• by Kelly Samardak , October 14, 2008

The Diesel XXX Party, Pier 3, Brooklyn
October 11, 2008

September was pretty ridiculous, wasn't it? It was. But I didn't expect there to be such a lull heading into October. At least that lull comforted me -- supported my hope that everyone else needed a breather after that certain week revolving around advertising that shall remain nameless until next year. With a bit of a gap in launch party/party party/lame party activity, I jumped at the chance to explore this Diesel XXX email/online/in-mag campaign that a new friend alerted me to. My experience began in line, outside the Union Square Diesel store at 8:20 a.m. on Friday, October 10.

If you get Just An Online Minute in your inbox (and you totally should, then you'll never forget to read it) then you've probably heard of eROI already -- they're at the bottom there, powering a bunch of MediaPost mailings.  Well, Chris Masagatani, Director of the NYC arm and recent (I think anything under two years is recent in NYC) transplant, and I recently became pals when he let me in on this clever  campaign he had seen. Diesel was turning 30 and they were throwing a big fat party on Saturday, October 11, 2008 with a lineup of my favorite artists and my favorite food (hotdogs) for my favorite price: free. Pick yourself up off the floor, kids -- free! The mystery came in the question, "How in the name of overpriced pantalones can I get a ticket in my grubby little hands?"

Wait for it. No, really, wait for it -- which is what I did. Other free ticket fans found their golden opportunity in Vice magazine, which explains a lot. But me, I waited in line for three-and-a-half hours after diving into Brooklyn Vegan and sifting through obvious rumors. What were the rumors? The big one was that in order to get slipped a ticket you had to buy Diesel's limited edition "Dirty Thirty" jeans for 50 bucks (you didn't). Now, I'm short... short on cash, too, and I wasn't too keen on paying 50 smackers for jeans I won't wear, but the pull of the artist lineup and being part of a worldwide "party", streamed through their micro/community site to whoever wanted it was just too strong to ignore.  I couldn't wait to see the Amsterdam crowd.

Flash-forward to the show. Diesel should have made a deal with the MTA, because the subways were in a stupid tangle of construction hairs. After a scenic tour of the underground transportation system, Chris and I hoofed it in Brooklyn back alleys to Pier 3, where the big rock 'n roll circus tent loomed, switching between all-over designs as tiny heads filtered in past the boinging stilt walkers.  No one was searched.  Nope, thousands of people with bags and deep pockets streamed in and the only barrier to entry was the ticket.  Sort of disconcerting with that amount of people in what looks like a highly flammable tissue paper tent.  Late into the night, some Mensa defector blasted the crowd directly in front of me with a fire extinguisher, choking and burning my eyes and esophagus.  Awesome.  At least the extinguishers worked.

For the first time in my life, I have to agree with some of the commenters on the Brooklyn Vegan blog... and that is, the crowd was overloaded with people who just wanted to nab a free ticket, NOT packed with actual fans of the bands. I was in a tiny bleacher section, crouching behind one girl who was dancing like her night job yielded underwear cash, and another girl who was so drunk she kicked a twosome of gals in the head more than once. When Hot Chip (one of my faves) hit the stage, circus freaks slurred "who is Hot Chip?!" while glugging a full bottle of Captain Morgan.  Mleh. Let's get to the Cliff's notes version.

Diesel tried to create a community on their special XXX site. However, the only community interaction was "I have two tickets, but I'm only 20, think I can get in?," "I have one ticket, do you need one?" and "Where do I get tickets?" followed by "Can't see stream from Japan" and "Can't see streams from any parties."

I'm a smart consumer -- very self-aware, in that I know I'm a sucker for cute and packaging, but I'm also really aware of overt marketing. The whole scheme was just one huge Diesel commercial. Which is totally fine considering you didn't have to purchase the special edition jeans, so it really was all free.

Which brings me to ad-supported media (a concert is a medium for music/message delivery). In a cheesy analogy way, the concert was like your mobile device, your community, or your favorite blog: As long as you're getting the goods for free, the ads are almost acceptable. Of course, creating an ad with impact as a side note becomes the challenge, or your target audience will react much as the concert-goers reacted to the introduction of the Diesel CEO and some other corporate characters: with apathy and impatience, wanting the suits to get a move on already.

I said Cliff's notes, didn't I? Lightshow=boo, fire breather=yay, bar line=claustrophobic boo, open bar=yay, hotdog burps contained in a huge tent=boo, funnel cakes=yay, belligerent drunk architect type thinking she was a dangling monkey=boo, snake lady=yay, reality celeb sightings (Kenny from the "Real World/Road Rules Challenges")=neutral, M.I.A getting down with her adorable breaking-news baby-filled belly=yay. My loyalty, affinity, brand recognition, and drive to purchase regarding Diesel? Unchanged. A good attempt, though, because I'm sure they roped in at least a couple thousand new consumers.

Send invitations to kelly@mediapost.com and get your party covered in Just An Online Minute!

See what you can see in the Flickr set!

If you just can't get enough one lined blather, feel free to follow me on Twitter .