Innovative Use Of Google Maps In Digital Advertising

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Last week we (Ogilvy  & Mather Cape Town) were invited by Google and innovation / marketing website PSFK to discuss our Volkswagen Street quest campaign. We were joined by Hyundai‘s New York agency Bossa Digital and Innocean, who were talking about their Driveway Decision Maker app.

The Google hangout also talked about where the future of mapping tech and advertising is heading. From our side myself, Nic Wittenberg, and Adrian Varkel discussed the exciting opportunities of Indoor Positioning systems (IPS). We see it giving people a much more personalised experience, enabling them to find exactly what they are after quickly and easily. From an advertising perspective there are huge direct marketing opportunities in the form of targeted retail promotions etc, as well as there being huge creative possibilities (How about a DHL app that gets you from A to B in the fastest time, or maybe Adidas shows you directions that make you fitter? ). We also touched on the continued theme of layering information on top of maps, be it from a brand, or from crowd-sourcing of information.

Innocean talked about the exciting leaps being taken in in-car navigation. More and more cars are starting to become connected to the internet, allowing them to have constant up to date access to real time mapping and layered info (live traffic / roadworks / friends locations / road conditions etc). The other trend that hopefully keeps on speeding up is the number of cars that take advantage of smart phones capabilities. If done right even entry level cars could be online, and have powerful connected entertainment systems, all for the price of a screen and a USB socket / Bluetooth hub.

More on the above can be found on the PSFK website here.

Emirates NDB: Remote control ATM Machine

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Emirates NBD and ad agency FP7/DXB, recently created the above fun campaign in Dubai. To show that their ATM machines are always there when you need them, they created a remote controlled ATM machine on wheels. They set the machine up in a Dubai mall, watch above to see peoples reaction.

Qualcomm: Best Bus Stop Ever

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Mobile technology company Qualcomm wants to make everyday life better with mobile, so they brought in a few surprises to a bus stop. They put up a poster featuring a URL, then waited for people to visit the mobile site. When they pressed a button on the site, the fun began. Think circus acts, Lamborghini rides, puppies, and even a dog sleigh  Watch above to see what happened.

Watch more at https://www.facebook.com/qualcomm/app_320893647951874

TED: The 3 A’s of Awesome

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I was going to write about another ad today (there is a fun new VW beetle ad here if you want one), but then I watched this clip and thought it a much better choice. If you want a bit of inspiration and joy please take just 15 mins to watch this great story, and soak in some fine advise from an awesome chap called Neil Pasricha.

KLM: Must See Map

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KLM have come up with a great way of finding and exploring things to do in cities they fly to.

When people go to http://mustseemap.klm.com they can choose their destination city, pin places they want to visit, and then via social media they can crowd source recommendations from friends. When the map is finished KLM will post a physical copy of the map to your address in time for your holiday.

Fantastic idea – would have been nice to have a mobile friendly version sent too or a PDF – but getting a personalised city map for free is pretty incredible. Great work.

Agency: Code d’Azur

Schneider Beer: Maturation

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Brilliantly funny beer ad from Argentina. The ad was based off the idea that the taste and quality of a Schneider Beer could be summarized in one big secret – maturation time. Ogilvy & Mather Argentina and Schneider visualized that this maturation is the same that men need: conquering a blonde and a brunette, cheating on your girlfriend, sneaking out, etc. I love the copywriting, especially the end line – “Schneider. The beer with the exact maturity of the man, who’s in the process.”

Nivea: Stress Test

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Interesting activation idea by Nivea and Advertising Agency: Felix & Lamberti, Hamburg. To launch the new Stress Protect Deo, NIVEA put passengers at the airport in an unexpected and stressful situation: They were framed at random and in real time to be a suspect of a crime. Just as the people began to really freak out after seeing their picture in a paper, having their name read out over the PA, and even seeing themselves in the TV news, Nivea people dressed as security guards give them a package containing the new NIVEA Stress Protect Deodorant.

I really like it, but can imagine brands will have to be really careful to not cross the line, I know a big car brand that got sued in the states and had to pull an ad similar to this about 4 years ago.

VW: Find Your One

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The New Golf’s latest campaign is called The One (as it’s the only car you will ever need). I thought that given the cars launch month coincides with valentines day it would be good to create something quick, easy, and fun for the day itself. I came up with he above idea to create an interactive YouTube video quiz to help people find the personality of their one, based on answering a couple of questions. The video quiz was put together overnight, got client approval with edits in the morning, and I managed to re-edit and re-upload them by 2pm on the same day. The campaign got picked up by PSFK and helped spread a little joy.

Lexus: Lexus IS – Blend Out

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Interesting interactive print ad for Lexus from agency Team One. The ad is featured in the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue and features three swimsuit models who pose with the Lexus IS as camouflaged models within the scene.

In order to reveal the models, they asked readers to scan a QR code or go to LexusBlendOut.com with their smartphones. When they place their phones on the page, the models come to life, walking out from the background and revealing themselves in their swimsuits.

It’s a nice idea but think they missed a few tricks in execution….where were the downloadable images of the models / the car…how about sharing the models bio’s or scan the car and get the specs…or even download ringtones or voicemail clips of the models / car? feels like a lot of effort for little reward.

Cape Town Tourism: Facebook Holiday

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Above is the most recent interactive case study from my own home Ogilvy Cape Town.

Cape Town Tourism, briefed us to come up with an online campaign that also promotes the unexpected side of Cape Town. All the small communities, never-heard of places and unearthed gems that can’t be found on Trip Advisor, Lonely Planet, Expedia, or even Google.
So we thought, we can’t send everyone to Cape Town, so let’s send their Facebook profiles instead. They got a virtual, tailor-made Cape Town holiday that exposed them to all the unexpected places, and finally, a few lucky winners got to experience their Facebook profile’s holiday for themselves.