Great Marketing Idea

Imagine if an online security company took this comic literally, and start hacking sites & computers - to promote their product... LOL, no need for media budget and it will make a great digital marketing case study!

Flash Mob >> Cool Ideas for Marketing Campaigns in 2011 | Digital Dudette

#2 Flash Mob

What is Flash Mob?

If you haven’t heard of flash mob, seriously where the hell have you been all these while? Flash Mob involves a group of people who performs randomly in a public area. Mostly done to create curiosity and in hopes to go viral, very few brands have been near success tackling flash mob.

Flash Mobs in KL, Malaysia:

1. Glee

Read about it in Rage.com

2. Beliebers – Justin Bieber Inspired Flash Mob in Pavilion.

3. Violence Against Women: Read about it in the The Star.

4. Malaysia Kini - Protest against government’s control over media.

5. Unicef’s Hide & Seek Flash Mob to raise awareness about Child Abuse.

6. Freeze Tiger Trade Flashmob hit KL streets.

7. Maxis iPhone 3GS Flashmob in KLCC (68,978 views)

8. Digi Flash Mob (12,900 views)

9. UPDATE: Breast Feeding Flash Mob in KLCC (7th Aug 2011) - A rather interesting flash mob that might stir some people to get uncomfortable. You can read Zura's experience here that instigated the mothers to start this flash mob.

Picture extracted from The Star Online

But one that I personally like (though it may not be considered as a flash mob) is the large human smiley that was executed during F&N’s Fun Fest in Bukit Bintang, with 1,000 people forming the smiley. Read more here in The Star article.

My Point of View:

Music definitely inspires and helps those flash mob videos go viral, but not many brands have successfully tackled flash mob to-date. Maxis’s attempt for engagement worked well for iPhone 3GS in KLCC but not so well for DiGi (in terms of Youtube views). If you noticed the list of 8 flash mobs above, you will see that PSA campaigns work better for flash mob as they can tell a story.

However, an article I must highlight from Marina Mahathir. She wrote on how flash mob is one of the many evidences young Malaysians have stepped up above the stereotype that their elders put on them. Here’s a summary of lessons to learn from flash mob events.

1. To appeal to young people you need to tap into whatever is current and trendy, and not try and invent something new.

2. Young people can come up with better ideas than most adults, and know exactly how to organise it themselves.

3. Young people are quite capable of enormous discipline and effort if they like, and want to do, something.

4. There is absolutely no need for any VIPs to officiate at these events. In fact, the absence of any ups the cool quotient of the event.

5. When young people get together like this, they do not automatically destroy. Rather they build friendships, community and peace, regardless of race, religion or creed.

Augmented Reality >> Cool Ideas for Marketing Campaigns in 2011 | by Digital Dudette

#1 Augmented Reality

The most innovative segment in Digital Marketing and perhaps one of the most over used word since last year, Augmented Reality has probably been exposed to plentiful of clients and how they could potentially create novelty in Malaysia by being one of the very few brands to use.

What is Augmented Reality?

I think one should first see an example of AR in a video before reading about it because words cannot tell you how cool it can be. Simply said, AR works by receiving input from your device (eg. webcam) and uses a technology to alter the reality in the output (eg. computer screen). Find out how it works in-detail in How Stuff Works.

Who’s used AR in Malaysia?

Perhaps one of the first to leverage on this technology is MAS Airlines, who developed the MHdeals AR App. It uses GPS to position airports around you and display the best Malaysian Airline deals. See the video below to learn how MAS Airlines used AR. 

My point of view.

The usage of AR is rather pointless in this app. As a user, if I’m travelling, my need to locate an airport nearby me sounds bit daft. Perhaps they could have taken a little more initiative to do an integrated campaign with print. For example, they could print a map of China and use AR to recognize the country, thus showing the users the latest promos MHdeals are offering to fly there.

Lesson to learn?

Though augmented reality is COOL, it SHOULD NOT be used if it doesn’t serve a distinctive purpose.

AR Success Story - Stella Artois Bar Finder App 

I love how the idea of AR technology was beautifully executed for Bar Finder app by Stella Artois. It’s serves a purpose, it’s convenient, it’s the reason why people would want to embrace AR. It’s lifestyle driven app to drive sales, what could beat that?

 

#NEW UPDATES (Nov 2011):

Latest adaptation of augmented reality in Malaysia.

 

1.F&N Big Fun Fest: Augmented Reality Dance in streets of KL.

 

 

2. Kit Kat Augmented Reality Game on Facebook. 

Works pretty simple. You've got to show Kit Kat wrapper to the webcam, once the AR detects it, then you can use it to catch as many Kit Kats you can!