Gen Wow

'Special K' Plays Party Pooper With New Year's 'Wake Up Call' Campaign

Leave it to Special K to put the kabosh on our holiday partying.

AD AGE is reporting that Kellogg's is launching a campaign in which even as the ball drops on Time's Square, digital billboards will be reminding revelers that it's time for all those resolutions to kick in.

Great. First Christmas sales the day after Halloween. Now diets have to kick in before we get our fill of gluttony?

Alas, the campaign kicks off on the Nasdaq and Reuters billboards before midnight on New Year's Eve - and will run through January, in sync with the time most people give up on their resolutions.

Online banner ads will ask consumers to share their "wake-up call moments" and drive traffic to specialk.com and the brand's Yahoo page. Other banners will ask consumers a few questions about their holiday indulgences and then react with a humorous wake-up call. There's even a pressure-filled mobile component, as well as the requisite TV campaign.

"With Special K's focus as a weight-management brand, we always had a marketing presence during resolution season," Kellogg spokeswoman Kris Charles, tells the pub.

Well, okay. But my resolution is to not have a resolution at all. 

How's that for a wake-up call?

Read more, here.

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Frank Miller's "The Spirit" Gets Personalizeable Video Promo

You can look like a ghost. Or Samuel L. Jackson. Or Eva Mendes.

Or rather, you can replace them, in stills and video clips from Frank Miller's "The Spirit," which opens Christmas day.

The promo, at MyCityScreams.com, even includes a mobile app that enables you to do the same thing by uploading your image using your iPhone's camera and then shaking your phone to replace one of the stars, thanks to a new iPhone app.

These are really fun promotions, and sure to be a hit with the movie's mostly young, mostly fanboy audience. 

Read more about the effort, here.

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SodaHead.com Asks Provocative Questions; Gets Higher Than Average Ad Click Through Rates

If it's a topic you're not supposed to raise with friends and family - religion, politics, sex - it's Topic A at SodaHead.com. 

SodaHead.com is an online social networking site where users get to participate in opinion surveys that stretch the notion of polite conversation. But where it really stands out is its ad strategy. According to today's Wall Street Journal, the site creates ads based on its most provocative survey questions - "Does God love gays," "Did Obama Buy The Election," "Is White Guilt Over" - and places them on sites like Huffington Post and Daily Kos.

Now, most ad banners get a one-half of one-percent response rate. SodaHead.com gets 10 times that. 

Some complain the ads are push polling provocative, and coincidentally, right-of-center-leaning questions. Founder Michael Glazer says the site is non-partisan.

"We know we are doing it right when we have the left-wingers saying that we are run by a bunch of right-wing conservatives, and the right-wing conservatives saying we are run by liberal people," Mr. Glazer tells the Journal.

Either way, the more provocative the question, the higher the response rate.

Small wonder a bevy of advertisers like NewsMax are running poll-oriented ads themselves. 

Of course, most CPG brands can't exactly turn to provocative religious or political questions. But certainly many could look to sex as a possible starting point. 

I'm just saying.

Read the wsj piece about SodaHead, here. (sub. req.). And open up your own can of SodaHead, here.

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The Uniqlo Christmas Grid

Japanese clothing brand Uiqlo is back with its Christmas grid - which is as perplexing and wonderful as your typical Uniqlo digital initiative.

You remember the Uniqlock.

Well, the Christmas Grid enables folks to modify the Uniqlo logo, twist it, divide it, combine it and mix it around - all of which is then displayed with actions from others around the world into a quaintly mesmerizing display. 116,345 people from 118 countries have updated the grid over 65 million times so far.

Now, at least the Uniclock reinforces the brand and its products, while this is just a pleasant branding moment - a nicety in a tough economy. But hey, it's Christmas.

Try it yourself - or even just watch - here.

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ESPN.Com To Revamp; Goes For Leaner Look To Snare More Ad Dollars

ESPN is going for a leaner, more athletic look.

Reuters is reporting that the Disney owned network has revamped it site in an effort to "boost ad sales by hooking more casual sorts fans for longer stays."

The newly-redesigned site, which was at beta.espn.com, but appears to have been taken down, will feature a larger screen, more advanced video player and better search capability, and will replace the old site on January 5.

The idea: Attract visitors who were overwhelmed by the old site's dense, hard to navigate content - and hope advertisers would follow.

Sounds like a good move. ESPN seems to be a master of every platform, from cable TV to radio to print to web. But most people gravitate to it for video, and a larger video and more hierarchy to the visual experience will help a site that, to be honest, is a little overwhelming, even for many avid sports fans.

You can see some of the early previews of the site, here.

We'll see it ESPN scores on January 5.

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A Charlie Brown Ad Agency

Sorry. Been out sick for a few days. Saw this today via Adfreak. Cracked me up. Seeing how it's uncredited, it'll be funny to see how many agencies step forward to claim it.

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'PlayStation Home' Virtual World Launches In Beta; Red Bull, Diesel, Paramount Pictures Take Up Residence

Sony's betting PlayStation owners can find a "second life" within their own virtual world. 

MTV is reporting that "PlayStation Home" has launched - providing a new platform for gamers to interact and compete - and a new platform for marketers to sell their wares.

Think PS3 games where certain points or ranks could unlock rewards in-world. According to Adverblog, Red Bull, Diesel and Paramount Pictures have already taken up residence, with their own game-related islands. Red Bull's island, for instance, features an "Air Racer" game.

My impression is this virtual world has a few things going for it that Second Life never had. One, it's a true community of interest, as this world's all about gaming - though as PlayStation and other platforms add functionality like BluRay, and as Sony is a major film and music producer, that could evolve to digital entertainment in general. The other thing is that Home is working what they call "instances" - the places you can visit in-world, so that there aren't too many or too few residents at any one time.

Could be cool.

I can't wait to see what kind of world Wii will get.

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Target's 'Snow Globe' App: More Deals Than You Can Shake Your iPhone At

Nice branded app from Target: This free iPhone app looks like a snow globe.

When you shake it, it gives you gift ideas. You can find a Target store near you, or purchase the gift at target.com. And you can check off your gift list as you make purchases.

Completely on target.

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U.S. Army Begins Recruiting In Second Life

Uncle Sam wants you - in Second Life.

The U.S. Army has announced it will begin hosting two islands within Second Life devoted to recruitment. 

The Army Second Life Island will serve as a kind of information hub for potential recruitment candidates, family members and other influencers, and for those simply wanting to know more about life as a soldier in a relaxed and obligation-free environment. Army recruiters will also be available to answer questions about career opportunities in the Army.

Visitors enter through a Welcome Center, are greeted by an Army avatar, and can attend classes and have their avatars perform physical tasks including skydiving and flying an Apache helicopter.

In recent years, the U.S. Army has engaged in promotional efforts within console and mobile-based video games.

Initially launched as a six-month trial this Second Life initiative marks the first time the Army is using the virtual landscape to perform outreach activities. The Army Second Life Island will be open to the public.

"Over the next 30 to 45 days you might, if you’re one of them Second Life avatar dudes, that likes to go populate islands within Second Life, you will find an Army island in Second Life," Gen. William S. Wallace, the commander of the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC), said during a presentation at the 26th Army Science Conference, according to reports in Wired. He adds: "There's about 4 million young people that routinely interface in Second Life. [That's] the age group of the young people who we're trying to encourage to join the military."

It's possible the Army may get more than it bargained for, however.

Second Life has been the scene for many protests. Riots broke out in the 3D online virtual world after Front National, reportedly a far-right, anti-immigrant group from France, opened its own virtual outpost in SL.

Seems the residents of SL were none too happy. Riots broke out, complete with, as one observer put it, “mini-guns, cursing Frenchmen and exploding pigs.”

Time will tell if SL offers a friendlier environment to America's finest.

Read more, here.

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'Marley' Facebook Widget Is A Gift Idea Retriever

Marley wants to fetch you some gift ideas.

Fox's "Marley & Me" hits theaters on Christmas day, but a new web app could help ensure your loved ones have plenty of presents to unwrap while you hit the cineplex.

"Fetch," by Moxie Interactive, is a widget for Facebook and MySpace that retrieves gift ideas for friends and family based on key words on their profile pages.

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True North Snacks Wants You To Share Your Story For Chance To Win A Commercial During Oscars

True North wants you to share your true north for the chance to win $25,000 and the chance to see your story told in a commercial directed by Helen Hunt and aired during the Academy Awards.

What are they, nuts? Well, yes. The not snack brand has set up a site called TrueNorthSnacks com, where consumers can share their story about what they're passionate about, and how it inspires, empowers or just makes the world a more interesting place to live.

I've always been a little passionate about Helen Hunt. 

But that'd just be sucking up, right? 

Kudos to True North for positioning itself as more than just your average nut.

Share your passion, here.

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Revamped 'Star Trek' Site Launched; Facebook, MySpace Marketing Campaigns On Red Alert

Is MySpace the final frontier?

The new J.J. Abrams ("Lost," "Mission Impossible III") update to the Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock era "Star Trek" ("Star Trek Begins"?) doesn't hit theaters until next summer (it was pushed back from this month because Paramount thinks it's got a summer blockbuster on its hands).

But the marketing efforts are hitting warp factor one.

The revised official site has all the trailers everyone's buzzing about, including downloads for the iPhone and iPod. There are the requisite wallpapers and IM icons.

But what's new and noteworthy is a new web masters program where Trek obsessed can get behind-the-scenes information before anyone else - a seeming nod to the Treker bloggerati, and new fan and friend pages for Facebookers and MySpace Cadets where true believers can meet up, make friends and get their gossip on.

"Trek" has certainly lived long. These new efforts will help ensure it prospers in the year ahead.

Check it all out, here.

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Burger King Follows Up 'Whopper Freakout' With 'Whopper Virgins'

Burger King's out to colonize the world for laughs.

Agency Crispin Porter+Bogusky is following up its hugely successful "Whopper Freakout" integrated campaign cum documentary film with "Whopper Virgins," a new effort that brings Whoppers to remote regions of the world to get reactions from the locals - in their native garb - when they first taste a Whopper sandwich. 

"From a remote hill village in Thailand, a rural farming community in Romania and the icy tundra of Greenland," the mocumentary took "13 planes, two dog sleds and a helicopter" to produce, and promises to get a real opinion on Burger King "from people who don't even have a word for 'Burger.'"

The logistics alone might win BK a Pentagon contract.

Which is great for Burger King's mostly young, mostly male, mostly U.S. clientele.

Not so great for international relations.

The fun begins 13 hours from this posting, here.

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Cyber Monday Off To A Good Start? Black Friday Not So Bad After All

Well maybe e-commerce isn't in for quite the crash landing we were all talking about last week.

It seems Black Friday wasn't so bleak: Today's New York Times is reporting that sales were up 3% according to ShopperTrack. And the National Retail Federation says that sales Friday through Sunday show that shoppers spent an average $372.57 - an increase of 7.2% compared to last year.

Now it's time for Cyber Monday.

We'll find out how e-commerce fared in just a few hours. But according to Marketwatch, cyber sales on Friday edged up 1%. On Thanksgiving, they surged 6%.

"Early reports suggest that Black Friday sales in retail stores were slightly better than anticipated in this depressed retail climate, and that performance apparently extended to the online channel, which saw sales on Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday combined increase 2% versus year ago," ComScore Chairman Gian Fulgoni tells MarkeWatch.

I'd tell you more, but...I need to go online shopping.

Read more, here and here.

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