Almost six months have passed since the Super Bowl, but one marketing trend that surfaced heavily during the game continues today, and that is the use of non-internet mediums to drive interest to a web site. While not the first company to do so, Mitsubishi’s enticing SeeWhatHappens.com certainly helped prove the concept almost a year ago, before the popularization of that trend during this last Super Bowl. In this week’s Trends Report, we take a look at a few of the more recent uses of online sites serving as the destination for offline campaigns and companies.
The first campaign that we explore comes from a company few would consider progressive, Jaguar automobiles. They use the net to assist with their predominantly print campaign that questions the users’ notions of what their cars offer. Appropriately named, their campaign directs people to TheAnswerIsJaguar.com. The site, as is the case with all three here, relies heavily on Flash. Its menu choices consist of a pictorial collage posing such questions as, “Who demonstrates a racy past can mean an even racier future” and “What car burns less fuel but stirs more passion.” Clicking on the image will offer information on a particular model with the option to learn more about it by visiting the corporate site or returning to the question page. TheAnswerIsJaguar.com operates like a true mini-site, providing limited functionality with the aim of directing people to the more elaborate parent company site once interest has been shown.
Next up for review is one site that is sure to provide adequate entertainment and distraction for all of us. Underwritten by Burger King and done as part of their Star Wars co-branded marketing campaign, the SithSense.com offers viewers a chance to play a version of 20 Questions against Darth Vader. Burger King smartly downplays its own role in the site, showing its logo upon loading of the game and offering a link to its corporate site along with a humorous appearance by its king mascot as the only clues of their involvement. A testament more to the power of viral marketing, very little offline marketing exists for the site. Most users have found it from their friends. Even a visit to BK.com, the corporate site doesn’t advertise the fun site. The hidden gem of the site could very well be the scrolling introduction that describes the game just as though it were a separate episode in the Stars Wars saga.
One can find the last and perhaps most involved micro- or buffer site at innw.com. The acronym stands for “If not now, when” and contains elements of brand awareness and lead generation. Neither serious like the Jaguar site or light fare as is the case with the SithSense.com, the Doritos themed site tries the hardest to create an actual user base, one that they hope will spend significant time on the site with repeat visits. Created by Tribal DDB, innw.com appears aimed at the teen crowd with its chat icon main theme, and bright confusing navigation. It offers users a chance to type in codes floating throughout the site that unlock other features and free downloads along with a basic bulletin board section where registered users can offer up opinions on questions posted by other users. Secondary goals of the site appear to be linking to other Doritos sponsored campaigns found on AOL Music and Yahoo Music. Certainly more dynamic than the SithSense.com, the site will most likely not quite make sense to those in our space.
Each of the companies surveyed above – Jaguar, Burger King, and Doritos – uses the net in similar but distinctly different ways. Building and communicating to a loyal user base takes time, effort, and most likely many failures. Without a doubt, these types of sites can be powerful tools in the quest for users at time when media fragmentation only shows signs of building. At this stage in their development, rather than use as a long lasting tool, more commonly, they serve as one-off promotions. Traffic peaks, and then rapidly fades. Each of the above shows signs of promise and maturation. Each shows a greater level of commitment to the net than seen previously. And while these sites don’t impact our business just yet, each contains an element of direct marketing. It’s a sign that more of what we know will help traditional offline companies expand their businesses’ online. A convergence of offline to online, and of our world and theirs.
