Converse knows what viral means
Companies are always looking for new ways to promote their brands, and these days many have begun sponsoring artists. The video above, released by Converse, is a collaboration between Rostam from the band Vampire Weekend, Bethany from Best Coast, and Kid Cudi.
This song has been on my playlist since it came out. I love this song and video, and love Converse, so I am ignoring all the years of absorbing the punk rock ethos that I should abhor any art so directly related to a corporation.
But the more I think about it, the more I am impressed by this kind of content. Today’s changing marketing landscape is forcing companies and brands alike to change the way they approach advertising. This includes more original digital content that is made to live outside traditional advertising channels.
This Converse campaign was designed to be the kind of branded content that you want to share with your friends. I first saw it on a friend’s Tumblr, “liked” it, and shared it with my Facebook friends with the accompanying message “This reminds me, I need to buy some new Chucks.” Because really, even though the song only mentions Chucks once, there is a real connection to me between the vibe of the music, and Converse, the canvas throwbacks that people wear when they want listen to music and have a good time. At least that’s how I think of them.
Not only is Converse using a unique tactic to reach their fans, but they are also taking a risk by using a trippy video with artists wearing papier-mâché heads while constantly switching them back and forth until you have to remember whose outfit is whose.
The genius here was bringing together artists from different genres (I don’t know for sure whether this was the work of the agency or the artists) and then allowing them to come up with a really great song, without a marketing type telling them how many times they had to say the word “Converse.” This really sounds like three great artists that just worked well together.
Thankfully, this video is not the only thing Converse is working on. Converseblog.com showcases the creativity of their fans – from music to photography to fashion – and they share a link with instructions to create your own paper head like the ones in the video.
The word “viral” is thrown around a lot these days. Everyone wants a viral, organic campaign. Converse is showing you how – make a good product, and then share your messaging in a way your audience wants to receive it.
This entry was posted on Thursday, July 22nd, 2010 at 2:11 pm and is filed under Marketing Innovation, Online. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
