Most Innovative campaign? Driving Dogs!

With the New Year now nicely underway, it's always interesting to consider the most innovative campaign from the past 6 months.

Innovation features something ‘new’ and for a campaign can mean a number of things

•         Change of course in key communication message
•         Communicating this in a new way
•         Trialling a new platform
•         Seeking attraction amongst a new consumer demographic

 Monty, Ginny and Porter passing their driving tests on live television

During the course of the past 6 months I would have to say the award for most innovative campaign has to go to ‘Driving Dogs’ by New Zealand’s Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Cleverly sponsored by the ultra ‘smart’ Mini, the campaign documents the training of three abandoned rescue dogs as they shed their ‘learner plates’ and become fully-fledged certified drivers; proving just how clever these rescued animals can be.

Rather than capitalise on the pathos of the abandoned animals, ‘Driving Dogs’ marks a deviation from the more commonly used communications messages of loneliness and distress by exciting the viewer and drawing them in through positive communications such as amazement, intrigue and joy. Even those who do not consider themselves animal lovers are drawn in and draw a smile due to the never seen before content of driving dogs!

By airing the dogs passing their driving test live online, the viewer forms a very real and genuine connection with the dogs unlike a regular aired TV ad. The beauty of its execution is you don’t feel you are being preached at to ‘do the right thing,’ nor do you feel you are being heavily marketed at.  These dogs are depicted not as second-class animals because they have been abandoned. Rather, they exemplify just what these animals can do and achieve in the right environment; become fun loving and clever family pets.

The medium of live streaming online has the ability to reach audiences in their millions and works highly effectively for innovative ‘world first’ campaigns that can be viewed live globally and spark further conversations both on and offline; the most poignant example of this is sure to be Felix Baumgartner’s Red Bull Stratos Space jump. The dedicated Facebook, YouTube and microsites set up for ‘Driving Dogs’, facilitated the online conversations and social sharing in a sector first for an animal charity. One Facebook post on the driving dogs page from a Susan Regan in Canada makes the clear ‘this great publicity campaign brought attention to shelter dogs from all over the world (I’m in Canada).’

Whilst ownership of the innovative campaign belongs to SPCA, it is also an innovative sponsoring by Mini to propel their ‘smart car’ proposition. Aligning the smartness of the car with the smartness of the driving dogs, is certainly a deviation from its more design and image focused marketing you expect from the brand.

If I were to award a runner up, I’d give Coke Zero’s 007 Skyfall challenge the silver for being a campaign that reacted so pertinently to popular culture. Coca-Cola’s ability to play up its history and yet be so entrenched in our everyday existence (e.g., Olympics future flames, move to the beat, Skyfall challenge, the holidays are coming) is the epitome of innovation.

To view commuters take up the 007 challenge in a heart stopping 70 seconds, check out the below video.

The revelatory resolutions. The four one one in twenty thirteen

 NO MORE LIES!!

• I     I must not tell lies. There’s a tendency to do this when about to hear a story I’m quite frankly not interested in. My nearest and dearest suffer no end to this avail. I will hereby strive to be equally appalled that The Red Cross refused to take my Nan's table due to a tiny pin like scratch on a leg or that the price of carrots have gone up 3p in Sainsburys. It is of course an outrage and I CARE!

• 2    I must not call my boyfriend obscenities simply because he seems wholly unable to make a Tuna Panini.  It’s clearly not deliberate that his two paninis turn out perfectly and yet mine resembles the contents of a trodden on McDonalds burger (if you’ve seen this before you’ll know what I mean). It’s also not his fault that he can’t cook a simple dish without the contents of the pan going all over the wall. The mince is of course clearly still alive and is trying to save it’s own bacon before drowning in a pool of Bolognese sauce. I must take deep breaths and smile. My therapist – Auntie – swears by this.

• 3    I must not try and run before I can walk. It’s a biological impossibility and yet I have tried to defy this in all other walks of life. If your body can’t do it, it cannot be done. And don’t let that horrible Roosevelt walk attempt in Pearl Harbour convince you otherwise!

• 4    I will have something published. Or have produced some lovely copy for a campaign. To anyone reading this, please do not be put off. I have had the luxury of rubbing shoulders with some marvelous copywriters these past 2 years and am now excellent at copying.

• 5    Every month I will do something to make Dazed and Confused (the grandmothers) smile. Even if this means listening to stories of burst catheters and the comings and goings of the neighbours cat. These lovely ladies have taught me well these past 25 years and there’s nothing they wouldn’t do for me. Like get out photos of me before and after uni to helpfully point out exactly where on my face I’ve put on weight or explain at length exactly why ‘orphan Annie’ look just doesn’t work for me.

• 6    I will give my father the time of day. His mid life crisis – sorry epiphany – may actually come in use as I could do with a bitesize economics A level crash course. I’ll have those numbers just leaping out of the spreadsheet any minute now.

• 7    I must not tell lies. Let last years resolutions be a lesson. If it needs engraving on my right hand then so bloody be it!

Happy New You

There’s nothing quite like the new year to get you thinking about ‘stuff’ – careers/relationships/ friends/ hobbies/ that one room you still haven’t gotten round to finishing painting.  Things never seem as glaringly obvious as they do at the start of the year. Lest I spend yet another year ‘fudging’ my way through day to day activities and mental skirmishes, I’m turning my hand to writing some new years resolutions.  2012 is the year of achieving; the year of ticking boxes; the year of tasting sweet success - hopefully not in the form of a tub of chocolate orange as i currently know it. Basically the year I don’t end the year pondering what I’ve done with the past 12 months. So without further ado, I present a first draft of my 2012 resolutions.

1. Blog more. Indulge inner Carrie Bradshaw and Bridget Jones by throwing verbal diarrhea into the computer and making public to the unfortunate eyes of mr and mrs joe bloggs (pun unfortunate but relevant). Refrain from trying to make blog posts sound clever and ‘career driven,’ it’s awkward and uncomfortable for both reader and writer and as natural as a TOWIE tan or Keira Knightly’s acting ability.
2. Learn the full causes behind the Korean War. A result of not knowing the social context of one episode of Mad Men.
3.  Get printed in a publication. For something ‘cool and interesting.’
4.  Get Sky broadband so I can write these damn posts in the comfort of my own home rather than sat at my desk at work in a cold office when I should be home in my pjs and eating my gingerbread house. Importance of ginger should be noted!
5. Meet Stephen Fry.
6.  Plan more sober activities with friends. Well activities that start out sober. Vodka and jager have left us all still catching up from 2009. This must change. Girly brunch officially arranged at the breakfast club for Saturday by yours truly. No time like the present as they say.
7.  Do something to add to my CV and self worth.
8. Win something. Deliberately vague due to difficulty. Sadly with no exceptional skill sets this will prove a tricky one to complete. Not won an award since first year of uni.  Dining off ‘Best Hair award,’ proving increasingly challenging 6 years on.
9. Visit a foreign city to experience another culture. Unusual beer in Prague/ pedaling in Venice. Location and experience TBC just DMH (definitely must happen).
10. Spread the self-coined word ‘amazeballs’ - definition meaning: fantastic, wonderful - so that by the end of the year I hear one person I do not know, utter the word with genuine zeal.
11. Locate the 3 x A4 pad ‘book’ I wrote at the age of 8 and lament at how my linguistic skills have not moved on since.
12. Own THAT Chanel bag. Having paired up being successful at ‘life’ with possessing that quilted black , I’ve decided this is the year I’m finally going to achieve the desired state of ‘successfullness.’

Now with draft one of my resolutions out there on paper, a friend of a friend shared a lovely little tradition he does with his friends at the start of a new year and any other ‘momentous’ occasion. A list of things you a grateful for. Normally overtly nice conversations such as these leave me lunging for the bin but in the spirit of the game i'll seek to overcome my unease and play long. 

So, things I am grateful for

1. Porridge. I am neither normal nor nice without the stuff. Without oats I am much akin to a fish on dry land. Grotesque, unsightly, abnormal (including movements) and near dead.
2. Ginger. The flavouring.  I have been known to inhale an entire packet of ginger nut biscuits before Tracy Barlow has the opportunity to utter the words ‘stupid cow’ on Coronation Street. To Harriet at Dorset Cereals, I thank you for providing with my gingerbread-flavoured porridge. The moleskine Christmas gift you received was a sign of eternal gratitude at marrying 2 age-old love affairs of mine.
3. Feel it’s appropriate to include people at some point now so point 3 is the number for my friends and family to get a look in. 
4. Securing a winning pitch to Kellogg’s back in December 2011 ensuring I keep my job and fridge/cupboards full. Also helps with various previously listed resolutions.
5. Living in London. A city that finally gets me. Or perhaps I’m borderline boring and pale in comparison to the Shoreditch ‘London dickheads.’ I’m sorry that I’m not dressing my 20/20 vision with lens free glasses.
6. Fleecy socks. I swear there is no-one on gods green earth with colder feet than mine.
7. Oyster cards. Left my card in my pre Christmas gift purse and had to purchase a Balham to London bridge return ticket this morning. £8.60? Boris, mate, you having a laugh?
8. Epipens. A brush with death several months back has resulted in a new love for the adrenalin filled jabby things. It’s as in the daily bag as my benefit blusher. NB: must practice on an orange with an out of date one this week.
9. McDonalds for adding those slimy Gherkins to their burgers. Without them those tasty artery blockers could not be legally classified as food.
10. Innocent for providing me with real food to help reverse damage caused by gratitude 9.

As the weather outside is as dark as my liver on Christmas Day – Christmas Eve was a tad ‘merrier’ than planned – I simply must dash off to the cosy banklet and dinner awaiting me at mi casa. The blustering winds of this morning have not subsided and so if you never hear from me again it is not because I fell at the first hurdle of resolution 1, but because my umbrella has caused me to do a ‘Mary Poppins’ around London and beyond!

Ciao just for now. hopefully.

Happy New Year all!!

x

Poor Me Pippa Middleton

Whilst big sis Kate cheers on one Andy Murray at Wimbledon with new hubby Wills, Pippa Middleton has apparently been logging complaints to The Press Complaints Commission on the grounds of harassment.

The younger sister of the new Duchess of Cambridge has complained about a picture of her that appeared in the Daily Telegraph, saying it had been taken as the result of harassment by a freelance photographer (aka a member of the paparazzi).

The paper disputed that she had been harassed but apologised to her anyway, implicitly accepting that she had "felt" she had been harassed. 

Ms Middleton also complained about pictures that were published in The Sun, again maintaining that they were the result of harassment.

THAT dress

The paper disputed the circumstances of the alleged harassment, but it too apologised to her "for any unintentional distress caused."

It also agreed to remove the photographs from its website and its archive.

There is an expression I learnt once that goes something like 'Give them an inch and they take a mile.' 

Well if that now infamous bridesmaid dress is anything to go by, my dear Pippa you gave them many inches to play with. 

Pizza Express launches UK first online payment app

In an innovative collaboration from high street restaurant Pizza Express and online banking service PayPal, the restaurant chain has this week launched an iPhone app enabling customers to pay for food and drink via their iPhone in a market first for the physical retail industry.

Appealing to our 'app'etites, the user is able to source all the usual information of a good restaurant app inclusive of full menu list, how to book a table, a location based search for nearest restaurant and relevant directions; there’s also the great addition of a storing facility for downloadable voucher codes for all us savvy savers too. The real star attraction of this app however, is that payments can now be made without bank cards or other external equipment in every one of their 370 stores across the country.

Riding on the back of Pizza Express’ WI-FI roll out throughout their stores via The Cloud, payment using the internet looks set to be easy, hassle free, secure and somewhat revolutionary. Here at The Lounge, we have already noted the convergence of the online-offline shopping experience in our Insight into Social Shopping blog post. The development of this app for high street restaurant purposes certainly adds yet another new dimension to the ever changing face of consumer experience.

Whilst the scenarios used in the ‘How the Pizza Express PayPal app works’ promotional video are somewhat contrived and the date scene whereby the young Romeo thrusts his phone to the waiter to indicate he wishes to pay the bill on his iPhone is invariably rude,  the key highlights of the app are nevertheless noted.  The Pizza Express app waves goodbye to living in fear of card carrying forgetfulness, potentially saving the customer from undesired embarrassment. It also boasts greater privacy for those ‘do not disturb’ dinner dates along with the ability to save time when you’re on a working lunch. Even redeeming those many 2 courses for £10 voucher offers you are repeatedly emailed with could not be easier, simply type in the voucher code after the twelve digit code set out at the bottom of your total bill and your transaction is complete.

The simplicity of online transactions made tangible in an offline retail environment is a second to none service; if you’re an iPhone owner that is. For those out there using Blackberry’s, Samsungs, Nokia’s etc, then I’m afraid you’re still going to need to need to remember your bank card when next visiting Pizza Express!