sharing | Good vs Better

Pharell William’s music video took a creative spin on social media syndication, extended cuts, and a campaign by establishing 24hoursofhappy.com. The initial short video is complimented by a interactive microsite that has 24 hours of the music video with multiple actors, moments, and events. A guest cameo by the minions of despicable me are also a nice touch.

What I like about this campaign is that it takes the extended cut idea a bit further. 24 hours of content is probably standard for a music video shoot, but putting it into a day of “happy” seems to fit here. The idea of a clock, and interactive experience makes being happy anytime, or the vicarious exploration of other peoples happy a valid secondary source of entertainment.

The most innovative part from my perspective though, is that ability to share moments of the footage. Few artists or companies have successfully managed to get users to share or comment on temporal pieces of art. Not only will these social moments help drive traffic to the website, thus possibly increase sales, but also allows people to become part of the campaign – the music video becomes active rather then a passive experience.

I could insert a few happy puns in here. Overall, I think this was a great multi- tierred campaign with some fantastic interactive components. I think more brands should think about multiple touch points in advertising and marketing to hit this level of engagement.

Documenting your “raids” in WOW or other games has been a standard practice in the gamer community for a while. For the record, I am not a gamer. Playstation’s most recent ads have been highlighting their new “share” functionality for gameplay which is a big feature for the platform.

This is clear example of where Marketers need to go in the future. Watch and listen to what your users and brand ambassadors are doing, and then make it easier for them to do what they enjoy doing. Sony delivered and then some.

Social gaming has always been big in the game experience, but making it easier to document and share gameplay will change how gamers can easily share and connect about moments that matter to them. Thus making them happier engaged members of the community, and maybe even changing the way people play games. This could have a big impact on learning how to beat levels, develop your skills, or challenge people from across the globe. Documentation has always been a form of measurement, which can only lead to other insights.

What other industries could benefit from allowing their customers to document and give real time feedback about their experiences with their product. Everyone is already doing this to an extent with social media monitoring, and whatnot, but can brands make it easier to work with their community? Yes.

If you give your fans what they want, they will not only be happier, but they may help you evolve as a brand.