Sound confusing? Let's take an example video. Two teams of five basketball players, one dressed in black, the other in white, line up, and the viewer is asked how many passes the white team makes. There are two basketballs, and both teams weave in and around each other on a plain grey asphalt sidewalk, with an equally plain backdrop. You're so busy counting passes for the white team that you totally miss the person dressed in a bear costume that quietly wanders into the middle of all this activity, moonwalks, and wanders out. So when the announcer says "The answer is 13...but did you see the moon-walking bear?" you're totally surprised.
The video runs again, and this time, of course, you see the bear. (The bear was there the first time, too; I ran it through completely twice, just to make sure). The video ends with the tag line "It's easy to miss something if you're not looking for it" and the warning to watch out for cyclists.
This organization has found a compelling way to get their message across that really engages the viewer. They've proven their own point in a simple way. The very nature of the video makes the viewer pay attention - and yet, like a magician doing a trick, even while it makes you pay attention, you miss something vital. Yet you don't feel cheated, because the misdirection was the point of the video, and the heart of the message they're trying to convey.
You can find a number of videos on the site which convey this theme. Best of all, the dothetest.co.uk web site offers several ways to share the videos and get the word out. Hey, if you've been fooled by something cool like that, don't you want to see if your friends fall for it, too?
Call in Your Ideas
BT found another way to get people involved in their ad campaign (http://uk.tv.yahoo.com/news-extra/article/45330/millions-decide-fate-of-bt-couple.html). The company's campaign features Adam, played by Kris Marshall, and his partner Jane, played by Esther Hall. These two have appeared in various BT ads as a couple for about five years now - and for the most recent ad, the phone company asked viewers to vote on whether they should announce that they're expecting a baby. BT received around 1.6 million votes. That's a lot of interest!
BT marketing director Matthew Dearden explained that "The strand of ads we are doing at the moment are all about human interaction and human relationships [facilitated by BT products] and we thought about building the connection by getting people involved in the story of the campaign itself."
Obviously, you're not going to be able to create a five-year campaign from scratch; BT had the advantage of a large fan base when they started this "vote on our couple's next step" move. But you can probably use the idea of showing how your products facilitate your customers to achieve their goals - perhaps in some surprising ways. Maybe you could even ask for videos from your customers that show some unusual uses for your product or service.
Tomorrow I'll discuss a few more ideas from campaigns that did things right. Coming up: the Old Spice guy, the Last Exorcism, and more. See you then!
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