PR Jamming Sessions

Cool Hunting for Award-Winning Campaign

Marc Arnold — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 10:47:00 GMT

This week was a big one for Levi’s® and our colleagues at H&K Beijing as the Coppers Fall Collection ’07/’08 Launch Campaign won the “Most Effective Use of PR” award at the Asian Marketing Effectiveness Awards 2008!

I am a fan of this campaign, which targets the Chinese Youth “Online Oxygen Generation”, as well as companies like Levi’s who go that extra mile to create something out of the ordinary with the ability to entertain its target audience. You should familiarize yourselves with this campaign, as it’s a great example of how online media can be leveraged to engage and entertain audiences.

The concept is simple and stays with the product (always a plus)

Levi’s® wanted to leverage the launch of Coppers Fall Collection to reinforce its leadership as a cool, fashionable brand and create awareness of the Coppers collection amongst the youth.
A nationwide online contest searching for the “Coppers Cool Hunt for Stylish Guy and Girl” was designed, capitalizing on youth’s interest in interaction and aspirations in becoming a recognized style icon. The contest integrated numerous online tools, such as webcasts, BBS (bulletin boards, most popular online tool in China), partnerships with web portals to drive traffic and blogs
1,000 consumers participated in the online contest. Your way to participate – Just Buy the new Levi’s Coppers and using the receipt number to be able to enter the contest online. Participants were then invited to create profiles and upload the stylish pictures of themselves wearing the new Levi’s copper jeans. The 1.3 million visitors that surf on the site during the two month campaign were then voting for the 6 most stylish guys and girls.
The six selected finalists were given the amazing chance to fly to Hong Kong for fashion training and the final stages of the contest. Finally, judges from the fashion and entertainment industry selected our two most stylish winners.

Cool way to get discovered and get famous!

In addition to the consumer events and contest, the campaign included a media launch at Levi’s flagship store for top fashion media with interactive sessions that drove attention nationwide. By the end of campaign, sales had jumped by 58%. Wow!

I think the campaign worked on a number of levels - it taps into people's creativity and is in tune with today's obsession with instant celebrity aspirations. The campaign also infused good “M(ART)keting” in the Chinese online community and leveraged the “Tryversting” trends well online, where consumers can telling other consumers about their real, tried and true experiences of a product. Always keep in mind that “Word of mouth is the best medium of all”. In a world where mass advertizing is dying, Levi’s created a more interesting way of igniting conversations and letting consumers becoming familiar with new Levi’s Coppers by actually trying them out.

Another good point and lesson from the campaign: It is not enough to help your customers improve their fashion skills, but also give them the chance to show them off. Winners won a chance to be part of an exclusive partnership with Levi’s Coppers for one year as an ambassador of the brand in China, appearing in online ads and others events and giving them the possibility to show off their skills to improve their image.

Last but not least, by giving them prize worth 30,000 RMB, it fits with the desires of the Chinese generation for cash and gifts. It’s not like brands have a choice: consumers will no longer be satisfied with just thank you notes. Get ready to reward your creative consumers with schemes and sumptuous gifts if you want to get them on board.

The "Almost famous" mentality will only continue to grow, so these competitions should continue to make more people’s dreams come true. Meanwhile, I am happy for Levi’s and our colleagues on their newly-found fame.

火炬传到上海

Marc Arnold — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 07:04:00 GMT

最新鲜的饺子出炉了！非常高兴能与您分享赵军写的这篇文章，也欢迎您告诉我们您的观点和评论.

火炬传到上海
作者赵军

奥林匹克盛会被国内外视为是中国向世界全方位展示自身魅力的第一个重要舞台.经过几年来的精心准备，2008年北京奥运会取得了巨大成功.不过国际奥委会已经开始把目光转向2012年的伦敦奥运会，赛事重播也从中国中央电视台渐渐淡去.于是人们不禁会问：“接下来呢？”对于身处上海的人而言，答案理所当然是：2010年上海世博会.

其实，早在奥运会正式开锣前的很长一段时间里，人们就开始为世博会的举行而激动，我们也不难知道人们为什么会如此兴奋。世博会将是全球最大型的、独立的文化交流活动，到目前为止，已有177个国家和44个国际组织确认参加2010年上海世博会，并将吸引国内外大约70万名游客.

即使每届世博会都设立了具有本国特色的主题（如2010年世博会的主题是“城市，让生活更美好”），它最终还是用以整体展示全体人类的集体成果的，同时也将讨论未来的发展之路.

    从本质上来说，我认为世博会对人类的意义和影响远远大于奥运会，这尤其表现在全球沟通和经济发展方面。相比起体育竞技，世博会更多地涉及文化和技术；并吸引更多更重要的观众群体。它跨越了国界，囊括了几乎所有的国家，更为重要的是，它涉及全人类正面临的根本性挑战——可持续性.

    因此世博会的赞助者们也将接触到一个规模更为庞大的观众群体.通过世博会，赞助者们将向世人展示他们处于全球发展最前沿的领导力。通过与世博会的结合，这些品牌将不仅仅触及人们的意识，他们还将通过在世博园内外与人们的直接互动去感动他们，以博览会的形式来展示人们生活的方方面面，并描绘了一幅值得期待的蓝图.

    在市场营销方面，世博会也为各参展国展示和推广本国形象提供了一个良好的平台，参展国将有机会以360度全景的角度来展示自身。世博会就是这样一个独一无二的舞台，可以让一个国家在全球瞩目的人类盛会中向全世界展示最好的自己.

    世博赞助商们不应将他们的营销行动囿于中国和上海，并且要超越传统的广告模式.他们应该在全球范围内——至少在主要市场——广而告之他们的赞助行动；同时，通过促销活动吸引消费者和客户前往博览会也应该是赞助商市场营销活动的一部分，这将为他们的目标群体带来无法用金钱买到的、难忘的世博会体验。还有一点，世博会赞助商不应该只发力终端消费者，B2B的公司将会发现世博会是一个与他人“谈论”自身的业务会如何影响人们日常生活的理想场合.

    如果说奥运会开幕式的打响宣布中国正式迈入了世界舞台，那么2010年世博会肯定将是规模更大的盛宴，中国将以世界经济和文化阵地中的领袖形象出场，并向数量超过以往任何一个时刻的观众群体展示自身，这是一个无与伦比的机会——将国家形象置于全球视野中.这一点，极具吸引力且不容忽视.

欲知详情，请点击我们的“饺子”.

Fashionable Compassion

Marc Arnold — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 10:25:00 GMT

The latest issue of Dumplings, our Shanghai e-newsletter, is ready to serve. And I am very happy to share with you an insightful article on China's Generation Y from Dumplings written by our H&K colleague Derek Sandhaus.

FASHIONABLE COMPASSION

By Derek Sandhaus

The first half of 2008 was marked by relentless tragedy. China was hit by the worst winter storms it had seen in 50 years, stranding millions during the busy Lunar New Year travel season and causing damages estimated at over Y100 billion. With hardly a moment's respite, China once again found itself in the throes of catastrophe in the form of the May 12th 8.0-magnitude earthquake in Wenchuan, Sichuan Province. Almost 70,000 were killed, 5 million left homeless, and one of China's poorest provinces was left to deal with a reconstruction effort with an estimated cost of over $75 billion. Rather than give in to despair in the face of such devastation, China responded with compassion and generosity, much of it coming from an unlikely source: the post-80s, so-called 'Me' generation.

For years, the post-80s (ba ling hou) have been ridiculed as being more concerned with fashion and indulgence than their obligation towards humanity. They are "the first generation in the world's history in which a majority are single children," notes TIME magazine, "a group whose solipsistic tendencies have been further encouraged by a growing obsession with consumerism, the Internet and video games." Derisively referred to as 'xiaohuangdi' (little emperors) by older generations, they have rarely been looked to for social change.

This year's tragedies, however, have produced a sea change in activism among China's new youth. This tech-saavy population, soon to become the world's largest online community, has been quick to spread information and equally quick to mobilize. Immediately following the quakes, more than 250,000 young volunteers descended upon Sichuan to aid in the recovery effort. Stories abounded of young professionals putting their jobs on hold, sometimes even quitting, to help those affected. This summer's Olympic Games was an unabashed success in large part due to the army of over 1 million volunteers, 80% of whom were college students.

This newfound sense of social responsibility presents new challenges and opportunities for brands looking to attract young consumers in China. Up to this point, most people have marketed products to young Chinese consumers by appealing to their sense of style and individuality, but this dynamic is changing. "While the youth brands are most aware of the cool hunting and fun seeking inclination of the Chinese 'post 80s', it's equally important to understand and recognize the 'serious side' of the Chinese youth and help them realize their dreams," explains the China Youth Watch blog. By remembering that 'I' and 'we' are not mutually exclusive, messages of social responsibility can be branded as self-actualization, promoting activism while simultaneously satisfying the need to remain fashionable.

Companies are starting to realize, though, that Chinese youth activism is something of a double-edged sword. Failure to identify yourself as a supporter of a popular cause can cause swift and unexpected retaliation. McDonald's, for example, found themselves the target of picketers following the quake for failing to discontinue an add campaign viewed as insensitive. On the flipside, when you do champion a popular cause, it's important to understand how much is enough. In the aftermath of the quakes, Chinese netizens set up online donation trackers and were quick to pounce on companies deemed overly stingy, effectively forcing them to give more generously.

Brands should also be aware that the Western conception of social responsibility is not always the same as the Chinese perception. Chinese youths overwhelmingly support their government, viewing it as driving force behind China's skyrocketing wealth. This growth in activism, thus, is wedded to an unbridled sentiment of patriotism. This can be a blessing for government initiatives, like the Sichuan relief effort and this summer's anti-plastic bag green initiative, which find built in, highly receptive audiences. It remains to be seen whether this sense of national loyalty will eventually translate into broader global responsibility. Companies looking to import foreign causes may run into a knowledge gap that requires extensive educational campaigns to bridge.

What's clear is that the needs of the post-80s are evolving and, in order to compete, brands must find ways to adapt. Identify what ways your brand taps into the desire for change. What socially responsible activities does your brand already undertake and how can you effectively communicate this to your customers? What additional steps can you take to better include customers in the future?

The central challenge is how to present yourself as an advocate of change and, by extension, how make your customers part of that change. "To befriend this group, brands need to stand for something," reports Bergstrom Trends, a research group focusing on young Chinese. "Helping youth try out new ways to contribute to social issues can be a powerful way to connect with your audience and be remembered as a force for empowering China."

If you want to know more about the latest Dumplings, please click on My Dumplings

ON=OFF

Marc Arnold — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 04:39:00 GMT

I have received a very insightful online trends report made by the trendspotters at Trendwatching.com which discuss how the online and the real worlds are interconnecting.

"More and more, the offline world (a.k.a. the real world, meatspace or atomarena) is adjusting to and mirroring the increasingly dominant online world, from tone of voice to product development to business processes to customer relationships. Get ready to truly cater to an ONLINE OXYGEN generation even if you’re in ancient sectors like automotive and fast moving consumer goods."

Implications
Can you (as a marketer) use the online language in your next campaign?

Can you promote a virtual experience into a real experience?

Tips
I have listed below some of the tips from trendwatching.com on how to apply the ON=OFF:

"Infuse your campaigns with the language of the onlineversed".
"Incorporate online symbols into one of your next designs and communication campaigns".
"Have customers design something from scratch online, then bring it into the real world."

If we (marketers) are now "better off" using the language of the online world in our next campaigns... I am wondering: is there any paper dictionary explaining the terms of the online world (and its 5000 days history) that could help? ON=OFF and OFF=ON

Have You Already Got a Better Idea for TV Show?

Marc Arnold — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 14:42:00 GMT

The guy behind Big Brother just had a new fun idea to create better TV shows. For those who have already dreamed about a better TV show than what already exist, his new website www.talpacreative.com allow people to make their dreams on the screen.

It looks like that this website is clearly aware about the Make it Your Self trend and the desire of people to make things and give input to product, campaign (andTV Big Show now). The Idea of Talpa is to leverage the masses to create the new big idea. People who join the Talpa Creative community get paid to generate ideas and if your concept is picked up, you will earn a "retainer" fee while Talpa Media takes charge of the prod and distribution.

The viral video on Youtube is really cool (although not highly viewed yet) and i think there is a lot to learn from the entertainment industry when it comes to entertain and engage "consumers". Make it yourself, a trend to watch closely...

Click her for the viral video...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lywx204yUg

Are you talking about Design or about my Business life?

Marc Arnold — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 10:44:00 GMT

Being a full time Design detective, I love to look around and check how design makes me feel. And I must agree that the design of the Beijing Olympic Opening Ceremony was grandiose, aesthetic, inspiring…The Games and China brought a “new sense” into their marketing mix: not only Design but Emotional Design… Viewed from China, the design of the Opening Ceremony really brought a high level of excitement and energized Chinese people minds, hear, and soul. Not only China and the Games are becoming more “human”, but they are bringing a human well-being.

I strongly believe on the power of Design and Stories in branding. I also strongly believe that “communication” should shift to “Emotion” (via Emotional design) and “Inspiration” (via Story which fashion a compelling narrative). And the Opening Ceremony was an exemplary case of successful branding by mastering “Emotion” and “Inspiration”. Hope to see more great examples in the future.

And Talking about future, you may know that Chinese businessmen (like many others around the world) are superstitious, Feng Shui and e-horoscope oriented, and it is not rare for them to see a “diseuse de bonne aventure” (clairvoyante) twice a year to get to know their future.

And from what I witnessed at the Opening Ceremony, I am curious to know what will perhaps make the success of businessmen in the future? See the cartoon I drafted below for her vision….

Want an offbeat idea to launch your mobile phone?

Marc Arnold — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 14:16:00 GMT

Just us the mobile to shoot the Campaign.

Flash back

At first, the French Government introduced to the communication / ad industry a new idea: No more advertising on state-owned France TV in 2011.

So, the communication / Ad industry decided to create their own new big idea: No more products will be shown on TV commercial.

Outcome:Sony-Ericsson Paris creates the first ever fiction campaign made with a mobile phone! For the launch of its new mobile C702, Sony-Ericsson decided not to show the mobile, but to use it to film its campaign!

Flash Back

On February 2008, a gang stole four famous paintings from a rich person in Zurich, Switzerland. Total value: 100 millions Euros. A few days later, two out of the four paintings are found in a stolen car.

A few days ago, Sony Ericsson has created a sequel to this real event and also the first fiction campaign made on mobile. Any link with the groundbreaking “French connection” movie which was also based on a true story?

This offbeat Sony-Ericsson campaign is based on a contest which challenges people to find the stolen paintings and earn the insurance prime of 3,000 Euros. On the website, an introduction explains the contest and starts with a video that shows two inspectors watching live the tentative deal of the two paintings to a corrupted reseller. Scenes have all been filmed with a hided Sony Ericsson mobile by Moss, one member of the gang who tried to cheat on his associates to get the insurance prime for himself. But the deal is unsuccessful. There is a series of unsuccessful tentative of deals, videos, and photos that are still been uploaded on the website. also, there are still some enigmas to solve to find the location where the gang is going to make the last deal.

As far as I know, the deal will take place in a parking area this time. But no one knows when and in which parking yet! Once you have successfully solved the enigmas and found where the deal will precisely takes place. You will get 15 sec to find the car in which the paintings are hidden. Then make the deal and earn the 3000 Euros. that’s really quick, 15 sec…

I like this campaign. it's a good example of how to use digital and how to entertain and get valuable word of mouth on blogs and youtube. I am wondering what Sony-Ericsson Campaign II will look like?

CHINA, SHIFT_Out of the ordinary

Marc Arnold — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 14:34:00 GMT

In 18 days exactly, the 8/8/2008 at 8 am (Beijing time), China will show its modern face to the world, and by this means China should change bit-by-bit the way millions think.

We are at the middle of the year 2008 and I believe it’s the right moment to make a half-year flashback on a few recent shifts that happened here. From what I have witnessed so far, 2008 will keep the reporters from the 2008 World Guinness records book quite busy this year as China is breaking records and surpassing the US on that faculty!!

Examples:

SHIFT_Economy - Which country has been for the first time the biggest contributor to global growth in 2008? Answer: China

SHIFT_Surprising - How many needles a Chinese guy pierced himself with to celebrate the up-coming games? Answer: 2008

SHIFT_Audi – With sales up with 23 percent so far, 2008 is for this car manufacturer the most successful half-year period since its 20 years history in China.

The list is not exhausative and already impressive, isn't it?

In a year where only the first, best, strongest, longest, fastest will get the gold, I was wondering what funny stories brands could create to break some kind of records to get coverage or attention?

And a friend of mine currently working in our Beijing Office made miracles by forwarding me the link to download the Mozilla Firefox 3. Here it is. Mozilla just made it. “We did it. We set a Guinness World record!” says Mozilla. And believe it or not, Mozilla now holds a Guinness World Record for the most software downloaded in 24 hours. 8,002,530 people downloaded Firefox 3 within 24 hours!!! http://www.spreadfirefox.com/en-US/worldrecord

This record is a US one but don't you see any link with China? Maybe not, Maybe yes.

But we can allow ourselves to wonder why “2008 won’t be like 2008”? And the reason might be that we are all entering into a “new world, new thinking” where east also meet (influence) west from now?

;-)