Chado Advertising & Design has recently finished development on a new website for Trophy Fly Fishing. Based in the Cabo Pulmo marine park in Baja Mexico, Trophy Fly Fishing is the premier destination for big game sport fishing chasing the elusive Rooster Fish. Knowledgeable, experienced guides demonstrate proven techniques while helping guests track, chase, and catch the much sought after rooster fish. The services are offered out of El Pulmo Eco Palapa, an eco-lodge that offers comfortable accommodations off the grid and right on the beach, where guests can savor the tranquility and solitude living far away from civilization while enjoying the camaraderie of fellow fly fishers.
The new website includes information about the guided fly fishing adventures, the luxurious accommodations, the rooster fish, and the unique location. The site also features a photo gallery, video playback, social media integration, pay pal functionality, and a custom content management system.
Japan has recently introduced new digital advertising billboards for a trial run that utilizes exciting new technology that could potentially change the face of visual advertisements. Although it is still in its test phase, the new technology fits billboards with specialized cameras that can read the gender and approximate age of its viewers and tailor the message displayed. This ensures the ad space is being used to its fullest potential and the message is delivered to its intended audience. The project was launched last month with twenty-seven displays in multiple subway stations around Tokyo. Further testing and analytics can take the ads a step further adding another variable for increased accuracy in audience targeting: the time of day. Different demographic groups are more likely to use the station at certain times of day so the available ads in circulation can change for increased precision.
This type of targeting is already being used online with Facebook tailoring advertisements based on the user’s gender, age, and interests, but using cameras could be seen as too invasive. There has been some backlash at Facebook for saving user data for advertising so there are already many ethical considerations surrounding this new technology. The operators claim that the cameras do not record images, they only collate data about the groups it is targeting to improve the system. Depending on how the trial run proceeds, we could soon have these “smart” advertisements in American subway platforms displaying only relevant ads to commuters.
I find this particularly interesting because, besides a few exceptions, billboards have never really changed. For decades they have remained the same, untouched as relics of old-world media before the digitization of advertising. By incorporating new technology it may ensure the lasting survival of the medium or, based on the public’s perception of its potentially invasive nature, destroy the public’s acceptance. With security cameras already prevalent in most major cities this wouldn’t seem like a hard sell for the public’s acceptance, but it may be seen as more surveillance and the next step in an increasingly Orwellian future.
This January, to market their new game MLB 2K10, video game developer 2K Sports put up a $1 million prize for the first person to pitch a perfect game under specific conditions. The new game features all new pitching mechanics for improved gameplay and to advertise the improvements over last year’s MLB 2K9 they put up the money for the contest. They figured this new strategy would build hype for the game’s release, persuade more players to buy the game for full price on the day it is released, and invest more time playing the game. They originally estimated that it would take weeks for players to achieve the supposedly difficult feat but a mere 24 hours after the game was released they had a winner. After going through the rigorous confirmation tests to certify a legitimate perfect game, the winner was just recently announced.
Wade McGilberry, a 24 year-old Alabama resident won the cool million in just 90 minutes of playing the game on his Xbox360. McGilberry, playing as Atlanta Braves pitcher Kenshin Kawakami pulled through with a 27-up, 27-down contest relatively quickly. Although the contest succeeded in generating buzz and received positive response from fans, 2K Sports had to pay the $1 million lump sum out of pocket. Insurance companies couldn’t come up with the odds of throwing a perfect game so 2K Sports couldn’t take out insurance on the contest.
As the video game market continues to significantly increase, developers are constantly looking for unique and exciting ways to hype their new games. While some tactics have been quite successful (and others fail miserably) it will be interesting to see if contests become a new trend to increase release day customers.
Chado Advertising & Design is currently taking on new clients! Our firm is continuing to grow and as we finish current projects we are on the lookout for new projects and accepting new clients. If your business is looking to update current visual communications, introduce your brand or products to another country or culture, or starting fresh with new identity and brand development we would love to talk with you to see how we can help you meet your goals.
Chado is a full service advertising and design firm, meaning we have the capabilities to develop all types of communication including print, broadcast, and digital media. We have developed successful visual communication pieces from engaging corporate videos to extensive, full-color, catalogs and everything in between. No matter what direction you want to take your brand, Chado can devise an effective solution to meet your goals and take your brand to the next level. Our current clients range from small local businesses to large multinational corporations and we are very good at working within your budget. If you want to introduce your brand to an international audience, increase your presence online, or simply grow your customer base within your local community, Chado has the skills, talents, and abilities to help your brand breathe with gripping visual communications and solid brand strategies. Feel free to contact us at anytime and we can sit down with you to show you previous work examples, discuss your goals, and aspirations and come up with an effective marketing strategy.
Video game developer Ubisoft just released an exciting new trailer for the newest release in the Tom Clancy series Ghost Recon, Ghost Recon: Future Soldier. Instead of showing game footage the new ad opted for live action with visuals and special effects that parallel a big budget movie. Using real actors playing out scenes as the game’s characters make the game’s world seem more realistic and move the focus on the storytelling rather than the actual game play. It also does an excellent job using special effects to showcase the game’s high tech gadgets and weaponry without taking away from the storyline. This ad is extremely effective because it is exciting, different, and gives the viewer a realistic, captivating glimpse into the world of the game. There have also been reports that this was merely a teaser and a longer twenty-minute trailer/short film will be released later this year.
Using movie quality, live-action sequences for game trailers is becoming increasingly popular after the groundbreaking ads released for Halo 3 by District 9 director Neil Blomkamp. Following this popular spot released in 2007, there have been successful live action trailers for last year’s Halo: ODST and Assassins Creed 2.
One could speculate that these types of ads are being released in hopes of building hype and gaining support for a full-length movie adaptation of the game. Movies based on video games are becoming increasingly popular (and better) with the upcoming release of Prince of Persia next month and the seemingly non-stop speculation of a Halo feature. Regardless of the reasoning, these cinema style commercials are very effective and hopefully become a long-standing trend in game advertising.
This month, Swedish furniture giant IKEA launched an interesting campaign in Paris. Using four high traffic metro stations as their venue, they displayed furniture collections on the subway platforms. The subway walls were also lined with prints showcasing interiors of IKEA’s showrooms transforming the stations into living rooms. This interesting, interactive campaign gave potential customers a chance to interact directly with the brand and try out products in a memorable atmosphere where commuters can comfortably wait for their train in style. Sure, this campaign is risky with the extremely high possibility of vandalism and damage done to the furniture and wouldn’t work in every subway station but this experiential marketing campaign will no doubt be talked and tweeted about long after it has ended.
The LA times just announced that Google (who else) has won the patent for using location based data for advertising. The patent, numbered 7,668,832, was filed way back in 2004 and was just now awarded to Google by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The patent will allow Google to build tools for advertisers that use location information to determine ad placement, track performance in certain areas, target customers based on their location, and ultimately improve the effectiveness of their campaigns. This could have far reaching effects on smartphone users with location aware phones making them susceptible to a constant barrage of ads as they go about their day. The technology could determine based on location if an ad should be sent and what content is appropriate making it ideal to reach your target market directly Google hasn’t announced exactly what they will do with the patent but it will definitely change the mobile user’s experience.
According to a recent study from the research firm TNS in conjunction with ESPN and Electronic Arts, 38% of sports video gamers spend at least as much time playing sports games as they do watching the same sport on TV during its season. This study suggests that advertisers are missing a major opportunity with in-game advertising. The sports gamer demographic is 75% male and half are between the ages of 18 and 34, on average they are single and have a disposable income. This demographic is increasingly difficult to reach using traditional media and sports games could be the ideal outlet. First, it would be very easy to implement; all sports games now feature online support and are constantly undergoing content updates, this would allow advertisers to place updated brand messages and ads into the updated game content so the in-game ads constantly change if the player is playing online or not. Also it would add to the authenticity of the game; broadcast sports already have many ads and brand messages displayed on the playing field and having the same look in the virtual environment would make the game more realistic while providing a new, largely untapped ad space. While this new medium is just starting to gain momentum, I predict this ad space will becoming increasingly effective and sought after.
Google Street View, the popular Google Maps and Google Earth feature launched in 2007 that provides 360° horizontal and 290° vertical panoramic views along many streets around the world may become the newest digital medium for advertising.. They recently filed a patent entitled “Claiming Real Estate in Panoramic or 3D Mapping Environments for Advertising” which would allow them to edit outdated billboards shown in Street View and replace them with new current advertisements. These new advertisements can be linked directly to the company’s website and serve as an effective call to action. Google wouldn’t have to stop at billboards, they could update marquees outside movie theaters, storefronts, and everywhere there is ad space in the real world. It is a great idea, with Street View’s increasing user base and obsolete billboards and ad space littering the virtual landscape this would give the software giant yet another source of income. Although brilliant, this could stir up possible legal issues and raise a lot of questions. Who owns virtual billboards? Does the owner of the physical property that is being portrayed have any say? What would the companies that originally placed an ad on that billboard have to say? Could competitors advertise on each other’s ad space? Could someone place an ad on my virtual property without my permission? Legal questions aside, this idea of owning virtual real estate will certainly pay off for Google and possibly open up yet another frontier for advertisers.
As brands continue to try to find new ways to connect with customers and shape their product to appeal to them, Pepsi decided to have their customers do all the work with their newest Mountain Dew social media campaign “Dewmocracy 2.0”. Brands like HP and Vitamin Water have already called upon their consumers for branding materials. After all, consumers should know themselves better than anyone. Last year Mt. Dew launched a similar campaign where they allowed consumers to vote for the next Mt. Dew flavor and name, but has taken this branding practice to a whole new level this year. They are now letting their consumers invent and name three new flavors, design the package, AND create commercials. They launched a new website 12seconds.tv where Dew enthusiasts can submit their own commercials and vote for their favorites. Brands have resorted to similar tactics putting brand choices in the hands of the customer but never to this extent. This campaign gives the consumer more control and interaction with their favorite brand. Going beyond simply consulting consumers for ideas they are making them an integral part of creating a new product and marketing it utilizing different social web applications like Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube. They expect that this will help foster a strong relationship between the brand and the customer because they are now able to have the feeling of owning and being part of the product like never before and brand loyalists are now empowered to be a part of the brand. Only time will tell how effective this new campaign will be but with the brands existing loyal fan base and cross platform social marketing strategy it looks very promising. It will be interesting to see how other brands follow suit utilizing social media to empower their customers to become part of the brand.
