VistSweden have posted a YouTube video promoting the North of Sweden. The video focuses on the amazing environment and also includes the famous ice hotel. Billed as 'a study of human survival in the Arctic with Sir David Attenscarf', the VisitSweden film has made it quite clear that it is promotional in nature as it prominently displaying the web address 'www.discoverlapland.co.uk.'
"Make a cup of tea, settle down in the warmth and listen to the velvety tones of Britain's most loved naturalist; Sir David Attenscarf, as he attempts to navigate the frozen wilderness of Swedish Lapland in this inspiring spoof documentary."
As a promotional film I think this has a nice balance of context and humour. Unlikely that this will go viral in the Susan Boyle / JK wedding fashion, but it could influence 'susceptible' audiences. However, with less than 1000 views on this film and the seeded YouTube version seemingly 'removed due to terms of use violation', it is now unlikely that this video will spread very far. Even with seeding support, the first few days / first week is critical, if it doesn't spread at that point then it becomes 'old news' and it becomes subsequently harder and less likely that a cascade of sharing can be kickstarted. (A shame because I think this is one of the better tourism / Visit films.)
I had the new Canon campaign flagged up to me and think the new Canon Freeze tag ad looks interesting. Directed by Saman Keshavarz the ad features 'an all out game of war using Canon cameras. Canon cameras were handed out to various people and many of their shots made it in the commercial.'
One of the things that fascinates me is the continual blurring of the line between real worlds and virtual worlds, between online and offline.
This 'blended reality' is prevalent in gaming / gaming culture and in Japan, Nintendo DS dating game 'Love Plus' has seen this taken to a new level:
Nene Anegasaki from Nintendo Love Plus
A man known as "Sal9000" has married Nene Anegasaki, the (virtual) character from the Nintendo DS dating game "Love Plus"(!) A real world ceremony was held with a priest, an MC and a live audience. The ceremony was also publicly live streamed on popular Japanese streaming site Nico Nico Douga.
Very strange, but another (albeit extreme) example of how everything is blurring and demarcation lines between 'online' and 'offline', 'real' and 'virtual' are disappearing
Driving Conversation is a key part of social marketing, but (for those who can move fast enough) there are also opportunities to piggyback existing Conversation to amplify a message that may otherwise be unlikely to break through.
Jedward's success on X Factor, which saw them enhance audiences for the TV show as well as dominate Twitter Trending Topics for weeks, has driven their advertiser appeal. AnyJunk have created significant publicity for the AnyJunk rubbish clearance services, by jumping on the Jedward bandwagon and creating a YouTube film with Jedward lookalikes:
But this is small fry compared to the potential revenue the twins could generate through official endorsement deals - Mark Borkowski quotes Max Clifford as saying the twins could easily make £2m a year as brands seek to harness the twins' 'viral' success.
However, the twins are not the only Irish Twitter topic that has dominated Conversation over the last couple of weeks, the Thierry Henry / Ireland football controversy still rages on too (after France denied Ireland a place in the World Cup in controversial circumstances.)
A 'Hand Of Gaul' online game was quickly created, essentially to promote a petition that urged FIFA to sanction a replay:
'Hand Of Gaul' online game (click for larger image)
Irish bookmaker Paddy Power are also capitalising on the Conversation around the 'Hand Of Gaul.' Firstly Paddy Power refunded '€110,000 to all those who backed Ireland to qualify for next years Finals' and then 'refunded €140,000' that was placed on the second France v Ireland qualification game. [Paddy Power blog]
Paddy Power Dublin airport Thierry Henry ad (click for larger image)
The strapline of the Paddy Power Dublin airport ad being 'Paddy Power welcomes you to Ireland - unless you're called Thierry.'
All tongue in cheek and clever ways of driving buzz by using tactical executions to join in public Conversation. However, events can also fuel Conversation that drives uncomfortable associations for brands, such as the headlines about the 'Lucozade Bombers' this summer - and the Thierry Henry / Ireland controversy could even have detrimental effects on Irish sales for a (previously) well liked vacuum cleaner brand:
The Sun newspaper mocked up the above image under the headline 'Henry Sucks.' The editorial of the article goes on to say that 'angry workers can't bear to look at the smiley-faced machines following the French striker's cheating' claiming that some have painted out the name, altered the smiling face or are just requesting that they be replaced with different brands. (This article may or may not be true, but it has still succeeded in associating a lovable brand with 'public enemy number one' in Ireland.)
The traditional maxim of 'all publicity is good publicity' therefore doesn't always ring true, especially when brands feature in the Conversation closely associated with terrorists or 'football cheats'......
The speed and scale of the global Conversation now means that brands can't afford to wait until something bubbles up into the mainstream news pages before setting about working out a response strategy. Social Listening tools are essential in helping to identify issues before they scale into the general Conversation, an early warning system that can save time and money in dealing with issues that arise.
Monitoring the Conversation can also enhance marketing by delivering insight that fuels PR strategy / tactical executions / new products etc - and if executed well these can drive further Conversation with the brand reaping the benefits of being involved.
Lego = cool The Matrix = cool Lego + The Matrix = very cool
LegoAgentJones has created 'Lego Matrix Trinity Help.' 'After around 440 hours of work, and just in time for the 10th anniversary of the original movie release' this is the 'Lego version of the famous Bullet Time dodge scene from The Matrix.'
This gets even better when you see the Lego / Matrix stop motion re-enactment scene alongside the original Matrix film scene:
and if you are wondering how to go about making something like the Lego Matrix stop motion film, then these videos will give you a flavour of the effort that goes into making a film of this nature:
There are a wide range of other Lego / Matrix videos on YouTube but this is arguably slickest stop motion Lego Matrix video yet. More can be found at www.legomatrix.com
Other examples of Lego Matrix films include:
SteveDowdy1's animated Lego Matrix film from Dec 07
rhaustein's 10 minute, full film Lego interpretation of the Matrix on YouTube (Dec 07)
and the highest view count has been achieved by Plugz (uploaded in Apr 06) with 'LEGO MATRIX' achieving 1.3m views on YouTube
Users spend many many hours making these films, with people doing it for love rather than money - 440 hours spent making a 6 minute Lego film is the kind of product engagement marketers can normally only dream of! However, Lego has a special place in many peoples hearts (including mine) and I think people will continue to use it for stop motion filming for a long time to come.
Another Augmented Reality post - this time it's McDonalds in France with Augmented Reality Star Wars Happy Meals!
Star Wars Augmented Reality Happy Meal homepage
The Augmented Reality Happy Meal box has a tear off card and if presented to a Webcam at the Star Wars Happy Meal website, the user can play a Star Wars / McDonalds AR game.
Star Wars Augmented Reality Happy Meal instructions (1)
Star Wars Augmented Reality Happy Meal instructions (2)
Star Wars Augmented Reality Happy Meal instructions (3)
* roughly translated as 'get the card, find a computer with a webcam, the force is with you!'
The AR Star Wars game is in two phases, the first is the reveal and test flight of Obi-Wan Kenobi's Delta-7, with phase two being the fight against the Slave1 spaceship.
Promotional ad for the Augmented Reality Star Wars Happy Meals is here:
McDonalds adopting Augmented Reality on Happy Meal boxes is another example of how Augmented Reality is becoming more mainstream. Happy Meal AR is also a great way of giving additional value to customers, but also creating a deeper 'brand experience' - yes you can play a free Star Wars game, but while you do it you are exposed to McDonalds branding long after you have left the restaurant and finished your meal.
The N Dubz 'Against All Odds' album comes with digital extras! A special insert in the album booklet allows purchasers to bring N Dubz to their computer screen through Augmented Reality:
N Dubz fans need to have a working webcam, go to www.ndubz.com/3D and then hold up the AR symbol contained in the 36 page Against All Odds album booklet.
The computer will read the code and N Dubz fans will then have a 3D representation of N Dubz on screen, talking and then singing first hit back 'I Need You.'
Nice way of bringing the CD package to life and rewarding N Dubz fans for purchasing the physical copy of the album.
Another indication of the X Factor / Jedward impact can be seen with the latest UK political campaigning - both Labour and Conservative parties have produced political posters parodying the twins.
Labour were first with David Cameron and George Osbourne's faces photoshopped onto Jedward bodies:
Labour Jedward poster - Cameron and Osbourne as the twins
The Jedward Labour poster strapline being 'You Won't Be Laughing If They Win' and further qualification on the Labour website: 'This week David Cameron announced that John and Edward are his favourites to win X-Factor. It’s hardly surprising. David Cameron and George Osborne are the Jedward of politics. Hilarious to watch. All spin and no substance. But you won’t be laughing if they win.'
Then, 5 minutes after the Jedward eviction was announced, the Conservative party started running a Jedward poster on digital sites featuring Gordon Brown and Alistair Darling, again faces photoshopped onto Jedward bodies:
Jedward themed Conservative poster: Gordon Brown and Alistair Darling as 'Deadwood'
The Conservative strapline being 'Jedward are gone, but we're still left with Deadwood.'
For all their sins, in our house Jedward's performance was the one we most looked forward too. The Labour poster with the strapline 'you won't be laughing if they win', goes against the feeling in our household, whilst the Conservative poster expresses no opinion on Jedward's talent (or perceived lack of) - the message is focussed on Gordon Brown and Alistair Darling. (The Conservative message also seems to be co-ordinated with the headline on today's Sun which also uses the phrase 'Deadwood.')
So who benefits most - the Conservatives through having a neutral Jedward message, Labour for being the first to go down the Jedward route or the Liberal Democrats for not getting involved?
Political parties jumping on the Jedward band wagon can be viewed in a number of ways:
1) a case study for the influence exerted by primetime TV 2) evidence of a tactical nous / social radar whereby parties are able to harness topical events for potential political gain (note, this can also be considered a 'cynical manipulation' of topical events for political gain) 3) an indictment of the dumbing down of UK politics 'forget the economy, look at Jedward, they are like them...'
If this is the way things are going to go then maybe we should forget a general election and just let Dannii Minogue choose the next UK government?
and for the record here is what all the fuss is about, the final performance - Jedward 'No Matter What':
Air New Zealand have launched a new Facebook game called Jump Seat:
Air New Zealand - 'Jump Seat' Facebook game
With 'Jump Seat', Facebook users are able to be in charge of their own (virtual) flight and jet off to a variety of destinations - with various different adventures and missions to be completed on the way.
Jump Seat players can also upload pictures to create their very own avatars as Air New Zealand Flight Attendants or First Officers. Once en route, players answer trivia questions, play mini games and complete onboard tasks. Each completed task or correct answer is rewarded with energy points - the faster the response, the more points, which unlocks new levels of the game.
Game players are also able to recruit Facebook friends to help fluff pillows for the lie-flat beds, recommend and refill New Zealand wine, send fellow flight attendants gifts of energy points for a boost and tag team on tasks.
The Jump Seat game aims to highlight Air New Zealand in-flight services whilst also promoting the special offers for Facebook fans with round tickets from LA / San Francisco to Auckland starting at $798 (US.)
As with the IKEA example I posted yesterday - instead of getting people to look at a standard banner, this sort of mechanic sees Facebook users personally promoting Air New Zealand. May not get as many impressions as a straight banner campaign, but the engagement / quality of interaction of those who do participate will invariably be higher.
A nice way of bringing the Air New Zealand in flight experience to life.
IKEA Malmo have been using Facebook to promote their new store - creating an IKEA showroom on Facebook!
IKEA Malmo store manager Gordon Gustavsson has set up a (public) Facebook profile here:
Gordon Gustavsson, IKEA store Manager Malmo, Facebook profile (click for larger image)
Gordon's Facebook photo albums contain photos of different IKEA rooms featuring various IKEA products:
Gordon Gustavsson IKEA Malmo store manager Facebook photo albums (click for larger image)
The headline states 'Tagga dig själv och vinn möbeln!' meaning 'tag yourself and win the furniture!'
The instructions are further outlined:
'Tagga dig själv på möbeln som du vill vinna (under varje bild står det vilka möbler i bilden som går att vinna). Skriv sedan en motivering om varför just du ska vinna i kommentarsfältet under bilden. Sen är det bara att hoppas att du var snabbast och hade den bästa motiveringen. Vinnarna kontaktas direkt här på Facebook. Lycka till!'
Loosely translated as:
'Tag yourself on the furniture that you want to win (in each image.) Then write a statement about why you should win in the comment field below the photo. Then hope you were the first to tag that item and had the best justification. Winners will be contacted directly through Facebook. Good luck!'
Gordon Gustavsson, IKEA Malmo tagged photo (click for larger image)
There is no real build cost here as the Destination is already existing inside Facebook - this activity simply uses a profile, the photo album format and the standard Facebook tagging tools. This makes it easy for Facebook users to understand what to do and the novelty factor coupled with the prizes also creates attention.
The Conversation around this is then amplified as user actions are reported in their news feeds. This built in virality helps to spread the message about the competitions as user actions are reported to their friends.
I'm not sure this is strictly compliant with Facebook terms and conditions so enjoy it while it lasts! Creativity Online have also turned this into a YouTube report. See their video here: [original video deleted - new version below]
In March 2006, Bill Wasik, inventor of the Flash Mob, wrote a great report on how he created and grew the flashmob phenomenon - Harper's Magazine (March 2006 issue.)
He talks about how events moved from the original email he sent out ('Q: Why would I want to join an inexplicable mob? A: Tons of other people are doing it') through to discussing the MOBs at the New York shoe store, the Grand Hyatt next to Central Station and the dinosaur worshipping in Times Square Toys R Us. Bill discusses how the phenomenon grew and analyses the different stages of awareness, participation and media coverage.
Bill Wasik ran 8 MOBs and reasoned that the Flash mob craze would die out, thinking that 'co-optation of the flash mob by the nation's large conglomerates would, I reasoned, be its final (and fatal) phase.' This moment seemed to have come when in summer 2005 the "Fusion Flash Concerts" were announced, a 'series of flash mobbing events staged by the Ford Motor Company and Sony Pictures Digital to promote the launch of the new Ford Fusion car.'
However, this did not mark the end of flash mob gatherings. If anything 2009 has been the year of the flash mob - albeit slightly removed from the purity of the original mobs. The MOBs of 2009 have tended to be ad funded and corporately organised displays intended to surprise those who were not in the know, rather than random spontaneous assembly for no obvious purpose.
T-mobile were largely responsible for the re-birth of flash mobbing with a TV ad (subsequently uploaded to YouTube) filmed in Liverpool St station in London - now with over 15m YouTube views:
In March a Belgian TV channel then created a mass performance of 'Do-Re-Mi' in the Central Station in Antwerp:
In April Trident Unwrapped used 100 Beyonce lookalikes in Piccadilly Circus London:
Michael Jackson's death sparked global 'flash mob' performances of his dance routines - the highlight (probably) being this performance in Stockholm:
In September 2009, to launch the new Oprah season, Oprah hosted a Black Eyed Peas outdoor concert in Chicago - where to her surprise the crowd turned into a huge flash mob:
In October 2009 HTC ran a flash mob at Raffles Place in Singapore:
In October the Bondi Beach 'Say Cheese' performance became Australia's most significant contribution to the flash mob craze (a stunt to promote Flip):
Earlier this month Elf Yourself ran a flash mob in Union Square in New York to promote the fact that Elf Yourself is back for 2009:
3 days ago Janet Jackson appeared at a Janet Jackson flashmob in Los Angeles (a series of MOBs occurred across LA on the same day to promote her new album):
and Flash mobs are even now happening inside retail stores!
In October TV2 in Sweden ran a MOB in a Swedish IKEA store to promote the new series of 'Skal vi danse' ('Shall We Dance'):
and now we have Microsoft store staff dancing to the Black Eyed Peas too:
So why didn't mobs die when Bill Wasik predicted they would? The above are only a few of the mobs from this year, so why has 2009 seen so many? I think there are two main reasons:
1) Joy. It doesn't matter how many times this is done, being near or part of a flash mob / spontaneous outburst of performance raises a smile. With so many economic issues in the world this year, bringing happiness to people (no matter how tenuous the link) creates a positive feeling - a good context for an advertiser message.
2) Social. A flash mob creates Conversation. Those people who are present tweet about it, update their Facebook, take videos and upload to YouTube. Some of these films (or associated UGC versions) have huge, huge view numbers. Often the most effective way of creating buzz in online communities and social networks is to do something in the real world that then prompts people to share it in their virtual ones. Being part of an event gives participants something to talk about and the act of sharing with friends increases buzz and awareness (invariably it will prompt them to search out the info for themelves.)
Conversation (talking about the event) drives people to The Destination (the relevant video, channel, Facebook page etc). If the content is good, these visitors will then share it with their friends, who then talk about it, prompting even more people to visit the Destination. Thus an event can be far more cost-effective at driving coverage than a traditional campaign. (Not forgetting that it also instills joy and positive feeling into the message too.)
In 2003 Bill Wasik was surprised to see his MOB events featuring on blogs who were syndicating the email instrutions - but he did not object. He 'did not want anyone to learn the mob details without making human contact with another mob member, but blogs are by their nature such intimate endeavours that even the most widely read among them seem to foster a sense of close connectedness among their readers.' 'A mob spread partly by blogs was still, as I had intended, a virtual community made physical.'
MOB founder Bill was forward thinking, but in his mind it was all about email / blogs / WOM etc pushing people to the event. In today's media model it's the other way round. Advertisers are creating events to push UGC coverage, a physical community made virtual . The event drives the Conversation, rather than the other way round as Bill intended.
'Social media' doesn't happen in isolation, Conversation needs to be driven and then end up somewhere - and if the Destination is strong enough it will fuel further Conversation and keep looping and growing.
The kudos of spontaneous events may be diminishing, but so long as the event=social coverage ROI equation continues to stack up, there may be more legs left on the flash mob phenomenon for some time to come......
In July Erik Qualman uploaded a video to YouTube entitled the 'Social Media Revolution.' This video consisted of a range of social facts and figures set to a Fat Boy Slim soundtrack - and this film has now had over 1m views on YouTube.
All posted under guise of Socialnomics, Qualman has now posted another nicely crafted stats video called 'Social Media ROI' - and this time the soundtrack is provided by Bob Sinclar:
(NB - though if you are not going to do due diligence on sources for these stats then I would advise potentially taking some of them with a pinch of salt.)
Since the beginning of this year Ryanair have been monetising their customer website by selling ad space on the homepage with various ad sizes available - the most prominent being the MPU in the centre of the page.
Even though Ryanair don't fly from London to Paris or London to Brussels, I was still surprised to see the Ryanair homepage carrying prominent display advertising for Eurostar recently!
Ryanair homepage with Eurostar ad
It appears that I'm not the only one to have seen these Eurostar ads on the Ryanair site - a thread on Airliners.net discusses the same placements (though they noticed the Eurostar ads a few months back.) I don't understand the logic behind this. Why allow another travel company to advertise in the centre of your homepage - surely the risk (potential lost bookings) is greater than the gain (incremental ad revenue)?
Last night the Jedward performance on the X Factor was interrupted by a stage invader (who had a pineapple on his head.) You can see the Jedward invader at 2:24 in the Jedward YouTube clip of their performance last night (and it's referenced in Louis' judging comments afterwards):
The Jedward interloper is not on screen for long and the camera moves out of close up quickly but you can see the arm reaching out and the figure dancing beside them (though not much coverage of the pineapple):
John and Edward with pineapple stage invader
John and Edward with pineapple stage invader (2)
However, as revealed on the Xtra Factor on ITV2 afterwards - this wasn't a random stage invader, it was actually DJ / hit maker Calvin Harris who was due to be a discussion guest of the Xtra Factor follow up show:
As presenter Holly Willoughby says '[Calvin Harris] used to get all the girls, now he just gets kicked out. He has been shown the back door quite promptly.'
A quick look at @calvinharris on Twitter and it's evident that this was not a spur of the moment stage invasion, but was something that had been pre-planned and worked out in advance. Yesterday afternoon Calvin Harris posted a picture of a Pineapple to his Twitter account through TwitPic. The image simply had the caption 'IMPORTANT.'
Calvin Harris' pre-X Factor Pineapple Twitpic
Calvin Harris then highlighted the Pineapple TwitPic with a tweet - again just using the word 'IMPORTANT':
Calvin Harris Pineapple TwitPic tweet
After the stage invasion, Calvin Harris tweeted 'was just thrown out of x factor for jumping onstage during Jedward with a pineapple on my head':
Calvin Harris thrown out of X Factor tweet
Calvin Harris follows up by tweeting 'at the end of the day, I had a pineapple on my head. Sorry if I caused anyone embarrassment. Ps I love Jedward':
Calvin Harris 'sorry' and 'I love jedward' tweet
Viewers get to see a split second of stage invasion on screen during the live show, but then have this highlighted on the X Factor follow up show. X Factor fans can then seek out discussion and coverage for themselves by online. The YouTube / ITV X Factor clips are available for viewing shortly after the show and Calvin Harris' pineapple related tweets were everywhere after being re-tweeted extensively.
Rather than just being a 'blink and you missed it' stage invasion, the Calvin Harris Jedward pineapple incident is something that has created a longer lasting online echo - the event (stage invasion) drives the Conversation, which pushes more people to watch the clip, which pushes more people to talk about it and so on. (Furthermore, the depth of online conversation will influence how prominent the story is for mainstream news reporting the following day.)
Also interesting to note that statements through our public online profiles are indicators of intention. Social media leaves a trail meaning things can't be blamed on spur of the moment decisions as there is a body of online evidence that shows pre-meditation. Not necessarily an issue for Calvin Harrris (the online discussion probably made the incident feel bigger than it was), but in other scenarios this proof of prior intent will become more and more visible and important.
This Christmas, buskers and musicians on the London Underground will be encouraged by Coca-Cola to sing holiday songs and even perform Coke jingles!
33 London Underground busking pitches will be sponsored by Coca-Cola from 30th November to New Year and the passageways of the Tube could be filled by the sound of Coke as Coca-Cola are giving out sheet music and CDs to buskers at the relevant locations.
According to the Daily Telegraph Coca-Cola say "We are in discussions with London Underground about incentivising buskers and giving them the option to include festive songs in their repertoire during their set, which could include the 'Holidays Are Coming' tune from the Coca-Cola Christmas ad. This would be completely at their discretion and is not something that is at all mandatory."
Classic 'Holidays Are Coming' Coca-Cola ad (can you imagine this being performed by a busker?):
The main Christmas outdoor campaign has seen Coca-Cola, for the first time in over 75 years, revisit its famous Haddon Sundblom art-work. Swedish artist Mikael Erikkson* created three oil on canvas paintings that updated the traditional Coca-Cola Santa Claus imagery. This new Christmas Coke imagery has been used as the basis for Coca-Cola Christmas poster executions and will be adapted to be displayed around the Coca-Cola sponsored London Underground busker pitches over the festive season.
With three and a half million people using the Tube every day, Coke sponsored buskers singing Coca-Cola jingles underground is sure to create Conversation. I think this is a great idea, though just a shame that people can't tweet / stream / upload to YouTube whilst underground!
[* Mikael Eriksson is a Swedish artist, born in 1963. Soon after graduating in Art and Design from renowned Swedish college Berghs School of Communication, Mikael was snatched by Rithuset, a premium illustration, design and animation studio, which he now co-owns, that has had a profound impact in Scandinavian design in the last 30 years. With over 20 years of experience specialising in illustrating people and creating characters, Mikael has worked in collaborations with large domestic and international companies such as SAS, Levi's, Volvo, Tetrapak, Diners Club and Volkswagen amongst others.source:coca-cola official press release]
David Hasselhoff is the self-proclaimed 'King Of The Internet' - and never one to forgo an opportunity to advance 'brand Hoff', he has allowed Aleksandr Orlov, the Compare The Market meerkat, to interview him as the guest of the first Meerkat podcast.
Hasselhoff has a long history of online exploits though.
Originally starring in photoshop mashup email virals like this:
2005 'Saviour' - Australia call for The Hoff to help them save the Ashes series
Microhoff Windows Beff Stroganhoff
2005 'Crazy Hoff' - who needs a Frog?
2006 'Don't Cha Wish Your Boyfriend was the Hoff like me' - Pussycat dolls parody
Hasselhoff became arguably the first viral superstar - no topical event or situation escaped the Hoff meme treatment. From the above to appearing in (photoshopped) Katrina flood pictures in Baywatch outfit, it seemed no week went past without a Hoff related email circulating.
ISP Pipex then recruited David Hasselhoff to be the face for their TV ads - with the creative more about him then the internet service itself (!):
In 2005 Hasselhoff was also used in TV ads in Sweden for mobile phone provider DJuice - though rather than having him perform to a script they just overlaid music videos for the Hoff cult hit 'Looking for Freedom' with DJuice messages about their freedom tariff:
(I still like these Hasselhoff DJuice ads and thought being able to download them from the DJuice website was very forward thinking at the time.)
As social evolved, so the Hoff moved with it. Initially running on MySpace, last year David Hasselhoff launched his own social site - 'Hoffspace' ('the official site for all things Hoff') and it now has 20,757 members.
HoffSpace launch page
HoffSpace today
Hasselhoff has also embraced Twitter @DavidHasselhoff and amassed 34,106 followers, but not content with just being online, David Hasselhoff has last month also launched an iPhone app called 'Ask The Hoff'.
Ask The Hoff - Hasselhoff iPhone App
In the 'Ask The Hoff' App description Hasselhoff writes:
"Hi I’m the Hoff!
Yes it’s me, star of Knight Rider, Baywatch and America’s Got Talent, living legend David Hasselhoff and this is my very own iPhone App!
Scientists have wrung my fantastic brain dry and poured the knowledge into this app, so I can give you Hoffalicious advice whenever you need it.
Just turn up the volume, ask a question and shake your iPhone, and I’ll give you an answer. It really is that incredible.
Ask The Hoff is an official Hoff iPhone app featuring exclusively recorded auido of me, The Hoff. We’ve even squeezed an entire gospel choir into this thing. That wasn’t easy let me tell you. It’s kinda cosy in here. But it’s a good cosy."
Now we find David Hasselhoff is starring in the first Compare The Meerkat podcast and being interviewed by Aleksandr Orlov. Orlov introduces the podcast on the Compare The Meerkat website:
"Good Hoff-ternoon Ladies and Gentle Men, I have record special show with Holly Woods superstar and furry beach sensation Mr David ‘The Hoff’ Hasselhoff. He even give me swim lesson after show. He say I like duck in water, I say it must have been a fury, handsome duck with excellent taste."
Compare The Meerkat podcast - Aleksandr Orlov meets David Hasselhoff
Brand Republic write that the 12-minute podcast features Aleksandr asking The Hoff a series of probing questions on a variety of subjects, including whether he is a member of "Titter" and "advice on how to deal with zee ladies". Brand Republic go on to quote The Hoff as saying "You must say your career is more important than marriage and unfortunately you cannot share your love only one person."
Jeff Jarvis posed the question in the title of his book 'What Would Google Do?' but after seeing the Hoff star in viral emails, socialise TV ads, create communities / iPhone apps and now appear on podcasts it might actually be more productive to ask yourself 'What would the Hoff do?' (!)
[Hat tip to Fulham FC football player (and Hoff fanatic / internet genius) Moritz Volz for some of the Hoff images above - volzy.com]
Office Max have brought back Elf Yourself for Christmas 2009 - for the fourth year running, internet users can star as an elf in a Christmas message through elfyourself.com! Update 2011 - Elf Yourself is back for Christmas 2011!
Elf Yourself 2009
Produced by Office Max, Elf Yourself is one of the longest running viral internet campaigns and has been consistently successful. In 2006 Elfyourself.com delivered 36 million views, in 2007 Elfyourself.com delivered 193 million views and in 2008, even though users had to pre-register with JibJab, ElfYourself.com still delivered 55 million views. (This year Elf Yourself is again powered by JibJab, but no registration is required so the final view count should be higher.)
Elf Yourself users can upload photos from their desktops - or, in an added feature for 2009, upload photos directly from a Facebook account:
Elf Yourself 2009 - upload photos from desktop or from Facebook
Elf Yourself then allows visitors to create a customised Elf using the uploaded photo:
Elf Yourself 2009 - customising your elf
Once the Elf is created, users then have the chance to choose the scene (and the type of music) that the message will feature:
Elf Yourself 2009 - theme selection
Elf Yourself allows users to add up to four other elves and then, once the Elf creation is complete, Gigya powered distribution enables users to easily embed their Elf Yourself work to their favourite sites, email directly to contacts - or post directly to their Facebook wall:
Elf Yourself 2009 - embedding options
Heres my quick Elf Yourself creation - starring myself as a singing Christmas Elf!
