A Game That’s a Pain

I have just spent the last half hour trying to play this new game from the fine folks at Bayer. The effort is in support of the launch of new Aleve Liquid Gels.

I have to give them high marks for ambition, but, unfortunately, the game keeps crashing on me. Hopefully you will have better luck. Basically, the idea is that there is a bunch of nasty evil people in a group called PAIN, who want to slow down the flow of information on the internet (perhaps that is why the game kept crashing?). The liquid flow of information, like the liquid in new Aleve Liquid Gels, I guess.

Anyway, a crazy scientist (who appears to be channeling Christopher Lloyd in Back to the Future, but is not as funny), is on to them, they capture him, a journalist is trying to help him, etc (that’s as far as I could get).

According the New York Times, Bayer is going after a younger target with this project, since most people equate Aleve with helping old geezers deal with arthritic pain.  As an old geezer myself, I applaud the effort, and feel their pain.

By the way, I hope everyone notices that I finally figured out how to write links to words, and not just include a long, ugly url. I am improving on a daily basis.

The Allure of Free Stuff

Attention Shoppers!  has often pointed out that online custom media partnerships, where you integrate your marketing messages naturally into a site’s editorial content, are often more effective than simple media placements such as banners. But when you are able to add an offline component—with the reach of TV or a popular magazine–to the program, things can get exponentially better.

A case in point is the current “Free Stuff” promotion from the August issue of Allure Magazine, which combines heavy promotion in the magazine with home page placement on their web site.  

Of course, this effort is a bit different from your typical custom media partnership in that there are dozens of companies and products involved in the program. But I think all CPG marketers could learn something here.

The premise of the “Free Stuff” program is very simple: every weekday during the month of August, Allure will give away free stuff—and lots of it–to registered readers who log on to the special section of the Allure Web Site (http://www.allure.com/freestuff ) at a specific time.

For example, on August 1 the first 100 Allure readers who log in at 5:oo pm EST will receive a free Elimis Tri-Enzyme Resurfacing Night Cream (retail value $148). The first 100 readers to log in at 12 pm on August 14 will win a package of Clinique Acne Care solutions (retail value $44.00).

There are also pricier, non-CPG give-aways, such as a $1,900 Jimmy Choo Grommeted Calf-Leather Bag on August 1 (I can almost hear the Attention Shoppers! female audience sighing with Choo-lust right now).

In all, the gift-happy gang at Allure is giving away 20,787 different products. To give credit where credit is due, this is not dissimilar to a program that my Digitas colleagues in New York do for American Express every year during the holidays called “My Wish List”.

Of course, one might also consider Allure’s “Free Stuff” a sampling program, albeit a sampling program on legal protein supplements (Attention Shoppers! has always been steroid free).

There is also considerable upside for Allure here as well. Last year, the same kind of program increased traffic to their site—and exposure to those traditional banner ads—by 150%. For more information, here is how Advertising Age covered the promotion: http://adage.com/mediaworks/article?article_id=119505&search_phrase=%2Ballure 

Best of luck snagging that grommeted Choo.

French-Canadian Blockhead

Once again “Attention Shoppers!” is traveling the world in search of interesting examples of CPG/Internet marketing. Today we are in Montreal. Truth be told, we are spending most of our time at a music festival and have not had much opportunity to ferret out the best our French-Canadian neighbors have to offer in the way of online creativity.

Still, we did find this work for the popular convenience store chain, “Couche Tard” (literally, people who stay up late). They are sort of the French Canadian version of 7-11. The work, selling the ability of ice coffee to allow one to truly relax in the face of those annoying people around us,  features audio personalization and stop action animation. Just click here http://enfinseule.ca/cappuccino.php  and then type a name (it needs to be a women’s French name, such as Marie, Claire, Sylvie, etc. There is, of course a men’s version as well). Then click on the type on the bottom of the page, once you hear the ocean.

For those of you who don’t understand French, the VO says “Stay cool, get a large ice coffee for $1.99”.  We have seen audio personalization before, of course. But never have we seen it used to nag people so effectively. There is also something creepy about the animation, yet also strangely appealing.

Bon Samedi.

Iced Tea Worth Fighting For

Yesterday, “Attention Shoppers!” traveled to Canada. I, personally, will be traveling to Canada on Friday. So I think, given those clear signals, the only logical thing to do is keep “Attention Shoppers!” in Canada.

So here is an ‘advergame” (I am not sure that is a real word, but even if it is, I don’t like it much, so I probably will not be using it again) from Canadian agency Lowe Roche, located in the lovely city of Toronto. http://www.plungeandplay.com/plungeandplay2/

I will be making the trip to Montreal on Friday, and will do my best to find some interesting French-Canadian-CPG-Internet stuff. Back to the subject at hand, the game is for Nestea, and is the second in a series of games the agency has created for their client, so all parties involved must think it’s working for them. I liked the sound, but thought the animation was a little boring. And the game itself—a fighting theme that brought back memories of a few misspent years I lived through in the early 80s–is so similar to other, much more professionally done games that I have to wonder if their target will really spend much time with it. I certainly didn’t.  But then again, I am probably not the audience.

Speaking of audience, this seems like a very male oriented game, and I’m wondering how the female portion of the Nestea consumers likes this. I am assuming that they are the major buyers of the product. In any case, let me know if you liked the game.

This certainly won’t be the last time we talk about games, as they continue to grow in importance in our cherished space—that space where the internet intersects with consumer packaged goods and Canada. At least for a while. A bientot.  

Canadian Oil

Take a look at this site from hot Toronto shop, Taxi. http://jigaloo.com/en/, for Jig-A-Loo.It’s a great example of taking a very ordinary product, an all-purpose lubricant (like WD-40, stateside, I would guess), and bringing it to life in an extraordinary–some might say “Caaarazzy” way. Make sure to check out the “Watch It Work” section. You will be amazed. Or at least amused.

Wal-Mart Wants to Know What YOU Think

You may recall that last year Wal-Mart tried to create a MySpace-styled community site. Boy, that didn’t work out too well, as chronicled by this short, funny article. http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20061003/074614.shtml 

Well, the fine folks from Arkansas are back in the consumer-generated world with a vengeance, and an idea that will most probably turn out a lot better for them. Seeing the number of unique visitors to their on-line commerce site surpassed by rivals such as Target, Wal-Mart just announced that they will begin to allow consumers to post reviews of products on their site. This is smart for a couple of reasons. 

Companies from Amazon to Petco have discovered that these consumer reviews improve sales and customer loyalty significantly. It makes the on-line retail experience seem more honest. And even the occasional negative review (positive reviews significantly outnumber negative ones—seven to one according to one source) only adds to the feeling that the site wants you to get the best possible product for your needs. 

The other reason this makes sense is that those all-important search engine spiders put a heavy emphasis on unique content, making it more likely that Wal-Mart’s specific product pages could move up in search engine results. 

There is a lesson here for all CPG companies. Consumers want to talk about your products, and they are going to have more opportunity to do so. So let’s encourage them to share their thoughts on our product sites. Heck, at the very least it’ll be cheaper than all those focus groups you paid for last year.

Clean Up in Aisle Eight

As stated in the “About” page, the noble purpose of this blog has always been to explore how consumer packaged goods companies are using the internet to reach consumers in new, more efficient—and I would add more mutually beneficial—ways.  

Most everything I’ve discussed so far has involved how consumers use the internet at home—not on the road. Which is natural. There is SO much work to do just figuring out the best ways for marketers to leverage the incredible power and reach of the internet. Every day we find better methods of using the internet to create awareness, drive trial and build consumer loyalty. All by creating value for our consumers–not by talking at them.   

In any case, at this point not ALL that many people are accessing the internet out of their homes. Despite that fact, today I’d like to dip my toe (since it’s finally 84 degrees and sunny in Boston) into the murky, still uncharted waters of using mobile computing in the CPG/Retail space. Most specifically at the Point of Sale, where most purchase decisions are made.

As the iPhone showed when it launched a couple of weeks ago, there is a huge, growing appetite for accessing the internet anytime, anywhere. And anywhere certainly includes the shopping aisle.   

Just imagine whipping out your trusty phone (i or not) and googling the top contenders as you decide which large-screen TV to buy. Or think about how much easier the buying process would be if you could access user reviews when you are comparing $900 mountain bikes.  

Take a look at this interesting use of internet technology at POS that gives new meaning to the words “mirror, mirror on the wall”. http://www.psfk.com/2007/01/social_retailin.html  

But, the question is (I hear you asking), do consumers want this level of information access when deciding which laundry detergent or toothpaste to purchase? My guess is they might. At least a good number of them might. As long as we make it easy and interesting for them. Because the shopping aisle has never been tougher to navigate. According to Extended Retail Solutions, a division of GDS Publishing, just 2o years ago the average supermarket had 22,000 SKUs. Today, the average number of SKUs has more than doubled to 52,000.  Those marketers who can make it easier for consumers to navigate through the POS jungle will win. And the agencies that help them win will not be losers in the deal, either.  

I will continue to explore this interesting area of our new jobs in the weeks to come. If you have any thoughts or have seen interesting examples of companies using interactive technologies at the Point of Sale, let me know. 

Looking for Love? Hot Dog!

Loyal readers of Attention Shoppers! will recall that, not too long ago, I featured a site created by Unilever brands “Wishbone” and “I can’t believe it’s not butter” that chronicled the lives and loves of animated salad dressings and assorted vegetables (www.spraysinthecity.com).

Not to be outdone, the folks at French’s have joined the party, coming to the table with their own inter-food romance. http://www.foodlovesfrenchs.com/ 

One of the webisodes (Speed Dating) has a happy ending, as a hot dog looking for love finds it with a bottle of yellow mustard.  Another (Rattled) is decidedly more risqué, as a sexy sandwich obviously has cheated on her faithful husband with the pool boy/mustard bottle.  

There is also a blog that clearly has been cleansed of any user comments that are at all critical or off-color (thus they are not remotely funny or interesting). And there is even a contest that allows you to write your own love story that could be turned into the next webisode. 

Bon appetite!

Subservient Intern

There are times at Attention Shoppers! when we stretch the definition of consumer packaged goods to accommodate an idea or creative execution that strikes our fickle fancy. Today is such a day. But it is not a huge stretch, because we are going to talk about Mentos candies. Which are consumed by CONSUMERs. Which come in a PACKAGE. And which are, most decidedly, GOOD.

You may be aware of the fact that Mentos  was unwittingly part of one of the most successful viral campaigns ever (Diet Coke was the other part, and they actually wanted NO part of it, but that’s another story). Actually, Mentos was just the lucky recipient of the film’s success, as it was made without Mentos’ knowledge by two performance artists from Maine who, as far as I know, did not get a dime for their efforts—a common problem for performance artists.

In case you haven’t seen the film, check it out here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKoB0MHVBvM The two gentlemen mixed Mentos with Diet Coke to create a fountain-like experience every bit equal to a good day in Versailles under the reign of Louis IV—and even if you have never been to Versailles or have no idea who Louis IV was I think you know what I mean. Here’s an article about the whole affair: http://www.thefirstpost.co.uk/index.php?menuID=2&subID=839&WT.srch=1

Millions and millions of people saw the film and a whole bunch of people did their own versions, all adding up to increased awareness and sales of Mentos.

Understandably, Mentos has decided that this viral stuff is pretty good, and have tried their own hand, and, presumably, spent their own money, on this new effort. It features Trevor, the Mentos intern who, 40 hours a week, will do whatever (within reason) you tell him to do. Here is the site experience:  http://www.mentosintern.com/

It’s kind of like Subservient Chicken (sort of ground zero for the whole viral thing, and if you have never seen it you should do so right now; go ahead, we’ll wait http://www.subservientchicken.com/), except this is in real time, and he has to pick your request amongst others. When he is not working, which is pretty often, there are videos on the site, but I don’t find them very funny (of course I’m not the target—kids and other Mentos eaters may find them gut-busting, but  I have my doubts). There is also a MySpace page, which I found pretty disappointing given what it could have been, a Facebook page, and a blog with only a few lame entries.

So the verdict here is that the Mentos folks could have put a little more effort into what is a pretty cool idea. But that’s just me. What do you think?

A Good Place to Start

As promised in my post yesterday, here are my top four reasons why many CPG clients are not spending the money we think they should online. I also offer up some suggestions as to what we might do to help remedy the situation. I know some of this may seem simple and basic, but, at this point, I think the basics are where we need to begin.  

REASON NUMBER ONE: Clients are not totally convinced shifting dollars to the online channel will work. Sure, they’ve read all the articles, seen the research and understand the overall concepts of why they should spend more online. But putting 10 to 15% of their advertising budget in the online space is such radically different behavior—and there is so much at stake—that they are not willing to take such a high risk without being reasonably certain about the outcome.

 WHAT CAN WE DO? Continue to show clients reputable studies which prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that their target audience is spending an increasing percentage of their media consuming hours online. But more importantly, work with the sites to come up with case histories that prove online work is every bit as powerful as conventional media when it comes to creating awareness, driving trial and building loyalty. We MUST do a better job with this. We should also propose simple, low-cost, measurable tests that prove our point.  

REASON NUMBER TWO: The online space is so damn complicated. The complexity of the online channel makes OUR heads hurt and we live it all day every day. Think what it does to our clients. Start with the thousands of options we have when it comes to where we can reach our audience: portals, editorial sites, communities, blogs, our clients’ product sites, our own engagement sites, and that’s just the beginning. Then multiply that by the choices we have when it comes to bringing our ideas to life: video, Flash, animation, expandable ad units, site partnerships of all shapes, sizes and costs, branded content, unbranded content—not to mention the ad-serving and other technologies involved in executing our ideas. Compare that to buying 30-second TV spots or 8 ½ by 11-inch magazine pages from a familiar, clearly defined media set.

WHAT CAN WE DO? We must find a way to simplify the landscape. We need to help clients understand how their consumers are using the Internet, and where their brands could best meet them there with meaningful content. At Digitas we have a couple of ways to break down the myriad of choice into more easily understandable activities that people do online. It’s a good start, but there’s much more work to do.  

REASON NUMBER THREE: And this is directly related to reason one: there isn’t an acceptable standard of measurement that proves money spent in the online space is meeting clients’ objectives. I think we are making progress here, and one could certainly argue that traditional metrics such as gross impressions and attitudinal shifts are less than perfect. But they’ve been around forever and clients are comfortable with them.

WHAT CAN WE DO? We need standards here as soon as possible. So we should use our influence to make sure sites and media planning and buying companies increase their efforts and collaboration in this area. Which leads me to my fourth and final reason… 

REASON NUMBER FOUR: Media planning and buying agencies are not encouraging clients strongly enough to shift spend. Now I know that there are exceptions here. I’m actually working with some of them. But overall, I believe that because of the complexity of the online space, and because their clients are not demanding it, many media agencies are sticking with what they know and love. The fact is, no matter how strongly we believe that clients should be spending money in the online channel, we clearly have a vested interest here. Our media partners ostensibly do not. Their recommendations will carry more weight.

WHAT CAN WE DO? Beg? Buy them lunch? Seriously, as I’ve mentioned before, we must work more closely than ever before with our colleagues in media agencies. It is the only way that both of us will do the right thing for our clients in a rapidly evolving media world. 

So there you have it. Of course, I am sure that there are a bunch more reasons you could come up with. Or maybe I’m totally off base. Either way, let me know. Our collective wisdom here is certainly needed if we are to be successful sooner than later.