We’ve just finished working on a great pitch. Digy Roy has been away so I’ve been a lone creative for the end of it. But it was still a lot of fun.
The client has to stay anonymous for now, but they are on my list of “cool brands” and if this work saw the light of day it would be a massive cross channel idea.
Working on this pitch campaign the last few weeks made me remember of past “massive” online/offline campaigns. The one in particular that I really like is Year Zero that 42 Entertainment did for Nine Inch Nails. It got the grand prix at Cannes, which it honestly did deserve.
The overview can be found
here and offers a quick look at what was a totally immersive experience for the audience. It actually eclipses their Dark Knight viral efforts.
The online/offline experience was amazing, flash drives hidden at gigs, CD’s that reacted to body heat to reveal a message, hidden phone numbers, websites, events, posters and a mini underground political type movement. This campaign had it all and then even more!
What was cool about the idea was it was scaleable. It allowed the audience to delve into this Year Zero world as far as they wanted to go. They could still get a good experience by just buying the CD and getting the hidden content from that.
It's also really cool to see something that takes you online to offline and online again. The two worlds merge to become something bigger than the channels you decide to use. it does help that the campaign was an album promo which people like, i can't see Year Zero working for a washing powder.
This kind of stuff is so inspiring to see. I reckon this is what digital is heading towards on a regular basis, well for the brands that have a very loyal audience and are deemed "cool" e.g Nike, Apple etc.
Brand awareness that hits every channel and allows the audience to decide whether they take it on or not. They could see a poster that would take them to the internet on their phone, keeping them involved until they access the site at home. Cool stuff!
