Super Supers

Over the last couple of months, I have worked on a few "viral video" campaigns. I acted in, produced, and directed (as much as one can direct something like this) a project to promote ADASport.com that involved a bunch of people going into an Apple store and playing with stuffed animals. If you want to check it out go here. I also acted in and worked in the production of a video featuring comedian/pundit Mo Rocca, promoting a global temporary housing company. You can see that one here. Yeah, I made the thumbnail.

I have also been working on developing a bunch of branded content concepts. Branded content is basically a return to the single sponsor TV show, like the good old days when Tide and other detergents sponsored "soap operas." This is the inevitable evolution of advertising in conjunction with online video content. As it becomes harder and harder for a video to "go viral" it is more and more important to build fan bases. One-off "viral videos" still have a place in the world, but branded content is where any major advertising investments should be made.

Wow. Boring! And don't think that I don't know what you are thinking. You are thinking that it seems like I have been way to productive for someone without the time or energy to do anything, but I never said that I didn't have the time, energy, or passion to do anything, just to make these ideas reality. Checkity check yourself!

What is Super Supers?

I started thinking about Super Supers right after I did the video for the global temporary housing company, and it is designed as branded content for either a global temporary housing company, or a hotel chain.

The basic concept is that a couple, some handsome youngsters, or a couple of hot chicks, travel around from apartment complex to apartment complex, or hotel to hotel, and check up on them. Yeah, like building supers. Get it?

It's basically a travel show, which people love (they do have their own channel), but a travel show that highlights the sponsor's locations and services. Did you know that the Millennium Hilton, Bangkok boasts sweeping city views (apparently also a perpetual puddle-see below)? Did you know that the Ritz Carlton, Berlin is an unforgettable 5-star hotel just steps from Potsdamer Platz. I wish I knew what Potsdamer Platz was, don't you? Think about it.

What's that? You think this idea needs a little twist?

Here is the twist. At every location visited, the hosts place a sticker with a special code on it in a secret place, someplace that no one would ever look without having seen the show (someone finding it without having seen the show won't know its importance anyway). The code will be redeemable online for sweet prizes, real prizes, not like a key chain or some 10% off coupon. This will encourage people who travel a lot for business to watch every episode and pressure the person who books their travel arrangements to book them rooms at the sponsor's hotels.

I know you can sell this to someone, so go make a pilot, and remember that even though I now have a real job (Brand X Group), I could still use some of that money, so please send me some.

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P.P.S. If you were scared to hire me to think for you before, back when I was a lone gun, but now you are thinking you would like to hire me, contact me at TheBrandXGroup.com

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P.P.P.P.S. I did a guest writing stint on LiquidGeneration.com for the last couple of weeks.

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Laundry Marketing

The other day, a magical thing happened. I did laundry at the laundromat.

NO! That is not the magical thing!

I did laundry and when I got home, I found that instead of losing a sock, I had gained a promotional t-shirt for some musical called "Lost In Hollywoodland." It has a cartoon drawing of a devil on it... kind of a rockabilly vibe. I inspected it and read it very carefully, trying to remember if it was mine... maybe I just forgot about going to a rockabilly musical about the devil. I paid some serious attention to this t-shirt. I don't think I have ever inspected a piece of clothing so well.

You should know that I consider laundromats to be part of the seventh level of hell, hot, poorly lit, depressing, full of crazy people, hot, bad soft rock, and for some reason, dirty. But, finding this shirt got me to thinking about this idea.

I started thinking about how effective slipping promotional t-shirts or towels into people's laundry could be, especially for certain thing like movies, bands, restaurants, and possibly detergents. Half the battle in advertising is to get someone to pay attention to what you are saying, whether they believe you or remember your message is secondary to getting people to pay attention, and finding that shirt in my laundry had definitely gotten my attention.



Imagine if Fox Searchlight had sent street teams out to laundromats to slip a couple of thousand "Vote For Pedro" t-shirts into people's laundry before the movie came out. The movie was huge, but what if they had been able to plant that buzz out there in people's wardrobes long before it's release?

The key is making really cool shirts. This might be a perfect arena to implement hidden agenda hypercolor shirts. These hypercolors would come out of the dryer looking like plain white t-shirts, but when they cool down, a slogan or message is revealed.

Pairing this idea with the right product is just as important as putting the right socks together, and there are infinite possibilities, so I can't go into all of them. Obviously there is a certain demographic that goes to laundromats, and certain products you would never want to associate with laundry even if only millionaire super models washed clothes at laundromats.

Take this idea and build your guerrilla marketing company around it. Make tons of money. Maybe you can hire me, and give me some of that money.

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