Well that’s it! I’m off to find my riches writing keitai (or cellphone) novels for the Japanese teen market – just like this 15 year old, Bunny (an alias, not her real name). Quoting the LA Times: “The size of the keitai novel market is unclear, but Maho i-Land Co., one of the largest keitai novel content providers, boasts 1 million online book titles and 6 million users.” I actually find the whole spirit of cooperation within the keitai movement quite amazing. Quoting again: “Most writers upload the content as they finish so they get instant feedback from the readers, who access the stories on the website and click through the pages. Authors respond to readers by correcting errors and, in some cases, altering story lines.” Critics with their noses turned strictly upwards are unlikely to nominate Bunny any time soon for a Booker Prize but who really cares when she’s creaming it to the tune of $611,000 (I take that to be US dollars) for one three-volume novel?
Oh who to believe! AKQA is shouting about results for its VW iPhone application – 4 million downloads plus an ’80% increase in leads, test drive and quote requests without a print ad, banner or broadcast spot in sight’. But compared to what exactly? One Facebook fan, Paul Bartlett, makes some interesting points in a post on the agency’s wall. Personally, I hope the stats are as flattering as they sound – I’m trying to get my own app across the line at the moment.
I know what you’re thinking – how can I sneak off to the football on Valentine’s Day without getting red carded from the bedroom? Well fear not, for the lads at Puma have brainstormed a truly romantic gesture to keep you onside with your better half. Simply dedicate this charming love song via Facebook or email and prepare for the red carpet treatment when you get home. The Puma ‘HardChorus’ ad, ‘featuring’ a motley collection of Tottenham supporters, will air during TV coverage of the Bolton v Tottenham FA Cup tie.
Introducing an exquisitely crafted website for French lingerie company, Aubade. The sophisticated and feminine tone, right down to the music box, is spot on for the brand. And the content has been carefully considered, with tips on topics such as the perfect French lover’s playlist, the fantasy wake-up call and the etiquette of the ear. Wouldn’t it be nice if more sites were this conceptual and visually interesting? I’m not saying everything has to have Flash animation but it is a bit of a downer when designers leave you to work with little more than a grid pattern (circa 1995).
Chainsaw, the agency that created the site, get more brownie points for extending the concept to include this piece of theatre, in which it reinvented the girl next door fantasy. I wonder how many people apart from agency staff actually saw it. (I’ll always remember the large billboard outside our office at Y&R that scammers would use between skinning to erect an idea, take a photo then pull it down five minutes later!)
Did you know more people in the US have iPhones than Twitter accounts? I digress because this mobile application for Lynx was actually created in London by BBH London. It’s the unexpected twist at the end that made it my favourite (see also, ‘Spin the Bottle‘ and ‘Perfect Man Revealed‘). I just wonder if the agency could have gone a little more raw than ‘addy’ in the execution, given it is meant to be viral.
Puma has come up with a series of clips to demonstrate its commitment to motorsport, golf, running and fitness. I would have been tempted to highlight their new range a little more (as you’ll see it’s quite subtle apart from the giant Puma sign). Plus I don’t know if a retro feel is the way to go for a brand in desperate need of modernising (IMO). But the soundtrack is very catchy and the clever stage set-ups make me smile. They’d make good idents for Puma-sponsored events and sports coverage.
Hand on heart I can honestly say I’m not one for train wrecks – in fact I turn away when cringe TV comes on – but I can’t resist this lesson in how not to do Facebook, courtesy of Waiwera Water. Check out the response from the company when an unsuspecting (?) customer raises doubts about the quality of its bottled water. On top of this, many of the posts elsewhere seem little more than brand boasting, a tactic that hardly lends itself to genuine two-way dialogue with followers. Does anyone else feel there are way too many brands on Facebook and Twitter for no great reason, or am I the only one? (I’m thinking brands that represent low involvement purchases in particular.)
$129 for a new power adapter is, in the words of Bill Lawry, ludicrous, ridiculous and completely lacking in logic. The guy at Ubertec tried to tow the corporate line, telling me it was ”good value considering the technology in it”. Whatever mate – better to tell it how it is like they do at Magnum Mac and still get the sale.
The Kookmeyer Institute learned a lot in 2009, perhaps most of all from two websites for adidas.tv and 221B. The former made me realise that destination sites really do need to be supported by an integrated marketing strategy – be it a seeding campaign, above-the-line advertising, POS, swing tags or whatever – to drive traffic. Because if nobody sees it what’s the point? The latter made me reassess my approach to content. AKQA will probably win some craft award for its online game to promote the new Sherlock Holmes movie. But it’s so comprehensive that in appealing to the most diehard fans it might have lost the opportunity to hook borderline punters. Perhaps a better approach would have been to simplify the game and keep more users involved for longer. Interesting. I wonder if the guys at ViralBlog will get their hands on the stats and share some kind of report with us in the new year.
Quote unquote, “Lingering longer than a kiss under the mistletoe and more useful than a dodgy jumper, Most Contagious 2009 is our free review of the most talked-about trends and technologies to have influenced global marketing over the past 12 months. Unlike H1N1, feel free to pass on.” Everything in it is really strong, except maybe the Puma Index, which for me is too unrelated (sportswear/stock market). If your agency doesn’t subscribe to Contagious – it’s only £985 per annum – you may as well dump it and call the Kookmeyer Institute. We’ve never had this magazine but at least you won’t be paying all those ‘expensive agency overheads’.
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