Consumers may not initially equate live music, gaming and the metaverse with an insurance brand—but with its recent launch on Roblox, State Farm is looking to change all that.

“We’re in a category that not many folks wake up thinking about every day,” said Alyson Griffin, Vice President of Marketing at State Farm. “It felt like the right next steps… showing up where our potential and future customers will be in new, interesting ways—but that are authentic to how they think about us in the real world.”

That’s the idea behind its new metaverse activation iHeartLand, a music-themed interactive experience on Roblox created in partnership with iHeartMedia and Intel, featuring live, virtual concerts, gamified music composition, branded worlds from State Farm and Intel, and much more. We spoke with Griffin and iHeartMedia CMO Gayle Troberman about the value the experience is creating for the companies involved, the advantages of cross-brand promotion, the importance of collecting data and insights through testing and advice for brands who are looking to build a presence in the metaverse.

Chief Marketer: There’s a lot of talk about the metaverse at the moment, but not every brand is participating quite yet. Why is that important for your brands to get involved?

Gayle Troberman, CMO of iHeartMedia: At iHeart, we believe in democratizing access between fans and artists and brands and podcasters at scale. We’re always about testing and learning in new spaces, to go wherever the fans are, and to try to create those once-in-a-lifetime experiences and moments. As we saw how big the numbers were, particularly the metaverse gaming platforms that already have high usage and hundreds of millions of consumers engaging on a regular basis, we thought what a perfect place to create new experiences that bring music and gaming together, which is a new space for us. We believe in going everywhere fans are and figuring out what the right experiences are between the fans, the brand and the artists. And that’s exactly what we’re in the middle of with our friends at State Farm.

Alyson Griffin, Vice President of Marketing at State Farm: For State Farm, I’ll just lay it out there: We’re in a category that not many folks wake up thinking about every day. And I’m saying it with a huge smile on my face. Not only that, but we are not a global brand. We operate only in the United States. And just like for every business around the globe, the buying power of the under 40 crowd is immensely important to all brands globally. So we are trying to think of interesting, exciting, unexpected ways to show up to generate future demand. When Gayle started talking to us about this opportunity with iHeartLand in the metaverse, I jumped in really fast because we can replicate what we do naturally in the real world. We show up with stadium sponsorships, for example, naming rights and gaming. We’ve been in gaming for over a decade and we are a big sponsor of audio, with iHeart as an example. It felt like the right next steps… showing up where our potential and future customers will be in new interesting ways—but that are authentic to how they think about us in the real world.

CM: Using your mascot, Jake from State Farm, as a way to engage with players seemed like a smart choice.

AG: We were fortunate to have a little bit of learning here. Jake was the first non-playable-character in NBA2K, maybe a year and a half ago now. We did a lot of learning and testing. Will people approach him? If they do, how long will they interact with him? If they interact with him, will they spend their money on a skin, which is khakis and a red shirt? All that kind of stuff. So when we were talking to Gayle and the iHeart team about the metaverse, it was a no-brainer that we would want to put Jake in it.

And then the final act that we have is literally the words “like a good neighbor, State Farm is there,” but also the notion of what it means to be a good neighbor. Jake’s able to represent that good neighbor spirit in the game.

CM: There are some synergies between your brands. Can you talk about the value of cross-brand promotion here?

AG: For State Farm, we were already good partners with iHeart. And what I mean by that is a partner who understands our culture, understands what matters to us, has worked with us and activated for a long period of time and knew what our brand safety guidelines were. That really matters to State Farm. So, right out of the gate, there was a trust with iHeart in particular. We were both jumping in, and I think I can say for both of us, this was a leap—no small amount of money here. So the synergy there, at least to start, was: At least we are doing this with someone who understands how important our brand safety and attributes are.

The other reason that iHeart was a really great choice for us was the scale. They’re reaching nine out of every 10 Americans, and the media mass network of broadcast and podcast, where we are already enjoying a lot of benefit, is something that was important to us. Again, because we are not a global brand, and to surround people in the United States with our message is difficult [when you] just have the power of one country. This reach that iHeart has was really critical to agreeing to go into it.

GT: You see a lot of brands jumping into the metaverse or opening their own parks or land, but it’s a real commitment to program new content and new experiences on an every day, every week, every month basis. The equation is great for iHeart and for the brands and for the artists who perform in the metaverse at State Farm Park and iHeartLand because we have the promotional power to go on iHeart’s broadcast radio stations, across iHeart’s podcast network and our streaming platform. And we can rally users and tell consumers every day about what’s happening in Roblox, in Fortnite, and we can pull consumers in on a regular basis. And there’s consumers who may not even go to iHeartLand in Roblox, but will know that those things are happening and they’ll hear about State Farm Park and then they’ll understand the brand is about innovation and engaging consumers in new and fun ways where music and gaming collide.

CM: Music and sound branding are key features of the activation. Do you see audio playing a pivotal role in the development of metaverse activations moving forward?

AG: Yes, audio will be part of the metaverse. And music. My guess is that it’ll be fully immersive. One of the interesting things is that we have stadium rights in the real world. And if Charlie Puth was playing a stadium, maybe he would do multiple days or he would have to go on a world tour to hit the number of people who attended the State Farm Park iHeartLand concert that he just did in one go. That notion of democratizing access to these famous artists is really appealing to us. And I think that the metaverse provides that opportunity. I don’t have to get on a plane. I don’t have to pay for this huge ticket. I don’t have to wait until the summer—whatever it is. I can just attend in the metaverse.

GT: If you’re Charlie Puth or Lauv, which are the two concerts we’ve done to date, as an artist it’s an amazing experience, too. Charlie got to perform once, and that concert was probably the equivalent of doing 50 to a hundred sold out shows in Madison Square Garden. So all of a sudden he’s got so many of his fans, as Alyson said, who can access a new experience. Now, how concerts evolve and what exactly is the interaction and the interplay between the music and the gaming experience, that’s one of the big new questions that we’re all just learning about. But the music community is equally interested in figuring out the right interaction between a performance and their music and the games and the experience. It’s a whole new way to see a concert and not just be sitting in a seat.

AG: This is just pondering the future of the metaverse, but it occurs to me that it could potentially be the present-day radio or television, where it’s a gathering place for the family as well, depending on what is happening in the metaverse. Most people think it’s the kids and they’re putting on a headset and stealing themselves away. And maybe some of that is true, but with these kinds of experiences evolving, I think families can participate together and talk and discuss—the way the radio and the television changed family dynamics when they were each introduced.

Stay tuned for part 2 of our conversation with iHeartMedia and State Farm, to come later this week on Chiefmarketer.com.

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The network’s marketing team strove to create an experience with elements that were new and exciting as opposed to “less than” what an in-person experience would entail. It began with a microsite dubbed FX Unlocked, which included a CGI landscape of the San Diego harbor. Visitors to the site could interact with a 3D FX installation and experience sound effects simulating seagulls and wind.

Each show FX was promoting had its own landing page as well. The “American Horror Story” section allowed fans to navigate through scenes and test their knowledge. The network’s series “Dave” included an exclusive Q&A, and “What We Do in the Shadows” offered up a single-player interactive game with an opportunity to win a deck of cards for earning top scores.

For more details on FX’s creative digital activation for Comic-Con fans at home, read more in Event Marketer.

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“Reynolds appeared to have found a pirated pre-release copy of Pokémon Detective Pikachu — and then made the ill-advised move to share it with his 13 million-plus fans on Twitter,” Variety reported, then added “Of course, not really.”

Um…. Attn @DetPikachuMovie @warnerbros https://t.co/UF7qYtKOYV

— Ryan Reynolds (@VancityReynolds) May 7, 2019

The tweet, purportedly to alert Warner Bros/Legendary, suggested that Reynolds had somehow discovered a pirated, pre-released copy of Pokémon Detective Pikachu. Posted on YouTube, the opening minutes of the video, at first, appear like the real deal, but then the next 102 minutes show just shaking his groove thing.

Yes ladies and gentlemen, we were all adorably rickrolled by Ryan Reynolds. More than 4 million views came in during the first 14 hours after the film was posted. The tweet got 29,000+ retweets and close to 105,000 likes from the actors 13.6 million followers.

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“For Hollywood studios, seeding such bogus copies of their films is an occasional anti-piracy tactic — designed to draw search-engine traffic away from other pirate sites and/or to frustrate would-be freeloaders,” Variety reported.

This hasn’t been Reynolds only stunt to help generate interest for the film. In February, he posted a hilarious spoof on how he was able to land the voice of a Pokémon. In the video he claims: “You know, I lived it. I breathed it. I became the character. I spent the entire year as Detective Pikachu. I read about him. I live at his height. I tried to lose 182 pounds to match his weight until doctors intervened.”

Pokémon is one of the most popular game franchises ever that includes video games, an ongoing anime series, 22 animated features, mobile games, trading cards, toys and more. Pokémon Detective Pikachu is already projected to have a $160 million global launch this weekend, pika-pikaing all over the competition, including the upcoming Sonic the Hedgehog flick, whose first trailer last week caused wide panic among fans of the video game character. (Seriously, who thought anyone wanted to see Sonic with human teeth?)

Of course, Detective Pikachu isn’t the first character Reynolds has embodied in an all-out marketing campaign. For both Deadpool and Deadpool 2, he suited up as the Merc With a Mouth in every channel possible, doing everything from dancing with Celine Dion to taking over Stephen Colbert’s monologue.

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An ambitious activation across Austin warned SXSW attendees of the oncoming apocalypse, which coincidentally just happens to tie in to the upcoming series Good Omens.

Over 10,000 festival attendees visited the Garden of Earthly Delights promoting the six episode Amazon Prime limited series, which will debut on May 31.

SXSW was a good fit as a launch pad for the show because it represents both “an oasis on earth and an ominous dwelling,” says Dan Mannix, CEO of CSM North America and founder of LeadDog Marketing Group, who worked with Amazon to create the activation.

The 1990 novel by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman on which the series is based—Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch—is a beloved cult classic. The activation aimed to connect with not the book’s intense fanbase but festival-goers in search of the next big thing.

“We always strive to create marketing and promotional activities that are authentic and genuine to the IP of the series,” says Mike Benson, head of marketing for Amazon Studios. “We realize that Neil Gaiman and the book have a rabid following and it’s critical that we find ways to engage in a way that will provide the best possible experience that’s true to the story, its characters and the tone/style that the fans have come to know and love.”

Set on the brink of the apocalypse, Good Omens tells the story of a fussy angel, Aziraphale (played by Michael Sheen), and a loose-living demon, Crowley (played by David Tennant). The unlikely duo are frenemies who have grown quite fond of their lives on Earth and have formed an alliance to stop the world from ending.

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Gaiman—the author behind bestsellers such as Coraline and American Gods—worked with the team to help design activities for the SXSW activation, which ran March 9-11. This resulted in attractions that seems pulled from the pages of the book, such as a “Hellhound Puppy Pen,” where visitors could play with and even adopt a dog; a recreation of A.Z. Fell & Co., the bookstore from the story; and a replica of Crowley’s 1926 Bentley.

“Our goal with space is to create a comfortable, Instagram-worthy space that allows fans and new audiences to experience the world of Good Omens,” says Benson, noting the positioning was to create a space that could be an oasis from the business of the festival, and the looming (and we hope fictional) apocalypse of the series.

While there have already been a few Good Omens-related events, such as appearances at last fall’s New York Comic Con, the SXSW activation was designed to “mark the beginning of the end of the world,” says Benson. Street teams roamed Austin garbed as a variety of characters, such as the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, angels and demons, who warned passersby of the oncoming doom.

Fans who visited the activation were treated to swag such as pins, umbrellas, journals and totes, and some lucky attendees even found signed books hidden in the garden. At the center of the garden was a 20-foot tree fitted with taps offering free wine and beer for all. Attendees were tempted to pick apples from the tree to receive a unique prophecy from the show and possibly win a prize. Also in the garden, guests could treat themselves to a bit of pampering with a manicure or a hairstyle touch-up.

Programming at the event included a Q&A with Gaiman, a panel featuring cast members such as Tennant, Sheen and Jon Hamm, and a performance by a Queen cover band, to celebrate the music of Crowley’s love of Freddie Mercury. The garden was also the site of two invite-only parties with Entertainment Weekly and Buzzfeed.

The post Good Omens and Amazon Bring the Apocalypse to SXSW appeared first on Chief Marketer.

The video, “Barcardi: The Zombie” is Bacardi’s way of sharing some fun cocktail recipes for Halloween, while at the same time promoting two of its brands—Bacardi Superior and Bacardi Black, both ingredients in the cocktail. The film is reminiscent of old school horror flicks and draws  inspiration from classics like The Shining, The Ring, Saw and Psycho.

The film transports viewers into a first-person POV of someone inserting a mysterious videotape (aptly marked with the brand’s bat logo) into a 1950’s era TV. Horror-inspired props and camera techniques raise the tension as the character in the film suddenly appears in the living room. A “very delicious, very haunted” Halloween cocktail waits on the other side for viewers who dare to watch the full video, the brand says.

“The Zombie” is not designed as a big campaign, simply entertainment, says Bacardi’s Director of Creative Excellence Laila Mignoni.

“Halloween is the second biggest night out in U.S. after New Year’s Eve and we wanted to do something different just to have fun,” she says. “Launching the campaign in September is a way to keep pace with consumers beginning searches for drinks and food items to celebrate Halloween.”

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“Zombie,” created by BBDO NY, appears on YouTube and has received more than 1,300 views so far. The film is being promoted through programmatic ads, as well as socially with the hashtags #BacardiZombie and #DoWhatMovesYou. “Do What Moves You” was the brand’s music-and-dance-centric summer campaign, with video shot from the waist down. Sixty-second spots were set to a track by DJ group Major Lazer and show a group of dancers making their way through a Caribbean street carrying bottles of Bacardi.

To accompany the social activation, Bacardi plans to “surprise and delight” its fans and followers on social media with a special edition VHS (inspired by the VHS in the film). Starting in October, those who engage via comments with the Zombie Cocktail video could be selected to receive the special edition VHS with a 10-minute, 31-second extended version of the creative. When watching all the way through, viewers will be surprised with hidden messages and other fun.

“We want to sell rum, but also make that emotional connection, to always be relevant with our audience, to innovate and be creative and to embrace technology,” Mignoni says.

The post Bacardi Halloween Recipe Video is Truly a Fright appeared first on Chief Marketer.

Take superhero movies, for example. “Guardians of the Galaxy” had a handsome wisecracking hero, a smartass talking raccoon and an adorable baby tree creature, which also talks (albeit with a limited vocabulary). It pretty much markets itself. Or consider “Wonder Woman,” which had a beautiful, powerful heroine and a wave of nostalgia from people who fondly remembered the 1970’s TV show. You know immediately what the movie is about, and why you should (or perhaps shouldn’t) want to see it.

And then, there are films like “mother!”

I’ve watched the trailer, and I couldn’t tell you exactly what it is about to save my life. As Eric Kohn of IndieWire writes, the movie is “a bracing visceral experience about a married couple (Javier Bardem and Jennifer Lawrence) and the unexpected visitors who arrive at their remote country home.”

Kohn describes “mother!” as an “abstract psychological thriller,” and while that does come across in the trailer, buzz suggests that there’s much more to the film. Paramount is amping up the hype level by mailing bloody heart-shaped cakes to journalists (I’m glad I wasn’t on that press list), and director Darren Aronofsky signed off on a scavenger hunt to add to the mystique.

Beyond that, what is going to happen is a total mystery to me, and that’s exactly how the studio wants moviegoers to feel. The film’s Twitter account definitely gets the creepy feel across, but doesn’t shed a lot of light on the plot. (Unless the whole movie is about Jennifer Lawrence’s character cutting out her own heart. In that case, it is definitely on target.)

Kudos to Paramount for creating a mystique for “mother!” and clueing me in that I’m probably not the right audience for this movie. Talking raccoons are definitely more my speed.

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