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Dylan's Cue Cards Become Brilliant Viral Marketing Tool

Love it, love it, love it.

That was my reaction this morning when I came across an absolutely fantastic online promotion for the new Bob Dylan Greatest Hits CD which comes out October 1st.

Using the real footage from the legendary "Cue Card Scene" from D.A. Pennebaker's rock documentary Don't Look Back, fans can go online and customize the writing on Dylan's cue cards to send a personal video message to their friends and family.

While inserting text into video content is not something new on the web,  what is new is the use of footage as iconic and as famous as this. 

It's an absolutely terrific viral promotion that proves that a good idea is worth its weight in gold.

The Best Clients Make You Smarter

One thing that I love about what I do, is that each day I learn an incredible amount from my clients.

Working with American Express has been at times like going to Harvard. There's so much to learn if you keep your eyes and ears open and you soak it all in.

One of the things that American Express stresses in almost every meeting is the important of putting the emphasis on the Cardmember and the "benefits of membership"

A great example of how American Express provides terrific value ads and unique benefits for Cardmembers will come next week at the  U.S. Open Tennis Championships when new wireless handheld video devices will be given free and available only to American Express card members.   

Fans who have the handheld devises (there will be 2,000 on site each day) will be able to watch six different matches from their seats. The TV's will offer instant replays as well as access draws and player bios on demand.

As a massive tennis fan, September in New York means not only a few days of the most incredible weather as Summer starts to turn to Fall, but also two weeks of complete obsession in the US Open.

As an American Express Cardmember, I can't wait to get my hands on one next week when I head out to Flushing Meadows.

Another Great Simpsons Movie Promotion

Yet another great creative promotion for the SImpsons Movie. FOX is releasing a limited edition soundtrack packaged in Homer's favorite pink frosted donut with sprinkles. 

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The Simpson's Go Big in Dorset

To promote the new Simpsons movie in England, a giant Homer Simpson (brandishing a massive doughnut) was painted this week next to the famous fertility symbol, the Cerne Abbas giant.  Because it was painted with water-based biodegradable paint that will wash away as soon as it rains, the local Pagans have pledged to perform 'rain magic' to wash it away.

Need a summer intern?

In what has quickly become my favorite online promotion of the year, Mentos has launched a live interactive website in which you can have Trevor, a 19 year old student working at the Mentos offices in Ohio, handle various small tasks and jobs for you throughout the Summer.   

Click here to check it out.  It's an extremely smart and clever.      

Best Movie Promotion Ever: Real World Kwik E-Marts

In brainstorming sessions, the best ideas usually start out with a phrase that begins with something like...

"So, what if we were crazy enough to actually..."

The unfortunate thing is that 99% of the time someone in the room will likely say... "That's a great idea but it's too ambitious. You know who we're dealing with here. It's never going to happen so let's move on." 

So when rumors began to circulate a few months back that 7-11 was going to make-over a group of their convenience stores into Kwik E-Marts, the fictional convenience store in The Simpsons to support the upcoming Simpsons Movie, most people said... "Amazing idea, but it's never going to happen."

The amazing thing is that the idea did happen, and as of this week a dozen Kwick E-Marts now exist across the country.

Snowboarders have a phrase - "Go big or go home!" 

Bravo to 7-11 for having a sense of humor and for going big.

(photos nicked from this Flickr set)   

Ghosts In The Camera

This is definitely one of the best promotional campaigns that I've heard about in a long, long time. 

Last year at a video game convention in Leipzig, Germany, free disposable cameras (branded only with a simple PS2 logo) were handed out to attendees.

Using the cameras, people then spent the day shooting snaps of their friends, family, and coworkers. 

But what they didn't know, and only discovered when they printed out the photos, was that they weren't alone - a group of spooky ghosts had also been following them around. 

The last image from the film exposes the promotion -  for an upcoming video game called "Forbidden Siren 2". 

Check out the full case study here.  Really clever and unique.

(via)