It’s difficult but necessary to design for each channel as a unit of a whole – designing for each medium’s strengths. Because taking a great TV commercial and posting it on the Web as a microsite, doesn’t make a great website – yet that’s done even by some of today’s best brands (note: just because Apple does it, doesn’t make it a good idea).
What I’m talking about is different than campaign integration – a campaign like GameKillers that spans channels is one thing, but this is more about an approach of treating each channel as its own piece of work. Consumers don’t want advertising that says the same thing over and over across different channels. We want something that we can experience from different angles, where our experience changes over time.
So, here’s a list I developed to illustrate each channel’s strengths:
- TV spots – story-driven, linear narrative (Eg: that famous Dah Dah Dah commercial, or this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8OyPZQfJJU)
- Viral video – teaser content that makes people feel in the know, and that they can easily share without explanation (Eg: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jd3-eiid-Uw)
- Web video – short form (7-15 minute) episodic narratives(Eg: SNL digital shorts)
- Desktop apps – exploratory, interactive, immersive experiences (Eg: iTunes, or better yet, Songbird)
- Widgets – frequently updated with quick hitting info (Apple’s dashboard widgets)
- Web apps – robust versions of basic web activities. (TweetDeck for example, would be much better as a web app)
- Twitter – brand steward hosting a conversation about customers’ experiences – not just a PR rep (Eg: Comcastcares on Twitter)
- Blogs – a public figure who spreads enthusiasm about topics surrounding the brand (Eg: GM’s FastLane blog)
- Microsites – highly interactive, customizable, sharable – and worth sharing (Example: Sprint’s Now microsite)
- Mobile apps – actionable, immediate, relevant experiences on our phones (Tons of examples, but I like Yahoo! Go as an idea)
Here’s a graphic of the above for you to share if you dig this post. Do you have any examples of other channel strengths or of a great piece of work done in one channel?
guerilla/POS/ambient/OOH/
;-p
Offline components also enhance the experience, like the Apple retail environment. Still other things can spark something beyond what you might expect for a given brand like the Ikea see-through truck.
Bill, Thanks for the comment (I’m a subscriber to http://makethelogobigger.blogspot.com/ and love it).
That IKEA ad is an awesome example — defying the ordinary and playing with a space makes the audience stop and think.
One other thing that comes to mind I should have included when you mention OOH — interactive billboards. There’s the famous Nike ID example in time square. Also this BBC one is pretty awesome, because it’s so simple for the user to understand what to do interaction-wise, but still engaging: http://lisavalentine.files.wordpress.com/2007/06/billboard_424_1806.jpg
Thanks, just added you too. ;-p The OOH thing though can go too far. The sonically aimed billboards a few months ago where, if you were standing in certain spots in Times Square, you’d pick up a message aimed at you. Got your attention but kinda creepy.