How Orabrush Got National Walmart Deal with YouTube Videos, $28 in Facebook Ads

Telling Walmart Employees They Have Bad Breath Leads to Distribution in 3,500 stores

Can a startup marketer of tongue cleaners get national distribution through funny YouTube videos and $28 worth of Facebook ads telling Walmart employees they have bad breath? Apparently, yes.

Orabrush, has had more than 39 million views and 160,000 subscribers on its YouTube channel but, until recently, very little distribution. This month, it's entered 3,500 Walmart stores -- without its executives ever stepping foot in the retail giant's Bentonville, Ark., headquarters or meeting a buyer face-to-face. Here's how, at least according to Orabrush, which has a video outlining the process:

Founded in 2009 in Salt Lake City, Orabrush last year was contacted by a Walmart store manager in Utah who wanted to give the product a try in his store. Under a policy revived under Walmart U.S. CEO Bill Simon, the manager had the authority to do so. He in turn persuaded about 20 others in Utah after a store tour to try Orabrush, which used the data from those sales to try to land a deal with the buyer at Walmart headquarters.

But not the typical way. Utah data or no, it was still hard to get an audience with the buyer. So Orabrush Chief Marketing Officer Jeffrey Harmon earlier this year bought $28 worth of Facebook ads targeted at Walmart employees in Northwest Arkansas reading: "Walmart employees have bad breath. Walmart needs to carry Orabrush. It will sell better than anything in your store."

The $28 spent on Facebook proved a lot more effective than $20,000 in print ads in retail trade magazines, which only generated calls from other trade magazine sales reps, Mr. Harmon said.

Within 48 hours, he got an e-mail from the buyer, who said her VP also had seen it and believed it was being directed at Walmart employees nationwide. The buyer, after also seeing a DVD and sales kit on the Orabrush story, placed an order for 735,000 tongue cleaners shipped last month.

(Orabrush also has a redacted version of the DVD content posted on YouTube).

A Walmart spokeswoman confirmed the distribution in 3,500 stores, but said she couldn't immediately confirm details of the negotiations or how the deal came about.

Mr. Harmon said it was never the plan to begin national distribution at Walmart, but "Walmart, because of their local program, are now more mobile than a lot of the smaller chains. They can learn faster and adapt."

National distribution with CVS begins next month, he said, and Orabrush already has distribution in the U.K., Japan and Canada, thanks largely to its YouTube following, Mr. Harmon said.

In part, the strategy harks to a bygone era in packaged-goods marketing -- the 1950s -- when marketers would force distribution by first turning on advertising and getting consumers to pressure retailers. Inquiries from consumers who saw the exploits of Orabrush's "Morgan the Tongue" on YouTube, for example, led U.K. retailer Boots to place an order, Mr. Harmon said.

"We have a reverse marketing model, which means everything is backward from how you would normally launch a product," he said. "Normally you get distribution and your supply chain in order, all your packaging and everything perfected, and then launch an ad campaign and start branding it. We started branding, even changing our logo as we went along and getting everything right messaging wise, and then two years later we're in national retail launching to enough demand that the sales are blowing a lot of retailers away."

That has led to such oddities as nearly 40 million YouTube views, 300,000 Facebook fans for a brand that has sold only about 2 million units, mainly online. Orabrush also has generated about 30 million media impressions through coverage in such outlets as The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and ABC "Nightline."

Mr. Harmon acknowledged that the tongue-cleaner business has been small and mostly unsuccessful for retailers up to now, leading to some skepticism. But he said YouTube has worked to get Orabrush distribution, and he'll stick with it to move product off the shelf, too. All the YouTube (and other) advertising has been done in house, mainly with student film makers from Mr. Harmon's alma mater, Brigham Young University.

LeBron's Cartoon Debuts with Life Lessons for All

LeBron tries to make himself the 21st century Aesop

Heat forward LeBron James' cartoon series "The LeBrons" premiered on YouTube this week. The show features the four James personalities (Kid, Business, Athlete, and Wisdom) that appeared in a series of Nike ads a few years ago.

Each episode includes a moral lesson for LeBron's young fans, and the premier is based on the theme "two wrongs don't make a right"
The first episode is just over 6 minutes long, but fits in a few interesting coded messages. The episode opens with Kid LeBron and a buddy getting chased on their bikes by their neighbor's pit bull.

Anyway, Business LeBron decides to help Kid out, and brings home a lion from the pet shop to provide Kid with some protection. The lion representing the "King" of the jungle.
Eventually Kid realizes (with the help of Wisdom) that siccing the lion on his nemesis wasn't the best idea. He, Business, and Wisdom call off the lion just as he's about to start torturing the dog, and the pit bull thanks them for showing mercy. Everyone lives happily ever after and the lion and Business start a mutual mane-appreciation society.

Coca-Cola Wraps Largest Social-Media Project Ever

Global Program with Local Activation, 'Expedition 206,' Comes to Close


NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- More than 275,000 miles, 186 countries and 365 days after embarking on Expedition 206 -- Coca-Cola's largest social-media project ever -- the company's three "happiness ambassadors" have completed their journey.


On Jan. 1, 2010, armed with laptops, video cameras, smartphones and plenty of other gadgetry, the three 20-somethings set off to visit 206 countries and territories where Coca-Cola is sold in order to document for the masses their search for happiness. They arrived back in Atlanta at the World of Coca-Cola Dec. 29, 2010, just before the dawn of the New Year. Their journey, tracked at Expedition206.com, as well as through Facebook, YouTube and Twitter, has racked up 650 million media impressions around the globe and engaged billions of people.


In China, for example, instant-messaging service QQ received a billion visits related to Expedition 206, said Anne Carelli, senior communications manager-digital communications at Coca-Cola. Ten billion virtual stamps, created by the ambassadors in each country using Haibao, the mascot for the 2010 World Expo, were also traded through QQ.

"We have been extremely pleased with the success it's had in the different markets," Ms. Carelli said, noting that the program created more visibility for the brand in key markets like China. "It's really provided a platform for the different markets to activate as they see fit."

The program -- conceptualized as a global effort that would be coordinated by a team in Atlanta but actively managed by individual markets -- forced many local markets into the digital and social-media space for the first time. It also required increased collaboration among the communications, public relations and marketing teams, something Ms. Carelli says will be instructive for future programs. And it furthered Coca-Cola's goal of creating global programs that are locally relevant.

"It was intriguing how each market went about it in their own special way," said Tony Martin, one of the ambassadors. "We never knew what to expect. In some places we'd go eat with a family. Then, in the next place we'd hang out with a local, legendary surfer. Or we'd show up at an airport and there would be these local traditions."

The group also made appearances at the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Canada, the FIFA World Cup in South Africa and the Shanghai 2010 World Expo in China.

The campaign bolstered Coke's Facebook presences in markets like New Zealand, and in other countries -- such as Argentina, Ukraine and Uruguay -- local teams connected with influential bloggers as a means of promoting the program. Still, there were areas where the program didn't take off. On Twitter, the main handle boasts only about 1,800 followers. Coca-Cola execs stressed that the measure of success was based more on local-level engagement, pointing out that the Dominican Republic and other countries started their own Twitter handles specifically to document the visit.

"We made the conscious decision at the beginning that this was a local activation," Ms. Carelli said. "Equally as important were the relationships formed with influential bloggers and communities. We tapped into [areas] where we might not have had as strong of a presence previously. ... It pushed a lot of markets to start [new] relationships."

The ambassadors also arrived with built in fan bases, having competed for the opportunity to be part of the program. Coca-Cola reached out to the likes of Lonely Planet, as well as its own agencies, including Ignition, an experiential marketing firm, and WWWINS, its digital agency in China, asking for recommendations. It received about 60 candidates that it then narrowed down to 18 individuals who were brought to Atlanta for interviews. From here, nine candidates, three groups of three, were ultimately tasked with promoting themselves to consumers, who determined the winners in an online vote.

Ms. Carelli said the program has exceeded expectations. Just the fact that the year-long trip was completed with the same three ambassadors, Mr. Martin, Kelly Ferris and Antonio Santiago, is an accomplishment, she joked. But that doesn't mean there weren't snafus along the way.

The trio made it to just 186 countries, not the 206 the company had planned on. Part of that was due to security concerns in countries like Iraq and Afghanistan. And part was due to logistics. Each ambassador required about 85 Visas and numerous passports, which caused the group to miss some countries. Mother Nature was also a challenge. An August trip to Bermuda was rescheduled for December, thanks to a hurricane. And Christmas was spent in Ireland when snow stranded the ambassadors last week.

WHAT ARE YOU BEST KNOWN FOR?

Welcome to the age of ubiquitous fame. Where notoriety can spark from an upload. Where identities are formed (and transformed) in a profile. Where everyone is somebody to someone because they have been friended, followed, or viewed.

Andy Warhol was right, in theory. Everybody is famous. But fifteen minutes is trivial. It’s the breadth, depth, and speed at which fame happens that matters. It’s the viral sharing of a last week’s tweet. The 650 friends on Facebook. The 80,000 videos submitted from around the world to be a part of YouTube’s Life In A Day documentary:  http://www.youtube.com/lifeinaday?x=three.

The Web has become a real-time encyclopedia of individuals expressing their thoughts, experiences, and who they are further and faster than ever before. And, somewhere in the world, someone is paying attention. That’s fame.

-sp

Source: TRANSLATION ADVERTISING. MARKETING. BRANDING. CONSULTING - BLOG

Vevo Climbs Web Video Charts

The newcomer is now the No. 3 video venue on the Web...

The red-hot music site, a joint venture between Sony Music Entertainment and Universal Music Group -- with investment from Abu Dhabi Media and backing from Google's YouTube -- reached 48 million unique users in June, per comScore. That makes it the third-largest video site on the Web, trailing YouTube and Yahoo.

The venue -- which went live eight months ago -- has seen its user base grow steadily. According to company officials, Vevo now delivers 1 billion views globally every month.

In the U.S., the site appears to be reaching a broad cross section of viewers, as an impressive one in four Web users has logged on to the site, per figures compiled from comScore and YouTube Content Manager.

The site has also quickly penetrated the Hispanic and younger Web demographics. Vevo executives claim that the venue now reaches 27 percent of the U.S. Hispanic audience, or 7.4 million Hispanic users, and one in three U.S. video viewers age 18-34.

That growth positions Vevo especially well in the exploding online video market. This year, two-thirds of U.S. Internet users, or 147.5 million people, will watch some form of online video content at least once per month, according to eMarketer. By 2014, the number of U.S. online video viewers will represent 77 percent of Internet users, or 193.1 million people, according to eMarketer's forecasts.

THE YOUTUBE CANNES YOUNG LIONS: 48 HOURS CONTEST

The 48 Hour YouTube Cannes Young Lions Ad Contest returns in 2010, giving creative talent aged 28 or under the chance to come to Cannes for free and compete in the Young Lions Film Competition.



THE WINNERS

Andrew Dobbie (25), who works at JWT Manchester in the United Kingdom, and Rachel Wolak (28), who works at Crispin Porter + Bogusky in Colorado, USA, have won the viral ad competition to promote WaterAid and will become ‘Team YouTube’, the 40th team to compete in this year’s Young Lions Film Competition in Cannes.

The competition received 530 entries and over 75,600 votes in two weeks. A panel of worldwide creative leaders assessed the quality of the ads over the last week and selected Andrew Dobbie and Rachel Wolak as the winners based on the overall creative execution of the brief and the videos' public votes. They will now unite as ‘Team YouTube’ and will receive an all expenses paid trip to Cannes to attend the International Advertising Festival and join 39 other teams from around the world to compete in the prestigious Young Lions Film competition which offers a fantastic exposure for young creatives looking to carve a role in the advertising or film industry.

THE WINNING WORK

AMERICAN EXPRESS PRESENTS ALICIA KEYS LIVE! WORLD AIDS DAY CHARITY CONCERT AT the NOKIA THEATER

In recognition of World AIDS Day, Alicia Keys and American Express brought fans together for a special charity concert, “ALICIA KEYS Live! One Night. One Voice. One Life At A Time.” at 8 pm EST on Tuesday, December 1, 2009 at New York City’s Nokia Theater. The performance was recorded and streamed live via YouTube on the official Alicia Keys’ You Tube Channel, www.youtube.com/aliciakeysSME, so fans across the globe can also participate in this unique experience and donate to Keep A Child Alive.

American Express® Cardmembers and lucky contest winners from AliciaKeys.com, Facebook and radio attended this exclusive live performance where Alicia shared insight into her charitable work with Keep A Child Alive and performed some of her greatest hits as well as songs from her new album "The Element of Freedom," set for release on December 15.

This show, which sold out in minutes, helped raise funds for Keep A Child Alive and American Express is donating all ticket proceeds to the organization.

To help those whose lives have been ravaged by HIV/AIDS in Africa, donations to Keep A Child Alive can be made directly by visiting www.keepachildalive.com or by texting “ALIVE” to 90999 to give $5.

IT'S ABOUT TO GO DIGITAL: ADIDAS FOCUSES MORE ON DIGITAL MEDIA WITH DWIGHT HOWARD

Every company wants its online videos to go viral, but few companies go so far as to actually give consumers an incentive for sharing. Adidas, however, is doing exactly that in a highly interactive push to promote its lightest-ever footwear and apparel lines over NBA All–Star Weekend.

The marketer will be airing a 30-second spot starring NBA star Dwight Howard that will encourage viewers to visit its website and YouTube channel, where they can access more content featuring Mr. Howard, including one video that will gradually unlock to reveal more content of the player the more times it's shared.

Adidas has also created a "Subservient Chicken"-style video of Mr. Howard dunking that shows him jumping as high (or as low) as consumers choose via a gaming-style grid control. (It's not easy to secure Mr. Howard's highest leap, however, and users who can't will get to watch him miss a dunk; if you manage to select the highest point on the grid, you get to see some of the jaw-dropping agility for which Mr. Howard is known.) A third video lets viewers watch one of Mr. Howard's dunks from five different angles.

A YouTube spokesman said Adidas is the first marketer to tie access to content to the number of views a video draws on its service. "What we liked about what Adidas did is that they actually gave it a viral component," he said. "It's something new to say, 'We'll give you some interesting content, and, if you share it, we'll give you even more.'"

Ryan Morlan, director-global basketball communications for Adidas, said the company was looking to give consumers an incentive to share its content. "You can't just drop it out there and hope," he said. "You need a strategy. Every advertiser will tell you that building interactive content isn't easy, but, if you're going to really break through, you need to do it in a fresh way."

Agencies 180, Los Angeles, and Riot, Amsterdam, are behind the effort.