We’re often drawing advertisers’ attention to rich, engaging digital executions like the Pepsi Max and Ford Play it 4-Ward campaigns and today's homepage takeover of MSN UK for the movie Avatar is yet another great example, except this particular campaign has an added dimension.
Launching across 14 markets outside the US, the team started thrashing through ideas with Fox way back in January 2009. They wanted to utilise digital technology so movie-goers could explore content – trailers, images, director clips, interviews, cast biogs – wherever they were.
After much creative work and the forming of internal partnerships between various teams at Microsoft, this fantastic campaign was born.
When the user comes to the homepage they are met by a rich media ad format called a “Glider” which is kind of an eye catcher, drawing the eyes to a 15 second trailer clip inviting them to discover more.
On clicking the ad, they are transported to an immersive experience above the homepage – they do not actually leave it – where a treasure trove of engaging content can be found at the quick click of a link.
Click on the images tab and the page changes slightly so users can scroll through some hi-rez promo shots from the film, while all the while a social media element enables them to share the official site with their friends via Windows Live, MySpace, Twitter and Facebook.
But this campaign goes one step further in 5 markets including the UK!
By teaming up with the folks at Microsoft Tag, our digital specialists were able to “unlock the world of Avatar” on all our mobile phones.
The technology in essence requires the download of a mobile app from http://getTag.mobi. By scanning the M-tag on the PC screen with their phone’s camera, fans of the movie are able to access Fox’s dedicated WAP site at the flick of a switch!
On the day of Avatar's movie release in France, UK, Spain and Germany, FOX also ran the Avatar ad campaign on MSN's mobile sites, providing strong exposure to moviegoers browsing on their mobile phone.
This is another great example of how Microsoft Advertising is helping brands provide immersive and rich encounters across multiple devices.
As Darren Huston said back at AdWeek in September, seamless executions across different screens are crucial to success as advertising moves more and more into being totally digital.
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Cheers
Mel