Category: Best use or integration of digital media
Advertiser: GOOGLE
Product/Service: DISPLAY ADVERTISING
Agency: JOHANNES LEONARDO
Agency: GOOGLE
Agency: GROW INTERACTIVE
: Amil Gargano (Independent Contributor)
: Bob Pasqualina (Independent Contributor)
: Harvey Gabor (Independent Contributor)
: Howie Cohen (Independent Contributor)
: Paula Green (Independent Contributor)
: (Oil Factory)
: (Fake Love)
: (@radical.media)
: (Nexus)
: (RSA)
: (Rebolucion)
: (Cosmo Street)
: (Rock Paper Scissors)
: (Human)
: (Beacon Street)
: (Katabatic Digital)
: (House Of Hayduk)
: (Penny Lane)
: (Studio Center)
: (Fantasy Interactive)
Media placement: Website - Projectrebrief.com - Internet - 9 March 2012
Media placement: Web Films - 4 Spots - YouTube - 9 March 2012
Media placement: Desktop Display Ads - 4 Ads - ProjectRebrief.com - 9 March 2012
Media placement: Mobile Display Ads - 4 Ads - ITunes/Android - 9 March 2012
Media placement: Documentary Film - Event - Ad Age Digital - 18 April 2012
Media placement: ITunes App - Apple Store - 18 April 2012
Media placement: Android App - Android Marketplace - 18 April 2012
Campaign Description
While there are no regulations limiting the capabilities of branded entertainment in the United States, there exists the perpetual challenge to win consumers’ attention. With Americans being exposed to hundreds - if not thousands - of advertising messages per day, it has become increasingly difficult to break through the clutter and make an impact; especially with a brand generating the content. In addition, with the rise of social media aiding interactive 2-way communication, commercials, short films, and documentaries must fight for a spot on the podium in the public’s eye.
Effectiveness
Despite almost 2 decades of innovation online, digital ads are still being used to simply inform more than they're being used to connect, engage, and entertain. Therefore, to create an immediate change in the ad industry’s perception of and approach to digital advertising, we put the space to the ultimate test. We asked 5 legends of American advertising to reimagine their most iconic advertising campaigns for a medium they knew little about: the web.
Can the biggest ideas fit in the smallest of ad spaces?
For Project Re: Brief, Google partnered with 4 global brands and the advertising legends behind 4 of America’s greatest advertisements to re-imagine Coca-Cola’s ‘Hilltop’ (1971), Volvo’s ‘Drive it like you hate it’ (1962), Alka-Seltzer’s ‘I can’t believe I ate the whole thing’ (1972), and Avis’ ‘We try harder’ (1962) for the digital age.
Directed by Emmy-winning director Doug Pray, this film documents the journeys of Bob Pasqualina and Howie Cohen, Paula Green, Harvey Gabor, and Amil Gargano, as they collaborate with Googlers, young creatives and production partners from around the world to re-imagine their iconic campaigns using today’s technology.
Project Re: Brief aims to shake up the ad industry and inspire new creative uses for digital advertising. While shifting formats and media platforms is one thing, as we learn from our heroes of the past, the basic tenets of human storytelling haven’t changed.
Implementation
Directed by Emmy-winning director Doug Pray, our branded content appeared as four short films on the campaign website: ProjectReBrief.com. These films were launched at SXSW Interactive for the digital and creative communities.
This content then formed the basis of an hour-long documentary by Pray, also titled ‘Project Re: Brief’, that premiered in New York City and was shown in conjunction with the annual Ad Age Digital conference. It will be screened to a global audience at this year’s Cannes advertising festival.
Outcome
In just 1 month, the project garnered over 70m earned media impressions, including coverage in almost every major trade publication (AdAge, the New York Times, Creativity Online, AdWeek, Fast Company, Mashable, Gizmodo and The Wall Street Journal), and what began as a campaign to get the industry talking, turned into a global conversation.
The individual executions themselves also served to highlight the potential of the medium. Average time spent with Rich Media ads in the US is 9.2 seconds - and all 4 executions exceeded this figure by a staggering amount. The Avis ad saw an increase of 3,000% above the average, Volvo at 1,707%, Coca-Cola at 1,033% and Alka-Seltzer up 989%.