Take It Face To Face

While there is not going to be a full-length Microsoft movie or Microsoft 2010 for Windows, the technology giant’s most recent viral push (using commercial/viral video guru Dennis Liu to direct) is considerably more entertaining than all of the “I’m a PC” ads combined.

Under Liu’s direction, Microsoft’s “trailer” previews a situation where a hacker releases a “rogue file” on the internet, where viewers of the file believe everything they read.  The video combines the old, with promises of a new “Outlook” and OneNote for the future of Microsoft.

The witty video is just a promo for Microsoft, but may be more productive than many of its actual advertising campaigns.  Liu’s video could work wonders in helping Microsoft compete with the “cool” image Apple and their users pride themselves on.

Microsoft is far from the first client Liu has created a funny, clever ad for.  Companies such as Nike, CareerBuilder, MTV, Berlitz, and Wendy’s have all hired Liu for videos (commercial or viral).  His ability to create videos that are genuinely funny, not cheap laughs like many of the Bud Light ads, provide brands and companies with a more tasteful approach to humor.

The above video is the “Interviewing Help” series Liu did for CareerBuilder.com.  Not only do the ads illustrate the need for the service in a hilarious manner, they do it by creating a situation everybody can relate to.  I believe maintaining good taste while using humor is the key to the video’s success.  While some viral videos rely heavily on being vulgar, I think the more tasteful ads have an advantage by achieving wider appeal.

What are some funny ads you have seen lately?  What about viral/promo videos?  What about failed attempts at humor in advertising/viral videos?

Zadby is a DC area “online marketplace”, or advertising think-tank, specializing in viral videos. Targeting sites such as MySpace and YouTube, Zadby provides brands with a quick and efficient way to integrate themselves with online video.

Citing Tivo and DVR technology as the cause of “death” for the :30 TV spot, Zadby believes online video is the best way to reach consumers moving forward. And they might be right. Forbes Magazine has estimated over 1 billion videos are watched around the globe each day on YouTube, not even including MySpace and other sites.

Surely kids and younger demographics make up the overwhelming majority of this usage, right? Nope, pretty far from the case. 42% of YouTube users are actually over the age of 45, a far cry from the widely held belief that online videos are for young people.

Zadby has recently created a video for Pizza Hut, now closing in on 650,000 YouTube views, to help them make the transition to viral videos and new online advertising. Not only did the video establish the brand as “young and relevant and current”, it sparked ongoing direct contact directly with the target segment, young males, through the comments.

As advertising continues its shift towards online and guerilla tactics, marketers have to do their best to adjust as well. Do you believe companies such as Zadby are the future of advertising? What other changes do you anticipate? Have you ever seen a “viral video”?

When the video dropped last fall for Beyonce’s hit “Single Ladies” the response was resounding. The choreography, the song, and the black leotard with heels all became instantly iconic.

The months that followed spawned innumerable recreations, from a Saturday Night Live skit starring Justin Timberlake to YouTube videos starring just about everyone. The hype prompted Beyonce to hold a video competition, in which the winning entry would be shown during her 2009 world tour.

But six months is a long time in the viral video universe. How much longer can the wave of success be ridden?

Trident, for one, aims to find out. Earlier this week, they staged a reenactment of Beyonce’s video with 100 dancers (as opposed to the original three) in London’s Piccadilly Circus.

To the surprise of the unsuspecting passersby, droves of women began ripping off their trench coats to reveal the familiar black leotard hidden underneath. Cameras positioned at every angle captured the intricate and painstakingly executed four minute performance.

The event serves as a launch for Trident’s sponsorship of Beyonces “I Am…” tour, and their new sweepstakes that offers up tickets to her November London show.

Several things about the performance are clear. These women are professional dancers. They’re too good not to be. And the outrageous synchronization of their choreography suggests mind boggling amounts of practice. Someone must’ve shelled out to make it worth their while.

But was it worth it for one fleeting event? Of course not. That’s where viral video comes in. Both professional recordings of the event and clips snagged by bystanders took off on YouTube and other video sharing sites, despite the recent lull in the routine’s intrigue.

No matter what, the effort is impressive. But will it be enough to bring press to Trident? Or did the potential for such a campaign to pack a real punch shimmy away months ago? Tell us your thoughts.

Maybe you remember when M&M rolled out the “Become an M&M” feature on its website about two years back? The program, which is still active, gives users an opportunity to design their own M&M avatar, typically in their likeness. With the exception of the blue skin, you could argue that mine looked just like me (As much as I’d like to let you judge for yourself, the site doesn’t allow users to share their creations).

Towards the beginning of 2007, the create-your-own avatar had a pretty good stint. During its heyday, opportunities arose left and right to fashion your animated self, most memorably in the distinctive styles of South Park and the Simpsons.

Though it’s unclear how recently this launched, a different sort of avatar creator has gained popularity lately: the Hero Factory, which invites users to develop their own crime-fighting computerized doppelganger.

Unlike the aforementioned programs, though, the Hero Factory doesn’t explicitly identify its creator, nor make any clear indication of its aim. It’s clear a good deal of resources were poured into the site, but it is not immediately obvious why. Did some programmer somewhere have too much time and money on his or her hands? Doubtful.

In reality, the program is the creation of Crispin Porter + Bogusky, a virally-oriented advertising agency with clients including Burger King, Coke Zero, Microsoft Windows and Volkswagen.

But if their avatar creator is doing so well, wouldn’t it be logical for them to slap the company label all over it? Maybe not. The Hero Factory is presumably a proof of concept, which the agency can later use to demonstrate its viral capabilities to potential clients. The success of the demonstration could be impeded if it was perceived to have a marketing agenda.

Though these are understandable motivations for keeping the site purely logo-free in theory, I don’t believe any obvious brand association would’ve stopped me from using and sharing the site. Frankly, I’m just excited to have a cape.

The other day I sat in on a meeting to discuss some marketing strategies for potential clients. We started discussing using cell phones to target audiences as opposed to the internet, and after doing some research I realized something fascinating.

The CIA World Factbook shows statistics that in developing countries cell phone users outnumber internet users by millions. This got me thinking about how that affects new marketing strategies in these countries.

In the U.S. and in developing countries it is much cheaper to own a cell phone than it is to pay for an internet service. Therefore, there are more cell phone users because people with lower incomes can afford them. If you have 5 million people with cell phones and only 500,000 people who use the internet, doesn’t targeting these people through cell phones make for a more successful campaign?

People are being texted the news, weather updates, even daily horoscopes. They are checking Facebook and Twitter constantly, even shopping and checking movie times. Marketing and PR companies should turn more of their attention to mobile marketing, where the vast majority of these people are getting their information.

Don’t you agree?