Puzzle Solvers

Honda's UK work has been exceptional in the last few years, specifically the amazing Cog commercial.

Wieden & Kennedy's latest Honda work didn't do it for me. I really wanted to like it but it just didn't connect with me. The commercial is too long and, frankly, I couldn't give a hoot about all these engineers. If you want to solve puzzle, let people participate. Everybody is up for a good trivia quiz or a puzzle to be solved. But nobody wants to watch others solve puzzles. (Deep Announcer Voice: "Coming soon on Fox Reality - Puzzle Solvers. See Raymond Smith solve a 25,000 piece puzzle.")

But it could work really well in the interactive space: Introduce the puzzle idea through video and then let people focus on the companion unit, allowing them to solve their own puzzles. Since Honda is a brand for the people, an interactive solutions feels closer to the brand and the engagement interests people have online.

The neverending story

This ad, created by Fallon London, communicates Orange's (Uk phone provider value proposition of unlimited text messages, and the big idea is fairly simple: if it's good, it shouldn't end.



In the spirit of integration, Poke (London) created a fascinating site with the same simple/big idea. (Aren't all big ideas simple?)
The first neverending site. Enjoy.

Marriage and marketing

What is a good marriage? Is it a memorable engagement, beautiful ring, stunning wedding, amazing honeymoon, a nice kitchen, a flatscreen TV?

Of course not.

All of the above help to make for nice memories and comfortable living. But they have nothing to do with a good marriage.

Many brands still believe that a good relationship between people and themselves is determined by a few major things. Let's just look at the dealership experience: An inviting lobby, modern lighting, fresh Starbucks coffee, flatscreen TV, leather chairs. Shouldn't the customers feel happy and be content? Why are they still unhappy? Why do they divorce after a few bad experiences and are looking for a new partner?

Because a good relationship is not about the big things. It's about the little things: a smile, a touch, a tease, a selfless act.

As a brand, you have to create an environment that allows people to behave in a certain way. in a way that fits with your brand. Or how you want people to experience your brand. It's not about the bling, it's about the setup.

When you prepare a romantic candlelight dinner, you better not think about yourself. You think how your partner feels at this moment. And how you can affect this emotion.

And that's where many brand go wrong: When people engage with your brand worry less about how they feel about you. Worry how they feel about themselves. And try to make a positive change. Everything else will fall into place.

Live Earth - IPTV has a long way to go

I didn't watch Saturday's broadcast of Live Earth, instead opting to watch the performances that interest me later on MSN.
Unfortunately, the user experience on MSN has a long way to go and needs some major enhancements to be ready for Prime Time: The streams are are buffering too often, video stops once in a while and the soundd just disappears. But that's not the real issue:

My main problem is that MSN didn't understand how users would utilize the site. Instead of offering small pieces of each performance (preferably by song) MSN forces users to watch the whole performance. There's no fast forwarding, no function to go directly to the performance of your choosing. Everybody has a few minutes to watch a few songs but who has time to watch a complete concert until The Police finally starts playing?

Interactive users expect on-demand functionality, anything else is a huge disappointment. And that's what YouTube understands: You can find all performances in snack sizes. You want to see The Police 'Driven to tears'? YouTube has it. (see above) A missed opportunity for MSN. And another point in the brand bank for YouTube.

Music for your ears. And blog.

Blogmusik.net created an interesting service that allows you to create playlists and share excellent.

It took me a few minutes to create a playlist and posted it on my blog. You can find it on the right. Enjoy.

Are we getting lazy?

Marketers face the same challenge than consumers: Too many choices, too many options, not enough time.
We still tend to throw our brand efforts on any platform imaginable and hope something will stick.
Instead of engaging with the Flickr audience, we upload a few product pictures and pray for a good outcome. The same thing is happening on YouTube, mobile applications and emerging media.

Mass reach is not that easy anymore: TV is still the weapon of choice but consumers don't receive all their messages on the couch anymore: They get them in bed, in the subway, at work, in the restroom (yes, that happens, too...) and wherever they find time to be distracted.

Broadcast companies no longer have the privilege of conveying messages to people sitting 10 feet away from the screen. They must now meet the marketplace on cell phones, online, and via other forms of mobile content.

Sure, passive consumers will be around. But the number of active consumers are increasing daily.

So, what to do?

Think about the platforms you want to utilize. It's not enough to get people there. You have to get them engaged. Be relevant. Immerse them into an experience. Experiential Marketing is not an option. It's the only way to go.

Automotive Marketing is stuck

Most people leave the dealer lot with a smile on their face. Yes, the dealer experience is still lacking, the paperwork drags on and the final price is a bit higher than you hoped for.
But, in the end, most car buyers leave happy: They invested a lot of time and effort to find the right car - the perfect match for their wallet and lifestyle.

Most of automotive advertising used to focus on features: 210hp, 0-60 in 5.3 seconds, etc. Online Marketing has enhanced automotive marketing by offering immersive product experiences, such as the Interactive Showroom that my company, Genex, built.
These experience make it easier for consumer to get familiar with the car and all its features, saving a lot of time on the dealer lot.

But, we're stuck here.

Marketers have not yet found a way to tap into this pool of happy buyers. Yes, they will tell their family and some friends. But, there are no sites such as Chowhound or Tripadvisor to broadcast their opinion about their car, the shopping and dealership experience.

Volvo tried it with C30 site but it fell flat. Unless you're very bored or a constant complainer, there's no reason for you to contribute.

Marketers have to find a way to let happy owners talk about their experience. And broadcast these experiences to the Internet community. This is so much more impactful than any commercial, banner ad or billboard.

Jonathan Haris continues to amaze me

Jonathan Harris, the genius behind We Feel Fine has created another masterpiece: Universe.

A short excerpt from the site explaining the philosophy behind this interactive experience:

"Universe is a system that supports the exploration of personal mythology, allowing each of us to find our own constellations, based on our own interests and curiosities. Everyone's path through Universe is different, just as everyone's path through life is different. Using the metaphor of an interactive night sky, Universe presents an immersive environment for navigating the world's contemporary mythology, as found online in global news and information from Daylife. Universe opens with a color-shifting aurora borealis, at the center of which is a moon, and through which thousands of stars slowly move. Each star has a specific counterpart in the physical world — a news story, a quote, an image, a person, a company, a team, a place — and moving the cursor across the star field causes different stars to connect, forming constellations. Any constellation can be selected, making it the center of the universe, and sending everything else into its orbit."

His take on modern mythology, the future of connectivity, and his drive towards new formats of presentation as well as story telling can be found in this exclusive video from Coolhunting.