On the theme of major corporations missing the boat - I received an email promotion for a GM Canada contest this morning that is a terrific example. The email itself wasn’t bad once, I downloaded the images. But it was all downhill from there (see image inset).
The email encouraged me to"Feel Energized" by entering to win a Pontiac G5. Heck, I’m as happy to win a new car as the next guy (or gal) but when I clicked through to the contest site I was treated to three distinct flash movies before I even had the chance to enter:
first, a "feel energized" presentation that encouraged me to use my mouse, keyboard and speakers to "feel energized" but doing those things had no effect on the movie, just distracted me from what was on my screen. I wasn’t energized - I was bored and frustrated.
Next I had the opportunity to "build my G5". The process was cool once I figured out the somewhat obscure interface but I don’t know what it had to do with the contest - I don’t think that’s the G5 I’ll win. If it is, that wasn’t made clear.
After I’d built my G5 I was taken to a photo gallery of G5 images that had nothing to do with the car I had just finished building.
FINALLY I was finally taken to the contest entry page. The entry page required me to scroll down one full screen before I could begin find the actual form. And then, to add insult to injury, there was no opt-in anywhere. I was very courteously asked what language I’d prefer to receive further communications in, but not given the option to decline those communications. There was a line buried in the brief privacy statement at the bottom of the form stating that I could change my preferences simply by letting GM know - but no instructions on how I might do that and no, the phrase "let us know" doesn’t link to anything.
Frankly, if I hadn’t sniffed a great blog topic unfolding, I’d have abandoned the entry process at the first step. This is a perfect example of a great idea gone awry and a major brand skipping best practises. The five major mistakes:
the HTML email is unreadable with images turned off
the flash movie has an obscure interface that leaves you confused about what to do next
You have to sit through three distinct flash presentations before you even make it to the entry form.
On the entry form you’re actually presented with navigation options to leave the page before you see the form itself.
The entry form doesn’t include a clear opt-in or permission flag. GM could easily improve the entire process (and response) by making the form easily and obviously accessible from the landing page of the microsite, allowing visitors to skip the advertising and get on with the business of entering. They should either tie "build your G5" into the entry process or make it a completely optional activity. And, above all else, they MUST improve the permission statements and opt-in / opt-out language on the entry form. It took me a full 10 minutes to get through the process and enter the contest (yes I timed it and yes, I do need to get out more!). Too long for busy people who should be working. Fortunately for me, I can call this kind of activity competitive (ahem) research.
On the upside, the copywriting on the text preview screen in Outlook was fantastic. It was the most energizing aspect of the entire campaign!
Youtube announced two recent innovations designed to strengthen advertising revenues and enable marketers to take advantage of the site’s popularity.
Participatory Video Ads (PVA’s) – user-initiated commercials. Imagine if you got to choose what commercials you watched on TV? Only the really funny, really informative and really engaging ones would get airtime. That’s the idea behind PVA’s, with the added bonus that advertisers get to participate in community discussions about the creative.
Brand Channels: It’s a Youtube channel, skinned to reflect the look and feel of your brand, showcasing your best video content. And readers can ‘subscribe’. That’s right, permission video marketing.
Video and social marketing are the hottest things on the Internet today. And for good reason, together they put the buying power back in consumer’s hands. Marketer’s who embrace this new world will benefit – users may soon find it harder to distinguish between advertising and information. (See our post “in marketing news this week”). Look out for a new Kinetix service coming soon to clients near you!
Get the full story right from the horses mouth, by clicking here.
Volkswagen, with the resurrection of the Rabbit imminent, has launched a viral campaign in hopes to generate buzz. The premise of the site is that a VW Rabbit will drive around the streets of New York, and record the passengers in the car. Unique? No. Done Before? Yes. Interesting?…. It kept me amused for a few minutes…
Paired with excellent use of flash, integrated video, and a city driving dictionary (Who knew what a Noser was?), the VW Gypsy Cab Project is mildly entertaining. The question is – how much buzz will this viral campaign actually generate?
Integrating audio, video, and graphics help build strong rich media content. This section will talk about industry news, successes, and failures of rich media executions.
On the theme of major corporations missing the boat - I received an email promotion for a GM Canada contest this morning that is a terrific example. The email itself wasn’t bad once, I downloaded the images. But it was all downhill from there (see image inset).
Volkswagen, with the resurrection of the Rabbit imminent, has launched a viral campaign in hopes to generate buzz. The premise of the site is that a VW Rabbit will drive around the streets of New York, and record the passengers in the car. Unique? No. Done Before? Yes. Interesting?…. It kept me amused for a few minutes…