For Immediate Release:
Leo Burnett and Contagious Magazine Celebrate the Wildfire Brands Driving the New Marketing Economy
Wildfire Seminar at Cannes Advertising Festival Challenges Marketers to Take Risks
CANNES, FRANCE - 21 June, 2006 - Global advertising agency Leo Burnett Worldwide and Contagious Magazine today proved the value of Wildfire Brands and offered tips for marketers operating in today's new media world as part of the "Wildfire: Ideas that Spread and Sell” seminar. The seminar was presented to senior advertising industry executives and clients at the Cannes International Advertising Festival.
Citing more than 30 campaigns in the Viral, Consumer Generated Content, Advertising Funded Programming/Branded Entertainment, Mobile & Gaming, Ambient & Guerrilla and Integrated Marketing categories, Leo Burnett and Contagious Magazine identified today's top Wildfire Brands—brands that by their nature, spread rapidly and weave themselves into the social fabric, proving the massive creative and financial potential of the new media landscape.
The seminar also built on Leo Burnett's ongoing proprietary "Does Award-Winning Advertising Sell?” study that proved more than 86 percent of award-winning advertising actually increases sales. It went on to demonstrate that "new advertising” is working at a time when consumers are reshaping the industry and advertising models are being redefined.
"When we last looked at the effectiveness of award-winning work, advertising was confined primarily to television and print,” said presenter and Leo Burnett Worldwide Chief Creative Officer Mark Tutssel. "Today, advertising operates within and competes against a unique range of touch points. Marketers are no longer in control. The consumer is. The Wildfire Brands that acknowledge this by taking risks in today's new media world are the ones reaping rewards.”
ON-FIRE CASE STUDIES
Advertisers leading the charge include Pontiac, Axe/Lynx, Ecko Unltd., Mozilla, Henkel Super Bonder, Toyota, the UK Department of Transport, Chevrolet, adidas, Microsoft, Kodak, Converse and Sony. Ten of these Wildfire Brands were examined as best practice case studies, one in each new media category, using Contagious Magazine's Challenge/Solution/Results formula.
"Andy Warhol's proverbial 15 minutes of fame have turned into 15 megs of fame. With branded entertainment, viral, mobile marketing and the rise of new screen-based technologies, now is the most exciting time to be in the advertising business,” said presenter and Contagious Magazine Editor-in-Chief Paul Kemp-Robertson. "Advertisers must accept a new reality. Brands must deliver a return on interest, offering both utility and entertainment, whilst at the same time enabling consumers to be co-authors, not passive receivers of their story.” Third presenter Ruth Lee, national executive creative director of Leo Burnett China, also echoed that sentiment in her remarks.
Below are highlights of success and business results from each new media category covered in the seminar. Following their own advice, Tutssel, Kemp-Robertson and Lee have vowed to turn "Wildfire” into a movement, keeping the dialogue going via a blog set up at www.wildfire2006.com. Questions and comments are also being accepted via text message. Participants are asked to text the word "fire” and their question or comment to: +44 779 780 4007.
VIRAL
U.K.-based The Viral Factory extended Axe Deodorant's "Spray More, Get More" campaign by unleashing a spoof news story about the town of Ravenstoke on the web, prompting 32 million viewings of the film on video sites, which contributed to Axe's leadership position in a $2.4 billion category in the U.S. In addition to this, the viral outperformed all but five of the actual TV programs on the Video on Demand "Adult Swim" channel.
CONSUMER GENERATED CONTENT
One of the most famous examples of "incentivized" media was Chevy Tahoe's Web contest run in connection with its appearance on "The Apprentice." Visitors to chevyapprentice.com could win prizes for creating an online commercial for the Tahoe, assembling a limited number of video clips and music tracks and writing their own copy. Chevy was acutely aware that people would abuse this opportunity by sending subversive messages, and many did indeed, attacking the Tahoe's effect on climate change. However, only 16 percent of the 22,000 ads submitted were negative, and a total of 5.5 million people interacted with the site. Tahoe's marketing director is credited with acknowledging that Consumer Generated Media is a double-edged sword, and that Chevy was ready to enter an honest debate, using its blog to directly address criticism.
Advertising Funded Programming/Branded Entertainment
Leo Burnett Detroit and GM made Pontiac a more modern, socially relevant brand with the "Designed for Action" campaign which introduced a new line of high-design vehicles. The campaign included live events at the Pontiac Garage in New York City 's Times Square , the famous Oprah Winfrey giveaway, an integration with "The Apprentice" and content partnerships with Virgin Records and Apple. The overall campaign resulted in a 1400 percent increase in web traffic, global PR worth $110 million and a sales increase of 11 percent. Not to mention the fact that the Pontiac G6 became a top 10 nationally searched brand on both Yahoo! and Google.
Mobile & Gaming
The UK Department of Transport discovered that t raffic is the single biggest cause of accidental death for 12-16 year olds. But their advertising had to communicate this in a style suited to the target audience. The result is a spot filmed by teenagers on a mobile phone, using teenagers' preferred communications medium to get the message across. The commercial prompted 250,000 hits online two weeks after launch, and nine out of 10 teens said it made them think again about being careful on the roads. This ad from Leo Burnett London demonstrates the perfect fusion of media and message in the mobile category.
AMBIENT & GUERRILLA
Whybin/TBWA New Zealand was challenged to launch the adidas 2006 World Cup Ball. Building on adidas' "Impossible is Nothing" strategy, they let consumers become the ball. In front of a large billboard featuring the image of England National player Steven Gerrard kicking a football, they built an actual ball connected to two bungee cords that players could sit in and be propelled into the air. The guerrilla stunt prompted a 64.57 percent increase in year-on-year sales for the football category, generating $450,000 NZD worth of PR value and $800,000 NZD worth of media coverage.
INTEGRATED
When launching new "Jet" body spray to young Australian males, Lynx created the "Get on. Get Off." campaign and a fake airline staffed entirely by Lynx "honeys." The effort is now winning awards and accolades all over the world, as well as driving the highest ever market share of male body spray (84.2 percent in Australia , 83.6 percent in New Zealand ). Lynx had 591,000 unique visitors to their website after two months, exceeding web traffic targets by a multiple of ten. The campaign was amplified through 32 different media channels, demonstrating the power of integrated marketing in unprecedented ways.
TIPS FOR MARKETERS: HOW TO CREATE WILDFIRE BRANDS
The case studies revealed several recommendations for marketers taking risks in today's new media world:
Virals Must be Rewatchable, and Resendable. To ensure your viral communication spreads like "Wildfire," remember "rewatchability" is key, but the "sendability" factor must be even greater. Content is always king and can circumvent the need for a huge media spend.
Advertisers: Relinquish Control. Citizen media and Consumer Generated Content are here to stay, so marketers must learn to let go of the control they think they have over their brand in the open marketplace of ideas. In doing so, marketers will entertain a dialogue with their consumers, not a monologue.
Diversify Your Portfolio. Brands must diversify beyond the 30-second spot to tell longer stories and engage on deeper levels. If you find the right outlet for your brand, the payoff is huge.
Own the Screen. Every Screen. With the proliferation of portable screens, there are huge opportunities for marketers in this arena.
Execute to Perfection. Brilliant ambient ideas prove there are no boundaries in this technologically enabled world where word of mouth and experiential engagement are powerful tools.
It's All About the Idea. As Usual . The best, integrated campaigns show the power and the business value of creativity unrestrained by media. Your core strategic insight must work across a range of platforms, so make damn sure it's a good one. Big ideas rooted in smart strategic thinking cross all channels, continents, cultures and weave themselves into the social fabric.
There is ROI in Being Courageous. " New" marketing works, and it's the marketers who are willing to play in this new space who will see results, and not get burned.
ABOUT LEO BURNETT WORLDWIDE
Founded in Chicago in 1935 with eight employees and three clients, Leo Burnett Worldwide, Inc. today operates a global network of over 200 operating units including a variety of specialty marketing services and 94 full-service advertising agencies in 83 countries. Leo Burnett helps build many of the world's most valuable brands and successful marketers, including McDonald's, Disney, Procter & Gamble, Marlboro, Wrigley, Kellogg, Samsung and Nintendo.
The world's eighth largest agency network (as ranked by Advertising Age in May 2006), Leo Burnett Worldwide (www.leoburnett.com) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Publicis Groupe ( www.publicis.com), and includes Arc Worldwide (www.arcworldwide.com) amongst its holdings.
ABOUT CONTAGIOUS MAGAZINE
Contagious is a quarterly intelligence briefing in magazine, DVD and online format. It identifies the ideas, trends and innovations behind the world's most revolutionary marketing strategies.
The relationship between brands and consumers has shifted. The media landscape has fragmented. The transmission of ideas is more rapid and more viral than ever. Across all product categories, the way in which people's purchasing decisions are influenced has changed beyond all recognition. Technological revolution accelerates these changes. It means the challenge facing brands – how to stand out and be heard amongst the din – is more acute than ever.
Contagious recognizes that strategic creativity remains the last legal way to gain an unfair advantage over the competition. From design through to marketing and retail, Contagious analyses the creativity and the strategies behind the brand ideas that work. www.contagiousmagazine.com.
Trudi Harris
Leo Burnett Worldwide
Office: +44 (0) 7799 775 779
trudi.harris@leoburnettemea.com
Abby Lovett
Leo Burnett Worldwide
Office: 312-220-4182
Cell: 773-957-6043
Abby.Lovett@leoburnett.com