Hello summer! While the kids are playing Marco Polo in the pool, marketers are playing a no-holds-barred game of King of the Hill in terms of brand engagement dominance. But don’t take your eyes off the kids. We’ve collected these just for you — five of the best videos, Twitter campaigns and content marketing efforts making headlines this summer:
1.) Overista: We groaned last year when TJ Max released its “Maxinista” ad campaign. I mean the whole fashionista thing seems decidedly tired and very early 2000s, no? Yet consumers and marketers just won’t let the “ista” go. Just last week, juice company Odwalla unveiled its new partnership with gardening website/blog/giant commercial Gardenista. Gardenista is the latest website from Say Media, the company behind Remodelista. Okay, branders and marketers, we’re crying uncle here. This “ista” overload almost makes us wish for the “diva” days. Almost.
2.) Waiting Sucks: Every summer, we can count on HBO to roll out some clever online marketing campaigns for its vampire soap True Blood. This year the network took to Twitter with the hashtag #waitingsucks. The hashtag winks at the year (well, nearly) that fans have had to wait for their favorite bloodsucking show to come back. Couple it with some truly stunning viral video spots and HBO has once again created some serious buzz in a season where television is expected to be dominated by the Olympics.
3.) Dine and Dash and Do Dishes: Scotch Brite Sponges presented hip, young Brazilian diners with an interesting proposition: Do dishes and your dinner’s free. The result is a fun viral video and innovative interactive campaign.
4.) Crumbs of Wisdom: The Pacific Cookie Company is one of those great, old-fashioned Northern Californian companies whose business model has been changed by online marketing and new media. Behind the Cookie is its blog and great example of how every business can invite readers and consumers into their world with blogging.
5.) Sirilebrities: First Zooey Deschanel, then Samuel Jackson and now John Malkovich. Apple is hoping that if enough cool celebrities are shown using Siri on their iPhone 4S then maybe regular people will actually like Siri, too. In the new spot, Malkovich gets cerebral with Siri, asking it the meaning of life and even cracking some jokes. The commercials are a good time and certainly buzzworthy, but only time will tell if mere mortals will warm up to Siri just like the stars have.
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