Promo - May 2008 - (Page 21)

Interactive Marketing Awards BEST IN SHOW EVERYONE’S A SIMPSON AWARD CATEGORIES Best In Show; Promotional Web Site CAMPAIGN Simpsonize Me! AGENCY Equity Marketing CLIENT Burger King “You mean those leagues where parents push their kids into vicious competition to compensate for their own failed dreams of glory?” —Lisa Simpson The precocious cartoon preteen may usually eschew such organized contests that bestow superiority on the less fortunate. But here’s an outcome that would lead even the usually humble Lisa to scream “COWABUNGA” with her irrepressible brother Bart. Burger King’s “Simpsonize Me” campaign nabbed the Best In Show and Best Promotional Web Site in Promo magazine’s third annual Interactive Marketing Awards. Campaign architect Equity Marketing has worked with BK for 23 years, and four times before has created various tie-in programs to tap into the zeitgeist surrounding the colorful and funnyshaped characters. “We were tapping into 17 years of ‘The Simpsons’ being around,” notes Linda Price, Equity’s vice president of adult marketing. A fresh spin on Springfield beyond in-store signage, placemats, drinks and action figures for the kiddies was definitely in order. “We had to do something that was never done before,” explains Jurgen Dold, Equity’s vice president of marketing. Equity decided that for the first time the effort would appeal to both adults and kids—just like “The Simpsons” itself. Instead of the half-hour sitcom, this time they were helping to promote a full-length movie—one of the summer’s most eagerly awaited. Price recalls that the agency began pitching ideas to the client in June 2006. It came up with a simple idea that would appeal to any fan of the show and also play into BK’s “Have It Your Way” philosophy: create an interactive Web site that lets consumers upload digital photos of themselves to become “Simpsons” characters. How did it work? More than 30 million photos were uploaded. Media the likes of ABC “Nightline,” USA Today, Yahoo and CNN picked up on the story, resulting in 31.6 million impressions in the first two and a half weeks, and 48 million impressions by the end of the campaign. (BK’s PR agency Edelman handled that function.) Word was also spread thanks to more than 2,400 blogs linking to SimpsonizeMe.com. Demand was so great that site traffic had to be rerouted. This was all going on before the movie opened on July 27, 2007. The BK campaign launched July 16. Since “The Simpsons” is a popular cultural phenomenon enjoyed around Continued on page 22 IDEA TO STEAL KEEP IT SIMPLE “The user experience was very simple,” Equity Marketing’s Linda Price says of the SimpsonizeMe.com interface. It was also tailor-made for viral pass-alongs. After all, even people who don’t watch TV know the ubiquitous “Simpsons” characters. When ﬁnished with their customized characters, fans can then pay to have their cartoon versions put onto coﬀee mugs, T-shirts, hats, aprons and photo sculptures. Having an immediately recognizable television franchise at one’s disposal doesn’t hurt, even after nearly two decades of so many promotions. Uncomplicated creativity trumps every time. Promo / WWW.PROMOMAGAZINE.COM / may 2008 21 http://SimpsonizeMe.com http://SimpsonizeMe.com http://WWW.PROMOMAGAZINE.COM

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Promo - May 2008

Promo - May 2008 Contents Editor's Note Eyeballs All the Same... NBC Makes 'Law & Order' a Mobile Game Recession Rewards Comfort Virally Toaster on Wheels Commentary Ay Caramba! The 2008 Interactive Marketing Awards Winners How Bulletproof? Q&A: What a Ride Resource Center The Agency Center Blogging 101 Index of Advertisers

Promo - May 2008

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