GEN WOW: The Latest In Digital Marketing, from the Author of BRANDING UNBOUND, and THE ON-DEMAND BRAND

Coke Finds Sweet Sound of Success With Fan-Created Facebook Page, New 'Open Happiness' User-Gen Contest

Don't you just love those old Coke ads where you hear the bottle pop open, ice dropping into a glass, followed by the sound of Coca-Cola pouring in, just waiting to quench your thirst?

Coke's going all SFX on us with a new user gen contest in which Facebook fans are invited to create the sounds for a new commercial.

It's called "Open Happiness," and this particular contest is a kind of global casting call on the popular social networking site, hosted by a Coke Facebook page that wasn't even of the brand's own creation.

Instead, the site was created by two seriously Coke-obsessed fans, Michael Jedrzejewski and Dusty Sorg. Wisely, instead of taking over the page - as Facebook's policies allow the brand to do - Coke has decided to work with Dusty and Michael, providing unique content and opportunities that have attracted 3.7 million Facebook fans on six continents. 

To offer fans pointers on producing their own "Sounds of Coca-Cola" submission, Michael & Dusty have even put together a video to reveal their impressions of what it's like to enjoy the world's most refreshing beverage.

This is a good example of a brand gaining some control by giving it away - a notion I explore in my new book, THE ON-DEMAND BRAND (Spring 2010). It's a case study on letting users drive social media experiences in just the right way.

Check out the contest, here.

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Survey: Most Americans Oppose Targeted Online Ads

It seems we're not that into a personally relevant advertising after all - at least if it comes at the expense of privacy.

According to findings from a new survey from the University of Pennsylvania and UC Berkley, finds two-thirds of Americans object to online tracking by advertisers - and the number skyrockets when they're told just how advertisers do it. And 92% say web sites and advertising companies should be required to delete all information about an individual on request.

Interestingly, the questions get different responses depending on what you ask. Do you want to be shown ads tailed to your interests? 67% say no. But discounts tailed to your interest? The majority of 18- to 49-year-olds say yes. Given that a lot of ads are designed to tout special offers and discounts, the data gets a little murky.

Still: the ability to track and target ads at users based on their age, gender, geographic location, profession, personal interests, online surfing activities, past purchase behavior, credit score and even prescription drug history is enough to given anyone the willies.

In my new book, THE ON-DEMAND BRAND, I look at the issue, and how most companies actually use tracking info to build profiles of users, instead of actually targeting specific individuals. Data is not usually personally identifiable. But I'm not sure anyone cares. Data that is collected can be misused - maybe not by Google or Yahoo or Facebook, but by someone - big brother or small brother (a stalker or criminals, for instance).

As a society, we will need to make decisions on how best to balance commercial interests and personal privacy.

According to at least one study, American seem to understand just what side of the argument they stand on.

Read more, here.

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Polo Ralph Lauren Opens Up On The Power of Mobile Marketing

David Lauren, scion of of Ralph Lauren, and Polo's senior vice president of marketing, shares his insights on mobile marketing with AD AGE. And he's a good person to ask. It was Lauren, after all that turned store windows into interactive shopping displays, deployed QR codes to sell fashions via mobile phone, and recently launched a mobile app for buying customizable rugby shirts.

His most insightful line is as obvious as it is powerful:

"For some brands, technology is not a natural extension of what they do. They're trying to create a brand based around the technology that's in front of them, and that's doing it backwards."

It's a knowing insight that demonstrates how so many brands go wrong with digital initiatives - and how Polo's working to do it right.

Read more, here.

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Why Does Starbucks Want To Cheapen Its Own Brand By Proving Instant Tastes Just As Good?

It was bad enough when Starbucks went from premium brand experience to supermarket afterthought. Now they're running a campaign to prove its instant coffee tastes just as good as its expensive blend.

I've heard of eating your own lunch, but I can see how Nestlé could have a field day with this one. 

Starbucks wonders why nobody wants to spend $1.60+ on its coffee anymore. It might be because they don't need to anymore.

Read more, here.

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'Wolverine' DVD Interactive Print Ads Driven By Mobile

A movie about a comic book superhero is using mobile to make his promotional print ads come to life.

According to reports, Twentieth Century Fox is working with JagTag on print ads for "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," which will run in the October issues of Maxim, Playboy, Widescreen and Gamefly that will feature barcodes that consumers can photograph with camera phones and send it to a shortcode for a trailer and film clips.

"It is a way for us to engage with the consumer differently than how we have before," Mary Daily, EVP of marketing at Fox Home Entertainment, tells DM News. "We can take the print medium, which has been around for a long time, and suddenly make it more attractive by making it interactive."

So true. Perhaps there would have been a more interesting pay off for the interaction than a trailer people can also view on YouTube, but it's a start.

"Not everyone has time to go searching out your trailers; you can't rely on people getting your content just online," explains Daily. "We've got our content wherever they happen to be."

The movie trailer for Tim Burton's movie "9" features a QR code that can do the same thing. What could be an important component of "Wolverine" would be scannable codes on point of purchase displays and the DVD box itself, which might be quite powerful for persuading people at the point of decision (reality TV star Lauren Conrad's first book features a QR code to reach people picking up the book in bookstores, for just one case model). I have not heard if this is a component. If not, maybe something to think about next time.

There is, however, a cool Twitter feature where die-had fans can run the trailers on their Twitter feeds.

If marketers want to go low tech, Dr. Xavier could always just broadcast the trailer to everyone's minds.

Read more, here.

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The Best (Most Telling) Thing About Yahoo's $100 Million Ad Blitz

With all the Cool Aid we tend to drink about digital marketing, it's worth pointing out that roughly 50% of Yahoo's massive, $100 million ad blitz is used outside digital - in print advertising and other "traditional" media.

Whether it works or not remains to be seen (some are skeptical of the creative approach). But either way, it's telling that one of the largest promoters and purveyors of digital advertising counts on full integration with traditional, as much as digital, to spread the word.

For the record, regardless of creative or media buy, I'm hopeful for Yahoo: The new Yahoo personalization capabilities seem to custom built for the age of The On-Demand Brand.

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TiVo Study: Viewers of 'Mad Men' Most Likely To Skip Ads

Ah, the irony. A show about the ad world, watched by just about everyone in the ad industry, is least likely to deliver any kind of audience for its advertisers because virtually everyone who watches skips the ads.

According to reports in today's New York Times, 83% of the people who watch "Mad Men" fast forward through the commercials. I'm not sure I want to know what that says about our industry if even we're not interested in the ads we produce.

One can only hope that's not the case - and that viewers in the ad industry actually account for that 17% that sits through the ads, but I doubt it.

'Cause I skip the ads, too (though I do like those little segments that say something about the history of the brand being advertised).

I think it just says more about the television ad model than anything else. The only top show that doesn't see quite as much skipping is NBC's "30 Rock," which integrates ads into the show, and frequently puts characters from the show in ads, as to blur the lines and to keep viewer interest.

The folks over at "Mad Men" would have a tough time doing that without the advertising seem somehow anachronistic, given the show is set nearly 50 years in the past.

Apparently, its present day ad model is in danger of being viewed just as anachronistic.

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How Many Millions Is The Fed Spending On Roadside Signs Touting Stimulus Projects?

Saw one of these signs the other day and had to wonder how many millions in taxpayer expenses are going toward promoting the fact that a project is part of the taxpayer-funded Federal stimulus package?

Do we really need to to spend more money to make us feel better about it?

Who made these signs? How much did they cost?

If anyone knows, I'd love to share it with readers.

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ABC-TV's 'Flash Forward' Seeks To Build Online Fandemonium

It's like 'Lost," only what's lost is 2 minutes of time, and instead of flashbacks, there are flash forwards.

That's all I have been able to glean from all the promos from ABC's new show "Flash Forward," other than it stars a lot of people from "Lost."

I haven't bothered to check if this is a JJ Abrams/Bad Robot production - I'm assuming it is - but given it's an ABC show, I'm assuming there will be some serious online fan building.

And there is. First there's the matter of a keyword that will be shown on the show's end credits. Sprint users can text it to gain access to a sneak video and exclusive photos. Okay - lame that it's Sprint only and that sneak previews are so jejune. What's cool her is that these users will find clues to an overarching mystery that will unfold over the first 13 episodes. There also seem to be a series of character promos on the YouTube homepage today.

Sprint's also sponsoring live online video chats after each episode. And Lexus will sponsor man on the street videos to ask people what they might change if they caught a glimpse of the future.

ABC's been especially good at online promotion for its shows. In my new book, THE ON-DEMAND BRAND (spring, 2010), I talk to Mike Benson, senior vice president of marketing for ABC-TV about leveraging digital platforms to promote shows like "Lost," "Desperate Housewives" and "Flash Forward."

He offers some incredibly good pointers in making it all work, and effectively integrating advertiser clients into the promotion.

And if you want a Flash Forward on this and other great content in the book, be sure to sign up for previews at ondemandbrand.com, which will start in the next few months.

And read more about "Flash Forward's" multi-platform play, here.

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HP Reveals 'You on You' User-Gen Contest Winner

Meant to mention this the other day - HP has revealed the winner of its ambitious "You on You" user-generated video contest.

Filmmaker Lucas Ridley is the winner of $40,000 in cash, and a tribute from Grammy-nominated artist Kenna on the YouTube home page that will link to Ridley's video, "Live is My Adventure."

As I posted a while back, the contest was designed to give consumers the chance to compete for cash and other prizes by emulating the style of HP's "Personal Again" campaign. (Full disclosure: HP is a client.)

Ridley was among 4,000 entrants and while I can't say I've ever loved the way cut-off heads are meant to convey how the computer is personal, HP has stayed consistent with it, and this contest has lived up to the brand positioning. And what's not to love about that?

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Coca Cola Ups Its Mobile Marketing Moves, And Some Mobile-Worthy Coke Slogans From The Past

At least that's the word from CMO Joe Tripodi, who says the company is racing to develop compelling content for "different digital endpoints," adding that mobile is working well around the world in reaching teens and young adults.

In my new book, THE ON-DEMAND BRAND, I look at how Coca-Cola Europe, for instance, is using mobile to create compelling experiences - including some really cool mobile reality experiences - in the UK.

In many places around the world, of course, if you're talking digital at all, you're talking about mobile - especially for the teen market.

Coca-Cola wants to make sure the Real Thing stays relevant.

Indeed, a powerhouse brand the world over, Coca-Cola has been an advertising legend since its humble beginnings in 1886.

But while some of its famed slogans have been more popular than others – say, the aforementioned "The Real Thing" and "Have A Coke & A Smile" – others have been, well, quirky.

Witness such notable examples as:

"The wonderful nerve and brain tonic and remarkable therapeutic agent" (1891)

"Coca-Cola makes flow of thought more easy and reasoning power more vigorous" (1899)

And that age-old classic:

"Coca-Cola – the great temperance beverage – it has none of the ill effects or 'let down' qualities of alcoholic stimulants" (1907)

But some of Coca-Cola's more stylish slogans suddenly appear downright prescient.

As Coca-Cola steps up its efforts in mobile marketing, I thought it'd be fun to take a quick look back at some slogans that hold new currency in the Wireless Age:

"A star drink, Morning, Evening, Night. At home or Abroad, Traveling or Resting. Working or Recreating" (1904)

"Wherever you go, north, east, south, or west, you will find Coca-Cola" (1911)

"All roads lead to Coca-Cola signs" (1925)

"Around the corner from anywhere" (1927)

"Drink Coca-Cola, anywhere, anytime" (1933) (no kidding...74 years ahead of its time)

"Whoever you are, whatever you do, wherever you may be, when you think of refreshment think of ice-cold Coca-Cola" (1939)

"Wherever thirst goes" (1942)

"Coca-Cola along the highway to anywhere" (1949)

"Coke follows thirst everywhere" (1952)

Refreshing - anytime, anywhere (1953)

"People on the go go for Coke" (1954)

Read more about Tripodi's comments on Coca-Cola's new mobile marketing push, here.

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Will Ferrell & Friends: Spoof Public Service Ad Defends Health Insurers

Somebody's got to defend the health insurers, why not Will Ferrell?

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Starbucks Brews Up Mobile Payment iPhone App

The mermaid is going mobile in a whole new way.

Starbucks has a double shot launch going on with a new GPS store locator and a new app that lets you check the balance on your Starbucks card and refill gift cards, which are being expanded into a loyalty card program.

Among other things, you'll get discounts, free refills, and two hours of free wi-fi.

One obvious question here is answered by CNet, which reports that two markets are testing the ability to use onscreen barcodes to replace the gift card all together. That one component makes this a substantial development, as the company is living up to the notion of the on-demand brand.

"We're really venturing into new waters in terms of mobile payment," Stephen Gillett, senior vice president of digital ventures at Starbucks, tells Cnet regarding the Starbucks Card Mobile app.

"The mobile app is really the powering of some of our most frequently used functions on (the Starbucks card's Web site) and our in-store activity in terms of balance and payment and favorite orders," Gillett adds.

The app was developed internally with some help from third-party companies like mobile billing start-up mFoundry.

And yet, another obvious question: Why aren't both apps rolled into one?

Yet another: Couldn't they work "Bucks" into the name?

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Personalize The Paranoia of 'Pandorum'

The movie's tagline says "Don't fear the end of the world....fear what happens next."

(And no, they're not talking about the premiere of "Love Happens.")

Apparently, what it does include is the ability to personalize a hibernation pod with a friend's name so you can point them to a customized version of the movie's website and make them feel like they've been plunged into the movie's madness.

And if the trailer from the movie (out September 25, from Overture films - the folks who brought you that lighthearted knee slapper "Resident Evil") is any indication, you don't wan to be in one of these pods.

Try it yourself, here.

Oh, and check out one of the other promotions - a chance to win a free iPhone when you comment about the last sci-fi creepazoid you'd least like to get trapped on a ship with (say, the Aliens Queen or William Shatner, take your pick) for the chance to win an iPhone 3G.

'Cause you're going to need to call for help.

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ESPN Interactive Store Window Lets You Play Virtual Catch Football

Is it Monday yet?

Well if it can't come soon enough, you're going to love this interactive storefront window from Wieden + Kennedy New York, which lets you play an interactive, gesture-recognizing touch screen game of virtual catch with footballs thrown by an onscreen virtual quarterback.

You even get yardage meters the chance to compete with others, and commentary about your catches, fumbles and more from ESPN talent.

Get in touch with your inner football player - and see footage of this experience -  here (via Creativity).

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Hulu Looking For Ways To Start Charging For Content

Was it all too good to last?

Rupert Murdoch, he of News Corporation, one of the partners in Hulu, says his company is looking for ways to begin charging people for access to television content on Hulu.

Hulu, of course, is a fast-growing online hub TV shows and movies, has thus far been run with an advertising-supported business model. News Corp, Walt Disney and NBC Universal are partners in the operation.

"Are we looking at (Hulu) with a view to adding subscription services there and pay per view? Yes, we are looking at that," Murdoch told attendees of an analysts conference in New York. He added however, that "no decision has been made yet."

What do you think? These content providers don't charge for television content (your cable operator does). So why charge on the Internet? Or have we reached a stage in which advertising can no longer support content creation on its own?

Murdoch has long shrewdly charged for content on platforms where others give it away free (think the online edition of The Wall Street Journal and his plans to charge for the mobile version of the pub as well).

Time will tell if - or how much - we'll need to hand over to enjoy Hulu.

Read more here.

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Penn State Study: 20% of Tweets Are Brand-Oriented

Is Twitter shaping up to be the social network for marketers, by marketers?

First we learn 60% of consumers quit using Twitter within one month of signing up, and that 40% of subscribers don't make it past their first tweet. And that most tweets are used to promote people and products.

Now a Penn State study has found that 1 in 5 posts are about brands. The researchers say a lot of this is regular people expressing their reactions, both positive and negative, to brand experiences. But with brands paying folks to post positive tweets, you have to even question that.

Read more about the researchers' take on the findings, here.

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Timberland Lures City Slickers Outside With Cell Phones

Outdoor company Timberland is telling young consumers to take a hike. Literally. A massive new integrated campaign for the brand's modern, stylish and eco-conscious fall 2009 footwear collections includes mobile iPhone and Blackberry applications and games; interactive billboards; branded videos and commercials on Hulu; customizable Pandora radio stations; reverse sidewalk graffiti; “station domination” out-of-home advertising; in-store promotions and retail windows; and public relations targeting trend-driving blogs and magazines.  Select campaign elements launch this month in the U.S., Italy and the U.K.

In the mobile space, the company is partnering with mediahub from Mullen and Ansible Mobile to launch “Expedition Timberland,” a mobile iPhone and Blackberry application that celebrates the new Timberland Mountain Athletics and Earthkeeper collections by enabling outdoor enthusiasts to discover adventures in big cities.  The customized city application is available now in six U.S. markets: New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, Denver and Minneapolis. “Expedition Timberland” guides users to hiking trails, neighborhood walks, secret spots for relaxing and the best city views, among other outdoor oriented activities.

Ten additional markets will be added to the “Expedition Timberland” application beginning in November and into early next year.  Through a voting mechanism built into the application, consumers will have a say about which pre-selected markets and special features are added to the mobile media program.

Additional creative elements for the application include a game for the iPhone called “Timber Trail” that invites players to select the appropriate Timberland gear in order to overcome various obstacles; a music component for the iPhone that creates an adventurous playlist and updates with fresh music selections each week; a gear section that provides product information and a WAP site with a full Timberland product catalog featuring mapping and search functionality.  Both the application and WAP site have click-to-call functionality that makes it easy to buy Timberland product and locate stores.

The “Expedition Timberland” mobile application for iPhone is set to launch today. The mobile application for Blackberry will launch on September 21.

Overall, I think this sounds like a great promotion and in some ways reminds me of an ambulatory version of the Geo-caching adventures Jeep has been running for several years.

I just wonder if Spring might have been an even better time to start enticing folks to get outdoors.

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HBO Ventures Beyond Voyeur With 'Imagine'

It's definitely not TV, and it's definitely on a roll.

HBO is set to launch the sequel (of sorts) to its double Cannes Grand Prix winning "Voyeur Project" with "Imagine," a new effort that kicks off this Thursday in the Meat Packing District of New York, when a giant video cube will display four pieces of a 37-part mini-drama designed to change perspectives at every turn to alter viewers' perceptions of what is going on in each clip.

The cube will begin three-day stints in Washington DC, Philadelphia and elsewhere, and each part will be shown at hboimagine.com, where viewers can unlock video sequences as they progress, with some kind of pay off for people who unlock all 37 clips.

It is a massive new undertaking for HBO, which hopes to top the number of impressions it earned for "Voyeur" as well as reinforce its brand positioning in a compelling new way.

In my new book, THE ON-DEMAND BRAND, I talk to Courteney Monroe, HBO's executive vice president of consumer marketing - and, a newly minted Brandweek Marketer of the Year - about the brand's approach to efforts like "Voyeur" and "Imagine," and why its so important to create consumer marketing that's as inspired as it is effective.

For the record, Ad Age reports that HBO's subscriber numbers are up despite the recession, to 27 million.

If "Imagine" turns out to be anything like "Voyeur," can more subscribers - and perhaps another Cannes sweep - be far away?

Read more about the book, here.

And read more about the specifics of the "Imagine" campaign, here.

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Pepsi Buys Rights To An MTV Music Award: 'Best Performance In A Pepsi Rock Band'

Even the awards are getting sponsors these days.

The topic is this weekend's MTV Video Music Awards. And while the award itself seems like a total sell out, the road to presenting it is actually quite smart. It's all part of an ongoing "Rock Band" campaign in which 700 gamers submitted their own "Rock Band"(MTV's Guitar Hero-like video game)-inspired music video for their chance to win their own Moonman VMA award.

As it happens, the top entries were from viewers who integrated Pepsi products into their music videos (smart contestants!).

The winner, selected from more than 200,000 viewer votes, will accept the award as part of a lead-in to a Pepsi commercial, according to Ad Age.

While MTV could come off as cheapening the value of the VMA's, for Pepsi, there's very little that doesn't work with this promotion. By integrating within the show to beat DVR-happy viewers, the brand will be front and center - all the way to the moon(man).

Get the full scoop, here.

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