Going Online With Organic: What's Hot in Digital Campaigns?
Organic's Chief Executive Officer Mark Kingdon is bridging the gap
between brands and the digital space, one branded entertainment campaign at a time.
With big clients like DaimlerChrysler experimenting with online video, Organic has found a medium
that talks to (literally) and connects with consumers. Kingdon shares
his clients' experiences in the online space.
First, the Internet is back in full force. Marketers are dramatically expanding the
budgets for digital media. Second, we're seeing a lot more video content being
developed for the Internet. Third, we're moving beyond just the Internet. With
all of the content that's now available on wireless devices, we're moving into a
three-screen world.
We work for brands like Dodge, Jeep and Chrysler, which are part of the
DaimlerChrysler family. We've done a lot of pioneering work for them over the
last five years. We helped them build a substantial presence online in the
games sector, bringing games to their Web sites so that people can experience
their vehicles in different ways. Most recently, we've been helping them develop
really interesting campaigns like "We Are the Mudds" or "Unleash Your Freak" for
two of their recent vehicle launches. Both contained a lot of video content that
we created specifically for the promotions.
They are very successful. A great deal of consumer interest.
It really started for us with Chrysler when we did some videos for their spring
sales event -- relatively simple, straightforward customer testimonial videos. We
found that people would visit the site and watch those videos for four, five, six,
seven minutes at a time. That said to us that people were engaging with the
brands in a very meaningful way through video. So video has become a very
important element of our major product launch campaigns.
Usually we work very closely with our client and our other agency partners to
come up with ideas for product launches. We talk a lot about how to bring the
product to life and how we can build an experience that's rich and immersive.
Then we work very closely with the same partners to see [the launch] through to
execution. It's really helpful because, for instance, BBDO was our partner when
we worked with DaimlerChrysler. They do all of the offline advertising, [and]
have a lot of experience creating television commercials. And they have great
contacts in that production world. So we leverage those contacts to find great
places to shoot footage, to access directors, to find production houses and the
like. Such a great partnership.
As an example, we can and do feature music in our campaigns.
That's very exciting because music is an important part of pop culture,
and provides a lot of cues and support when you're marketing a vehicle.
If there is a concert tour, a series of bands that are associated with the brand,
we can build that into the campaign.
Research shows that all age groups watch video online, and particularly those
age groups that are very attractive for marketers. Video adds an immersive
dimension to a brand experience. People are able to experience any product or
service in a richer way when there is moving image. Videos engage the
consumer for periods of time that are longer than the typical sight
experience. Four, five, six, seven minutes at a time. Brands are eager to
put their products and services in front of a consumer for such a long continuous
time period.
Ultimately, when you're selling a car, you want to know whether or not you're
generating leads for the dealers. So that's the ultimate measure. But along the
way, there are other important measures like the viewership of the video and the
average length of viewing.
Yes. I can't think of a category where a major brand shouldn't have an online
dimension to their campaign. The more the purchase for the consumer is a
considered purchase or a high-involvement purchase where they want to engage
with the brand, they want to gather more information, they want to learn. The
Internet is the place where they're going to want to do that.
It's safer for brands to experiment in the online medium because you're going
after a narrower audience. As an example, we created a campaign for the
release of the Dodge Charger called "Unleash Your Freak." As part of that, we
had these animated characters that appeared online, but for the most part didn't
appear offline. [On the Internet] you have the opportunity to push the envelope a
little further than you might in a 30-second spot.
I think that the budgets are going to grow dramatically. I think that we're going to
see a lot more rich-video content. I think the videos are going to be much longer
and they're going to become like mini documentaries or mini films about a
product or service. I think we're going to see a lot more investment in that area
by major brands because it pays off.
