IDF Marketing

Peugeot 208 Interactive Ad Lets You Decide Fate

idfmarketing — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 09:35:24 +0000

Peugeot recently released an interactive video through their Youtube channel, promoting their new 208 series. The video has two main themes: ‘letting your body drive’, which is akin to trusting your instinct, and the idea that everything moves in a circle, meaning that you are a product of your actions. The commercial places the lead character, Matthews, in a series of predicaments where he can stay or ‘let his body drive’. The viewer can select which path Matthews takes, but for every decision where you do not allow Matthews’s ‘body drive’, it ends in a “wrong choice” scenario. There is great fun to be had with this commercial, and if you exhaust every possibility that Matthews has, than it will take over 15 minutes to get through every cutscene.

Microsoft Wage War on Google

idfmarketing — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 10:06:03 +0000

A video released last summer, portraying Gmail in a negative light whilst promoting Microsoft Office365, hinted that Microsoft are running something of a smear campaign against their rivals. Although it had not been uploaded to Microsoft’s website or released by their Youtube channel, it was professionally filmed, and was believed to be the work of Microsoft themselves. Two days ago, another smear video, criticising Google’s Google Docs, was uploaded by Microsoft’s official Youtube channel, confirming previous suspicions. The video is already being heavily criticised by viewers, and is seen as making Microsoft look desperate and trying too hard.

Facebook Timeline for Brands Coming Soon

idfmarketing — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 10:06:54 +0000

Facebook have revealed that the Timeline feature that they have introduced for individual users’ profiles since the end of last year, will be available for brands and company pages by the end of this month. The launch will coincide with a Facebook marketing event in New York. This is a important time for brands right now, seeing that as the Timeline feature cannot be reversed, brands will have to get their new page layout just right in order to connect with their fans.

Making over $50 million from 400,000 Facebook Fans

idfmarketing — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 09:27:06 +0000

American beer company New Belgium revealed in a recent survey of their 400,000 Facebook fans, Twitter followers and Youtube subscribers that each customer spends an average of $260 on their products each year. This works out to be $50.7 million from their entire Facebook fan-base, which is an incredible return from their annual social media investment of $235,000. Through interactive media and fan engagement, the New Belgium Brewing company have built their brand image to that of a people’s beer, associated with fun and general positivity.

Sports and Social Media

idfmarketing — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 09:02:54 +0000

In a new study conducted by GMR Marketing, it was revealed that sports fans are ten times more likely to check news regarding their favourite sport or team online rather than sports radio, and over three times more likely than finding out via TV. In the majority of these cases, it is not internet sports sites, but rather social media outlets such as Twitter and Facebook. Watching sports online is catching up to watching the game on TV, but perhaps the most interesting fact from the study is that the majority of people update their Twitter or Facebook account or give an opinion in some online form or another when watching the game, whether it is on TV, online or at the game itself.

Facebook Timeline: A Success or a Failure?

idfmarketing — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 10:40:35 +0000

It’s been almost been almost two months since Facebook introduced the option of changing a user’s profile to the new Timeline style. Timeline had been built up over several months; expectations were huge surrounding it’s arrival. However, it would appear that the novelty of being able to view your past Facebook activity with a few clicks has worn off. It is always a tradition that a change to Facebook will result in users kicking up a fuss about Facebook making ‘unnecessary’ changes, with some threatening to leave the social media site altogether. Inevitably, though, protestations relax after a week or two, and all is alright with the world again. However, disgruntled voices are still being heard about Timeline eight weeks later, and the fact that the application can not be reversed, and will soon be mandatory for every user whether they like it or not, has people even more dissatisfied with Facebook’s ‘meddling’. The main gripe comes from those who believe that Facebook are focusing too much on people reviewing their past, rather than embracing the future.

Superbowl 2012: Bridgestone – Performance Sports

idfmarketing — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 09:38:59 +0000

A TV commercials has a few core aims: put the product in a good light, demonstrate how it works and explain its benefits to the user. Doing all this in an entertaining way that connects with the audience is the icing on the cake, and can be the difference-maker when the product is compared to the offerings of other brands. During the Superbowl, Bridgestone tyres released a couple of videos that used humour and the theme of sports to appeal to the viewer, whilst also clearing stating the benefit of their product, demonstrating their supreme handling and shock-absorbing quality.

Superbowl 2012: Cars.com – Confident You

idfmarketing — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 09:33:00 +0000

Preparing a commercial for a Superbowl slot reads like a script for a pre-game motivational talk; you’ve got 30 seconds to capture the attention of millions of people and must have enough lasting power to remain in their memory, 30 seconds to utilise technology to its most creative and entertaining potential, 30 seconds to justify almost $3,000,000. And baring in mind that this commercial will be in the midst of almost 60 over commercials, the pressure to produce something that will stand out will test even the most witty and knowledgeable scriptwriters and directors. Cars.com managed to utilise their 30 seconds to explain their product clearly and in an extremely entertaining way, and is considered to be the best 30 second commercial of Superbowl 2012, which goes some way to justifying the company’s marketing budget.

Superbowl 2012: Chrysler – It’s Halftime in America

idfmarketing — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 09:39:19 +0000

It has already been noted the exorbitant price of advertising during the Superbowl, and how those costs are multiplied accordingly when the commercial is longer than the traditional 30 seconds. When a commercial runs for two minutes, there are other concerns that are encountered, besides monetary. With a two-minute time frame to work with, the director can afford to slow down the pace of the ad; but how will this be received by an audience who have just seen five snappy, witty and, most importantly, short commercials? For the comparatively eternal two-minute slot, tension needs to be build over the course of the advertisement in order to capture the viewers’ attention; a story must be told, and it must send tingles up the spine. And who better to tell such a story about getting hit and getting back up than the King of Grit himself, Clint Eastwood. Eastwood is in full epic narrator mode, seen through a smoky back-alley as he warns those who underestimate the architects of Chrysler’s spirit, the city of Detroit.

Superbowl 2012: Kia Optima – A Dream Car

idfmarketing — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 14:52:18 +0000

It is estimated that a 30-second commercial shown during the Superbowl costs $2,600,000. So, if you’re going to have a commercial that’s one minute longer than that, you will want to make sure that each second is filled with something creative and memorable if you’re willing to invest almost $8.5 million in it. This was the situation facing Kia, who took that risk. And on top of the cost of showing the commercial, they had to cover the cost of drafting in some well-known faces to promote it as well, such as stomp rockers Mötley Crüe, model Adriana Lima and and MMA legend Chuck Liddell. And what about special effects?! If 90 seconds could ever justify a cost in the region of $10,000,000 then this is that 90 seconds; this commercial is a culmination of what can happen when your budget seemingly has no limits, and it is beautiful. However, this author reckons it won’t be Kia who will be the big winners, but instead Mötley Crüe, whose song ‘Kickstart My Heart‘ is used in the advert, has already swollen its view count on Youtube.