How Fortnite Got So Big, So Quick

Fortnite is all the rave right now in the gaming industry. It’s a free game that can be played cross-platform, giving it the ability to interface with a wide array of video gamers.  in addition to approaching current gamers, the eSports community is rapidly growing with millions of dollars in investments from other industries, as well as the Twitch acquisition from Amazon.  Twitch currently is a multi-million dollar industry, due to its rapidly growing fan base as well as corporate sponsorship. This is comparable to a social media site for gamers. Ninja, who is a popular twitch user, live streams his gameplay.  If you thought that video gaming wouldn’t prosper financially, Ninja was interviewed recently stating he makes $600,000 in one month - playing video games!  This has been able to capture the attention of gamers and non-gamers alike, bringing much attention to the video gaming community, as well as Fortnite itself.  Mainstream celebrities have also been featured on Ninja’s livestream gameplay, bringing in a larger than expected fan base due to the incorporation of celebrities such as Drake, Travis Scott, and Juju Smith-Scheuster.  

The use of social media marketing and celebrity endorsements is a great combination for companies to bring to the table. Incorporating this type of advertising into the video game industry was a fantastic adjustment and has widely increased the size and income of the field.

DigitasLBi - Horizon Zero Dawn | PlayStation

DigitasLBi, headquartered in Boston Massachusetts, has aided clients from Buick to MAYTAG with clever, innovative, and technologically based promotional efforts. They define themselves as a Connected Marketing Agency and pride themselves as being fluent in the cross-capability of content on audience platforms.

Their most recent project was with PlayStation for the launch of their new game Horizon Zero Dawn.

Click here for the full case study!

The mix of life size replicas, live video feed, perfect place of execution, and a manager on the social media end aided in the success of the overall guerilla promotional effort. Their promotional efforts increased social media mentions by 1000% through this 11-month campaign.

They were able to reach prime prospects at various video game conventions and connect with them both physically and through social media. They appeared at E3-2016, and it is described as the, "premier event for computer and video games and related products". They became extremely impressionable by appearing on the stage, larger than life "Watchers", in attempts to awe and build buzz for the 2017 release of Horizon Zero Dawn.

Watcher from Horizon Zero Dawn - From GameSpace

As a gamer and costume/replica enthusiast myself, this kind of display did exactly what DigitasLBi wanted. I was surprised that it took an alternative route. Rather than using ingame footage and building a suspenseful, movie inspired trailer for a video game experience (as mentioned in their case study video), DigitasLBi brought the game experience to life at E3. Photos for static assets added to the campaign and allowed this character build to live over multiple platforms, as DigitasLBi promised. Most of the user-generated content was interaction with the actor inside the costume or comments about being able to play along with it on social media platforms. This positive experience would be remembered and expanded upon when the user then played the game and started interacting with the Watchers in game; creating a relatable and lasting relationship.

I immediately searched for more content about the build process of the Watcher, cosplays, and game release information. I was so jealous I couldn't be at E3 when the Watchers made their debut!

What would you like to see recreated from a game or TV...or maybe created yourself?

Consumers Know an Ad When They See One

It is not uncommon for a celebrity or social media star to promote a product or brand on their social media channels. This common practice has lead to companies needing to be transparent when they pay someone to endorse their brand or product.

Designating sponsored content is meant keep consumers from being fooled into thinking that someone they follow talks about a product just because they like it. It turns out, however, that consumers are not that easy to fool.

In a recent study, the 64% of the consumers surveyed said that they saw messages from brands on social media as ads. People are becoming more and more accustomed to seeing these types of posts on their feeds. Social Media advertising has become an important part of most brands' advertising mix. This is why companies need to realize that consumers are becoming wise to their social media strategies. Trying to sneak ads into people's feed is more likely to annoy consumers at this point. It is time for companies to understand how smart the average consumer is and to be transparent with their advertising messages.

An Ode To YouTube

So, we've all been there. You don't feel like Netflixing, and Facebook/Twitter/MySpace (if that's still your thing)/Everything else is boring you. Enter, YouTube. It's the greatest, because all you do is bounce around from topic to topic. In case you have some kind of organization to your YouTube browsing, let me show you what I mean.

What I've used YouTube for in the last few hours:

• music videos
• game highlights and player interviews 
• make-up tutorials 
• all of Snopp Dogg's plizzanet earth (truly, a masterpiece of our generation. 10/10 would recommend.)
• buzzfeed videos 
• montages of puppies

YouTube is the Super Wal-Mart of the Internet. There's everything on YouTube. It's fair to say that our lives have improved since the video site has been around.

So what has YouTube done for advertising?

First and foremost, it's changed the way companies advertise using videos. Nowadays, you'll see adds running on popular videos. These ads vary in length, anywhere from 15 seconds time to a minute. A lot of times, these videos will just be shorter or modified versions of the company's ads that run on TV.

Secondly, it's changed the way pop-ups happen. The pop-ups can now be embedded into the video, prompting viewers to "click for more" or "subscribe" to other videos and channels.

It's also allowed for advertisers to really hone in on their audiences, and target a specific part of the market.

For instance, as I mentioned above, I was watching beauty tutorials earlier. Before one of them, there was a rather lengthy advertisement for eyeshadow. I was annoyed, yes, but also intrigued that Covergirl took the time to advertise specifically to people watching make up and hair videos. That's pretty smart.

On the other hand, advertisers on YouTube also just saturate the market, and add their commercial to everything. Most recently, it's been the one with Amy Schumer.

What do you think works? What doesn't?

Regardless, I think we can all agree that, since its creation in 2005, YouTube changed the World Wide Web for the better.

When Your Ad Goes Viral - Click to Share!

In this busy world we live in, it is quite hard to grab people’s attention. It gets even harder when there are so many things readily available in the internet world and so many people with different interests. That is until your advertisement succeeds at catching people’s attention so much that the busy world of the internet helps your company get noticed through a viral post across the world.

EDEKA, a German supermarket company created a Christmas advertisement where they told the story of an elderly father whose children – who were actually adults that shared a busy life and/or successful career and lived far away – were never home for Christmas. He is shown sitting at the dinner table on Christmas Eve alone for many years up until he gets tired of it and plans a trick on his children so they would come home. He fakes his own death – yes, I know – and so everybody comes home to the surprise that, whoops, he is still alive and tricked everybody! They then get to sit at the table and enjoy a family Christmas Eve dinner to EDEKA purchased foods and drinks.

The advertisement became viral for many different reasons. Many people were very touched and even cried during the advertisement – not me… maybe me – and many people were quite outraged by a father who lies to his children and grandchildren about his own fake, planned and as a means to an end death. Regardless of how people felt about it, being an international student myself and also being friends with many other internationals on Facebook, I was able to notice how viral the advertisement actually became. Not only many known social media pages were reposting and commenting about the video in the United States, but my friends from all over the world were sharing the video (which all included subtitles in their own native language) as well as known social media pages from all over the world. Even Buzzfeed made a video entirely about the EDEKA commercial.

EDEKA could be considered lucky for the fact that now the world knows about the supermarket and maybe if I ever visit Germany I at least know where I can buy food; but we have to recognize the hard work and effort of the people behind the creative team who developed such an emotional advertisement that had such a statement message to it so much it became viral in the internet. The advertisement barely sells the idea of “Come shop at EDEKA this Christmas season” and that is what is most special about it. Companies have an extremely high cash making and branding potential online and in my point of view companies should focus on unique, non-sales pitch, statement making advertisements that people are going to want to share. Share by share, your advertisement can go a long, long way… and so can your brand!

Here is the AD if you haven’t seen it -- which, I highly doubt you haven’t!

• What are your thoughts on the EDEKA commercial as a means of advertisement?

Opponent of Silence

The most fascinating thing about the current social media craze is the idea of live Tweeting events. For example, during the recent Mad Men finale, I watched the show while also constantly reading how others were reacting to the show on Twitter and joining in the conversation. During the recent #PITvsCIN Wildcard Game last Saturday, Twitter went wild with opinions, GIFs and Memes describing one of the most unusual football games I've ever seen. However, after the Bengals Interception by Vontaze Burfict, which many thought ended the game, the Bengals Twitter account (@Bengals) went silent until after the game was over, not acknowledging the two personal fouls that allowed the Steelers to reach a victory. At the same time, the Steelers Twitter account (@Steelers) was Tweeting almost constantly, updating its followers about the game's events. As I was combing through the real time game posts, I wondered if this was the right decision for the Bengal's PR department to make.

I still haven't answered my own question yet. I think from a crisis communications standpoint, it made sense to stay quiet because posting about the events happening during the game would just spark negative conversation about the Bengals. However, the point of a professional sports team Twitter account is to keep fans updated on what is going on. The Bengals had to be proactive and reactive at the same time, which is almost impossible. Perhaps the Bengals could have avoided Tweeting about the personal fouls by still keeping fans updated on the game events. On the other hand, they could have diverted attention away from Burfict by providing some sort of fun fact about the team or the other players. I think remaining silent, in this case, was the wrong communications move on the part of the Bengals. What is your opinion on the situation?

For Lego, Tiny Billboards Bring Big Attention

(Image courtesy of Branding Magazine. Click here for more photos.)


When it comes to cutting through the clutter of outdoor advertising, sometimes bigger isn't better. Just ask advertising agency DLKW Lowe - designers of the new Legoland Windsor Resort ad campaign in England. The 12-inch (30.5 cm) tall billboards are scattered throughout London surrounding areas, and advertise special savings offers, known as "Mini Breaks," at the theme park and hotel. The best part? The ads are made of Lego bricks!

I think this concept is clever for several reasons. First, people tend to skim over most outdoor advertising in areas where there is more foot traffic than vehicle traffic. People will stop mid-speed-walk, however, if they notice a mini Lego creation of some sort out of the corner of their eyes. Also, DLKW Lowe created a Google Map showing the locations of all the billboards, and has created a hashtag (#legolandminibreaks) for people to post photos of the billboards on Twitter. The billboards may not be easy to read in person, but by encouraging social media sharing, Lego is creating far more impressions than most billboards would generate. Smart.



(Disclosure: I am a former Lego employee, and I have family still employed with Lego.)

Progressive's Fun-Filled "Best Day Ever" website

People feel very strongly about Progressive Insurance's TV spokeswoman, Flo. They either love her or despise her. Like her or not, though, she's certainly been an effective addition to Progressive's business - the number of new policies with Progressive has increased every year since Flo was first introduced in 2008 (WSJ.com)

Progressive recently introduced a new website, entitled "Flo's Best Day Ever," that plays off its popular "Best Day Ever" commercial.

There are many ways for visitors to interact with the Progressive brand through the new site's content. The website centers around a full-length animated music video for the "Best Day Ever" song. The site also offers a free download of the song. In addition, there is an Instagram photo page for visitors to submit their "Best Day Ever" photos, and links to Flo's and Progressive's Twitter and Facebook pages.

I think this website is going to be an effective addition to Progressive's media mix. It offers so many ways for people to be exposed to the Progressive's products and services, all while staying lighthearted and fun (two things normally not associated with car insurance). There are elements of advergaming (the Instagram photo contest), a viral video, and incentive to visit the company's social media and other sites for more information.

The car insurance industry is certainly competitive, and there is a major shift to appeal to young adults getting their own car insurance for the first time. With this website, I think Progressive will be able to compete with other major players like Geico, State Farm, and Allstate.

Brainiacs from Mars: On A Mission

 

A few weeks ago, Pittsburgh's KDKA-TV news aired a news story about an up-and-coming marketing firm called BrainiacsFromMars. The company describes its work as "high impact" and "unconventional." According the their website, BrainiacsFromMars "specialize in building headline grabbing marketing campaigns that inspire people, elevate your brand, and generate out of this world attention for your business." But the firm not only offers this advice to their clients, they have applied their strategy for their own campaign.

BrainiacsFromMars not only transform brands, they transform homes. At least they do right now. Currently, the firm is looking for volunteers to offer up their homes for billboards as part of a national campaign, similar to the popular Mail Pouch Tobacco barn ads of years past. The firm then comes in and paints the outside of the home in bold colors, adds the firm's logo, some social media logos, and even a QR code for passersby. In 3-5 days, your home could become the town's next billboard! 

But there's a catch. A good catch. If you can deal with your house being out-of-this-world bright, BrainiacsFromMars will pay your mortgage for the one month that your house is painted, which could even be extended for as long as one year! And here's one better: they will repaint your house afterwards!

A billboard home in Los Angeles, CA.
Credit: facebook.com/BrainiacsFromMars

BrainiacsFromMars CEO, Romeo Mendoza has stated that his plan is to help those families in need of mortgage assistance during this housing crisis. His goal is to transform 1,000 houses into billboards across the United States (Reuters.com). But the team isn't choosing necessarily the best location, they choose also based on the family's need. Since April 2011, Mendoza has received 38,000 applications for the program.

Two homes in Pittsburgh were being considered for this program, which is why the story was aired. It is a great opportunity for those homeowners, especially since most consideration was going to homes in Nevada, California, and Florida. If this just the beginning of BrainiacsFromMars, I can only imagine what they will come up with for future clients. I like the idea of this campaign and think that it will benefit the firm plus a ton of American families. Even if their home is used for only one month, that month without a mortgage payment is heaven-sent for a lot of families. I'm interested to see how this campaign develops and the results it produces.