I have a dream. A dream where I leave the agency (good thing, that’s what I just did). A dream where in fact, the agency is no more a place between a brand and its devices : apps, sites, campaigns. And that dream doesn’t seem too far away if I list a few digital campaigns I remember being done out of agencies this year. Let’s quote them, because they deserve it for they don’t wait a brand to dig a proper brief, with all the usual risks. A brief not precise enough, no overall strategy, no knowledge of the means needed for such a project, and most likely a global misunderstanding of what is the digital revolution and its social media items.
They’re mostly very young, are still in school, and, obviously, are already, if not beyond, within the Y Generation (come on, you KNOW it does exist somehow). Here’s some of their projects, as a consultant in social media, I’d say they’re really cool, but not only. They are based on a common and widespread use (everybody wakes up and finds it hard, almost everybody have a beer with friends), they know how to fit with social media apps, and they provide an incentive in which a brand can have a role (think of Freakonomics).
Starbuck : the early-bird catches the coupon
You’re sleeping. Then it’s 7.30 and you’re no more sleeping THANKS your alarm. But you still have the option to snooze it, don’t you 🙂 ? What if you received a coupon for your local Starbucks if you didn’t snooze ?
[vimeo http://vimeo.com/41137378]
Check out these guys portfolio.
Heineken : the invite
You’re opening a beer with friends. A Facebook event is created automatically, and more friends come. Everyday, the biggest party wins a free pack of beer ! Surely it’s not endorsed by parents and health care.
[vimeo http://vimeo.com/23215772]
They’re from the Miami Ad School Hamburg.
Happstr : you’re happy ? Click it !Â
A bit more tricky, but still brilliant. One app, one button, and that’s all : when you’re happy, you click. The app knows where, when, and with whom you’re happy. Easy, and a data utterly interesting for brands. Who buys when he’s not happy ?
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=kG9bzUFprSs#!]
An idea presented at SXSW ’12 by the Startup Bus team.
Martin Pasquier
well, i guess your purpose is to ask for the many to empower it self no ? 🙂
because it’s a way to be more creative i think.
not sure. i don’t trust that much “the many” (who for the bulk of them don’t care being empowered), but I have a problem with middle-men 🙂