Elvis Alive In Argentina
Wunderman Buenos Aires
Issue 6 | July 2008
Agency
Wunderman Buenos Aires
Creative Team
Juan Pablo Manazza - General Creative Director;Fernando Rossini - Creative Director;Santiago Alvarez - Creative Director;Rodrigo Remón - Creative Director;Ariel Di Nardo - Art Director;Carlos Delía – Copywriter;Darío Laufer - Copywriter
Production Team
Daniel Gatto
Date
October 2007
Background
Wunderman Buenos Aires wanted to describe their work and show to clients and prospects the interaction between the different areas of the company.
Idea
The agency hit upon the idea of taking advantage of the 30th anniversary of Elvis ‘The King’ Presley’s death. They decided to take two urban legends - 1) Elvis travelled to Argentina the night of his ‘supposed death’, 2) Mabel, his childhood teddy bear, vanished last year from an exhibition in London – and create a myth of their own. A video about an Elvis spotting in Buenos Aires was created (performed entirely by Wunderman staff from all departments) and uploaded to YouTube. At the same time, a website for a fake book investigating ‘The King’ and a blog of a ‘fan’ desperately looking for Elvis were created and seeded through guerrilla actions.
In a short space of time thousands of people in Argentina and around the world had watched the video in different media and visited the website and blog. In particular the ‘news’ of Elvis living in Buenos Aires had an impact on diverse TV channels, radios, newspapers and magazines worldwide (over 250 portals). Once the story had travelled around Argentina (and the world), clients and prospects selected from the agency’s database received an email with links to follow the story and information as to how they worked to achieve it. The email was headlined: ‘We did it with a myth. We can do it with your brand’.
Results
As well as increasing awareness with their clients, the campaign allowed the agency to contact seven prospects, with three now working with them. The cost for the exercise was just $137 (paper, printing and a DV cassette).
Target Audience
Agency clients and prospects
Our Thoughts
While most agencies tout for new business by sending out newsletters, reels, brochures and links to their website, these chaps have been a lot more imaginative. And, judging from the TV, press, radio and online interest they generated, you should all stop sending out newsletters, reels, brochures and links to your website forthwith. SH