• by Tameka Kee , October 30, 2007

SAB Miller's Miller Brewing has unveiled Sparks.com, the newly redesigned site for its Sparks caffeinated alcohol beverage.

The Milwaukee-based brewer acquired the Sparks brand in 2006 and sought to reestablish it--choosing Digitas as its digital agency of record this February, launching a national print campaign over the summer, and tapping the creative shop's Chicago branch to develop the Web site.

Digitas Chicago designed the site with the drag-and-go technology that users have become accustomed to with online maps. Sparks.com offers users product information, video snippets, beverage recipes, and coupons, as well as info on Sparks-sponsored music and nightclub events--but there's no predetermined navigation pattern.

According to Leyla Touma Daley, creative director, Digitas Chicago, the site was built to mimic the freewheeling, often unscripted nightlife activities of Sparks' young, male target audience. "It's more about entertainment than delivering really rich, deep product content--about establishing the brand in a fun, engaging voice that spoke to the target."

Although both Sparks and Digitas will likely gauge the site's success using factors like time spent, the effort is tied more to an overall branding strategy than any direct response metrics.

"This is a brand that found its voice and its vibe on places like YouTube and Flickr without the push marketing mindset being in play," said David R. Mitchell, executive creative director, Digitas Chicago. "A lot of brands talk about ceding control to the consumers--but Sparks is one that really wanted to harness the authentic voice of the customer. And the site is a reflection of that."

Mitchell added that Digitas Chicago will conduct engagement analysis--aiming for an ideal experience that draws users in for 3-4 minutes, and gets them to email their friends.

The agency will also maintain the site to accommodate ongoing event information and seeding new "bits and pieces like video clips and mystery links that are constantly getting updated," said Daley.

Digitas has strategically placed ad units on other sites to draw in the target audience, and has branched into offline efforts that include OOH and guerrilla marketing tactics. "We're doing some tests to see what happens when you stimulate the local marketplace," said Mitchell.