Kraft Foods, which introduced the Tassimo hot beverage machine to the U.S. in 2005, is promoting it with a series of humorous webisodes from Ogilvy & Mather/New York and Jimco/bicoastal that focus on an inept employee who has a thing for Tassimo.
“I’m trying to improve the quality of our office life,” Bob says, after yanking the company’s coffee machine from the wall, in an attempt to replace it with the Tassimo.
Bob’s Big Break, which debuted Feb. 15, is the first of two six-minute webisodes playing at Whohiredbob.com that present “an annoying but lovable character who’s focused on everything but work,” said Joseph Frydl, director of Ogilvy’s branded content and entertainment group and the executive producer of the webisodes. “The comedy unfolds as he displays his weird idiosyncrasies and love for the machine within a normal office environment.”
Jim Biederman, a successful television producer who owns Jimco, an independent production company, co-wrote, produced and directed the webisodes, which were shot in Ogilvy’s offices in New York. “The challenge was to promote the product, without it being a straight on commercial,” he said.
He said he worked closely with Kraft to get the scripts approved. The shooting took place in December, with Doug Moe, a New York actor with comedy and theater credits, playing Bob.
The webisodes were shot with a Panasonic HVX100 digital camera, “because we wanted the best possible look and resolution,” Biederman said. “In addition, we weren’t sure what kind of limitations we would have delivering for online over numerous websites and we felt the camera would deliver us a quality that would work.”
Viewers select one of two alternate endings to play for the webisodes, which is an important marketing strategy. “We had to make it more than a passive viewing experience, so we added another layer of engagement,” Frydl said.
Viewers are also asked to provide their e-mail addresses when they submit their own story which may be used in a future episode. “Asking for e-mail addresses is not an easy thing to do, so we wanted to provide original, entertaining content, which can be a valuable form of exchange. If I entertain you, it gives me permission to market to you,” he said.
The webisodes are the sole advertising being used for Tassimo now, although at one point in the webisode Bob recites some typical ad copy. “When it’s treated in that ham fisted way, it’s funny,” Frydl said. “Apart from that, there’s no current plans for traditional advertising.”
The webisodes “work well for the brand, because it has an upscale, educated target audience,” Frydl said. “The smart humor is not overly slapsticky, so it goes to the upper income target.”
The webisodes are playing exclusively at Whohiredbob.com. Short teasers that drive viewers to the site are playing at YouTube and other sites bought on a media buy at the Google AdSense network, Frydl said.
Netflix Series “The Leopard” Spots Classic Italian Novel, Remakes It As A Sumptuous Period Drama
"The Leopard," a new Netflix series, takes the classic Italian novel by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa and transforms it into a sumptuous period piece showing the struggles of the aristocracy in 19th-century Sicily, during tumultuous social upheavals as their way of life is crumbling around them.
Tom Shankland, who directs four of the eight episodes, had the courage to attempt his own version of what is one of the most popular films in Italian history. The 1963 movie "The Leopard," directed by Luchino Visconti, starring Burt Lancaster, Alain Delon and Claudia Cardinale, won the Palme d'Or in Cannes.
One Italian critic said that it would be the equivalent of a director in the United States taking "Gone with the Wind" and turning it into a series, but Shankland wasn't the least bit intimidated.
He said that he didn't think of anything other than his own passion for the project, which grew out of his love of the book. His father was a university professor of Italian literature in England, and as a child, he loved the book and traveling to Sicily with his family.
The book tells the story of Don Fabrizio Corbera, the Prince of Salina, a tall, handsome, wealthy aristocrat who owns palaces and land across Sicily.
His comfortable world is shaken with the invasion of Sicily in 1860 by Giuseppe Garibaldi, who was to overthrow the Bourbon king in Naples and bring about the Unification of Italy.
The prince's family leads an opulent life in their magnificent palaces with servants and peasants kowtowing to their every need. They spend their time at opulent banquets and lavish balls with their fellow aristocrats.
Shankland has made the series into a visual feast with tables heaped with food, elaborate gardens and sensuous costumes.... Read More