I'm going to soon post up the strategy team's best of the best of 2008, but what I have noticed over the past couple of years is that a lot of the best ideas are either Epic or small. By best I'm really talking about ideas that deliver great ROI for brands. Epic ideas often because they create seismic shifts for a brand, creating national talking points and small ideas are so good they can spread by themselves or because they are tailored to brand fans and ambassadors.
The challenge for the ad industry is that no longer are these Epic ideas necessarily just advertising ideas such as this:
They could well be ideas such as this:
Or this:
Mind you, Dreamworks and PepsiCo are uniting to create a highly anticipated pure attention grabbing two and a half minute spectacle in 3D in the biggest US ad break of the year - The Superbowl (98m last year tuned in in the US). There's a 90 second preview of the new Monsters vs Aliens film followed by a 60 second 3D ad for PepsiCo's SoBe Life Water beverage. To ensure everyone sits to attention and doesn't run off to the fridge to grab another beer they are distributing 125m 3-D glasses. Epic advertising's not dead!
As for small ideas how about Droga 5's TapProject, or this idea for Zuji an australian online travel site. They opened pop-up shops in major australian cities selling only cans of branded Zuji baked beans for 10c, urging customers to buy the beans so they can save to go on holiday.
Or all the small ideas coming out from Penguin. Such as PenguinDating.com a dating site for book lovers, WeTellStories.co.uk which published 6 short stories that use digital technology such as Google maps, their blog and use of Facebook and Twitter. And there's MyPenguin where you can design your own cover of a Penguin Classic. or buy a copy of one designed by a chosen band such as Razorlight or Beck.
And finally two contrasting small idea probably competing for the highest ROI prize of last year: Ding! a desktop application that can be downloaded from the SouthWest Airlines website in the US which allows customers to get tailored exclusive offers from the airline on flights to their favourite destinations. The application generated 10m clicks in the 3rd quarter of 2008.
And this viral from Diesel:
Of course there are great middle-weight ideas out there, but maybe if more brand's took an Epic and Small approach to ideas, they might produce better results?
Stephen
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