one credit. The vending machine has been on tour throughout NYC. You can find the Swap-o-Matic by following it on the website.

Swap-o-matic - Promotional Video #1 from Lina Fenequito on Vimeo.

I see great potential here for the events arena. Adding a sustainability element to help bring some accountability to consumer events. Would need to think of a great way to implement it. The cogs are turning already :)

[via Springwise]

Unborn Artists

2012-01-23T11:41:00.000-05:00

I recently came across a posting about an Artists Cooperative in Belgium that is made up of unboard babies. Isabelle de Borchgrave started the project as part of an SOS Children's Village initiative. The project is supposed to bring to light the thousands of unborn babies in Africa that do not survive their own birth. Preganant mothers are recruited to use the in utero movements of their unborn children to paint pictures that are then sold to raise money for the campaign. The live exhibition is in Brussels at Isabella de Borchgrave's gallery. You can view more about the campaign and the images for sale at the Unborn Artists website.

Happy #Viral Friday!

2012-01-20T14:30:00.001-05:00

Happy Friday everyone! Looks like we finally have some snow coming. So get your shopping done and hunker down in your apartment before it gets here! Oh, and definitely check out our Viral Videos of the week. Fun Friday begins now!

Check out our site for the top viral videos of the week. While you are there you might as well check out the funniest stuff on the net in the More Fun section. Get ready for a laugh!

Stay in a Parisian Apartment Courtesy of IKEA

2012-01-19T11:04:00.000-05:00

Last week I posted about 100 lucky fans in Britain being able to take part in a sleep over in a IKEA store. This week, I found out that five people were lucky enough to spend six days in Parisian makeshift apartment courtesy of IKEA.The catch? The apartment is inside a Metro Station and open for viewing!

IKEA set up a temporary apartment in a Parisian metro station for a maximum of five people to live in for six days. The basic idea is to show people how IKEA can outfit an apartment and give the brand a nice promotional boost in a high traffic zone. From January 9-13 commuters were able to look in on 5 residents in the apartment. Fans of IKEA's France Facebook page were also able to win a one night stay in the apartment.

[AdAge, Simply Zesty, Conversational Marketing]

Scandinavian Airlines Creates Smart Campaign

2012-01-17T12:03:00.000-05:00

Knowing your customer profile is incredibly important. All too many companies just rely on general sales without thinking about who is actually buying their product, why and capturing the data they find. Scandinavian Airlines recently launched a really smart 2 for 1 campaign based on research they conducted about their customers.

The airline's research showed that their best customers were affluent couples who booked holidays to spend time together. In order to entice a higher number of sales the airline launched an app that required two people (a couple) to put their phones together at the same time and unlock a discount code. Scandinavian Airlines sent out over 100,000 emails to their existing customers as well as launched an advertising and social media campaign to highlight the promotion. Customers scanned a QR code each and were promoted to follow the promotion and buy tickets using the provided discount codes.

Couple Up to Buckle Up from Tobias Carlson on Vimeo.

Cute promotion AND they sold out every ticket available to the promotion.

[Scandinavian Airlines & Simply Zesty]

#Viral Friday!

2012-01-13T12:59:00.001-05:00

Happy #Viral Friday! Here are the top viral videos on the web this week. Have a great MLK weekend everyone!

Hyundai's iPhone Controlled Racing Game

2012-01-12T12:57:00.004-05:00

Hyundai recently brought the world's largest iPhone controlled racing game to Times Square, NYC. Passersby registered and are then were given a turn using their iPhone as a controller. Not only was it a great experience for the controller, but those around totally got in to the game too. The crowds become a mini grandstand and with the apps being downloaded before playing, each participant took Hyandai home with them.

Heineken does QR Right

2012-01-11T12:26:00.001-05:00

After tweeting about QR codes last week on how marketers love adding them to promotions, but only 5% of consumers actually use them, we found a great campaign with a great QR Code application. Heineken actually took the best qualities of QR codes and used them correctly.

Heineken's U-Code was executed at a music festival. The attendees of the festival all had their own personal QR codes printed and stuck to them. When scanned the code would provide information about them, hobbies, what they like listenting to etc. A real world application of a social media program and profile. Meeting people at the festival becomes easy and interesting. A real way for shy attendees to break out and make some new friends. Not to mention that everyone with a QR code attached to them becomes a walking advertisement for Heineken!

[via Simply Zesty]

Ikea Hosts Sleepover for 100 Facebook Fans

2012-01-10T12:41:00.000-05:00

Ever wanted to know what happens at IKEA stores after they close? 100 lucky Facebook fans in Essex, England were given a unique opportunity to do just that. The chosen guests were able to spend one night inside an IKEA store warehouse. The idea for the event was inspired by the Facebook Fan Page "I wanna have a sleepover in IKEA." The page has about 100,000 followers and picking up on their fan base, IKEA decided to treat 100 of their fans to their sleepover wish.

The event happened in November and was for guests 25 and over. There was a strict pajamas only dress code, and IKEA handed out goodie bags that contained eye masks, snacks, towels, and slippers etc. The lucky guests were treated to manicures, massages and a bedtime story read by a British reality TV celebrity. IKEA even called in a sleep expert to help give out tips on getting a good nights rest.

Great promotion to help reward and motivate an existing Target Market. Not to mention capture the attention of those not on the IKEA bandwagon.

The Obliteration Room - Sticker Art

2012-01-09T11:31:00.001-05:00

Image from PSFK

The Obliteration Room, a piece created by Yayoi Kusama for the Brisbane Gallery of Modern Art in Australia, is a reconstructed environment where the walls and everything inside the room is painted white. The artist gave thousands of colored dot stickers to invited children to help transform the space into a piece of art.

The exhibit site reads:

As with many of Kusama’s installations, the work is disarmingly simple in its elemental composition; however, it brilliantly exploits the framework of its presentation. The white room is gradually obliterated over the course of the exhibition, the space changing measurably with the passage of time as the dots accumulate as a result of thousands and thousands of collaborators.

Here are more pictures of the exhibit. I wish we were in Brisbane!

image from PSFK

image from SkyNews

image from Zilamag.com

#Viral Friday

2012-01-06T10:47:00.000-05:00

Happy Friday! Here are the top viral videos on the web this week. Have a great weekend everyone!

Recycling Made Pretty!

2012-01-05T13:02:00.000-05:00

How do you make a tall building more into a piece of art? Choi Jeong-Hwa, an artist from South Korea, recently made a Seoul building into a piece of art. Using 1000 doors salvaged from the garbage, Jeong-Hwa made a 10-story building into a public art piece. Picked up by media all over the world, Jeong-Hwa says "People think you can only Korean Art in museums and galleries."

Find more of Jeong-Hwa's work here: http://choijeonghwa.com/

[PSFK, demilked]

Touchscreen Vending Machine with Facial Recognition

2012-01-04T09:54:00.000-05:00

Sanden, a Japanese company, recently joined foreces with Intel and Okaya Electronics to provide a new type of vending machine. The machine features a 65 inch HD transparent touchscreen front panel that provides consumers with product information, pricing and interactive animated graphics. The screen also has facial recognition technology and will make suggestions to consumers based on their gender and recorded preferences. I really hope this technology gets picked up by the event and brand marketing industry. It would be such a great application for brand marketing experiences.

[PSFK]

Starting 2012 with a BENG!

2012-01-03T11:45:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year everyone! So thrilled to be in our second year of BENG! in New York and we are running strong. We had a wonderful year, the highlight being our Best Event Award win for Best Event ROI in Europe. This year is going to be just as great and we are looking forward to all our projects, meeting new clients and making new friends. To get us on the right track for the new year we have updated our brochure and are adding some strategic elements to the BENG!Buzz blog.

Brochure
It's always good to take some time to reflect on ways to make yourself better. We at BENG! wanted to help streamline the "who are we" process and issue a brand new brochure. Take a peek - you will learn all about who we are, what we do, and what we believe in. Check out our new brochure here.

BENG!HotTopics
You know how we always like to share our industry knowledge right? Well, we will be producing BENG!HotTopics for our friends, readers and clients. The HotTopics will be based on what we think the key concerns, concepts, ideas, and topics of interest are in our industry. The Brand Marketing industry changes quickly, and we want to make sure you keep up with all that is new, hot and happening. Check in with BENG!Buzz and make sure not to miss our articles!

Want to stay up to date with all things BENG!? Visit our website, join our mailing list below, and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

Here's to an amazing year!

Best,

Nicole Nelson
Co-Founder & Managing Director
BENG!NY

#Viral Friday!

2011-12-16T12:12:00.001-05:00

Happy Friday everyone! I can't wait for the weekend to start. So many last minute gifts still to buy, plus those wonderful Holiday windows to check out on 5th Avenue. Tonight I will be at Radio City Music Hall for the Christmas Spectacular - a NYC staple during the holiday season. Can't wait!

So, let's get this weekend started! Here are the top viral videos on the web this week. Enjoy!

Want more fun? Check us out on Facebook and on Twitter @BENGNY

25 Social Media Articles You Must Read

2011-12-15T12:39:00.000-05:00

Simply Zesty - my new favorite weekly read - has compiled 25 Unmissable Social Media Articles from the last week. Might be a great idea to save them and read them over the holidays when you are nice and comfy on the couch preparing yourself for the new year!

The TechCrunch blogger talks about becoming a venture capitalist at the CrunchFund

Is the Internet the “Paris” of the new millennium?

Answers to 31 Social Media Questions You’re Too Shy to Ask

How Ideas Spread With Social Media

Tweets cause US death row conviction to be overturned

Sean Parker: There are Too Many Startups and VCs

The New Twitter (R.I.P. Tweetie)

A Twitter for My Sister

The new, new Twitter: 10 big takeaways

Sarah Lacy And Mike Arrington Are Starting TechCrunch 2.0

Flipboard launches sleek iPhone app with new ‘Cover Stories’ section

Spotify Radio gets a big makeover, goes truly unlimited

Mark It Down: June 6, 2012

Sorry, Folks, Bill Gates Is Not Coming Back to Microsoft

Exclusive: Facebook Does A Major Reorg Around Key Products

Marissa Mayer at LeWeb: Google+ Was a Pleasant Surprise

Teaching Ventures Catch the Programming Wave

Apple job openings hinting at Siri API, prettier interface and additional languages

Sean Parker Invests In Music Startup StageIt

It’s a start: Facebook begins Timeline rollout in New Zealand

Library of Congress says Twitter archive will build “unique record of our time”

Gowalla Founders v. Gowalla Investors

Yahoo News is seeing huge returns from Facebook’s Open Graph, is this the future of Flickr?

Why business execs shouldn’t read the Steve Jobs biography

Google Chairman, Eric Schmidt, speaks at Le Web:

Starbucks Cup Magic for the Holidays!

2011-12-14T12:01:00.001-05:00

Have you seen any Starbucks Holiday Characters on their signature holiday red cups recently? Use your iPhone or Android smart phone to scan all five characters that are found on the chain's cups, blend bags, and in-store signage and watch them come to life on your phone. You can watch teh winter fox come frolic in the snow, some carolers and much more. You can also use the app to find special offers, send gift cards to others and share your Starbucks experience socially. A little simple, but still a nice campaign to continue the sharing aspect of Starbucks' social media projects.

Mark Mawson Photography

2011-12-13T11:28:00.001-05:00

I recently came across the work of Mark Mawson. An amazing photographer with a wide range of portfolio pieces. My favorite? The Aqueous collection. Check them out!

Check out more of his work on his site: www.markmawson.com

Heineken Promotions (Cont.)

2011-12-12T14:12:00.000-05:00

Following up on our BeerFriender post last Thursday, we just came across some new additions to the Brand's Social Media campaign.

In Singapore, Heineken is turning the traditional Christmas tree into a Social tree. The social tree uses 48 LED screens and is 11 meters tall. By using the Facebook app associated with the brand's tree campaign, people will be able to create and post greetings and messages to their loved ones. You can incorporate animation, music, and your own photos to make your posting personal. All the posts are turned onto the Social Tree's screens and signify holiday decorations "hanging" on the tree. If you happen to be in Singapore for the month of December go to Clarke Quay and take a visit.

The second Heineken campaign in promotion of the brand's 140th anniversary. The brand has launched an international design competition to redesign the green bottle. The winner and winning design will be announced in December 2012. As per Cool Hunting (whose Co-Founder Evan Orensten has been selected to judge the design entries), the design mission is to create a bottle that symbolizes how people around the world will connect in the next 140 years. The design competition is open to everyone and anyone. All you have to do is take down the design template, design and place your design over it, and upload it to the Heineken Facebook page. All entries and participants will be online, so why not make some new friends while you are at it.

I can't wait to see what designs come out. You have until January 31st, 2012. And follow the competitions progress via twitter at #yourfuturebottle

[via Simply Zesty & Cool Hunting]

#Viral Friday!

2011-12-09T11:39:00.000-05:00

Happy Friday everyone! Here are the hottest viral videos on the web: Viral Friday

While you are at it, check out our Strategy Director's acceptance speech at the European Best Event Awards. BENG! won Best Event ROI.

Heineken BeerFriender

2011-12-08T13:00:00.001-05:00

Heineken have been on a role this year with all of their promotions. This one is no different. The company has launched a new social campaign to promote their BeerTender. If you don't have one at home, you should definitely consider getting one. The beer is delicious out of the mini keg...much better than out of the bottle.

Anyway, Heineken identified an issue with the BeerTender during the holiday season. Everyone wants to get one for themselves, which doesn't fit with the spirit of the season. So, they created a Facebook App, the BeerFriender, where people can connect with others who would also like a BeerTender for the holidays. Basically, you buy each other a BeerTender - comes complete with gift wrap and card - so you don't have to feel selfish...and why not make some new friends for the new year!

Top 10 Twitter Trends of 2011

2011-12-07T14:16:00.000-05:00

It's that time of year again where we gather all the top ten trends of 2011. Today I have the Top 10 Trending Topics on Twitter via Mashable and What the Trend (now a Hootsuite company). What the Trend analyzed over 207,518 hashtags to get to the top trending topics of 2011. Alongside the big top 10 list, there is a more focused grouping of lists about: movies, TV shows, news, sports, music and more.

Honesty Fans

2011-12-06T12:11:00.000-05:00

I feel we are seeing a lot of -honesty- driven marketing campaigns at the moment. Although they are super trendy, I like them as a fun and interactive approach with target audiences. I came across this campaign this week and wanted to share it with you.

Coca Cola attached their latest campaign to football in Portugal. The company drops wallets in a Benfica (team) club store with a big match ticket conveniently sticking out visible to whomever picks it up. The idea was to make the ticket so visible that people would return the wallet, but take the ticket. And the kicker is the wallet is clearly owned by a rival team supporter! Those who returned the wallet with ticket intact would be granted their own set of tickets as a reward. Coca Cola found that 95% of the wallets with tickets were returned. A pretty great number if you ask me :) All of the good deed doers who attended the match a few weeks later were rewarded once a gain by being shown on the big screen to give them extra love for returning the wallets.

I think the campaign falls nicely in line with the feel good, warm and happy campaigns Coca Cola is used to producing. The Coca Cola happiness tour, happiness vending machines and now the honesty campaign are a great way to extend the feel of their brand.

[via Simply Zesty]

The World of Social Media 2011

2011-12-05T14:56:00.000-05:00

The Dutch company Video Infographs has created a short video infographic on the major stats for all Social Media Sites for 2011. The video, which includes stats on Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, Instagram, Youtube, LinkedIn and Google+, was compiled to help promote the services of Video Infographs, actually has some solid usable stats. The video gives you a good idea on how the platforms were used during 2011. Although some stats are a little silly - hint - 60% of people surveyed admit to using their smartphones while going to the bathroom.

Viral Friday!

2011-12-02T08:26:00.000-05:00

Hey there! It's that time again. Viral Friday is here! Check out this weeks best viral videos HERE.

Have a great weekend!

Haiku to Promote Traffic Safety in NYC

2011-11-30T10:46:00.000-05:00

NYC announced a new traffic safety initiative yesterday. Investing in the conscious traversing of traffic, the new safety campaign draws on the work of Atlanta artist John Morse. As a poet, Morse has created Curbside Haiku (poems that follow the 5-syllable, 7 syllable, 5 syllable Japanese verse form) that will be posted on 8 inch square signs accompanied by graphics.

"We are looking for ways to get through to the public so they pay more attention," said DOT Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan at the unveiling at the Studio Museum in Harlem. "New Yorkers are innoculated from messages. What we've learned is something more innovative or with a bit of humor is more eye-catching," added Sadik-Khan.

200 signs in total will be posted in high traffic incident zones, near cultural institutions and schools throughout the city. Here are some examples:

A sudden car door
Cyclist’s story rewritten.
Fractured narrative

Too averse to risk
To chance the lottery, yet
Steps into traffic.

If you spot a poem, take a picture and post it on our Facebook page!

Prague Subways fitted with Virtual Grocery Stores

2011-11-29T07:09:00.000-05:00

Imagine, you are on your way home from work. Tired from the long day. Just as you sit on the subway daydreaming of putting your feet up and relaxing you remember you need to pick up a few things from the store. How great would it be if your store was literally the same station you would be walking home from. Through a partnership with PandG and Mall.cz, four of Prague's busiest subway stations now include virtual grocery stores. You shop by phone, and the items are delivered to your home. So you don't even have to carry the bags!

Launched last month, the stores are wallpapered onto subway corridor walls and look like regular brick and mortar stores. You can see products, descriptions and prices. All you need to do is download the app and use your smartphone to scan the QR codes associated with each of the project. Point, Click, and Purchase. The customer gets a confirmation with delivery time and if you don't need the items super fast you can get free second-day delivery.

[via Springwise]

QR Code Voicemails as Gift Tags

2011-11-28T08:15:00.000-05:00

JC Penney has created a unique take on QR codes for their holiday gifting season. When you purchase a from the store, you receive a Santa Tag which has an accompanying QR code. When you scan the code you can then record a personalized voice message for the recipient of your gift. Once done, you just stick the QR code onto the gift wrapped package and hand it over!

I like the idea of modern personalization of gifts and QR codes are fun. Not sure whether they will continue this Tag idea post holiday, but I could see it living through and just becoming a branded part of JC Penney gifting offers. You can start collecting tags in-store November 15th. I hope someone gives me a gift with one :)

Lay's Potato Chip Vending Machine

2011-11-14T15:59:00.001-05:00

Vending machines are all about instant gratification. What is the best way to communicate how your chips are made? Have your customers see and be part of the process. Lay's in Argentina created a vending machine which after a customer places a potato into the machine, makes a packet of chips on the spot. To emphasize that the chips only have three ingredients, the clear panel front of the machine helps show what happens to the potato you insert from beginning to end. Event though it's a video and I would much rather it be a real cooking machine (I know, virtually impossible with food laws and fire hazards) I think the interactive element will help entice potential customers to drop a potato to see what happens.

I'm interested to see how many potential customers are converted into actually customers. I like knowing that there are only 3 ingredients in the bag - potatoes, Oil and salt. Hmm...now I wish I had a bag myself :)

Lay's machine - Debut (English txt) from Castro Innovation on Vimeo.

Mint Flavored Parking Tickets

2011-11-14T11:59:00.001-05:00

Genius marketing - I just had to share!

Wrigleys in Germany just started a new campaign, Mint Flavored Parking tickets. The idea behind the campaign is that they wanted drivers to experience the taste of their gum without even knowing it. Picture it. You drive into the parking lot, reach through the window to press the button and retrieve your ticket. Most people place the ticket in their mouths for a minute while they drive through the opened barricade. OR, walking to the parking ticket machine you place the ticket in your mouth momentarily while you fish around for your wallet. Everyone does it. So why not have a minty flavor surprise you when you do it!

Although advertising on parking tickets isn't new, flavor ads totally are. So what do you think? Gross or Genius?

Mint parking tickets from Art Directors Club of Europe on Vimeo.

Innocent Wooly Hats

2011-11-14T11:41:00.001-05:00

Every November for the past 8 years, the British Smoothie company Innocent, has produced the Big Knit campaign. To help raise money to keep the elderly warm every winter, the company creates mini wooly hats to place on their bottles. For each bottle with hat sold, at Sainsbury's and Boots throughout the month of November someone will stay a little warmer via the organization Age UK.

This year the company is adding a social media component to the campaign. By joining the Hat Tag Game on the Innocent Facebook page, you can submit photos of people or things that are wearing a little wooly hat. The company crowns one photo as the hat of the week by it's page voters. For every vote on the page, Innocent donates 5p to Age UK. The ultimate wooly hat tag winner (to be announced in December) will win £500 of Amazon vouchers.

Check out some of the photo submisions:

Totally wish we could buy the little wooly hat bottles here in the US. They are not only adorable, they are for a good cause.

Red Cross Social Media Explosion

2011-11-14T11:31:00.001-05:00

To help re-ignite the debate on using nuclear weapons, the Australian Red Cross has launcedh a new Social Media explosion campaign. The Red Cross has asked it's campaign supported for their permission to use their Facebook and Twitter accounts to send a one-time message at 9am on November 14. The message would be sent to all their friends and followers creating a kind of one time bombardment or explosion of communication. The number of supporters reached approx. 300,000 in the hopes to increase that number after the explosion.

The campaign was supported by a website, where people could sign up for the social explosion, vote on the issue of nuclear weapons, hear stories from survivors, and see interactive simulations of the effects of the weapons using Google maps.

[via The Inspiration Room]

QR Codes for Mazda Rentals

2011-11-14T11:17:00.001-05:00

The first promotion of it's kind for rental cars. Mazda has paired up with Enterprise Holdings (owner of Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Alamo and National Car Rental) to create a marketing program to help them promote and ultimately sell the new Mazda 6. The OnRamp QR code program has codes tagged on each of the Mazda 6 rentals for customers to scan. The program sticker labeled 'Like What You See?" will be placed on all of the vehicles and will lead custoers to a mobile-optimized site with information about the car. As per PSFK - Enterprise believes that the program will potentially reach out to one million car renters a day.

The initial OnRamp program is for Mazda only, but Enterprise is currently working on adding Toyota and Nissan to the program. I am interested to see whether this will take off and sell some cars. The idea of test driving a car as a rental, liking it and then thinking about purchasing it is a great one. My only issue would be the lack of control for Mazda. Rental cars can be dirty, beat up and that is beyond Mazda's control. What if people have bad rental car experiences and associate that with the car? Let's keep an eye on this program and see how it progresses.

6-Story Microsoft Windows Phone in NYC - Revisited

2011-11-14T11:02:00.001-05:00

So, last week I posted on the 6-story Windows phone that was being constructed at Herald Square in NYC. At the time it wasn't clear as to what the promotion would be about. Now we know it was to coincide with their launch several of their new smart phones. As all Marketers know, you can't just build a huge object and hope that the public will "come around" and start buying your project. You need to create a program, something to draw the public in, engage them, inspire them ... and then finally convert them.

Microsoft launched their program last week. Check out the video below. It is a Mash Up of their promotion. They had each slide on the phone become an activity piece. They had Fruit Ninja reenacted by actors, a 7.5 minute makeover, musical acts, dance acts, an exercise work out and so much more. Herald Square was buzzing with pre-holiday tourists and shoppers - which meant they got a great captive audience to watch their promotion.

I would love to hear from anyone who saw a part of the program to hear whether there may have been enough info on the phone to help convert the audience members into customers. Let me know if you were there!

Viral Friday!

2011-11-11T10:52:00.001-05:00

Happy Veterans Day! Thank you to all who have and are currently serving. We appreciate our liberty and know that we only have it thanks to the brave men and women who have fought for it.

Click HERE for today's viral videos. They are the top 5 virals of the week.

And check out the little video below. The original with Richard Dreyfuss is one of my favorite commercials - this time around it is with Steve Jobs narrating. Have a great holiday weekend everyone!

[Think Different video via Richard Branson's blog]

Contrex, Excerise Bikes and a Neon Stripper!

2011-11-10T10:52:00.000-05:00

Here is a great new commercial for a French mineral water brand, Contrex. The water brand claims to speed up the weight loss process with exercise due to it's high calcium content. The ad was the most shared ad over the past 30 days with 656,989 shares across Facebook, Twitter and blogs during October alone. The key to the great ad? It makes exercising seem fun!

Filmed to look like an experiential marketing stunt, the Contrexpérience begins with a row of pink stationary exercise bikes on a busy Parisian square. As curiosity grows, people are unable to stop themselves from going over to the bikes and trying them out. As they pedal, the bikes power up a neon string of wires that lead to a building in front of them and an outline of a man appears. As they continue pedaling, music starts and the outline begins to take his clothing off and dance. The faster the people pedal, the faster the outline takes his clothes off. Bottles of Contrex are attached to each of the bikes for the exercisers to try.

Eventually the outline strips down to just his underwear. He seems to leave the screen for a while but comes back with a strategically placed sign that tells the people they have lost 2000 calories by doing that simple exercise.

Not only is this a fun ad, it really appeals to Contrex's target market - women. Women who want to lose weight but without spending hours on a treadmill or eating diet food. The water helps you out, and who doesn't like neon male strippers :)

Ice Sculptures for Skin Cancer in Madrid

2011-11-09T14:17:00.000-05:00

Think Different. Marketers wanting to raise awareness of skin cancer in Madrid just carried out an awesome campaign. Instead of using the usual PSA technique of shock and awe, the campaign included 700 ice scultures that were strategically placed throughout the city. The core message communicated by the project: If you stay out in the sun for too long, it will melt your skin. The sculptures didn't take long to melt at all, and it must have been a logistically challenging project for the group. Regardless, they received a lot of press for their campaign and it was visible to many people.

6-Story Windows Phone Lands in NYC

2011-11-08T10:56:00.001-05:00

Microsoft is launching four new devices later today, so to coincide with the launches and take on the Android and Apple phone platforms, the company has decided to plant a GIANT billboard. The 6-story phone is on the pedestrian plaza on 34th street Herald Square - right next to Macy's. I'm not kidding when I say it's huge and actually measure out to be 6 stories.

Does it grab people's attention? Yes. Will it sell more Windows phones? Not sure. I love my iPhone, and I am not sure whether a 6-story phone will make me change my mind. I think the stunt needs to be a little more content driven...but maybe there is more content to come.

If you have been to see the phone tell us your story. Would love to hear what you think!

Scotiabank FLUXe at Nuit Blanche

2011-11-07T11:18:00.002-05:00

Scotiabank took part in the Nuit Blanche festival in Toronto this year. The festival was a free all-night contemporary art event. The bank hosted an interactive art experience: FLUXe. People all over the world were able to unleash their creativity and inner artist. For one night on October 1, people were able to use their smartphones and tablets to paint and create their own patintings and interact with a large 100ft wide LCD screen. Best part was they didn't have to download or install an app.

Participants had to simply be near the screen, access a URL and then create their artwork. 9 renowned artists generated patterns that were used as the brushstrokes for everyone's art. The artists included Oscar nominated and Emmy winner Alex Kurina, Lorenzo Petrantoni and photographer film director Zara Holloway.

Since the FLUXe project was shown on a big screen, participants could create thier pieces simultaneously to help create one large piece of art shared by everyone. By the end of the night over 1000 paintings had been submitted by participating 'artists'. All of the paintings were added to a gallery that could be found on the bank's Facebook page online. To add a charity aspect to the project Scotiabank is donating $1 for every like the page receives to the Arts for Children and Youth Organization, an arts group that allows kids in high priority communities to experience grass roots art in education.

Viral Friday!

2011-11-04T13:44:00.000-04:00

Happy Viral Friday everyone! Click here for the top 5 viral videos on the web this week. The list includes: Angry Birds, Diablo III, Puss in Boots with Lady Gaga, HD Hero 2, and Duck Sauce.
For more fun, check out our Funniest Vids on the web!

Have fun this weekend and see you all back here on Monday!

Schh....Schweppes Revolution

2011-11-02T11:42:00.000-04:00

Cocktail Revolution is the new experiential pop-up installation created by Schweppes. Placed in Southern Cross Station, a major train station in Melbourne, the campaign has been attracting a lot of attention. The campaign started with a giant crate that one day appeared in the station. One peephole revealed a teaser hologram with music exuding from the crate. Three days later, the crate finally opened to reveal an interactive cocktail mixing table to help suggest coctail drinks with Schweppes ingredients.

As soon as the crate opened the promotion was supported by station screens, banners and signage through the train station and surrounding buildings. Brand Ambassadors were employed to hand out cocktail kits with fruit and cocktail recipes. People engaging with the Revolution were able to have their picture taken and sharing it online for a chance to win a surprise revolutionary gift.

Schweppes Experiential: Cocktail Revolution @ Southern Cross Station from tkm9 on Vimeo.

Hermes Le Parade

2011-11-01T09:57:00.000-04:00

Sarah Illenberger, inspired by worldwide Parade, has designed some amazing handcrafted windows for Hermes. Featured in the Hermes Berlin store, the artist created a window installation called Le Parade using paper and Hermes boxes. The result is stunning:

Nike's Splash Projection

2011-10-31T11:05:00.003-04:00

To launch the new Jordan Melo M8 Nike came up with a new way to make a splash. A 3D mapping technique on water helped take their launch event to another level. Not quite sure how water fits in with the shoe, Melo or the launch...but still love the idea.

Check out the video below:

Viral Friday!

2011-10-28T11:55:00.000-04:00

Happy Friday everyone! Hope you have a fantastic Halloween weekend.

Click HERE for our Viral Friday picks of the week.

[via BENG! and La Comunidad]

Ubox: Mobile Payment for Vending Machines

2011-10-27T09:13:00.000-04:00

The Ubox mobile app is now making it possible for Android, iPhone and java based phone holders to provide mobile payments for vending machines. The app users signup for the service and add funds to hteir Ubox account. When they come across a vending machine participating in mobile payments, they make their selection by phone and the cost of the item comes off their account. All purchases made through Ubox are currently set at a 10% discount on the original vending machine price. The video below helps demonstrate the app and the payment method (it's in Chinese).

This technology can be used in many different applications. It would be great to have event goers sign up to the corporate branded app pre-event and then have games, activities, points etc calculated to their accounts via their mobile phones. So many fun ways to integrate interactivity with events.

[via Springwise]

Turn Your Body into a Touch Screen!

2011-10-26T09:23:00.001-04:00

Microsoft has revealed it has the technology to make any surface a touchscreen - including the human body. The technology, referred to as OmniTouch, the gadget was presented during the UIST 2012 symposium in Santa Barbara, USA. The device would turn any surface you can think of into a touchscreen - think tables, notebooks, palms, walls etc.

So many great applications to use in the Brand Marketing event world. Can't wait for this to hit the market!

[via PSFK]

Volkswagen Launches New Beetle with AR Campaign

2011-10-25T09:41:00.005-04:00

Volkswagen recently launched their new 2012 Beetle with an Augmented Reality campaign. The company placed a series of AR billboards in cities around the world. Downloading the New Beetle app with your smartphone or tablet allowed consumers around the world see the billboards come to life.

In the video launching the campaign, Volkswagen says "advertising should always be as innovative as the car itself." Check out the video below and see for yourself - this one is based on the Canadian program.

[via simply zesty]

Take This Lolipop...

2011-10-24T11:34:00.001-04:00

I wanted to write about a live-action interactive site: takethislolipop.com. It is a warning to people who upload personal information to their Facebook profiles. Security settings or not, when you put information on your profile, it is there for the plucking. With permission from a Facebook user, Take This Lolipop was able to go through their photos, friend lists, news feeds and other personal information. The TakeThisLolipop.com site takes teh information and plugs it into a web video startting an stalker like character played by Bill Oberst Jr. who sits in a dark room staring at his computer screen.

Imitating a cyber stalker the actor is able to log into the Facebook profile of his target and access all of their personal information. Set to the tune of some creepy music, the actor is even able to find out his targets location. The video fades out after the stalker gets into his car (clearly to go and find his target). A countdown clock and the name of one of the user's Facebook friends comes up on the screen pointing to them being the next target.

As per the Inspiration Room, the TakeThisLolipop.com site has garnered over 5 million unique hits and more than 600,000 likes from around the world. The director of the project Jason Zada had this to say:

“I’m a huge fan of horror and of Halloween, and I really felt like this was a great opportunity to focus on Halloween and mix it with the underlying fear of privacy that we have nowadays with Facebook and other social networking sites.”

From the Inspiration Room site, Dennis Jenders shared his version of the Take This Lokipop experience. See the video below:

It is a freaky way to make you think about your privacy, but I love the interactive nature. It really helps to illustrate privacy concerns.

Viral Friday!

2011-10-21T12:54:00.000-04:00

It's that time again, Viral Friday is here to start your weekend off right. Here are the top 5 viral videos on the web - thanks La Comunidad!

Ultimate Battlefield 3 Simulator

Introducing Galaxy Nexus

Mazda 3 Prison Break

Justin Bieber Mistletoe Trailer

Specsavers Sauna Ad

The World is your Art Gallery

2011-10-20T09:09:00.003-04:00

As part of its Green Box Project, beer brand Becks plans on turning everyday locations into pieces of art - essentially making the world your personally art gallery. The beer brand has commissioned independent artists, designers, musicians, and fashionistas to have their works virtually scattered around cities around the world. Each piece is marked by a Green Box and can only be seen using an app that can be downloaded to your smartphone.

There are currently 30 Green Boxes around the world - Miami, NYC, LA, Rome and Milan. There are some surprise virtual locations too - recently some users were surprised to see red flames coming from the Statue of Liberty's torch when they scanned it with the app.

Get the app, and keep it handy as you travel through the city. Report back to us with any non Green Box marked pieces. We would love to get a map going of all the locations!

Here is a video explaining the campaign and the app:

"Beck's Green Box Project" from Beck's Green Box Project on Vimeo.

[via PSFK]

Recyclebank Rewards Alternative Transportation

2011-10-19T07:11:00.000-04:00

Recyclebank is a company that rewards participants for recycling and reducing household energey with points that can be echanged for deals and discounts at nearby stores. It has been very successful both with signups, participants and using a social platform to get it's word out.

Recently, Transport for London, an organization that coordinates London's public and alternative transportation efforts contacted Recyclebank to help increase ridership in its bike-share program. The program was launched in 2010, but needed a boost. Recyclebank helped Transport for London create an overall aim: Reducing pollution and boosting overall health and fitness. The app allows Londoners to log the distance of their alternative transport journeys and receive points for the duration of the trip. At the end of each journey, the app assigns a certain number of points to the person's account. The points include health and environmental benefits. The app also points to local stores where they can redeem their points.

Live in London? Let us know whether you are signed up for the program, and whether you think it will help you chance your transportation lifestyle.

[via Fast Company, BBCNews]

Heinz's Personalized Soup

2011-10-18T11:08:00.000-04:00

Live in the UK and have a friend who could use a get well message? Instead of sending a card, think about sending them a can of Heinz soup with a personalized label. Only available to Heinz Soup UK Facebook fans, each personalized can comes in two flavors, either Cream of Chicken or Cream of Tomato. For £1.99, fans can send a Get Well Soup to one of their friends with their name printed on teh label.

As posted by PSFK, Matthew Cullum, Heinz Soup Marketing Controller explains the campaign:

Because Facebook is a place people choose to engage with our brand, we want to be there. Soup can be an emotive product and Facebook taps into that. Our use of these channels doesn’t replace TV, but it is a great compliment to it because it allows the consumer to spread the word and they engage more than they would with traditional channels such as TV or Radio.

[via PSFK]

Paper Frescoes

2011-10-17T10:54:00.002-04:00

I thought we would start the week off with some beautiful, artistic advertising. These amazing flower frescoes were created by Jo Lynn Alcorn for the print campaign of French champagne Perrier-Jouët. A great campaign that fits the delicate and beautiful nature of the brand.

For more information visit www.perrier-jouet.com & www.jolynnalcorn.com

Viral Friday!

2011-10-14T11:17:00.000-04:00

As I mentioned last week, every Friday at BENG! is Viral Friday. We want you to start your weekend off with a smile. Thanks to our friends at La Comunidad, our favorite digital agency in Europe, we are able to showcase the week's Top 5 viral videos on our site. Here they are! If you want to check out our archive or find more fun stuff check out the Fun page on our site.

Carlsberg Stunts with Bikers in Cinema:

Puss in Boots - The Cat Haz Swagger

Michael - PS3 Long Live Play - Teaser

No Facebook without the Dutch

Time Lapse of Ford Explorer being built out of Legos for Legoland

Volkswagen Art Heist

2011-10-13T10:56:00.000-04:00

The Great Volkswagen Art Heist is an out of home campaign celebrating the launch of the 2012 Jetta GLI. Pop Up performance art galleries are surfacing in all major cities in Canada and feature limited edition, hand-numbered, framed long-exposure light painting photographs created by the 200-horsepower Jetta GLI. Although the pieces of art are hung in their respective galleries, they haven't been tied down too securely, leaving room for admirers to claim their own piece of art. The thieves are encouraged to do so and asked to share their heists online by posting on the Volkswagen Canada Facebook and Twitter pages.

The concept behind the campaign is: Driving can be beautiful. All the photographs hung in the art galleries were taken with both motion and long exposure still cameras which record the light trail sog the car as it drives through the night. The new Jetta ad also includes the technology, and goes along with the art heist campaign nicely.

Don't be sad if you weren't able to scoop up a great piece of art. Volkswagen Canada has revealed a second phase of the art heist and will be setting up that piece of the project in the next few weeks. Completely social media based, the hunt will be moving online. Keep up with the Heist now, because you will have to act fast in order to get your piece.

English Cassoulet?

2011-10-12T09:45:00.002-04:00

How do you make a Cassoulet brand known in France? You get people's attention and provide a desire to buy a local French Product - La Belle Chaurienne. The brand recently launched a buzz marketing campaign by getting up close and personal to some French market goes in Castelnaudary, France.

In the video you are about to watch, you will see a hidden camera promotion where an English Actor goes to a local market and tries to sell English Cassoulet (a mint, Curry and marmalade mix), and tries to convince market goers that the English invented Cassoulet. Watch what happens!

What do you think? Would this video grab their target market - Digital Mom's and supermarket goers? They received 300,000 hits in the first week of the video being online in France. Will the momentum continue?

L.A. Solution produced the video along with Pinkanova.

Echo Unltd Graffitti Trucks

2011-10-11T12:38:00.000-04:00

American lifestyle company Echo Unltd launched a Canadian e-commerce site and to help promote the new site sent out a mobile graffitti campaign featuring the artists of the 123Klan. The two French street artists collaborated on the Echo's spring 2012 collection and were the obvious choice for the campaign.

To raise awareness for the the company the artists entered the Under Pressure Festival and spray painted an entire delivery truck over the course of two days. The entire weekend of painting was captured via video and drew a crowd.

The video captures the planning and creation of the two day campaign.

Union Square in Motion

2011-10-10T12:43:00.001-04:00

Happy Columbus Day!

Going to Union Square today? Check out Union Square in Motion, a continuation of Bryant Park in Motion that launched last year. It consists of nine sets of abstract images projected onto two "digital lenticular linear zoetropes." Yes, it's a mouthful, but essentially the project created an animated illusion for subway commuters walking by. The project was created by Parson students and alumni and New York City's Submedia LLC Advertising.

The overall aim of the project is to make the Union Square station stop a more enjoyable experience. And with 34,730,692 commuters going through Union Square last year, it is definitely a high traffic area. Stop by and let me know what you think.

[via PSFK]

The Growth of Social Media

2011-10-07T08:24:00.000-04:00

For those of you who haven't seen this yet, it's a great infographic on the growth of Social Media. The study by Search Engine Journal has found that half of all American adults are now on social networks. Out of that half, nearly two-thirds use social media sites like Facebook and Twitter.

Other neat facts:

1/4 Americans watch a video online every day
53% of employers research candidates on social networks.
43% of companies use blogs for marketing, 71% are on Facebook, and 59% are on Twitter.

The Growth of Social Media: An Infographic

Starting next Friday, BENG!Buzz will feature Viral Friday each week. To help start your weekend off with smiles, every Friday BENG! presents the best, most interesting, most popular and funniest viral videos available on the web. All videos are hand picked by our Amsterdam partners at La Comunidad - probably the best digital agency in Europe. Click here for this weeks top 5. Starting next week, our blog will actually feature the videos. See you then!

Remebering Steven Jobs

2011-10-06T09:59:00.004-04:00

Last night while watching TV with my husband, our comedy show was interrupted by a breaking news moment. Steven Jobs, inventor, innovator and idol to so many people had lost his battle to cancer. For the rest of the evening my husband I watched as every channel changed it's broadcasting to comment on Steve's passing. Such loving words, pictures and interviews were given and it became perfectly clear the impact that Steve has left on us. My best friend said it best on his Facebook status:

"...the gauntlet has been thrown down. In a short 35 years, a young 21 year old man took what was his vision and dream and changed the world for the better. Through his creations, he bridged divides relative to culture, race, gender and politics. The information and music that he help spread brought a world together and made billions realize that we're more alike than we are different. The "bar" has been set. What will you do in your lifetime? Thank you Mr. Jobs. Thank you."

When I heard the commencement speech Steve gave to the graduating class of 2005 at Standford, I was completely blown away. His honesty and brilliance set off a spark in me that helped me garner the courage to set and stay steady on the path to start up my own company. I will forever remember my favorite quote from his speech:

"Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart."

If you haven't already, take a moment and watch Steve's speech. Pay close attention to what he says, and honor him by following your heart.

Here is the speech transcript. Sometimes things are more powerful when written:

I am honored to be with you today at your commencement from one of the finest universities in the world. I never graduated from college. Truth be told, this is the closest I’ve ever gotten to a college graduation. Today I want to tell you three stories from my life. That’s it. No big deal. Just three stories.
The first story is about connecting the dots.
I dropped out of Reed College after the first 6 months, but then stayed around as a drop-in for another 18 months or so before I really quit. So why did I drop out?
It started before I was born. My biological mother was a young, unwed college graduate student, and she decided to put me up for adoption. She felt very strongly that I should be adopted by college graduates, so everything was all set for me to be adopted at birth by a lawyer and his wife. Except that when I popped out they decided at the last minute that they really wanted a girl. So my parents, who were on a waiting list, got a call in the middle of the night asking: “We have an unexpected baby boy; do you want him?” They said: “Of course.” My biological mother later found out that my mother had never graduated from college and that my father had never graduated from high school. She refused to sign the final adoption papers. She only relented a few months later when my parents promised that I would someday go to college.
And 17 years later I did go to college. But I naively chose a college that was almost as expensive as Stanford, and all of my working-class parents’ savings were being spent on my college tuition. After six months, I couldn’t see the value in it. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life and no idea how college was going to help me figure it out. And here I was spending all of the money my parents had saved their entire life. So I decided to drop out and trust that it would all work out OK. It was pretty scary at the time, but looking back it was one of the best decisions I ever made. The minute I dropped out I could stop taking the required classes that didn’t interest me, and begin dropping in on the ones that looked interesting.
It wasn’t all romantic. I didn’t have a dorm room, so I slept on the floor in friends’ rooms, I returned coke bottles for the 5¢ deposits to buy food with, and I would walk the 7 miles across town every Sunday night to get one good meal a week at the Hare Krishna temple. I loved it. And much of what I stumbled into by following my curiosity and intuition turned out to be priceless later on. Let me give you one example:
Reed College at that time offered perhaps the best calligraphy instruction in the country. Throughout the campus every poster, every label on every drawer, was beautifully hand calligraphed. Because I had dropped out and didn’t have to take the normal classes, I decided to take a calligraphy class to learn how to do this. I learned about serif and san serif typefaces, about varying the amount of space between different letter combinations, about what makes great typography great. It was beautiful, historical, artistically subtle in a way that science can’t capture, and I found it fascinating.
None of this had even a hope of any practical application in my life. But ten years later, when we were designing the first Macintosh computer, it all came back to me. And we designed it all into the Mac. It was the first computer with beautiful typography. If I had never dropped in on that single course in college, the Mac would have never had multiple typefaces or proportionally spaced fonts. And since Windows just copied the Mac, it’s likely that no personal computer would have them. If I had never dropped out, I would have never dropped in on this calligraphy class, and personal computers might not have the wonderful typography that they do. Of course it was impossible to connect the dots looking forward when I was in college. But it was very, very clear looking backwards ten years later.
Again, you can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.
My second story is about love and loss.
I was lucky — I found what I loved to do early in life. Woz and I started Apple in my parents garage when I was 20. We worked hard, and in 10 years Apple had grown from just the two of us in a garage into a $2 billion company with over 4000 employees. We had just released our finest creation — the Macintosh — a year earlier, and I had just turned 30. And then I got fired. How can you get fired from a company you started? Well, as Apple grew we hired someone who I thought was very talented to run the company with me, and for the first year or so things went well. But then our visions of the future began to diverge and eventually we had a falling out. When we did, our Board of Directors sided with him. So at 30 I was out. And very publicly out. What had been the focus of my entire adult life was gone, and it was devastating.
I really didn’t know what to do for a few months. I felt that I had let the previous generation of entrepreneurs down -- that I had dropped the baton as it was being passed to me. I met with David Packard and Bob Noyce and tried to apologize for screwing up so badly. I was a very public failure, and I even thought about running away from the valley. But something slowly began to dawn on me — I still loved what I did. The turn of events at Apple had not changed that one bit. I had been rejected, but I was still in love. And so I decided to start over.
I didn’t see it then, but it turned out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life.
During the next five years, I started a company named NeXT, another company named Pixar, and fell in love with an amazing woman who would become my wife. Pixar went on to create the worlds first computer animated feature film, Toy Story, and is now the most successful animation studio in the world. In a remarkable turn of events, Apple bought NeXT, I returned to Apple, and the technology we developed at NeXT is at the heart of Apple’s current renaissance. And Laurene and I have a wonderful family together.
I’m pretty sure none of this would have happened if I hadn’t been fired from Apple. It was awful tasting medicine, but I guess the patient needed it. Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don’t lose faith. I’m convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You’ve got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don’t settle.
My third story is about death.
When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: “If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you’ll most certainly be right.” It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: “If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?” And whenever the answer has been “No” for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.
Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure -- these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.
About a year ago I was diagnosed with cancer. I had a scan at 7:30 in the morning, and it clearly showed a tumor on my pancreas. I didn’t even know what a pancreas was. The doctors told me this was almost certainly a type of cancer that is incurable, and that I should expect to live no longer than three to six months. My doctor advised me to go home and get my affairs in order, which is doctor’s code for prepare to die. It means to try to tell your kids everything you thought you’d have the next 10 years to tell them in just a few months. It means to make sure everything is buttoned up so that it will be as easy as possible for your family. It means to say your goodbyes.
I lived with that diagnosis all day. Later that evening I had a biopsy, where they stuck an endoscope down my throat, through my stomach and into my intestines, put a needle into my pancreas and got a few cells from the tumor. I was sedated, but my wife, who was there, told me that when they viewed the cells under a microscope the doctors started crying because it turned out to be a very rare form of pancreatic cancer that is curable with surgery. I had the surgery and I’m fine now.
This was the closest I’ve been to facing death, and I hope it’s the closest I get for a few more decades. Having lived through it, I can now say this to you with a bit more certainty than when death was a useful but purely intellectual concept:
No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don’t want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life’s change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true.
Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.
When I was young, there was an amazing publication called The Whole Earth Catalog, which was one of the bibles of my generation. It was created by a fellow named Stewart Brand not far from here in Menlo Park, and he brought it to life with his poetic touch. This was in the late 1960′s, before personal computers and desktop publishing, so it was all made with typewriters, scissors, and polaroid cameras. It was sort of like Google in paperback form, 35 years before Google came along: it was idealistic, and overflowing with neat tools and great notions.
Stewart and his team put out several issues of The Whole Earth Catalog, and then when it had run its course, they put out a final issue. It was the mid-1970s, and I was your age. On the back cover of their final issue was a photograph of an early morning country road, the kind you might find yourself hitchhiking on if you were so adventurous. Beneath it were the words: “Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.” It was their farewell message as they signed off. Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish. And I have always wished that for myself. And now, as you graduate to begin anew, I wish that for you.
Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.
Thank you all very much.

[picture from apple.com]

Crochet Marketing

2011-10-05T08:48:00.000-04:00

The Alamo, or the Cube statue at Astor Place in NYC has a new look this week. Thanks to Olek, a brooklyn based artist, provided a crocheted cover for the cube. The artist has also been known for crocheting the Wall Street Bull as a Christmas Gift and tribute to the bull creator. Olek also crocheted a bike last year for ABC No Rio's art space in the Lower East Side.

I personally love the work. It's a stop you in your tracks technique with a soft and artsy feel. I am hoping to make it over to Astor Place to see this before someone takes it down. Olek's crochet bull design was taken down by police within 2 hours of it being noticed!

There Would Be No Facebook without the Dutch

2011-10-03T09:51:00.000-04:00

This viral video is awesome. It is a personal "seamail" invitation to Mark Zuckerberg to come and visit the newly renovated Dutch National Maritime Museum and friend it's brand new Facebook page. Not only is it loaded with fun facts, it is animated and hilarious.

If you like this video and want to keep up with similar viral videos on the web, check in with BENG! every Friday for our Viral Friday postings. We present the best, most interesting, most popular and/or funniest viral videos available on the web. All are hand picked by our Amsterdam friends at La Comunidad, probably the best digital agency in Europe. So either subscribe to us, or better yet check in once in a while to get a good dose of Viral!

Activate Pedal Power

2011-09-06T19:34:00.000-04:00

Based at the Los Angeles shopping center, The Grove, beverage brand Activate installed their latest vending machine - a pedal powered dispenser. The brand rewards consumers with free drinks for the time they spend pedaling on the attached bicycle. Part of the brand's new promotion, each participant receives a free bottle of Activate for every 30 seconds spent pedaling. The company also partnered with Nourish America to donate the retail value of all the drinks handed out to support malnourished pregnant women.

Earning your rewards is always fun. Beautiful weather, crowds of people egging you on, and just 30 seconds of your time can get you interested in a new brand....or get you a free bottle of one of your favored brands.

[via Springwise]

NightBus...Is it time to go home?

2011-09-05T10:49:00.001-04:00

Happy Labor Day folks! Hope you are out and enjoying your day with friends and family.

The Danish video below is very well done...scroll your mouse over the video as it is playing to see the more realistic and drunken version of the night's events.

It may take a little while to load, but it is worth it!

See video here: www.byturen.com

The Real Cost of Social Media

2011-08-31T10:29:00.000-04:00

Social Media is not free! People mistake the actual cost of Social Media. Most of the tools used in creating social media are free, but there are some real costs associated with them. Thankfully, if done right, your social media campaign will deliver more than it's cost. Thank you to Focus, a US based consulting group for their recent study on the real costs of Social Media campaigns.

So what does the study say?

Campaign Costs

Every campaign is started for a reason. Each Social Media campaign has an end result it is tring to achieve. Whether it is increased brand awareness and visibilty, acquiring a new target audience, or simply introducing a new product or service. Sometimes the end result is difficult to quantifu, but there are definitely goals that need to be achieved. Based on the end result you are looking to achieve you create a campaign by using the tools you feel are the best fit. According to the Focus study, you have to keep in mind the following 'costs' when creating your campaigns:

Employee Input: The number of hours you have someone working on the campaign.

Advertising Costs: Simply opening a Twitter or Facebook account isn't enough. you will need an advertising campaign to help guide Likes and Followers.

External Fees: Are you going to do it all yourself, or are you going to hire an outside party to help you.

Extras: Think about the time it takes to monitor your social media campaign, creating items to post and this can get expensive.

In the infographic below you can see what the real cost of a social media campaign could be for 1 year. It may seem like a lot but when you look at all the components, it is pretty realistic...and definitely cheaper than an actual Ad Campaign.

The Advantages of Social Media

This next section was based on an online study of American Marketers. Below you can see the advantages they see of producing Social Media campaigns:

Customer Engagement: 85.4%

Direct Customer Communications: 65%

Speed of Feedback: 59.9%

Learning Customer Preferences: 59.1%

Low Cost: 51.1%

Brand Building: 48.2%

Market Research: 42.3%

Cedibility of the "Crowd": 40.1%

Reach: 37.2%

Great Lead Generation: 21.2%

Customer Service: 17.5%

The Real Results

Although many of us probably knew this already, Facebook Fans are worth money! Based on the Focus study results, Facebook fans spend significantly more on brands than non-fans. Definitely a no-brainer....right!

ROI from Twitter

Calculating the monthly investment, monthly return, cost per follower and the value of the follower, FOcus was able to provide an estimate on the ROI of using Twitter for your brand. At 43% percent...its not bad...but it is just an estimate.

If you check the bottom of the full infographic you will see two case studys that help prove the study's point. I especially like the Old Spice example. You can definitely see the value of supplementing an ad campaign with a Social Media marketing campaign.

What do you think about the findings of this study? How much time are you spending on your Social Media campaign...and are you using it as a supplement to some great ad and marketing campaigns? At BENG! New York and Amsterdam we believe in the power of Social Media as an additional tool to help you achieve overal ROI. It definitely needs to supplementing a program. As Brand Marketers, we make sure to include a Social aspect in all of our projects. Whether it's a Guerrilla Marketing Campaign, An Incentive event for 300 employees, An Internal Branding Change or a Product Launch. It is important to not consider Social Media in a vacuum, and to make sure you understand the real cost of spending time and energy Tweeting, and creating content.

[via Focus and PowerPR]

Stillspotting NYC

2011-08-30T14:40:00.000-04:00

The Guggenheim museum has begun a new exhibition program called Stillspotting NYC. The project is described as:

Stillspotting nyc, a two-year multidisciplinary project that takes the museum’s Architecture and Urban Studies programming out into the streets of the city’s five boroughs: Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens, and Staten Island. Every three to five months, “stillspots” are identified, created, or transformed by architects, artists, designers, composers, and philosophers into public tours, events, or installations.

Improv Everywhere has collabortated on two project pieces so far: Mute Button and Say Something Nice. Both are great pieces that weave seamlessly into everyday NYC life.

Mute Button

Street Muscian

The first Improv Everywhere collaboration included 23 actors and 2 dogs. The group infiltrated a public space - the entrance to Prospect Park in Brooklyn, NYC. The group was given instructions to act out their vignettes in 30 second intervals of sound. The mute button, signaled by the group leader would signal when to make noise and when to remain mute. The general public clued in pretty quickly, but it made them stop, watch, think and interact.

A couple arguing - all part of the piece

Check out the video below:

Say Something Nice

Improv Everywhere constructed a wooden podium with a megaphone attached. The pdoieum sported a sign that read "Say Something Nice." The podium was set up and left alone in severalpublic spaces through the city to see what would happen and whether NYers would really say something nice.

People trying to figure the podium out.

Check out the video to see what happened!

Clearly, when you give mean grumpy 'ol NYers a way to out positivity and love...they do!

Absolut Blank Art Series

2011-08-25T10:34:00.000-04:00

Absolut Vodka has introduced Absolut Blank, a global creative movement. The project is comprised of 18 artist collaborations, films, print and outdoor ads, events and a digital art piece that evolves on your smartphone.

Mark Hamilton, Global Marketing Directory at The Absolut Company, describes the project:

“In ABSOLUT BLANK, ABSOLUT has boldly made its iconic bottle into a blank canvas to inspire artists throughout the world to collaborate and fill it with creativity. We brought together artist collaborators from a variety of disciplines and watched the journey from pure white canvas to exceptional pieces of art. The result depicts how artists and creativity are inspired through ABSOLUT.”

The results so far are beautiful.

Absolut Blank from Protein® on Vimeo.

Fiat's Drive-In Cinema in Times Square

2011-08-24T08:04:00.000-04:00

Absolutely love this Fiat campaign in Times Square. It shares some similarities with a project our Strategy Director, Rob Captijn, did for Twix (Mars Company) in Holland.

To help increase awareness for the 2012 Fiat 500, a remake of the original released in 1957, the company brought a fleet of cars to Times Square and used the FOX screen on the north side of One Times Square to create a drive-in movie experience. The experience spanned a weekend earlier this month. Pedestrians could check out the 36 parked cars, watch a movie on the FOX screen (including Ever After, Romeo & Juliet, The League of Extraordinary Gentleman), play boccie ball or grab some free food and drink.

As per Laura Soave, head of Fiat North America:

"The Fiat brand is uniquely Italian, and this event isn't just about a product - it's about a lifestyle. Italians take the time to enjoy things, so we have boccie, we have free espresso and gelato, and people can sit inside the Fiat 500. For us it's about providing an experience for them to talk about and tell their friends about."

The event coincided with the launch of the Simply More by Fiat ad campaign on August 1st. The content of the event was carefully selected, and reflected the blending of iconic ideas native to both America and Italy. Ideas such as a drive-in theater, an alfresco cafe with chairs and umbrellas, Lavazza coffee, tiramisu, limoncello, Harry and David chocolate, and gelato. A stage was set up for Bands and DJs to perform in between movies. And all the movies were chosen because they were remakes of an original.

The Drive-In event is hitting the road now and will be setting up in Chicago, Miami and Los Angeles. Check out the Fiat website for dates.

[via BizBash]

Augmented Reality App Shows Road Accidents in Moscow

2011-08-23T11:12:00.000-04:00

In Russia, the Moscow Ministry of Internal Affairs has launched a new campaign to help promote road safety. To help combat the rise in serious car related accidents and injuries the Ministry wanted an interactive way to engage and inform the public. Using geolocational technology, the Ministry has designed an AR app to allow people to see car-related accidents (and in some cases deaths) in their area. From the app, viewers can see the accident in more detail with photos, video and information. The idea is to make sure that accidents don't go unnoticed. Once people are aware of how accidents can happen and how deadly they can be, they will be more cautious on the road.

Simply Zesty helped designed the app and has launched a promotion to encourage it's use. They have placed chalk-like outlines of bodies on roads through out Moscow. The heads of the chalk outlines are QR codes. For those who don't have smartphones, Simply Zesty designed a main website that provides the same service.

The video below explains the campaign and the app:

I would like to see stats for how successful this project is in Moscow. I am not sure this is an app that people will want to download. Do people really care about car accidents enough to spend time seeking them out using an AR app? Campaigns of this nature - with such grusome promotions - are supposed to be in your face campaigns. This particular campaign allows people to opt-in to the PSA message, and I don't think many will. They may garner some curiosity from the chalk bodies on the streets, but people may not take it serious once they have downloaded the app.

Would love to hear your thoughts on this project!

[via PSFK]

It's A Small World in NYC

2011-08-22T12:45:00.000-04:00

Something new has landed in the middle of the pedestrian plaza at Times Square. In between all the bright billboards, hoards of tourists and tall buildings you will find 3 Meeting Bowls. They are part of a new urban furniture exhibit. The Meeting Bowls resemble the tea cup rides in Disneyland, are large circular capsules that seat up to 8 people. They are made out of CNC cut fiber board; and each of the bowls rock gently, giving people sitting in them a floating sensation. The project is the work of Madrid based mmmm and the Times Square Alliance. As PSFK reports, the project is an experiment to facilitate spontaneous interactions and dialogue.

People visiting are encouraged to scan the QR codes before taking a seat. You can record your dialogue on your smartphone and share the audio on the project website. As you can tell from the pictures, the bowls are hot items in the crowded square. I am positive you will meet some interesting people if you hang out in one of them all day. I am just not so sure I want to spend time sitting in one of the busiest plazas in NYC!

The bowls will be out in Times Square until September 16.

Have You Met Gojee?

2011-08-19T08:42:00.000-04:00

It's no secret - we at BENG! love food. Don't we all?! We were pleased to find www.gojee.com and have been using it as much as we can. I personally started with their Parisian Chicken recipe...and it was a hit at home.

The beautiful photography draws you into the dish. You click and are led directly to an easy to use, printable, recipe. Thank you Gojee for not only making my life a little easier...but for being such an inspiring site. I will continue to visit daily and spread the word!

The Importance of Brand Discussions on Social Media

2011-08-18T15:14:00.000-04:00

Thank you to S-Net, The Impact of Social Media from ROI Research sponsored by Performics for their most recent study on the Importance of Brand Discussions on Social Media. A big thank you to MediaPost Publications for posting it!

Here are some of the findings we find important:

* 52% of respondents strongly or somewhat agree that voicing opinions on social networking sites can influence business decisions of companies/brands.

* 31% of overall respondents purchase more from companies/brands that they like/follow than from brands/companies they do not. And, educational institutions, sports and entertainment top the list of most discussed categories on social networking sites.

* 52% of respondents strongly or somewhat agree that voicing opinions on social networking sites can influence business decisions of companies/brands.

* The reasons for discussing products, brands and companies on social networks are: to express satisfaction with a purchase, to compare prices, to give advice.

* Availability of coupons seems to be the main desired brand interaction by liking or following a company or brand. Followed by Notifications of sales or deals, and information about contests and sweepstakes.

Based on the study results, the report suggests the best practices to make the most of social networks are:

* Understand customer desire for brand interaction.
* Create and adapt strategies to cater participation to expectations and desires.
* Allocate resouces to the most relevant and appropriate social networks.
*Regularly monitor and measure social network activity.

Jell-O's Pudding Face Mood Reader

2011-08-17T11:56:00.000-04:00

Jell-O has produced a mood meter that tracks tweets for the "most accurate gauge of America's mood ever." The company monitors Twitter, constantly searching for happy and sad face emoticons tallying each one they find. Jell-O uses the results to measure the mood of the nation. If the mood dips, the company starts dispensing free pudding through Twitter.

To complement the promotion, Jell-O also created a mood reading billboard that produces physical reading of the Twitter count. The mans face changes depending on the percentages of happy and sad faces shown.

Here is the ad the promotion is based on. Not sure how I feel about this promotion. The super creepy pudding face look isn't one that I dying to get. However, I do love the chocolate puddings! What about you guys? Would this make you buy more Jell-O puddings?

Launch of Tagwhat

2011-08-16T11:18:00.000-04:00

Welcome Tagwhat to the Augmented Reality scene! The app gives you a look back into teh past by revealing the stories associated with different geographical places. The Great Stories at Places app let's users experience hidden stories everywhere they go. The company is built up of a team of media journalists and filmmakers who have gathered thousands of originally curated stories. The information is told through words, images, video or audio. Tagwhat partnered with Associated Press, The National Trust for Historic Preservation and the Virigina Beach Public Libaray system to make sure they have accurate information.

So, how does it work? Let's say the user is walking through an area in their favorite part of town, and they want to enhance their experience. The user can open Tagwhat on their iPhone or Android phone and stories that describe the places around the user appear. The stories are organized into channels focusing on topics like music, food, nature and art. If the user were to open their phone's camera, they will see pop-ups of real-life locations and the information changes when you move your camera over another image location.

Check out the video below for more info. The company says the database of stories are being updated daily. Can't wait to start using this!

[thanks to PSFK and Springwise for posting]

Surprise! Catwalk

2011-08-15T12:08:00.000-04:00

I love this promotion by Fretex, a second hand clothing chain operated by the Salvation Army. During Oslo Fashion week, the company orchestrated a surprise catwalk using pedestrians walking through a subway passage. A catwalk was installed over a central subway exit next to the Oslo City Fahion Mall. Pedestrians walked through the exit and found themselves walking along a specially built runway with a carpet and an expert panel of fashion stylists, models and journalists seated and watching them. A DJ orchestrated the "right" music for each walk down the runway. Check out the video below. Some people really got into the promotion and totally went with it! A great way to make your customers (whether new or old) feel special!

The surprise runway raised awareness for the Fretex brand, and increased the company's Facebook Page fans. The campaign won a Silver Outdoor Lion at Cannes International Festival of Creativity.

Half for Happiness Project

2011-08-11T10:28:00.000-04:00

Casa do Zezinho is a Brazilian based NGO that focuses on low-income areas providing housing, food and help to those in need. To help raise awareness for it's cause and gain some financial support, the NGO sought out a partnership with two Brazilian supermarket chains. Customers in the supermarkets were given the opportunity to buy half of their fresh good products instead of the full product and share their food with those in need. Each product was wrapped and branded with the NGO's logo. The premise was to have customers pay full price for half of the fresh products, and 50% of each purchase would go directly to Casa do Zezinho. Although the products were branded and information was provided on the packaging, the products were displayed without any other communication. A quiet and authentic way to get people to donate to a great cause. No unnecessary use of banners and promotions or guilt ridden requests. Just a simple choice when skimming the produce aisle.

The results were great! Consumers were impressed by the subtle and unusual approach to donation, remarking that they learned about how a small donation can go a long way. With the success of the campaign visible, a third supermarket signed up for partnership. Donations to the Casa fo Zezinho went up by 28% compared to the previous year. And the campaign won a Silver Outdoor Lion at the 2011 Cannes International Festival of Creativity.

[via The Inspiration Room]

Project was created by AlmaBBDO.

Magnum Temptation

2011-08-10T12:25:00.000-04:00

Happy hump day! To help you get through today - an not wishing that you are outside sipping rose on a terrace in St. Tropez....check out these beautiful, colorful and explosive photographs from Magnum Ice-Cream's latest ad campaign. The company recently launched in the USA, after being a huge success in the European market for years. Glad to see they are finally making it across the pond!

The project was done by Lola in Madrid Spain, and Diver & Aguilar, an agency known for their spectacular photography. Magnum recently developed a way to include liquid filled chocolates into their ice creams. As per D&A:

Working with Detonators, Small explosives, High Speed trigger and Flash Photography at speeds of up to 1/2000 of a second. The calculations can be fed into the computer to predict the exact moment and therefore depth of the explosion or effect they wish to generate.
The results, unique infinite permutations from a world of chaos that paradoxically could only be created through very precise and technical calculations.

Each photo represents a different Magnum temptation: Brownie, Fruit, Hazelnut, Chocolate, and Orange with Bonbons. For a closer look, check out D&A's Behance Network. They usedNot sure about you....but I'm tempted!

Trash Can Games

2011-08-09T09:40:00.000-04:00

Dealing with a city littering problem, the Swiss city Lucerne, has created a few street sticker games to help encourage citizens to through their garbage in the trash can instead of the ground.

Originally launched in 2009, the Lucerne Shines project aimed to educate Lucerne residents on sanitation and put a halt to littering. Each trash can resembles a gaming station - hopscotch, hoops shoot and a maze are some of the featured games. Not sure whether this would work here in the states. I think the games would need to be more interactive or digital to entice people to actually put their trash in the garbage. What do you think?

[via PSFK]

Lego: Windows into Another World

2011-08-05T08:57:00.000-04:00

Lego launched a new ad campaign in Singapore in March. The outdoor ads, when viewed from the front, showed Lego murals that blended in with the background of the city and added a great illustrative imagination to the scene. The three ad spaces shown below were designed by Ogilvy and they are named: Whale, Monster and Caterpillar. All three used a total of 97,000 1 x 1 Lego plates.

Caterpillar

Whale


Monster

[via Inspiration Room]

Guggenheim BMW Pop-Up Lab - Opens Today!

2011-08-03T09:36:00.000-04:00

Today, August 3, 2011, marks the opening of the Guggenheim BMW pop-up lab located in Manhattan's East Village. The overall goal of the new space, is to engage New Yorkers in discussions about urban living. The pop-up lab is nestled between two residential buildings and will be housed their until the second week of October.

New York is the first stop on a worldwide tour that will eventually include Berlin and Mumbai. Over time there will be three labs that will travel the globe simultaneously. Each will have it's own structure, be designed by a different architect and hold it's own theme pertaining to urban living. The three labs will end up traveling the globe for six years, with city curators being the main target audience in each city, along with leaders in the fields of architecture, art, design, technology, education and science. The labs will host workshops, games, performances and film screenings. All of which will be free.

As per Mr. van der Leer, the founding curator of the labs, "We wanted the Guggenheim Labs to be in the middle of an urban environment where people live, work and hang out." The New York lab theme is Confronting Comfort. Over 100 events are slated for the NY lab all centering on the theme.

Be sure to check out the lab before it closes on October 16, 2011. It is located in First Park at Houston Street and 2nd Avenue. Bow-Wow, the architectural atelier that helped build the space, have to be commended for their reinterpretation of an empty lot. Although they left the graffiti walls, they were able to transform the T-shaped space into a usable and enticing hang out spot. Even if eco-urban living isn't your thing, at least go and check out the garden cafe!

[via Trendland, The New York Times]

Domino's Pizza Raises The Bar

2011-08-02T09:54:00.000-04:00

Authenticity and accountability. That is what we look for from brands. We want to be able to trust companies, and our votes are counted in $$ at the end of every day. Domino's Pizza has started a new campaign to help transparency in their company and hold every Pizza make accountable...while creating a trusting consumer base.

In NYC, Domino's has started a campaign - The Tracker - that allows customers to track their pizzas from the moment they are ordered by phone. Online, the customer can see who is prepping the pizza, and where it is in the store. Once they receive the pizza, they can post messages about the quality of the pizza and provide a rating from 1to 5. Since the customer knows who built and made their pizzas, all of the messages have a personal nature, using Domino's Pizza employees as the recipients.

From July 25, all of the messages (whether good or bad) will be published on a new digital billboard in Times Square, NYC. Everything will be broadcast on the screen. The board will be up until August 23rd.

I find this an incredibly brave idea that uses social media to help bring transparency and authenticity to the customer. Let's see what happens and how many 5 star ratings the company receives!

Check out the video to find out more: