• by Amy Corr , Staff Writer @MediaPostOTL, June 1, 2005

Viral campaigns. Let's launch!

In celebration of the upcoming MTV Movie Awards, Night Agency created a viral campaign showing never before seen movie auditions and award categories that didn't make the cut. See for yourself why "Best Almost Topless Scene," "Best Man-Dog High-Five," and "Best Man in a Pirate Hat" were scratched from this year's ceremony. The other viral component comes from Sunrise Casting Studios. It's a fake casting agency in California highlighting auditions from Troy (watch the auditions for both the Achilles and Helen roles), Ray and Spiderman. Both links lead back to MTVeatmovies.com, where viewers can learn more about an eating competition taking place in Los Angeles in conjunction with the IFOCE (that's the International Federation of Competitive Eating for those that don't religiously watch the Food Network). Speaking of eating competitions - am I the only one that had a flashback to the pie eating contest in "Stand by Me?"

Watch out iTunes: MSN Music launched a massive marketing campaign today - its first major promotion targeting a broad spectrum of users. The MSN promotional offer allows users to buy 1 song and get 5 free. The campaign includes online and offline media and features Gwen Stefani, Stevie Wonder, Beyonce, Shakira, Akon, Brazilian Girls, and Kaiser Chiefs, to name a few. "Meet MSN Music" will run on MSN.com, MSN Hotmail, MSN Messenger, Ticketmaster.com, AllMusic.com, MP3.com, Vibe.com, SonyMusic, USA, LiveDaily.com, About.com Entertainment, MediaSpan Network, NetRadio Network, CNET Networks, Friendster.com, and MySpace.com. Billboards and wild-postings, such as subway placements, Transit Shelters, and Phone Kiosks, will run in New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Chicago. Radio spots will run on satellite and cable radio, along with broadcast radio in major markets. Newspaper buys were placed in New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Chicago and print ads debuted in the June issue of Rolling Stone.Avenue A / Razorfish created the campaign.

This campaign reminds me of those amusing Degree ads featuring "Mama's Boy" and "The Suck-Up" that debuted during the Super Bowl. Maxim magazine has launched a viral campaign about Mantropy, a disease affecting men who stop acting like men. The Maxim Ranger strives to show man how to protect his precious sense of manhood in these confusing times. His mission is to prevent men in their prime from falling prey to Mantropy. In each cartoon a man is rescued from horrible man compromises such as scooters, fauxhawks, and inline skates. "Nowhere Fast," "Threatened Hairitage" and "Walk Like a Man, encourage men to be men, and include an effort to petition the Department Of The Interior to place man on its endangered species list. Crispin Porter + Bogusky created the campaign.

Deep Focus has launched an online campaign to promote the second season of HBO's series, "Entourage," premiering June 5. The campaign uses character-driven creative to remind audiences of the unique cast that made the first season a successful one. Ads featuring the series' TV spots in large-format video also appear on sites catering to its target demographics. The campaign launched last week and will run until Sunday. The ads also link to an Entourage Rooftop Golf Game on HBO.com where audiences can drive golf balls off an LA rooftop. HBO offered little details on the media plan, but I've seen the ads running on gaming sites such as IGN.com and UGO.com.

Nike got personal with Times Square visitors when it placed a large billboard encouraging consumers to design their own sneakers. Mountain Dew is also forging a connection between brand and consumers in this same over-populated area. Mountain Dew launched billboards at 45th and Broadway, above Planet Hollywood. The best part? The billboards enable passersby to have their photo taken as if they were in the billboard! The ads are an attempt to create content that people will "seek out." With this campaign, the brand is banking that people will want to have their picture taken as if they are appearing in the billboard. BBDO created the campaign.

OSH (Orchard Supply Hardware), a brand of 82 home improvement stores throughout California, continues to profile its knowledgeable and friendly staff against the competition in its latest integrated ad campaign, "STEP 1: OSH". Three humorous TV spots follow typical do-it-your-selfers. In "Help," people in the middle of a challenging project raise their hands for answers. In "Question Marks," a woman's tiny question mark located on her shoulder grows enormous as she gets lost in the impersonal aisles of a competitor. "Unfinished Projects" shows a family in the midst of a home improvement nightmare. Television spots will run throughout California. Three radio spots will play on stations from Country to Classic Rock and News. Guerrilla marketing efforts are also expected throughout California in late summer. Ogilvy Chicago created the campaign.

The GMC division of General Motors launched its largest Spanish language campaign entitled "Real Everyday Pros," that showcases real heroes in the community. The ads compare qualities of the heroes and the line of GMC vehicles. The campaign taps into important cultural insights and encourages consumers to take a look at GMC. "Real Everyday Pros" will feature six national and regional spots and run from June through the end of the year. The first spot of the campaign highlights the Envoy XL Denali, followed by a national Sierra Denali spot and various regional radio, print and outdoor ads. The campaign was created by Accentmarketing.

Downtown Partners, Toronto has launched a 60-second TV spot called "Alphabet" for Gatorade's new beverage line, X-Factor. The ad takes viewers on a journey through the alphabet, as it naturally occurs in sports (such as the letter "A" on a jersey or the letter "B" formed via hockey net). The tagline is: "The X-Factor. Is it in you?" X-Factor combines traditional Gatorade flavors with fruit flavors.

In Web site launches this week:

Ripple Effects Interactive has launched a Web site for the United Way that helps parents and caregivers discover how to improve their children's learning capabilities in fun and easy ways. Bornlearning.org is a destination for parents in search of ideas on how to turn everyday moments into times when they can stimulate learning by their young children. For example, the site offers laundry time as an ideal opportunity to teach infants and toddlers about colors. The Web site, also offered in Spanish, categorizes its tips in three primary categories of opportunities - Home, which includes laundry, mealtime and bedtime; Traveling, which includes in the car, on public transit and on a walk; and Public Places, which includes at the market, park and library.

Hearst Custom Publishing has launched its own Web site. The site was designed to educate brand marketers about the benefits of custom publishing. Since its inception seven years ago, information about HCP had been limited to the Hearst Corporate site and consisted of a brief description and contact information. The new site lists circulation, marketing and editorial information that was previously unavailable online.