If you're based in the UK and you are always eager to find out new places to see and new things to do, MINI has the right tool to give you tips and inspiration. As part of the campaign to promote its convertible model the car brand has launched an iPhone application called Openness which encourages users to explore the unexplored and try new things.
The mechanism is pretty straightforward. Select your location, decide how much open-minded you are and then shake to be surprised by MINI. You might end up with a recommendation for a Body Detox Clinic or if you luckier you could receive directions to a Mexican wrestling match with fetish cabaret. Whatever the hint, rest assured the experience will be definitely off-beat.
Nice to discover interesting content via Twitter. Yesterday, for example @_RGA posted about this rich media banner that profiles your tweets and gets back to you with the reccomendation of the ideal Volkswagen for you.
Brand Republic Asia reports that in South Korea Daewoo has launched an integrated campaign to promote its Tosca model. A Tv spot and a website try to get the attention of egoist potential first time buyers of the car. The creativity has a strong focus on individualism, with a series of stories told through videos.
In the US Lexus has launched a digital lifestyle guide in cooperation with Urban Daddy, a website and email magazine dedicated to "what you need to know".
Althought the idea of a lifestyle guide is definitely not new, I like the fact they've tried to make it a bit more personal and interactive, allowing people to find the right spots according to their entertainment needs.
Last couple of weeks it was time for judging some iberoamerican festivals, such as FIAP (in Argentina) or Wave (in Brazil) and as usual, my main interest was to check, as agencies, which messages those festivals are giving when announcing their lists of winners, as to know where the industry from the region could go.
A bit disappointed because we're pretty much stuck to formats as microsites and banners still, but finding also some little treasures as the one that won Grand Prix at Wave, a kind of advergame called "T-Racer", created by Agencia Click (in collaboration with Colmeia and TAXI.Labs), and in which you can race in real time against a real driver, either in the site or in a car-installation done for the brazilian Big Brother tv show.
The case study shows the project better than my words, i like very much this approach of extending the digital experience outside the screen :)
In Germany, Scholz & Volkmer has created a new website for the new Mercedes-Benz E-Class Coupe, presented as an "object of desire".
I very much like the creative idea of seeing the car through 30 different points of view even if this approach ends up being probably too focused on the car's aesthetic rather than on its performance characteristics.
In the UK Volkswagen has launched a cool advergame to promote its Golf GTI models. It's just another driving game, but you can expect to be at least a bit surprised.
The coolness of the project stays in the game design as well as in the idea of taking us back in time and experience again the fun we had 25 years ago with the Polistil slot car races.
You've probably seen the Wii Warioland Shake it experience on YouTube. Vimeo, known as YouTube's high quality competitor, now takes these kind of site takeovers to a whole new level with the Honda Insight campaign. Below you see the commercial, but for the whole experience, you should visit Vimeo itself.
German agency Jung von Matt has joined forces with French web developer Mathieu 'P01' HENRI to produce the smallest advergame ever. It sits in 16*16 pixels or, better, in a favicon. The progject has been conceived to promote a very small car: the Smart fortwo.
As you can see from the video, banners have been placed on automotive sites to invite people to play. The idea is fun and definitely very creative even if I'm not sure how many people visiting those websites have really appreciated it. Would be interesting to know not only the buzz the advergame will be able to create in the blogosphere, but also the numbers in terms of clickthrough (for example) it generate.
In Sweden IKEA tries a new approach to its digital communication, exploring storytelling with a mix of videos and illustrations. The goal is to introduce the new IKEA PS collection, a line of eco-focused products just launched on the market. The result, as usual, is very beautiful and inspiring.
The viewer is taken through a fabulous journey flying over seas and cities with a flock of weird flying objects. Each object hides a designer who is ready to tell you the story of the object he (or she) created for IKEA.
This is an advergame for the boys out there who always dreamt of driving a truck (at least for a day). The Swedish developers at Muskedunder Interactive have created a game for Volvo Trucks to experience the challenges of driving a truck.
The game is very nicely developed (although the game screen is way to small) and has a good mix of realism and playability, which explains why it has been played over 40000 times in less than 4 days.
Toyota Europe has recently launched a virtual test drive for its IQ model.
The website, created by the flash gurus at North Kingdom and Illianced allows users to drive the car through a futuristic landscape while discovering the main car features.
The website is very nicely developed with a clean and simple design however, in my opinion, the experience results a bit too cold and "anesthetized". Especially when you try to sell a city car, I think you should play a bit more with positive/amused feelings.
