Slip on Your Loafers and Join the Smirnoff "Tea Partay"
How do you make the product launch for an alcoholic iced tea beverage in the Hamptons look cool? This is how. Smirnoff's "Tea Partay" video is definitely worth the buzz being generated. You've just got to see it in all it's pastel splendor to believe it.
BBH, the firm that made the video, clearly understands engagement strategy. By making the clip fun and self-mocking they 'let us in on the joke' and made it more likely we'd send it on to friends. Through the wonder of YouTube, they knew we'd make it viral. And it worked. Over half a million views so far, and they only invested $200K in the develpment of the film. Compare that to the production cost of typical 30-second spots - plus airtime. This was excellent use of technology and trends to launch a product without a big budget. Now toss on your cardigan and visit the site, playah.
BBH, the firm that made the video, clearly understands engagement strategy. By making the clip fun and self-mocking they 'let us in on the joke' and made it more likely we'd send it on to friends. Through the wonder of YouTube, they knew we'd make it viral. And it worked. Over half a million views so far, and they only invested $200K in the develpment of the film. Compare that to the production cost of typical 30-second spots - plus airtime. This was excellent use of technology and trends to launch a product without a big budget. Now toss on your cardigan and visit the site, playah.
posted by franki durbin @ 8:45 AM PERMALINK
2 Comments:
Between this product launch and this political story about a youtube Al Gore spoof, I can't help but wonder if viral, at least in terms of the Internet, will lose its impact. Then I have to recall that the most creative viral marketers are always one step ahead of the game--when something like YouTube and other places become infiltrated with mass marketing, and users lose trust accordingly, good viral marketers will find new ways to market their products and messages. If there's statistical curve to the impact of a particular viral medium, it would seem that a business would do best in getting on that curve right before it peaks, and then finding the next viral wave to ride. Smirnoff appears to have used this technique at the right time--at a point when the masses are beginning to adopt a site like YouTube, but before YouTube becomes a 'has been.'
Do you think with viral marketing, much of it is about the 'timing'?
You're exactly right - they hit the right medium at the right time. What made the attempt successful, in my opinion, is this:
Location. Location. Location.
They leveraged YouTube for a one time opportunity during prime popularity.
Style.
The video was a parody of ads and videos of brands (and people) that take themselves too seriously.
Timing.
They were first to employ this specific strategy (underscoring your point perfectly).
Strategy.
They clearly understood what consumer engagement is about. It was clear it was an ad even without overt branding efforts (they definitely knew the YouTube audience would reject blatant commercials being planted).
You hit it on the head - strike while the iron is hot and YouTube is still considered cool to early adopters.
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