Similar to my other request "A good story" I'm looking for a good
online branding story. Stories whith people which have used the web in
a fantastic way - a creative way and saved money on marketing. (please
note = and saved money on marketing OR gained enormus traffic).

Good story = $ 10
Great story = $ 15
Fantastic story = $ 35

Good luck

Martin

I would like to suggest the Blair Witch Project movie as one of the
most ingenious use of the web to market a low budget film and thereby
creating a successful brand at the cinema.

a. Create a scary mock documentary that will appeal to the young audience.
?The site attracted older viewers, too, but that coveted
12-to-17-year-old cohort is the group Hollywood is looking to lure.
And it consists of moviegoers who aren't allowed into theaters to see
the film without an adult. Indeed, the movie's "R" rating may even
help draw them to the site, where they can see a stripped-down version
of the story told in photos, sounds and video clips.?

?On the Web, Rags to Witch's; 'Blair' Site Built Mystery Long Before
Film Struck Gold?
http://www.shushinluh.com/MyResume/post_blairwitch.html  


b. Using this targeted demographic of Internet enthusiast age group,
it was one of the first movies to use the power of internet marketing
to generate grassroots interest.
?Even the marketing campaign has become a sidebar for every major
media outlet. The Web site originally created by Sanchez and taken
over by Artisan treats "The Blair Witch Project" as a real event,
greeting surfers with the ominous introduction, ?In October of 1994,
three student filmmakers disappeared in the woods near Burkittsville,
Maryland while shooting a documentary. A year later their footage was
found.??

?The site goes on to offer the mythology of the so-called "Blair
witch," including a timeline; fake background information on the
filmmakers; evidence from a contrived investigation in the aftermath.?

c. Create additional buzz - ?They've also created a
"pseudo-documentary" for the Sci-Fi Channel which includes interviews
with the parents of the "missing" filmmakers??

?This 'Witch' boasting wicked marketing brew?
http://www.cnn.com/SHOWBIZ/Movies/9907/27/blair.witch/

I think this marketing idea was a stroke of genius...
http://half.ebay.com/town/change.html

After half.com did this, Ebay bought them for $300 million!

Hi nfalcone-ga,
I agree...at that time. But I think the circumstances was "slightly"
different today making this story difficult to use.

Thanks for your effort ....

All the best,

martin

Hi Martin!

I've been keeping an eye on your questions waiting for one I have some
good comments on.

I have had to ask website designers in the past to develop a brand for
a website we were building. People generally have no clue when you
mention branding, until you point out the obvious. I think there are
two distinct types of branding.

1. Subtle artistic design. (Apple, Starbucks, IBM)
I have always felt these types of sites worked best for already
existing companies. These companies are not trying to build their
original base, but trying to expand on their current stable base.


2. In your face branding. (Monster.com)
Monster.com was an idea of the owner of an ad agency, Jeff Taylor. He
was told by a client ?enough big ideas. I want a monster idea?. This
was the beginning of the monster concept. He then came up with the
idea of using modern technology (1994 modern technology) to put up a
bulletin board where people could find jobs. ?The Monster Board? was
born. Once the basic idea was put together he realized he would not be
able to just use a BBS, he would truly need a mosaic site. The name
Monster.com was complimented by the use of some monsters as part of
the branding. The site now has a corral of monster to represent
different sections of the website itself.
[ http://about.monster.com/monster_bios.asp ]
Monster is the most recognized name in job search, most likely because
it is the easiest to remember based on its memorable branding.


have a good day,
Mother911-ga

Hi mother911-ga ,
Thanks for your suggestion.
And thank you so much for taking your time to answer my tricky
questions - I know they are some what difficult.

I do understand why you like the Monster case so much but it dosn't
really have the "perfect" concept I'm looking for. You see - what's so
unique about the Yellow Pages - Pizza story is that people can relate
to it, its fun and it is easy to explain and remember. The Monster
story is not as clear.

Sorry about that - but keep up the good search work.

martin

Hi Martin,

My NPR radio station (KQED in San Francisco) is gearing up for its
next pledge drive and they're going to try something new. They are
going to offer online auctions for items classified into over a dozen
categories ranging from Books and Recordings to Outings and Adventures
to Travel: See the World. The Preview is already started and will run
to April 19 and the Auction will run from April 20-28.

This seems like an excellent use of the web and follows on the
popularity of E-Bay and other auctions. People who would never call to
pledge might be more inclined to participate in an aution. Even people
who have all the tote-bags and sweatshirts from prior plege drives
might be more generous in this new fundraising format.

It will be interesting to see how it will play out.

~ czh ~

Ooops. Forgot the URL.

http://auction.kqed.org/

~ czh ~

czh-ga,
Thanks for your suggestion. I do understand your passion for the idea
but must admit that it probably isn't what I'm looking for.

Sorry about that.

All the best,

martin

Hi Martin,

Here's a story that might interest you:

"Toronto-based Objectools, a B2B portal for component-based software
development, developed a mascot as part of its corporate identity,
says Davis Gravelsins, director of marketing. "We did this because we
needed to differentiate, attract, and motivate folks about something
that's really pretty abstract, even boring--namely selling tools and
components."

The company spent about $4,000 to create its "Objectracker" mascot,
who would make appearances at trade shows. To go along with the
mascot, Objectools found a unique giveaway called a "tool pop," which
is a plastic toy shaped like a Swiss army knife with a built-in
lollipop. No one would receive a tool pop without first having his
contact information swiped at the company's booth. Each pop cost about
$2, yet its distribution at a single trade show attracted hundreds of
leads and more than 150 vendor relationships, Gravelsins says. "When
we used the pops combined with a live appearance by Objectracker, we
got as many as 320 percent more visitors and card swipes than our
competitors at the trade shows we attend," he says."

"Exit interviews from these shows indicate that the recall of the
Objectools brand name is around 80 percent, and "Web site traffic
increases by a factor of 350 to 500 percent each time we do a show or
get press at a show," Gravelsins adds."
http://www.findarticles.com/cf_dls/m0DXS/5_7/71359382/p2/article.jhtml?term=

Best regards,
Bobbie7