As I was weeding through my RSS feeds today I was really surprised to find an article on The Consumerist about a pretty lame Dunkin’ Donuts promotion. To make a short story even shorter, they are basically asking customers to text in a picture of any of their mocha products, in return the customer will receive a “fun fact”.

I had to comment on this because, as a company, Dunkin’ Donuts is usually really ‘with it’ when it comes to social media or mobile campaigns. In fact, they run promotions via social networks so frequently, they have posted official rules for their social contests on their site. On Facebook they have a ‘Fan of the Week’ contest running where you upload a photo showing how you “Run on Dunkin”, each week they pick a favorite to highlight on their wall. This is a contest to keep fans engaged with the brand on Facebook. Your reward for being selected is an ego boost, with you picture being shown to their almost 2 million fans. Their Twitter account is always running tweet promotions where they give away gift cards. Again, this creates buzz for the brand & rewards loyal customers. They are also super conversational on Twitter, which makes their fans happy.

The problem with the text a photo promo is that you are asking the customer to send & receive a text. This means that your customer has to ‘pay’ for the text, as most people don’t have unlimited texting on their cell phone plans. It would be better if they offered a coupon code for savings on their next purchase of a mocha product. This way the customer would feel like they are getting something in return, thus providing incentive to go through the trouble of sending in a picture.

I don’t think this promotion is going to hurt Dunkin’ Donuts, but for a brand that, in my opinion, does really well in the social space I’m surprised by this small failure.

Lesson learned: if you are going to ask your fans to go out of their way to do something, make sure what they get in return is worth the effort.

Photo credit: The Consumerist 

Direct TV has put out a new spot calculated to win over the I Can Has Cheezburger set. The ad, by Grey New York, begins with a turtle-necked Russian man saying, “Opulence, I has it,” as he pops a golden grape in his mouth. Behind him, dogs play poker in their adorable dog way. He then tells us that though he likes the best things, he also likes saving money, “so when Direct TV tell me five months free for most premium package. I jump in it.” Then, here’s the kicker, he kisses the cutest, most insanely adorable thing imaginable: a miniature giraffe..And cackles maniacally.

Of course, if you’re a guy, you might have been paying more attention the hot women that surround him, but that’s the beauty of this spot: there’s something for everyone here. Even geeks can enjoy the Russian folk song at the end. It’s called “Korobeiniki,” but it’s better known in America as the theme to Tetris.

The character’s name is Gregor, and while I suppose I should be offended by his horrible Russian accent, I can’t. It’s too funny. He barely even sounds Russian; he sounds like they translated all his lines into LOL Cat.  You can follow his wacky musings @GregorDirecTV, and at his very own tab over on The Facingbook. Though there’s only one spot right now, I have a feeling we’ll be seeing a lot more of Gregor. And probably a fair number of cats shoved into turtlenecks with the caption “Oopuulence, I haz it.”

Calvin Klein recently unveiled this giant QR code on Houston St. in NYC. The ad prompts passersby to scan the QR code from a mobile phone in order to unlock “uncensored” content.

While this could’ve been an excellent way to deliver rich multi-media content to its audience, Calvin Klein fails to deliver anything of real value. The QR code links to a predictable, black and white video (see below) of disaffected, nubile twenty-somethings making out half-clothed in urban landscapes. Not exactly groundbreaking or memorable for this genre, nor is there anything about unlocking the video that engages people or makes them feel special or valued.

This is classic tactics in search of a strategy, where someone thought it would be “really innovative” to use a QR code. Sadly, it seems there was very little thought given to what type of content would be right for this environment. The QR code was the big idea rather than the appropriate delivery mechanism for a bigger idea.

Sorry Calvin, it’s not enough just to use new technology; if you want to score points you must also use new technology well.

We all know that parody is the sincerest form of flattery. Beyond page views and half-baked spoofs by comedy troupes, you know your brand has truly penetrated culture the moment every small-brand-and-non-profit-on-a-budget-who-you-can’t-sue-for-decent-money tries to glom on by making their own commercial using your commercial (for extensive coverage of this see Milking Got Milk). Congrats to Old Spice who has managed to thrust its brand deep into the culture hot tub with its latest campaign starring Isaiah Mustafa. Sadly, most parodies of the Old Spice spots will be appalling travesties (like this one for Mr. Happy the Melancholy sausage App).  But here the Harold B. Lee Library does a surprisingly good job parodying the first Isaiah Mustafa commercial with a similar sounding actor and a new tag, “Study like a scholar, scholar.” At over a million views, its already garnered more exposure than the Harold B. Lee Library has ever seen and probably will ever see again. In other words: swan dive into the best YouTube exposure of their life!

Let’s be honest: Nick Cage even without that horrendous haircut and Stevie Nick’s wardrobe is enough to keep most people from the box office. So Disney has spared no expense promoting Sorcerer’s Apprentice in new and interesting ways.

We wrote about Disney purchasing the first ever promoted tweet for Toy Story 3 a few weeks back. Apparently, it went so well, they’ve also bought another promoted tweet for Sorcerer’s Apprentice. And they’ve also become the first to try Twitter’s new @EarlyBird service, a “deal of the day” promotion announced just last week, again for Sorcerer’s Apprentice. @EarlyBird will retweet promotions to its audience of around 45,000 for some undetermined fee. However, Disney’s own account has 54,000, so right now it seems the PR behind Disney being the first is more important than the benefits from @EarlyBird.

They’ve also rolled out an impressive interactive display window at the 34^th Street Macy’s where, using technology similar to Microsoft’s new Xbox Kinect, you can play a game based on the movie. The game lets you wave your arms to throw plasma balls, levitate mops, ect, and once you’re done, it takes your photo, shoves your head onto Nick Cage’s body and (of course) lets you upload the appalling result to Facebook.

If you’re nowhere near New York, you can also “train” to be a sorcerer’s apprentice online with an interactive series of YouTube videos with choose your own adventure links. Hint, you need a clear mind to throw plasma balls, it doesn’t help to squint.

Hopefully, it will all pay off. Though for the amount they’re spending, they could have spent a little more on Cage’s wig.

This is truly a ground-breaking event for the outdoor marketing industry. This billboard in Charlotte, NC actually smells like the steak it advertises! It uses a scent machine developed by ScentAir Technologies to disperse a scent combination of BBQ and black pepper. The scent is detectable from 30 to 50 yards away.

Toto, we’re not in Kansas anymore.

Ever wondered what you get when you bring together 24 cars, one car battery, and ’80s one-hit-wonder Gary Numan? DieHard did and just imagine if they hadn’t. The world may may never have seen this rendition of “Cars” with a car orchestra. It’s some video goodness and a nice example of a brand doing something relevant yet fun in the digital space.

[Via Boing Boing]

With the 4th season of Mad Men premiering on July 25th, AMC’s promotion for the show is in full swing. The “Mad Men Yourself” application has been updated with new items to pick from & new scenes so that you can create a cartoon version of your Mad Men self. They make it easy to create your character and then download the picture in files sized to fit Twitter, Facebook, a profile photo on your phone, or even wallpaper for your iPad or computer desktop.

This season they have also added a JibJab skit where you can create “Mad Men Starring You“. The concept of the short video is a quick recap of what has happened on the show, to prepare you for the new season. As with other JibJab skits you are able to upload your photo, or import from Facebook, so you can insert yourself and others into the fun.

Both of these are fun, interactive, ways for fans to promote the new season by sharing with their friends.

My Mad Men self:

Mad Men Starring the BFG Content Team:

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

Humongo Nation pre-tour video 2010 from Humongo Nation on Vimeo.

It’s once again that magical time of year when the self-proclaimed Greatest Agency in All the Land embarks on their annual summer tour. On July 19th, Humongo (aka the agency formerly known as Plaid) will crank up their attraction engine—a rolling demonstration of creativity and innovation otherwise known as the Humongo Nation Tour.

Now in its fourth installment, this year the tour route runs from Maine to Miami and all along the way Humongo will be profiling some of the most innovative individuals and creative organizations on the east coast. The Humongo crew will be blogging, tweeting, shooting video, and live-streaming the whole time, and you can watch it all from the Humongo Nation Tour Dashboard. This year’s tour even has some big name sponsors: Ford, Sprint, and Wingate by Wyndham Hotels.

What I love about the tour (I’ve been following since year one) is that it has become Humongo’s agency capabilities deck in action. It’s also a great reminder that we can’t always wait for “the right client” in order to do the kind of work we’ve always wanted to do.

Have you heard this one yet? MINI publicly challenged Porsche to a race… and lost! The result is a perfect example of how transparency, even in the face of setbacks, can humanize your brand.