The Realm
Issue 11 | July 2009
Agency
Ogilvy West, Culver City, California
Creative Team
Chief Creative Officer: Dan Burrier, Group Creative Director: Peter Kang, Creative Director: Johann Conforme, UE Director/Art Director: Henry Kuo, Copywriter: Meghann Moran, Art Director: Stephanie Arculli, Art Director: Damian Fulton, Illustrator: Mike Mayhew
Production Team
Director of Broadcast Production: Julie Salik, Agency Producer: Daniel Marin, Project Manager: Mikette Miller, Director of Art Buying: Kristine Wilson, Colorist: Andy Troy, Photographer: Tim Tadder, Animation: Duck Studios, Music: The Lodge, Sound mix: Margarita Mix, Santa Monica, Digital Production: Your Majesty, Creative Director at Your Majesty: Jens Karlsson
Other Credits
Marketing Technology Director: Helen Jen
Date
March 2009
Background
There are any number of dangers to companies and to their computer systems out there on the internet. Ciso wanted to warn businesses about these and promote their own suite of security products.
Idea
Research uncovered the fact that IT security professionals have an affinity with comic books and the action heroes they depict.
The agency created a digital world powered by Cisco’s Human Network and brought to life in comic-book style by Marvel Comics graphic artist Mike Mahew.
In true graphic novel fashion, The Realm is frequently under attack from digital bad-guys, botnets and pirates, and is defended by its very own superheroes, Jux, the Wall, Trace and Vixa, each of whom represents a Cisco product.
The campaign lives on cisco.com/go/realm where the webisodes are being released on a fortnightly basis.
The first featured Trace fighting the Botnets, software robots that can harm computers.
The second features the Wall who can keep spam at bay.
Results
The campaign is still in the early days of roll-out.
Our Thoughts
Like so much direct marketing, the creative work here seems to have taken its cue from the tight definition of the target audience – who they are and what they do. Once security tecchies were discovered to be avid Marvel Comics fans, the idea must have been inescapable. For authenticity, it was important that Mike Mayhew of Marvel made the master drawings, rather than some wrist in the studio downstairs.