2011 was a big year for digital in Australia with many brands embracing the channel. Unfortunately for some however 2011 is a year they would rather forget. This is my compilation of the good, the bad and the ugly for Australian digital in 2011. I apologise in advance to those who made the bad & ugly list, as a marketer no-one wants to find themself in this position.
Good (Or you might even say the best)…….
1. Best Integrated Campaign – Share a Coke
Just when NAB thought they had stitched up the best integrated campaign of the year – Coke came along and did one better with their “Share a Coke” campaign. The “Share a Coke” campaign, which saw 150 names printed on coke bottles is a great example of an integrated campaign – and according to Coke it is tipped to be one of their most successful campaigns ever.
A look at the campaign: Coke’s Facebook page provides one of the key platforms to support the campaign. Fans can download 150 “name songs” which are in-line with those printed on the bottle, and even vote for the next 50 names that are to be printed on the bottles from the end of January. People can also share a virtual coke with their mates through Facebook. Coke has also produced TVCs to support awareness of the “Share a Coke” campaign, which have also been published on its YouTube channel and have received over 50,000 views in total. In addition at selected outdoor sites, passers-by could also SMS their name and have it projected up on a billboard. Consumers could even get a personalised can of coke created at one of the 18 Westfield shopping centres around the country.
2. Best Digital Innovator – CommBank
Love them or hate them – there is no doubt that CommBank has really began to push the boundaries in the digital space. This year CommBank has not only leveraged augmented reality advertising to promote its already successful property app (which has received over 160,000 downloads) but CommBank has launched;
Investorville; Investorville is a property investment simulation game which aims to educate existing home owners on property investment. In its initial 6 weeks of launch the game received over 52,000 visitors of which 13,000 played the game.
Kaching; In October CommBank launched a banking application which enables consumers to wirelessly pay for goods and services via near field communication technology.
IdeaBank: CommBank has recently launched a platform and campaign to crowd-source ideas from the masses called IdeaBank. In March 2012, CommBank will award $10,000 to the winning idea – which is sure to get the creative juices flowing. Visit www.commbank.com.au/ideabank
3. Best Use of Mobile within a Campaign – KIA
In 2011, KIA wanted to leverage its sponsorship of the Australian Open to launch the KIA Optima, KIA’s newest medium-size car. Through tapping into “dual screen” usage and augmented reality, KIA was able to extend the brand message beyond viewing a traditional TV ad.
A little at the campaign; By downloading an AR application, viewers were able to explore the KIA Optima from their living room by taking a virtual tour of the car at intervals during telecasts of the Open. The AR application alone was downloaded more than 12,000 times; an increase of over 500 percent on KIA’s initial targets and, when combined with a co-ordinated above the line campaign, led to January sales of the Optima exceeding expected levels by 57 percent.
4. Best Social Media Campaign – Making Tracks
Despite a tough year for the tourism industry, Tourism Australia continued to pull in visitor numbers through its clever marketing. In March of this year, Tourism Australia launched Making Tracks a campaign which aimed to position Australia as an ‘experience’ destination.
A look at the campaign: YouTube selected the Sydney Opera House to host its YouTube Symphony Orchestra 2 (YTSO2) in March 2011. In February and March 2011, four YTSO2 musicians were paired with contemporary Australian musicians to travel to various parts of the country to compose music inspired by their adventure. The final output, known as Making Tracks, was four inspiring short films and one evocative compilation film.
Episodes were broadcast through the Australia YouTube channel, and the musicians also uploaded blogs, photography and small clips to a micro-site and these were shared through Twitter & Facebook.
The videos received over 2.7 million views to the Australian YouTube channel. The films were also so well-received that episode four was showcased on the big screen in Time Square, New York on 22 March 2011.
5. Best Mobile (+ social) Apps: Pedigree Dog-A-Like
Over the past few years, Pedigree has supported the adoption of dogs through launching innovative campaigns and initiatives and this year was no different. In 2011, Pedigree launched its Dog-A-Like series of apps.
A little look at the apps: Based on this insight that dogs look like their owners, Pedigree created smartphone and Facebook applications that not only find your perfect Dog-A-Like match from the live Pet Rescue database, it lets you adopt them when they would otherwise be put down.
The Dog-A-Like app became the number 1 app in the Australian iTunes store for 2 weeks, and received over 40,000 downloads.
Bad & Ugly
1. Worst Twitter Campaign – QantasIt just wasn’t Qantas’ year and unfortunately for the marketing team, they really misjudged the right time to launch a campaign. After the grounding of its fleet, the social sphere erupted in outrage – but no sooner had the planes started flying again did Qantas launch their dream luxury experience competition.
A little bit about the campaign; Consumers were asked to describe their “dream luxury in-flight experience” and use the hash tag #Qantasluxury, with the best 50 answers winning a pair of Qantas first-class pyjamas and an amenity kit. Aside from the awful choice of prize, the hashtag was hijacked and a flood of negative comments were made on Twitter which were related to the grounding the month before. It even resulted in a spoof video being made about the debacle.
2. Worst Facebook Campaign – Nissan
As brands fought for a bit of Facebook love in 2011, some like Nissan may have wished they watched from the sidelines.
A little bit about the campaign; In October Nissan Australia launched their “micra-spotting campaign” which saw clues released and various Nissan Micra photos hidden on Australian fashion houses, bars, boutiques etc Facebook pages. The campaign gained a lot of interest and generated discussion however things went pear shaped when the major prize, which was a car and a weekly prize of $1,250 were handed out to friends of the employee managing the contest. What followed was an influx of negative feedback on the Nissan Micra Facebook site with one participant saying “I will NEVER buy any car made by Nissan now. This is deplorable!,”
3. Worst Email Campaign: KFC
In a case of the right hand not talking to the left, KFC found themselves in hot water earlier this year when they attempted to provide an exclusive preview / taste test of a new chicken double burger.
A little bit about the campaign; In a VIP email campaign KFC announced the launch of its new brazen burger, but recipients of the email could trial the burger the day before it launched. Consumers were told to head to their nearest KFC store and ask for The Double. But unfortunately it seemed someone forgot to tell people at the stores. What followed were some very hungry and angry customers exploding on Facebook.
One said ”Flat out false advertising, you really need to put more thought into your promotions from now on, I just ended up with a double crunch burger because your incompetent staff aren’t told anything by management… Pathetic. This promotional media has failed plenty of people today.”
This campaign goes to show – you can have the best idea but it amounts to nothing if you can’t nail thje execution
Thank you to all my readers for their kind emails, and comments in 2011. I hope you will continue to find my blog useful and informative in 2012.
