• by Laurie Sullivan  @lauriesullivan, August 3, 2007

Tyson Foods Inc. has launched an interactive Web site designed to promote the company's new "100% All Natural Fresh Chicken Raised Without Antibiotics."

The online video tool helps to promote the shift. It lets people create and send personalized messages to friends by synchronizing audio and pre-recorded videos featuring improvisational actors. It also incorporates information about the consumer goods company's new line of fresh chicken. Tyson calls the marketing tool "Improv-o-Gram."

The personal online video message is part of Tyson's $70 million "Thank You" advertising and marketing campaign, which sends the message: Tyson products can help make any cook in the home a hero at mealtime. The marketing campaign also includes TV and radio advertising, plus consumer promotions to drive new and repeat purchases.

The campaign's "Tyson Trimmed and Ready Chicken" TV ad began in June, and the "Raised Without Antibiotics" TV spot in early July--just in time for Tyson to report last week it had earned $111 million, or 31 cents per share, for the quarter ended June 30. Sales reached nearly $7 billion, beating Wall Street's target of $6.7 billion.

Forrester Research Analyst Brian Haven says that as consumers engage deeply with online content, particularly video, marketers need to think more creatively about how they communicate with consumers. Successful marketers will think more like content creators--and will become content creators. Creating video content, as opposed to advertisements explicitly pushing products, keeps consumers engaged.

Haven expects to see marketers count more on grassroots ad agencies to create campaigns with punch. He foresees consumers choosing ads they want to view, content providers and advertisers reversing roles, and advertisers creating portals based on brand-related themes.

The Iona Group, an interactive ad agency, worked with Tyson for the past six months, conceiving and developing the concept. Iona Creative Director Jim Ferolo says the project uses technology from Oddcast, a software company that creates online ad campaigns built with avatars.

Pre-recorded videos--more than 100, along with audio the user generates--bring life to dozens of characters, making it possible to create hundreds of unique messages. Dressed in costumes, characters such as school principal, gorilla, cheerleader, with attitude--happy, sarcastic or silly--based on user choice, follow pre-recorded skits.

Improv-o-Gram relies on flash video technology. To enhance the experience, users record their voice by phone, microphone, or choose to type a text-to-speech message, which then syncs with the creative video characters in the vignettes.

When complete, the creator can send the message to friends and family. "This is the first time such a Web site combines video, personalized audio messages and the ability to send to as many friends as you like," says Gary Mickelson, Tyson spokesman.

Although the application won't allow creators to post video tags to blogs, Web sites or social networking sites, one can download a button to post on the site that directs visitors to the video. The site link remains active for the duration of the campaign license agreement, which in Tyson's case is 12 months, according to those close to the deal.

Oddcast also works with Pepsi-Cola, Tribal DDB, British Petroleum, Suave, GMC, and most recently Conde Nast's Style.com, which launched CandyCast--which features style and fashion updates from fashion director Candy Pratts Price.