ActiveAds

A while ago while browsing through a WIRED issue had come across a Canon/Nikon ad(sorry can't remember which brand exactly). It was an example of what I term as an ActiveAd.

It had no fancy art, no tag-line, no hyped brand promise, just an equation of DIY features, some benefits and a link to know more about the product. Many tech brands I have observed follow this format of an ActiveAd.

Maybe we could follow the lead in FMCG, durables and other categories as well!

So what makes an ActiveAd.
1. Obviously it will lead the reader/ browser to some action.
a. Goto www.checkoutthisstuff.com
or b. Try the product demo at physicalspace.com or virtualreality.com
or c. Cut this ad and get 10%off at physicalstore.com

2. ActiveAds can do without taglines...They show the product, they talk about the benefits. They excite you about the technology without geek-speak!

3. Information is more/ equally important than the brand 'image' art/ layout. Don't keep on repeating the headline. Behave like a retail environment. Tell me more about the product ingredients, the underlying technology, the benefits, the sourcing story, the environment stand of the company, the packaging stories, etc. Throw me a new nugget/ factoid instead of irritating me with the same baseline...

4. Active ads allow participation. Our current TVCs are not active. They are passive bombardments on our senses. But with a little bit of imagination and digitisation, all advertising forms can be made more active!

and 5. ActiveAds aim more at behaviour change rather than worry about awareness and recall scores only.

These are still WIP thots. We should aim at making all the ads more active! It's better ROI.

If you come across any blog posts, articles around this subject, please lemme know!

Happy Holi...Maybe no more posts till Monday!

Life 2.0 - the new Game Box in town!

Have you installed the game box - Life 2.0 on your
biological hard disc:-) Chances are you already are an expert at Life 2.0 games…Am referring to the new(well for some of us)game culture that’s pervaded our lives.

And no, it’s no longer the game boys & geeks alone! It’s us ordinary un-gamers.
The other day, I spent a better part of the evening out-scoring my wife on her blackberry. Next morning, she spent a cool hour putting me back in second spot.

Games are as old as men. We have always loved competitive sport, the urge to set records and win prizes. But the big difference today is that our entire lives are the software for games!!

Till a few months back, monitoring(keeping score)of this blog's Technorati ranking was a game for me…Of course the allure faded when the scores started plummeting on a regular basis:-( A related game was to monitor the site visits on the home page!

People keep score of the number of Diwali sms they sent and received. Even the number of unopened e-mails!!

Many have developed a game even around cleaning their lotus notes mail systems. It’s a 100m dash against the lunch deadline.

Social networking provides many new competitive games. Try your skill at friend acquisitions at Facebook or even LinkedIn. Keep score of your growing community on couchsurfing.com LOL

Today, for a lot of youngsters and oldsters, dating resembles a gaming experience, with targets, life-lines and a score to keep!

Nach Baliye, Indian Idol, Jhalak Dikhla Ja are the new middle class games... The idiot box meets the mobile phone and lo a new national game is born! Cricket’s new poster boy - Twenty20 is all game, little sport!

As Wired magazine puts it, we are moving away from a society that creates goods to one that solves puzzles and plays games! So, what game are you playing this hour?