Jack in the Box Viral Campaign

This example from the QSR Jack-in-the-Box gives us some very valuable insights into a very robust Social Networking / Viral campaign.  Check out this articles from Clickz (link here).  The details are:

• Campaign gets kicked off with a TV spot aired during the Super Bowl that shows the Jack-in-the-Box mascot “Jack” getting run over by a bus.
• Fan’s of the brand are then encouraged to follow Jack’s condition on the web site HanginthereJack.com,  28 viral videos updating Jacks condition on YouTube, photo’s from the accident scene on Flickr, updates on Facebook,  MySpace and Twitter.
• User Generated Content is solicited in the form of “get well notes” for Jack.

Some results:

• Over 12,000 fans on the Facebook page
• Over 7000 followers in Twitter
• 600 followers to the YouTube channel
• Each of the 28 videos were viewed between 50,000 and 200,000 times

Clickz lists Apollo Interactive as the agency behind this very robust effort.

Thoughts:

• Wow, this was a very robust campaign around a great theme.
• The response was impressive.  Especially the YouTube video views.  It’s difficult to get these kinds of numbers.
• I assume a lot went into the campaign AND a lot went into promoting this campaign.  The Super Bowl spot alone was several million $$.
• The big take away for me is that in order for a Viral / SocNet campaign to be successful it needs to tap into a message that will resonate with the audience.  In this case — hoping Jack comes out of his coma — hit that nerve.

I recently had the opportunity to talk to a couple marketing classes at Lehigh University about several aspects of Internet Marketing. I also took the opportunity to give these seniors some pointers on finding a job. Below if a video of that segment of the class:

Wow!  You’ve got to check out what Graco is doing online.  Graco’s robust Social Networking presence is a great example of how businesses, especially businesses in highly regulated industries, can effectively surround their audience with a consistent online message.  What I really like is the consistency of their message.  They are amplifying their “Ready for the Road Ahead” campaign throughout.

Check out this post from Ignite Social Media (link).  And the following slide show from the Blog Council (Link).

Graco Blog:  http://blog.gracobaby.com/

Graco on You Tube: http://www.youtube.com/user/ReadyForTheRoadAhead

Graco on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/gracogettogethers/

Graco on Twitter: http://twitter.com/GracoBaby

It’s interesting that Graco has no Facebook presence yet.  I would have thought this was a natural for them.

There are a lot of great insights here on how major brands can embrace Social Networking in a meaningful way that engages their target consumers.  We’ll keep an eye on Graco and see how they develop these strategies moving forward.

Here’s a great post from ReadWriteWeb (link here).  The jist is that hip agencies are creating viral content that appears to be fan produced.  But turns out it is produced as a marketing tool for the advertiser.

BMW's The Ramp

I don’t fully agree with the RWW post.  I can see that in some cases agencies can cross the line.  But I was a huge fan of The Ramp documentary supporting the introduction of a new BMW to the US market.  This was obviously a Fake Viral Video — so it might not be considered truly a fake.  But if I’m being sold a BMW I don’t mind also being entertained.

This example is not from an online source — it comes to us from last nights SNL where Pepsi blurred the line between Ad and Sketch.  I post it here because it is a great idea starter for innovative online campaigns.  Whenever putting together a creative campaign I recommended to always look for a way to merge the advertising with the editorial.  Yes, the editorial folks always balk — but your engagement will by multiple times higher than going with straight ads.