Create your dream bar with Ballantine’s

You are a young entrepreneur who likes the nightlife? We have the perfect contest for you!
From February 3rd to March 22nd, the Whisky brand Ballantine’s organizes the “Ballantine’s project bar”. The brand wants to give the opportunity to the most creative entrepreneurs to submit their ideal bar projects. The winner will have the chance to see his or her project becoming reality: the brand will create his or her dream bar in the first floor of a famous Parisian club. People and the brand’s fans will be able to visit it during a short-term period.

The contest mechanism

From February 3rd to March 22nd: Interested entrepreneurs will have to submit their application on the dedicated Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/ballantinesfrance/app_798662846816674).

On May 5th: Only 3 participants will be shortlisted by a panel of judges. The three best projects will then be posted on the dedicated Facebook page and will be submitted to the internet users’ votes.

On June 17th: The winner’s name will be announced by Ballantine’s.

What are the objectives of such campaign and why will it be a success?

As the campaign aims to reach young entrepreneurs, we can easily deduce that the brand wants to seduce a young target. Indeed, Ballantine’s is the second scotch seller of Europe. As a consequence, we can think that the brand doesn’t need to increase its brand awareness or its premium image. However, every brand has to work on the future and try to seduce as early as possible their future prospects. And with alcohol, the more we are young, the more we prefer to drink “sweet” drinks as cocktails or mixed hard drinks. And drinking spirituous drinks is more appreciated for more aged people.
So, creating a campaign dedicated to the young is a mean for the brand to be present in the targets’ mind and incite them to try new drinks.

Moreover, Ballantine’s has created an online contest which uses all the current digital codes: Creation of the contest on the most popular social media (Facebook), ask for customers participation through the project submissions and give the power to the internet users by allowing them to choose the final winner! Thus, the “Ballantine’s project bar” can give a modern and open-minded image for the brand. It proves that, even if the brand exists for decades, Ballantine’s is a brand which evolves with its customers and adapts itself to their “language” and media consumption.  It proves that Ballantine’s is a modern brand who can still attract the young generations.

And the last but not the least, the last objective of this campaign can be that the brand wants to increase the number of its community members. Having an active and a big community present many advantages: it encourages the word of mouth around the brand and allows Ballantine’s to be better ranked in the search engines on specific keywords (thanks to the creation of conversations about Ballantine’s on social media, forums…).
And to answer to the question “why will this campaign be a success?” I’ll say first that the concept of the campaign is innovative. Indeed, it is a contest concept that can possibly attract lots of young entrepreneurs as it is a very funny and interesting project to create. Indeed, the majority of young entrepreneurs have been at least once in a bar. So they can easily have creative ideas to improve and to create their ideal bar. Moreover, the idea of being able to see its project becoming true has a cool part. The winner can even have an audience and have his or her moment of fame.

 In addition, the contest mechanism is well thought. The panels of jury represented by a group of professionals (marketing, design and business) gives an added value for the participants who will have the impression to create a real professional project. And the fact that the contest takes place in several steps with exact dates contributes to create some suspense and curiosity.

However, the brand will have to pay attention to maintain its community and interested people regularly informed about the contest in order to stay in their minds. As the contest period is long, it is easy to forget so Ballantine’s will have to keep its audience watchful until the end of the contest, in a way or another.

2.0 Campaign

During the traditional media era, the brand communication was top down, eg. The brand delivered its message and the consumers were supposed to listen to. There was no interaction possible between the brand and its audience. 

Today, with the democratization of the Internet, the conversation is possible between the two parts. The consumers take even pleasure now to impose their opinion to the brand, to make their unsatisfaction hear... 

But if the brands had considered at first this new kind of communication as a threat, they have rapidly taken advantage of that. Nowadays, The brands use the customers will to participate in order to create interactive advertisement campaign. In fact, involving its audience in its campaign permits to the brand to differentiate itself from all its competitors' promotional messages.

Facebook page of the contest: https://www.facebook.com/ballantinesfrance/app_798662846816674 

How to prove thanks to digital?

Brand always had things to prove: Washing powder which wash more than white, shampoo to make your hair softer, food that product won’t make you fat but will make you feast… And they still do.
Digital gives new tools to carry those messages. For example, Ariel created a connected pressing in a station, Unilever shampoo organized violin concert with hair instead of strings, Coca-Cola trick their passage to show them their product Coca-Cola Zero is as good as the original. In this article, I would like to focus on Sony that produces a virtual music festival experimenting 3D sound of its new audio helmet. This would be opportunity to talk about augmented reality.

What’s new: Turn consumer into active player 

To begin, it is very important to understand what kind of changes come with digital communication. Rather than carry proof of their speech by scientists in white lab coats, thanks to television advertisement, they create events for customers and consumers to experience the real proof of the product. These real experiences, featuring mostly false witnesses are filmed and broadcast, reinforced by purchase of advertising space on the web and sometimes TV. Then, millions of consumers discover the result of an experience they have not lived in real life, exactly like those they encountered at the time with scientist in lab coats. Moreover, its is an opportunity to create buzz around a brand or a product.

To sump up, what is new is that, in advertising, “consumer actors” have replaced scientific actors. Indeed, with digital, the consumer is more and more involded in the brand.

Sonny Head phone Music Festival: The 1^st virtual music festival

The Challenge or the insight

While the use of Smartphone continues its expansion in Japan, more and more people listen to music from their phone. Yet, the majority continues to use headphones provided by default with the mobile. Sony wanted to change this behavior. 

How to influence consumer to switch to Sony Headphone for a higher quality music experience?

The big idea

To launch its latest headphones, MDR-1, designed and optimized for smartphones, Sony has created a virtual music festival with its headphones, which benefits a 3D augmented reality technology. In collaboration with the four most prominent rock bands at the moment in Japan, Sony has invited fans to enjoy virtual concerts via their smartphone in several stores around the country. People were able to ‘attend’ the virtual festival via their handsets on the streets of Tokyo, at retail outlets and electronics stores across the country. At each venue, people could view the virtual gig and were offered a free trial of Sony’s latest headphones.

The purpose is to showcase the advantages of its headphone and smartphone technology, thanks to a digital experience, where the consumer is involved.

In this action, Sony achieves to create a complete concert experience: hoards of people merchandise and print advertisements. Everything you would normally experience at a real concert.

Augmented reality is at the center of the consumer experience

First thing first, here is a definition from Wikipedia of augmented reality:

“Augmented reality (AR) is a live, copy, view of a physical, real-world environment whose elements are augmented (or supplemented) by computer-generated sensory input such as sound, video, graphics or GPS data”

During the Sony Head Phone Music Festival, to activate the AR functionality, users must launch the HMF app and point their device in the direction of posters. Once the marker is activated via camera, the app launches the stage and the bands start playing. Images talk better than words. Let’s take a look at this video:

Augmented reality has been used by many brands, but only to showcase the technology rather than offer an experience linked to the brand issue. HMF has a direct link to the produce: the MDR-1 is at the center of the experience. This campaign gives a relevant way to test the new headphones, so consumers stop using their default headphones, and invest in headphones specifically designed for smartphones. It has been a very good strategy. As proof, the following numbers.

Result: Mission accomplished!

- 1 million$ of free publicity
- The festival attracted 469160 fans
- In January 2013 the MDR-1 was the most sold in Japan
- The festival attracted 60,000 people

Key points to remember:

- Brands use new digital tools to give proof
- Consumer has to be involved in the experience
- The notion of Augmented reality
- Every campaign must be built around a specific issue

Credits
Client: Sony Marketing Japan
Agency:  Naked Communications, Frontage
Production: Kakezan, MTV Japan, Plannet, P.I.C.S.
PR:  ANTIL.
AR System Development: Sony Corporation Intelligent System Development

References : 

http://leblog.wcie.fr/brands/sony/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augmented_reality
http://blog.midem.com/2013/02/contagious-insight-sony-drives-headphone-awareness-via-virtual-music-festival/#.Uv01Cc2vo9E

Pauline Laurent

LOVE OF THE BUZZ BY JEAN-PAUL GAULTHIER

Kassius, the communication agency has which we owe the experience Issey Miyake, does it again this year with Jean-Paul Gaulthier and create the digital experience experiment dedicated to the Valentine's Day.

It is not the first one for the brand. In 2012, Jean Paul Gaultier how taught us to kiss French-style with “The art of French Kiss”: in full mouth or half-heartedly, the Internet users were invited to post a video personalized by their representations of the kiss to declare their flame.

On the site, perfumes Jean Paul Gaultier teach, each in their own way, the art of the French-style kiss. The brand so proposes an original way of rediscovering and of playing with its range of perfumes, by testing the power of seduction of each of the fragrances.

On the site, the Internet user discovers, for every perfume of the creator, the kiss which is associated with him and selects the way of kissing which tries he most. He chooses then the person to whom he wishes to steal a kiss via Facebook Connect, or by registering simply his first name and by indicating if it is about a man or about a woman. A personalized video is generated then immediately with the name of the Internet user and that of the elected representative of its heart. The video can be then shared on Facebook, on Twitter or by e-mail. These declarations virtual and the operation in her even allowed Isobar to win a prize Buzz marketing in 2012.

This year Kassius meets the challenge with " Kiss who you want "!

THE CONCEPT

The idea is simple: the KISS CAM. You don't know it? It is true that the concept is American but very nice. At half-time matches of basketball (sneaker), hockey, a camera records the audience and when a man and a woman appear close-up on the big screen of the stage (stadium), they have to kiss each other.

Demonstration in video

When we know that even the couple Obama passed there we find it less kitsch.

The brand was inspired by this phenomenon and encourages Internet users to participate to the biggest French Kiss event of the world via Instagram.

The competition is simple:

- We photograph our French Kiss

- We post the photo on Instagram

- We hashtag our photo with #jpgfrenchkiss

The competition takes place until February 28th with as a bonus an exceptional romantic evening offered by the brand.

In spite of the fact that we could think of the brand did not stop in this simple game, I am now going to speak to you about an operation which will last longer this year. 

On the website of the brand we discover in the navigation bar a suspicious tab: THE GLORY WALL!

https://www.jeanpaulgaultier.com/fr/glorywall

This wall is going to be in red light during the whole year to glorify the fans the most diligent of the brand. To participate it is necessary to have a twitter account. The principle of the game is simple : the Internet user has to share a maximum of Jean-Paul Gaulthier's content to climb the levels and reach the summit of the wall "Orgasmic Relation"

WHY IS IT A SUCCESS ?

Last year, Jean Paul Gaulthier's website reached 80 % of unique visitors and a growth of 30 % of the traffic on the e-shop. More than 450 000 kisses have been shared in one week. As the success often calls the success, the campaign was strongly released in the press, blogs and social networks. By asking to its fans to interact and to represent in a way the sulphurous spirit of this one, the brand creates an affect and encourages all the more to participate. Moreover, Jean-Paul Gaulthier takes advantage of every annual event to make live a digital experience to its Internet users.

The advent calendar with a JPG very hot!

The secret of the success of the operations of the brand ? BREAK THE CODES!

As he makes him for every Fashion Week by inviting outstanding personalities with parade for him as Madonna, Farida Khelfa, Grace (Favor) Jones, Beth Ditto, Arielle Dombasle, Mylène Farmer, Carla Bruni, Dita von Teese..

So far, we count 219 kisses exchanged on instagram under the hastag #jpgfrenchkiss. We are far from the record of last year, but it still lasts another 20 days to participate …

…so let’s go KISS WHO YOU WANT !

THE LITTLE BLACK JACKET

Last year, Chanel organized an exhibition around the famous « little black jacket ». The exhibition called "The little black jacket" took place at the Grand Palais in Paris. Carine Roitfeld and Karl Lagerfeld organized that exhibition with over 100 celebrities and icons shot by the greatest photographers in fashion, and Karl Lagerfeld himself. This exhibition highlighted the iconic jacket worn on any gender and any style by those celebrities.

The exhibition lasted 15 days. To keep living the experience, a book has been created, a Facebook page and a twitter account let people follow the many other exhibitions organized in capital cities all over the world. And last but not least, for the occasion, Chanel launched a website called « The little black jacket » in order to continue the exhibition and live a real e-experience around that famous jacket. Karl Lagerfeld and Carine Roitfed were at the initiative of this project.

Each photo showed these celebrities wearing a different interpretation of the iconic Chanel black jacket, redesigned by Lagerfeld to showcase the range and versatility of it.

No need to present Chanel. No need to present this famous luxury brand known by everyone as the best one in the world. No need to present the quality of the top-of-the range fashion clothes, accessorizes, jewelry and services.

Luxury brands develop more and more their digital part. Because it's inevitable and because people want to keep experimenting the experience of their favorite brand. Luxury brand know how to create the envy, make it grow and be unique. Indeed, luxury brands play on the historic and authentic part, in order to create a dreamy environment.

THE E-EXPERIENCE

The e-experience created by Chanel allowed people to discover the jacket, and the celebrities wearing it. Moreover, it allowed people to discover how to appropriate this masterpiece. Men, women, models, actors, singers... the jacket would fit anyone wearing it as long as it is designed by Karl.

A real digital experience has been set up in order to let the people being immerse in that environment.

The ergonomic of the website is original. The user has to navigate from an image to another thanks to the arrows. We're at the same time led and voluntarily lost on the website. We can got lost in the website, discovering the silhouettes, the icons behind the jacket. But moreover, we discover the different ways of wearing the jacket. This digital exhibition imposes its style by its originality. The user is totally immersed in that experience. Once again, Karl Lagerfeld creates the surprise : by the online experience of that artistic work, the stylist has an innovative and polyvalent gaze.

Live the e-experience here.

The experience is followed by many videos presenting the making-of of the iconic masterpiece in the Maison Chanel, the making-of of the shooting with the celebrities... It's been spread on the web thanks to the Facebook and Twitter page of "The little black jacket".

THE BIG IDEA

The “Big idea” of an ad or a project is not simply a slogan. It is more than this : it's something contagious, something that will be discussed by everyone and everywhere. More than marking brains and spirits, it links the product with the client by a real message, a real experience.

The “Big Idea” of the “little black jacket” project was clearly to mark the spirit with that event. More than just an exhibition, Chanel let us continue the experience, continue to explore the greatness of the brand with the imagination and originality associated.

We feel that the product and the client are connected : first of all, the jacket is physically connected to the person, and then, the e-experience lets the person be all the more connected by the fact it keeps experimenting the process.

This disruptive idea is surprising : the little black jacket is an iconic and authentic piece of the Maison Chanel. Creating a digital experience around an authentic product was quite daring because it could have been too shifted on time. On the contrary, it fitted perfectly with the idea of the project, which was revisiting an iconic product over time, people, style and minds.

The Maison Chanel succeeded its digital experience keeping all the graphic identity and the authenticity of the brand. 

Eloïse Rey

Sources :
http://lapetitevestenoire.chanel.com/fr_FR/experience
http://www.chanel.com
http://www.thedenizen.co.nz/culture/chanels-little-black-jacket/