Three Minds On Digital Marketing @ Organic

Current conventional wisdom: How do you create ad revenue on sites that repurpose television content? With interstitials. With the longer content you don't have to be constrained by file size or viewing time like you do with a banner. And in many ways it's a lot like a commercial - with one crucial difference. People hate interstitials way more. Way, way more.

We're trained to be passive viewers with TV (TiVo and clickers aside), but online everybody expects a lot of control. That's probably why brands that have simply repurposed their TV commercials have seen dismal click through rates. Online viewers don't like feeling hijacked.

Generally we advertising types try to circumvent this with interactivity, so that viewers become participators. Games, avatars, interactive storytelling and user-generated content are the usual tactics - concept, style, content, and design all effect whether each instance is successful.

Rarer is an entirely passive interstitial that manages to compel click throughs. You have to offer something else to foster a sense of active engagement. Sometimes just a "what-the-hell-was-that?" quirkiness will do the trick.

AdGabber had a few thoughts about an unusual ad that Organic did for the Chrysler Town & Country on abc.com: Lots of Words, and Something About a Pony.

Dave Sylvestre

Weather: Oven-like
Energy Levels: Running on empty
Mental State: Sleep mode

Last night was the Film, Titanium and Integrated awards show and the Closing Gala. While HBO Voyeur continued to make waves, it was Halo 3 "Believe" that took both the Integrated Grand Prix and a Film Grand Prix. In an unprecedented and questionable move, the Film Jury also awarded a second Film Grand Prix to Cadbury's "Gorilla" viral video because, as Jury President Craig Davis explained, they couldn't decide between the two. Really?? One is a piece of art that redefined its category, the other is a guy in a gorilla suit playing drums with a punchline that warrants a single viewing. Oh well...

The Titanium Grand Prix, on the other hand, was a welcome surprise for us. To channel Bill Murray, the kids from nowhere...from just outside of Tokyo...tears in their eyes I guess...the two guys from Projector Tokyo took home their second Grand Prix of the week for Uniqlock. Hooray for widgets with dancing Japanese girls!

Now we're heading back where we hope to bring home some of the magic...and by "magic" we mean the food from Chez Vincent et Nicholas.

Conor Brady + Sam Cannon

Weather: See Days 2-4
Energy Levels: Hanging on
Mental State: Distracted

We attended the farfar workshop this afternoon entitled "The Story Is The Campaign Is The Story." They showed some of their impressive work (and some from others) and dissected the elements of success and failure. Speaking of the latter, as a live demonstration, Jon and Erik unveiled a makeshift website they'd created especially for the workshop called 10,000 Killers. The premise: A giant rock would drop on one of farfar's Cannes Lions if the site gets 10,000 visits. A web cam monitored the precariously placed Lion. Within an hour, the site surpassed 10,000 but no destruction. An hour or so later, they posted a YouTube vid of the rock dropping (the web cam still stuck on the pre-drop) but none of the aftermath, leading many of us to suspect post-production trickery, lawyers, or both. What's up? Not sure, but farfar's procress includes a step called "Apologize" -- so we're sure this isn't the first time things haven't gone as planned...

We also screened the Titanium and Integrated finalists today. After predicting 2 of 3 Cyber Lions Grand Prix winners off the record, we're going on the record with our predictions for tomorrow night. Here goes...
Conor's Pick for Titanium Grand Prix: Halo 3 "Believe" or NYC Dept. of Education "Million"
Conor's Pick for Integrated Grand Prix: HBO "Voyeur"

Sam's Pick for Titanium Grand Prix: Taxi "15 Below" or NYC Dept. of Education "Million"
Sam's Pick for Integrated Grand Prix: HBO "Voyeur"

Conor Brady + Sam Cannon

 Weather: Bright
Energy Levels: Stable (Conor's better, now Sam has the sore throat)
Mental State: Read Only

We saw a couple of interesting seminars, including one put on by Leo Burnett and our pals at Contagious Magazine which paraded by a good number of campaigns that in some way explemplified what they called "Human Kind" advertising. Here to more of that kind of thinking...

Come to think of it, that may have been yesterday...these days seem to blur together at this point in the week, thanks in part to a nightly ritual called "the gutter bar." By day it's an unassuming bistro next to the Hotel Martinez; by night 72 La Croisette transforms into a sea of drunken (or hopped up on very expensive Coca-Cola Light) advertising fools. As the bar technically accommodates about 50-75 people, the gutter -- and street, alleyway, median, and the Martinez driveway -- is the only place for its hundreds of patrons to go. And there you have it: agency CEOs, ad students, film producers, digital divas, creative directors, and media sales people literally rubbing shoulders with each other into the morning hours. Even when that evenings' parties disappoint or that one friend keeps flaking on you, there's always the gutter bar.

Conor Brady + Sam Cannon

Weather: Azur
Energy Levels: Medium Rare
Mental State: Overstimulated

Our workshop took place yesterday afternoon at the Palais de Festival. Everyone seemed to have fun -- apart from those who were hoping to sleep in a dark, air-conditioned room for a couple hours, or those who were turned away due to room capacity. We discussed why we care so much about empathy-based insight, walked through some work, talked about Camp Organic, and then an intrepid 35 or so attendees stuck around to do a mini-Camp O. The results were really impressive given the fact that "mini" meant 1 hour. To see more, visit Camp Cannes, our workshop blog.

Also, last night was the Cyber Lions ceremony. It was nice to see some of our favorite non-Organic work get represented, with Grand Prix awards going to the Uniqlock and Sol Comments campaigns. It was also nice to see our friend and former CCO Colleen DeCourcy finally unwind after a grueling week as Cyber Lions Jury President. (Nice job, Colleen!)

By comparison, Thursday should be a bit more relaxed. We'll see...

Conor Brady + Sam Cannon

Day: Tuesday, June 17
Weather: Crispy, with bursts of rain
Energy Levels: High (though Conor has a head cold from riding too much)
Mental State: Curious

Yesterday was the big registration day, with most of the attendants rolling into town. So today is the first day proper with all of the media, talks, seminars, kicking in. The awards part is in full swing as well -- they handed out awards last night for Direct and Promo. No idea how any of that went, though, as we have been holed up preparing for our workshop this afternoon. It will be about Camp Organic on the road; we're bringing it to the masses. Hopefully people who attend will take the idea of workshop as literally as we are: "work" = you will be expected to do something, and "shop" = come together as a group, not buy Chanel (very popular in these parts). We will be filming and posting, so keep on the lookout. We will report in tomorrow on how the workshop went, media and what we are seeing that is exciting. Let the games begin...

Conor Brady + Sam Cannon

In what seems like another lifetime altogether, a couple of friends and I decided to make our late-night e-mail musings about the Bay Area and basketball a subject of public record. Thus, a little over a year ago, www.fearthebeard.org was born. I won't get too deep into the wine-addled logic that produced this URL, but the avatar of choice for the venture was (and is) a stylized rendering of Golden State Warriors point guard Baron Davis's head. And beard.
 
The blog quickly took on a life of its own. While it often functions as the "junk drawer" of my (and our) collective consciousness (thanks Misha), it has also developed a surprisingly ardent following and opened some interesting doors. I was interviewed for a French basketball magazine, Reverse. I was invited to play in a blogger all-star game at the Oracle Arena. And, at our urging people grew beards for the playoff push and sent in pictures from around the country. Finally, our DIY PaperBeard™ (for the less hirsute) was featured on Yahoo Sports and even more improbably in the pages of Fortune.
 
But all of that pales in comparison to the events of some two weeks ago. After a few phone calls, we managed to secure an interview with the man some call Boom Dizzle. The rub? We only had one-day's notice. To shoot. Video. Oh, and it turned out he was "open" to hearing ideas for doing something on the street. Out with the people. All viral like. Tomorrow.
 
Oh, and he's in the middle of trying to renegotiate a contract that's scheduled to pay him $17 million next year. So don't do anything stupid, Turman.
 
Anyway, the video is what we came up with over dinner and pitched to Baron immediately before strapping on the hastily rented microphones. He also did a long sit-down piece that we'll be releasing in installments over the next couple of weeks. But, best of all, it turns out that we chose our avatar far better than we realized. He was great to work with and is involved in some interesting technology-friendly projects outside of basketball. Moreover, apparently he also sees the value in empathy-based online marketing. He and his team recognize that our humble little blog has a laser target on his "influencer" fans. Props to BD for recognizing this and being open to a pretty big ask from a pretty small source.
 
Daniel Turman

PS. Thanks to Ali Grayeli for letting me skate for a couple of hours.

 

Great post from Organic's Marta Strickland on her first-ever car purchase, which, to her great surprise as an advertising professional and a critical thinker (not an easy combination), turned out to be one of her client's vehicles.

http://recentlyconsumed.com

Misha Cornes

(For those of you who haven't seen the announcement, Mark Kingdon, Organic's CEO, is stepping down to lead Linden Lab, the maker of Second Life.  Tomorrow is his last day.  -Ed.)

When someone chooses to leave the company at a natural point in their career, when their work is done and the timing is comfortable and right for Organic, I like to say that person is "graduating."   I am officially "graduating" from Organic on Friday, May 2nd.

Omnicom has begun a search for a new CEO for Organic.  Until the role is filled, an interim management committee made up of seasoned Organics will be responsible for major executive decisions:  Chuck Russo (EVP of Client Development), Marita Scarfi (CFO and COO) and Jonathan Nelson (Founder and Chairman).  

On a personal level, Organic has been my life for seven years.  It's not easy to leave but I am very confident the company is in a terrific place which makes it a comfortable time for me to graduate.  

The company:

•    Has superlative talent in every corner of the company and a tight-knit management team
•    Is doing some of the very best work the company has have ever done
•    Has a premier roster of client relationships
•    Is  considered a leading brand in the marketplace
•    Has a unique and cohesive culture that allows people to learn, grow and do great work

Organic's people and culture are the magic in the company's success.  Organic has this hidden, hard-to-identify attribute that it's taken me the better part of seven years to understand.  It's a mash-up of natural intelligence, great creativity, kindness, sincerity, compassion and determination.  I think it's very evident in Camp Organic - an exercise in customer empathy.

I am very thankful for my time at Organic - and by extension, my time over the past several years with Omnicom. I met and worked with many, many exceptional people who are responsible for the company's success - a special thanks to each of them.

The past seven years would make a great business book because it's three success stories in one:  turning around a dot-com darling, repositioning the company as a leader in user-centered design and online marketing and managing through a period of rapid growth period that redefined the company.  I finished the final chapter, and so it's time to move on.

Thanks to everyone for making this a truly exceptional life experience.  And, a big thank you to all of the bloggers and readers of ThreeMinds for your support since our inception.  

Mark

PS: Follow the jump to learn more about the picture above.

If you are in New York doing your holiday shopping, Bank of America wants to make life a little easier for you. They have launched a lounge for tired shoppers called the “Gift on Fifth”.  It’s a place to chill, have some hot chocolate, get some gift-wrapping and avail yourself of their restrooms – not a minor issue in NYC.
 
The program supports the launch of BankAmericard and it’s a smart way to get the brand and the product of people when they need it most.
 
This was beautifully executed by Concentric Communications, who specialize in creating spectacular experiential marketing programs.  More photos after the jump.
 
Adam Turinas