My Top 5 Campaigns- Week of 2/07-2/13

I’m going to try something new.
Every week, I’m going to post my top 5 favorite campaigns/videos/advertising-related news bits, and explain a little bit about what they are, why I love them, and exactly what they look like (through links, etc.). Shoutouts to my BFF Meg for giving me the idea. We’ll see how this goes.

1. For this week, number one is going to have to be the upcoming campaign for the Academy Awards that I discussed in my last post. Oscar.com features a live count-down to the event as well as an in-depth look into what goes on backstage before, during, and after the show, along with predictions, message boards, a fashion section including last years looks as well as the evolution of style, opportunities for viewers to receive mobile alerts, videos from past Oscars, etc. The Facebook fan page includes a discussion board, links to the Web site, and opportunities for fans to view photos and nominees. Through making use of social media in these ways, this year’s Academy Awards show will have more opportunities for engaged viewership than ever before.

2. Though this is kind of out-dated, I was recently introduced to VW’s “Fun Theory” guerilla campaign in which advertisers took seemingly mundane activities (walking up the stairs, throwing something in a garbage bin) and made them fun by adding simple changes. See the YouTube videos below:

– “Piano Stairs”
– “The World’s Deepest Bin”

Guerilla marketing at its finest.

3. Yesterday, several Belgian agencies went on strike to protest the recent neglect (rejection?) of a charter between agencies and clients that stated rules for putting out bids for agency pitches. The strike is a virtual one, featuring the now closed Web sites of 20 of Belgium’s finest agencies (including branches of BBDO, JWT, Ogilvy, TBWA, etc.) that explain what the charter is, how it works, and why the agencies are on strike. Though only lasting one week, the virtual protest will nevertheless have an important effect on the way pitches are done internationally. To view their story, click: http://www.famous.be

4. Super Bowl ads, especially:
– Google “Parisian Love”

– Snickers “Betty White”

– Vizio “Forge”

– Dodge “Man’s Last Stand”

5. Super excited for Sprite’s new campaign. It’s about time the brand came back. In addition to creating globalized packaging, Sprite’s new campaign will move away from the “Obey Your Thirst” slogan featured in their campaign years ago, and will introduce itself as “The Spark.” Featuring music and films stars, online music and social media content, as well as creating the Sprite Step Off competition, the campaign will be the first creative that Bartle Bogle Hegarty (BBH) has done for the client, which they recently won. For more info on the campaign, see the AdAge article here.

That’s all, folks. Happy Valentine’s Day weekend (go see the movie)!