Category: Best use or integration of user-generated content
Advertiser: CHEVROLET
Product/Service: CHEVROLET CAMERO
Agency: MOFILM
Agency: CHEVROLET
Director: Zach Borst (Goat Farm Film)
Chief Executive Officer: Jeffrey Merrihue (MOFILM)
Executive Strategy: Paul Edwards (General Motors)
Marketing Strategy Manager: Steve Mcguire (Chevrolet)
Media placement: Microsite - Online - 5th Jan 2012
Media placement: YouTube - online - 30th Jan 012
Media placement: TV campaign - TV channels - 29th Jan 2012
Campaign Description
Happy Grad was created for, and aired on, a global platform, initially on a dedicated MSN microsite, then via Facebook. This makes it difficult to describe the exact situation for branded content. Happy Grad was the winner of a user-generated contest run for Chevrolet to find a Super Bowl ad. It was the first contest of its kind that was open to anyone from anywhere around the globe, the contest received almost 200 entries from Brazil to South Africa. However it would be fair to describe user generated content as sometimes being regarded as being sub-standard, or a fad, Happy Grad was critically well received, made the top 10 of the Ad-Bowl meter and was just outside of the top 10 of the USA Today Ad Meter poll, garnering Chevrolet one of its best Super Bowl results ever.
Effectiveness
Asking users to create an advert for Super Bowl is not a new concept. Allowing users from around the world to create a car ad, which has to hit the multiple requirements for safe driving, as well as being compliant with the brand promise, was a step beyond other projects in both ambition and scale.
Paul Edwards, executive strategy, general motors, launched the contest on stage during Cannes Lions 2011. The first stage was a script contest, almost a sense check to see how people felt about the brand and to pre-screen what the finished films might be. The video contest stage ran from September to December, here the main challenge was help get cars into the hands of filmmakers and to help them make their productions worthy of the Super Bowl platform.
35 films from 5 global regions were selected to be shared on the Microsite, where viewers could watch, share and rate their favourites. This was to help build excitement around the outcome of the contest and received over 500m views.
The winner was revealed in late January before the being aired during a play-off for the Super Bowl.
Implementation
The audience was driven to Happy Grad in a variety of ways. It featured, as did 34 other films, on a dedicated microsite that incentivised visitors to watch and share, the most dedicated sharer receiving a $10,000 prize. Happy Grad was premiered prior to the Super Bowl, driving views to Chevrolet's YouTube Channel to see the full 60-second version.
There was an extensive PR campaign tied into the new trend of teasing and revealing Super Bowl ads before game day. The post game day, when Happy Grad aired during the second quarter, the 30-second film featured on the USA Today Facebook Ad meter poll, attracting more views and likes.
Outcome
The campaign was reviewed as being incredibly successful by the client and a second contest is planning for Super Bowl LXVII.
The 35 finalist videos received over 500m views combined, and Happy Grad has over 1.3m combined views on YouTube, plus the audience of the Super Bowl.
Perhaps the most important outcome is that Zach Borst, the writer and director behind Happy Grad, received job offers within 24 hours of the Super Bowl, helping him in his chosen career as a film maker.