| Cannes Lions 2013 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Promo and Activation Lions | Use of Promo & Activation; Best Use of Experiential Marketing in a Promotional Campaign | Silver |
| Branded content & entertaiment lions | Branded Entertainment; Best use or integration of experiential events | Gold |
| London International Awards 2013 | ||
| The NEW | - | Bronze Winners |
Type of entry: Use of Promo & Activation
Category: Best Use of Experiential Marketing in a Promotional Campaign
Advertiser: MATTEL
Product/Service: HOT WHEELS
Agency: MISTRESS Venice, USA
Marketing Manager: Chris Boumann (Mattel)
Marketing Manager: Missy Alpert (Mattel)
Marketing Director: Anye Deanna (Mattel)
VP/Design: Felix Holst (Mattel)
VP/Boys Marketing: Simon Waldron (Mattel)
VFX Creative Director: Stephen Lawes (Cantina Creative)
VFX Producer: Sean Cushing (Cantina Creative)
Editor: Jeff Tober (Bandito Brothers)
Producer: Ryan Slavin (Bandito Brothers)
Director: Mike 'mouse' McCoy (Bandito Brothers)
Producer: Kay Lynn Dutcher (Mistress)
Brand Director: Brittany Driscoll (Mistress)
Writer: Shelley Chidley (Mistress)
Art Director: Elisa Tan (Mistress)
Writer: Guy Helm (Mistress)
Design/Interactive Director: Blake E. Marquis (Mistress)
Strategy Director: Christian Jacobsen (Mistress)
Strategy Director: Jens Stoelken (Mistress)
Creative Director: Scott Harris (Mistress)
Creative Director: Damien Eley (Mistress)
Describe the brief from the client
The objective of this Promotional Campaign was to use rich entertainment content built around a spectacular, globally distributed Live event rather than traditional advertising, to spread Hot Wheels' global brand messaging to a bigger audience than just the core young boy, making it relevant to boys of ALL ages.
Promotion Development
Hot Wheels released an Episodic story aimed at young kids in which the Head of the Hot Wheels Test Facility challenges Team Hot Wheels to a whole series of impossible tests. These stunts, being part of a rich, fantastical storyline, were real but staged and augmented with VFX.
But, in particular episodes a massive World Record stunt, attached to globally televised distribution channels via X Games, was woven into the storyline.
A huge, global older audience was then led to the content through these cultural activations.
Results
The response of the global audience of boys of ALL ages was profound:
11 episodes of global branded entertainment content received over 67 million ORGANIC views.
Two world records received over 17 million views (10m in 48 hours)
204 countries saw the Promotion and Activation.
Over 3 billion media impressions.
One of YouTube's top organic viral campaigns for 2012.
One huge brand story.
No traditional advertising.
Relevancy to Product/Service
Most of the Branded Entertainment that made up this campaign was targeted at a younger boy audience.
But by weaving the storyline into a huge legitimate actions sports entity such as X Games and receiving global distribution via ESPN, the Activation and the Content were able to hit a considerably older and more diverse audience than the kid-targeted Webisodes.