Social media

In 2009, marketers experimented with social media marketing. This year, the channel will grown in sophistication and become more closely aligned with strategy.

Brands will move beyond fan pages to offer customer services through social channels. Social media will become part of CRM. 

“Nobody really wants to be my Facebook fan, unless they can use it for feedback and customer service,” said Mike Brzozowski, EVP of CRM at Draftfcb New York. “This year, brands will begin using this as a dedicated resource for strategic services, communicating directly with customers and rewarding customers who engage.”

More real-time offers will appear on Twitter and searchable social feeds. Also, more mobile social interaction means local marketers can create deals that are geo-targeted.

Gold

The best job in the world/Single consumer

Agency: SapientNitro
Client: Tourism Queensland

Tourism Queensland was in a bind. Consumers booking island vacations were often looking beyond the Great Barrier Reef to locations such as Greece, the Maldives and Hawaii. Agency SapientNitro decided to draw attention to the area by offering the best job in the world — “island caretaker.” The contest launched in January 2009, offering a paid ($150,000 AUS) position for six months. Applicants from around the world — nearly 35,000 of them from 20 countries — entered by sending 60-second video applications. Because applicants needed to demonstrate knowledge of the area, they were forced to learn more about the Reef region, thus raising awareness of the destination. The winner was Ben Southall, a diving and sailing enthusiast from the United Kingdom. Southall reported on his experience through blogs, photos and video diaries celebrating the islands. The campaign garnered plenty of worldwide attention, and news articles covering it are still searchable on Google. Not bad for a budget of less than $2 million.

Art Directors
Cristian Staal, Ralph Barnett

Creative Directors
Nancy Hartley, James Burchill

Account Directors
Anne-Maree Wilson, Adam Form, Edwina Gilmour

National Strategy Planning Director
Darren McColl

Senior Digital Producer
Jason Kibsgaard

Whale shark gamble/Single nonprofit

Agency: BBDO Proximity, Singapore
Client: Sea Shepherd Conservation Society

When sea animal advocacy group Sea Shepherd Conservation Society learned that Singapore casino Resorts World was going to acquire a whale shark (an endangered species) for display in a tank, it wanted to raise public awareness against the move. BBDO Proximity created a Facebook application where concerned citizens could bet on how long the whale shark would survive in captivity, showing that the casino was “gambling with the animal’s life.”

Executive Creative Director
Jagdish Ramakrishnan

Digital Creative Director
Jonathan McKenzie

Art Directors
Gregory Yeo, Edwin Poh

Doritos white bag/Single consumer

Agency: Proximity BBDO, Canada
Client: Frito-Lay, Canada

Frito-Lay Canada ran a campaign with Proximity BBDO inviting consumers to create and market a new flavor of Doritos. A Super Bowl ad and online marketing drove consumers to DoritosGuru.ca for details about the contest and the $25,000 prize. On the site, people uploaded their ad ideas and rated others. The winner — Ryan Coopersmith’s “Scream Cheese” — aired on national TV at the end of the six-week campaign.

Creative Directors
Ian McKellar, John Gagne

FINALISTS

Mark on AirTran
Agency
Aspen Marketing Services

Client
AirTran Airways
Acct Exec: Heather Dueitt

Join the quitters
Agency
BBDO Proximity, Singapore

Client
Johnson & Johnson Pte Ltd
CD: Jon Pye

Connect Mr. Fong
Agency
Ogilvy & Mather, New York

Client
IBM
ECD: Susan Westre

TenGrandisBuriedHere.com
Agency
Wunderman, Sydney

Client
Microsoft Australia
CD: Matt Batten

Mystery packages
Agency
Proximity, London

Client
RNLI
Head of creativity and innovation: Debi Bester

Can you make it!?
Agency
Red Urban GmbH, Munich

Client
Red Bull GmbH
ECD: Andreas Klemp