In these oh, so scary times, some marketers are playing it safe and sticking with the tried-and-true, while others are taking risks and hoping a little bit of the "wow" factor will go a long way. Which category do you think I picked from to shine a light on this week? You guessed it, these efforts from Coty, Sony and Mammoth Mountain all stand out because they dare to be different.

1. Coty
The interactive Web site created by Syrup for Harajuku Lovers, a new fragrance from Coty and Gwen Stefani, has Japanese inspired animation that is brightly colored and cheery. Best of all, the site gives its target audience something to get really excited about by enabling them to record, upload and share videos of themselves singing karaoke to a Stefani song.



2. Mammoth Mountain Ski Area
With consumers looking to travel closer to home, Mammoth decided to roll out its new brand positioning and tagline - "Play Big" -- to season pass holders first. Mammoth wowed this audience with a dimensional mailer that included a DVD showcasing the area's activities, exclusive offers and a giant trail map measuring almost seven feet wide.



3. Sony
For most companies, embracing social media means having an official page on the usual slew of sites like Facebook and YouTube. Sony wasn't content to stop there. The electronics company has launched its own social networking community so that it could connect more directly with consumers who are already talking about the brand online. Not only is this a cost-effective way of getting feedback, but some electronics geeks may even think it's kind of cool



Seen great work lately?

Defend your recent favorites to Bryan Yurcan at bryan.yurcan@dmnews.com for DMNews' Direct Choice.

Think your own creative case study is worth boasting about? Get in touch with Chantal Tode at Chantal.tode@dmnews.com