Contagious ideas by PSST : spreading 2.0 innovation (editor = jérémy dumont, strategic planner, france)

Durex Play PleasureBall

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This game really needs to be played to be believed, but we'll try and give you the low-down without sounding like a stuffy school teacher explaining the facts of life in Biology 101. Now listen up. When and a man and a woman love each other very much they get certain urges...

Durex were looking for a way to both promote and distribute their Play range of sex toys in a shy Singaporean market and have come to the conclusion that discreet online purchasing is clearly favoured above a trip to the local sex shop in a pair of dark glasses and a fake moustache.

With this in mind, Ogilvy RedCard masterminded a campaign to promote awareness of durexplayshop.com with a cheeky viral game - PleasureBall. Based on the classic pinball format, the aim is simple - fire your ball (singular, please note) around the table shaped like a female body, hitting the correct hot spots in order to attain, ahem, climax. Each time a spot is hit the player is rewarded not only with a suitable sound effect, but also one of five toys - if you can collect all five toys in a competitive time, your name (probably not your real one) and score are added to the leader board.

We are struggling a little with this one (the concept, not the game). It is doubtful whether some Durex branding will provide sufficient justification for your average consumer to play an online game with orgasmic sound effects and a slightly disturbing platform that looks like the colourful wet dream of surrealist, H R Giger. We suspect that on receiving the viral via email, many would consider this to be 'NSFW' or 'not safe for work'. Any people fearing a visit from the IT department would be confined to playing in their privacy of their own home where they would most likely opt for some proper gaming on their Xbox 360, or some proper pornography on their computer.

Are we being a little harsh? Why don't you check it out and decide for yourself...and remember to turn the speakers on...

www.durexplayshop.com.sg/game.php

McDonald ARG's

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The Alternate Reality Game (ARG) is becoming an increasingly mainstream marketing tool, with everyone from Guinness to Warner Bros to P&G getting involved. For the uninitiated, an ARG is a gigantic treasure hunt played out both on and offline in which participants collaborate to solve puzzles and reach the game’s conclusion. This week sees the launch of The Lost Ring, an ARG to neatly remind us that it’s not only the sexy advertisers - the movies, the games - that get to play in this space. In an odd yet intriguing pairing, fast food giant McDonald’s is sponsoring the game in conjunction with the International Olympic Committee.

So far , the action appears to be an effort to highlight the true meaning of the Olympics (apparently it isn’t just there to throw the East-West Cold War and some hefty sponsorship deals into sharp relief). The story begins as follows: ‘Late in February 2008, six people awoke, blindfolded and garbed in athletic attire, in labyrinths scattered across the world. None remembered their past, but all bore a tattoo on their arm reading Trovu la ringon perditan, or "Find the lost ring" in Esperanto.’

It’s compelling stuff. Rumours abound that the puppetmasters in this case are none other than AKQA, which would explain the beautifully produced trailer video designed to get you started:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=HV2taCwugzk

The video directs you to the campaign website, www.thelostring.com - again, gorgeous to look at and fun to play with. And as with all ARGs, at the centre of the campaign is a part user-generated part professionally steered wiki, here: http://olympics.wikibruce.com/Home.

s many failed attempts at ARGs have shown, the form works best when the game builds towards a definitive conclusion, such as a movie or game release - or the Olympics. We’ve no idea where McDonald’s fits into all this, but it’s going to be intriguing to see how the golden arches will be integrated as the game goes on, if at all. Many ARGs feature real world interaction, and using the company’s retail outfits as meeting points could be a tidy tie-in. Are we all shortly to be found staggering round the Maccy D’s on Oxford Street asking strangers if they know where the ring is in Esperanto?

With the trailer already standing at around half a million views, The Lost Ring is off to a flying start. Points to McDonald’s for some creative leverage of their sponsorship, and to the IOC for embracing the power of the web to engage and inform. Now if only they could convince the Chinese government to do the same...

BONUS NEWS! The activity surrounding The Dark Knight, the next installment of the hugely successful Batman movie franchise, looked set to take the ARG form firmly into the mainstream with its mixture of just-dark-enough subject matter, and digital and real world interaction. Despite a hiatus following actor Heath Ledger’s untimely death, the game is happily still going on, highlighting the form’s flexibility. Check it out here.

http://batman.wikibruce.com/Home

Converse 100th anniversary !

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Everybody in advertising wears Converse - now everyone wearing Converse can be in advertising...

In celebration of their 100th birthday, Converse has launched an innovative new campaign in Japan that allows fans of the brand to do their advertising for them.

The campaign allows members of the brand’s loyal army of devoted followers to appoint themselves as ad agency, taking on a series of promotional challenges hosted on a dedicated website. The tasks include the creative customisation of advertising banners and avatars, which can then be used to promote the brand beyond the confines of the site itself. The more successful their promotion, the more points the user is awarded - these can eventually be exchanged for exclusive Converse products.

The sharing of material between individual 'agencies' is also encouraged, along with feedback, creating an environment that is part faux-industry and part social community.

This is a savvy little campaign by Converse, targeted at precisely the right market. The Japanese are always partial to a bit of brand worship and will be more than willing to jump through some engaging little hoops if it means getting their hands on some limited edition goodies...

The website is in Japanese, but it's worth a look none the less:

http://thankyou.converse.co.jp/

WAX Media

‘Direct to Client’ strikes fear into the hearts of many advertising agencies, with brands increasingly turning direct to production companies to create their content, such as Glamour Reel Movies. Converse has also launched a beautiful ‘Thank you’ project in Japan to celebrate its 100th anniversary and thank loyal customers http://thankyou.converse.co.jp/

Digital Agency WAX Media launched at the end of 2007 and is starting its assault on the advertising industry, throwing insults at ‘old and slow’ advertising industries with its offering of digital advertising, integrated creative and strategy and a transparent, economical and flexible approach. WAX Media’s team include digital agency consultant to Grey Worldwide and Saatchi NY Asa Bailey, Patrick Holtkamp and Phil Tidy – joint owners of production company Draw Pictures, along with Draw’s head of production Andy Bell. Brands are also involved, including Bob Brimson, consultant director of creative services at Universal Music and Mike O’Keefe, head of content at Sony BMG.

Patrick Holtkamp, WAX’s managing director, explained to Contagious: ‘WAX was set up to offer a cost effective and creative solution. By integrating an experienced commercial production team and by using top commercials directors as “creative directors" we are cutting of quite a few layers of fat. The same person who works on the creative will direct and oversee all production.

Asa Bailey bemoans the fact that ‘even now, a massive number of agencies are still making money from hiding costs and from undisclosed margins’.

Bailey continues to say that clients are very much in control of what they can demand from their agencies: ‘In line with smarter clients and a more transparent models, we are asking clients to look at their agency and to ask the question "are we getting good value from our agencies" if the answer is yes then fine, but if you get the run around when you ask your agency to audit, then dig deeper and look harder.’

Bailey cites WAX’s key offerings as comprising creative teams who are also commercial directors and new media designers, cutting back on outsourcing and a transparent budget, paid ‘in line with the value that we deliver to your business’.

Agencies continue to value the brand guardianship and strength of relationships that ensure that the best creativity and innovation can come to the forefront, but with brands such as Mars, Harpers Bazaar and Universal Music Group already taking up WAX’s services, a one stop shop for brands is an attractive proposal.

www.wax-media.com

Guinness, GPS and Go Green

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With St Patrick’s Day almost upon us, Guinness has launched a weekend of celebrations, including (we hope) the ubiquitous funny hats. At the heart of the campaign is a ‘pub finder’ mobile application using GPS to locate the nearest Guinness serving establishment. To kill time while waiting for the perfect pint, London-based mobile experts Marvellous has launched a mobile quiz testing sport, film, music and general knowledge, which will take 119.5 seconds to complete, allowing no time to rummage in your pocket for cash before the pint is delivered and the revelries begin.

Nissan is launching its robot-inspired ‘City Living’ ad through TBWA London and TBWA G1 virally this week. Directed by Daniel Kleinman, the spot shows a QASHQAI holding its own on the streets of Bueos Aires, while the city quite literally comes alive. The spot is available online from Friday.

Another great viral has launched through Gorgeous, London. We can’t give away the client without ruining the punchline, but check it out here: www.dothetest.co.uk

Heat, San Francisco, has launched an integrated campaign to introduce Army of Two from Electronic Arts. The rapid two-player shooting game is played out both above and below the radar and the campaign reflects this – one spot will run on TV with a behind the scenes footage available at www.ea.com/armyoftwo. Online, a spot takes viewers ‘between the headlines and the propaganda’. The spot has been viewed 65,000 times on YouTube so far.

Go green making innovative creations from your old Domino’s pizza boxes. Ok, so they might might still have cheese and tomato stuck to the insides, but ‘thinking outside the box’ is environmentally friendly. www.myspace.com/dominospizzauk 

Online TV-arama this week with the launch of Hulu (www.hulu.com), an online content site set up by networks including NBC and Fox to host full length shows on the web, including series from Bravo, Fuel TV, FX, Sci Fi, Style, Sundance and Oxygen.

Pitchfork Media has also launched its own music-orientated online TV channel www.pitchfork.tv, sheduled to go live on April 7th. The independent channel will feature feature films, vintage concerts and music DVDs free of charge. The privately-owned and highly respected music magazine’s statement explained: ‘We’ve waited decades for a music channel that respects our intelligence and reflects our ideals. Now that the technology is here, we’re finally able to do it the way that people who really care about music have always wanted to see it done.’

MySpace has launched an exclusive deal with broadcaster Five in the to showcase Five News on the site. The MySpace News Bulletin will be co-branded and will encourage users to interact by uploading clips in response to news and sharing content with friends. Five news also plans on using MySpace to gather news, with the possibility of user-generated content being included on TV.

Also in the digital / terrestrial world, ITV has signed up to Bebo’s Open Social platform, joining broadcasters such as the BBC and Channel 4.

55DSL launches its Junior Lucky Bastard competition for the third year, recruiting for a blogger who will go round the world having adventures and uploading content online. www.55dsl.com

Congratulations to Iris, London, who came in at an impressive 7th on the Sunday Times 100 Best Companies to Work for in the . Though given that pool tables and games, as well as large sofas, are socially acceptable in the offices of advertising agencies, we can’t say we’re surprised. Steve Bell, joint managing director at Iris puts the success down to the company ‘offering more than our competitors in terms of culture, career and remuneration.’

A beautiful website relaunch to check out here: www.ksubi.com, combining the brand’s fashion, books and limited edition items available online, while the user is led about the site.

Light fantastic : Anemix and Harrods

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In the past, London’s Harrods has often been outdone by the likes of Harvey Nichols and even Selfridges when it comes to headline-grabbing window displays. However, to promote the new in-store ‘Senses’ campaign, Chilean 3D lighting specialists TheANIMEX have brought a touch of electroluminescent excitement to the capital’s most premium of department stores.

There are six different displays - one for every ‘sense’ and each utilises TheANIMEX’s unique and highly efficient OSRAM LED lighting system. The technology, which was launched during the Salone Satellite 2007 in Milan, Italy,  uses two panels - one luminescent and one reflective, to produce images that appear both organic and 3-dimensional.

The ‘Senses’ display includes music flowing through a giant set of earphones for ‘sound’, a series of vibrant fireworks exploding for ‘sight’ and a complex mass of delicate intertwining flowers above a perfume display for ‘smell’.

www.harrods.com/HarrodsStore/

TheANIMEX was founded by architect Ximena Munoz and designer Paulina Villalobosa. They have created numerous installations in a variety of locations, from a Japanese restaurant in Santiago, to a Chemical Brothers concert in Romania last year. Their innovative technology is strongly influenced by extensive studies carried out by the duo, into the bioluminescent properties of deep-sea dwelling creatures.

here is an extensive gallery at TheANIMEX’s website, detailing all of their past projects - we strongly suggest that you take a moment to check it out when the next cup of tea arrives on your desk...

http://theanemix.com/principal.php