“Takes me basically 15 seconds [to come up with a game plan]. I know everything I need to know.”

-Roger Federer, who competes without a coach, on scouting opponents.

Roger Meets Raphael

Roger Federer’s 2008 Wimbledon Championship loss to Raphael Nadal may inspire the tennis legend to consider his long-standing aversion to hiring a coach. And yet…

Cato meets Roger

In the above Nike spot, Roger harbors a secret “attack” coach, played by New Zealand comedian Rhys Darby (Flight of the Conchords). The ad draws inspiration from Cato vs. Clouseau surprise attack scenes in Pink Panther films.

While Darby plays an offbeat, albeit moderately skillful Cato, Federer simply plays himself - a coolly amused international superstar, content to indulge his odd, yet welcome house guest.

All in all, a real sweet spot.

“If this isn’t a true definition of community,
I don’t know what is.”

-Bobbie Davis, Family Friend

The Scenario

Nineteen year old Michael Treinen is in the fight of his life. Suffering a relapse of Acute Myeloid Leukemia, he needs a $500,000 bone marrow transplant, but his $1M lifetime insurance limit has been exhausted.

With only a few days to raise money to cover the costs, the Treinan family turned to email, asking friends and family to donate $20 within three days and forward the email to 20 friends. By day 2, several people at Brainstorm had received the plea from the nearby community; some from up to 4 different sources.

More than Enough

The message quickly spread beyond the immediate community and donations came in from across the country. By day 3 the family had raised $175,000. By 3pm day 4, $355,000. By 7pm that day, over $400,000. And by day 5, the deadline, they had raised over $700,000. Today, a week later, the count is $856,000.

The media’s coverage of the grassroots campaign resulted in a state insurance program approving an expedited high-risk insurance policy that would cover 60 percent of the transplant cost.

More than Money

Social networking delivered something else, too. At last count Michael Treinen’s Caring Bridge blog showed 169,670 visits and 3,677 people had left messages via the guestbook. What better encouragement to lift Michael’s spirits?

More than Email

Success in social networking is inspired, launched and sustained by the trusted connections between people. The Treinen’s email pleas were sent from friend to friend; had they been sent from strangers or generated by faceless scripts, the Michael Treinen story wouldn’t have happened.

Whether you make widgets or offer something more philanthropic, social networking demands transparency and an ongoing investment in others. Then, when the time calls for it, your friends—and even people you don’t know—may respond when called upon.

Anticipate More

Under the circumstances, the Treinens couldn’t have dreamed of, much less considered what to do should they exceed their expectations. It’s being placed in a trust fund to cover Michael’s future medical needs and they’ve said any overage will be donated to charity.

The lesson being, be prepared and model outcomes to scale in proportion to the potential explosive power of online social campaigns.

[ Image: Kazze ]

White Castle’s conversation-inspiring promotion.

Dining on Slyders®
by candlelight

What’s Wrong with this Picture?

This street sign isn’t advertising a 4-star restaurant, it’s a 24-hour White Castle that serves miniature hamburgers called Slyders®. A regional player, they consistently rank among the Top 100 U.S. foodservice companies, serving over 500 million burgers a year.

White Castle is running a serious business, but not too serious.

Love is in the Ambiance

A kitsch castle motif and hamburger joint ambiance doesn’t register as a romantic destination for most couples. Nor does dining on steamy Slyders® in a stainless-steel and plastic-laminate setting on candlelit, linen-draped tables. Which is exactly why White Castle’s charming Valentine’s Day promotion works.

Not your typical White Castle experience: waiters, flowers, candlelight and tablecloths.

Embrace Yourself

From a strategic marketing standpoint, White Castle understands and embraces their market space and brand persona—and are willing to leverage it by poking fun at themselves. This promotion transcends a one-way communication, inviting consumers to interact with the brand—sharing a little levity with others at White Castle’s expense.

Instigating Viral-ability

The promotion’s self-effacing humor became an opportunity for consumer-generated online viral buzz. The Brainstorm employee who took the picture emailed it to 3 people; two within Brainstorm and one in Oregon. Several weeks later she received the image back in an email from a former co-worker, unrelated in any tangible way to the original recipients with the subject ‘Valentine’s Day dinner plans?’ Who knows how far it traveled or how many people saw it?

Share the Love

Socially shared experiences both on and offline begin with transparency, relevance, and often wit. Inspiring people to talk positively about your brand requires involvement and reaching out to engage.

[Restaurant interior photo: Girlieleep]

Community Health Network wins an International Academy of Visual Arts (IAVA) silver award for a grand opening website promoting their new North campus facilities.

Congratulations

Brainstorm doesn’t usually enter design competitions, but sometimes our customers do. Congratulations to Community Health Network for their 2007 Silver W³ Award from the International Academy of Visual Arts (IAVA) for the Community North Grand Opening website, designed and produced by Brainstorm.

Community Health Network joined CNN Money, Abercrombie and Fitch, Big Spaceship, Communication Arts, Discovery.com, Disney, and NASA, among others, in the winner’s circle this year.

About the W³ Awards

The W³ Awards honor outstanding creative sites, advertising, and video developed for the web.

The W³ is sanctioned and judged by the International Academy of the Visual Arts. Sponsors and partners include The Creative Group, the world’s leading creative professional staffing company, and ADWEEK Magazine.

About The International Academy of the Visual Arts (IAVA)

The IAVA is an invitation-only body of top-tier professionals from acclaimed media, interactive, advertising, and marketing firms such as Alloy, Brandweek, Coach, Disney, The Ellen Degeneres Show, Estee Lauder, Fry Hammond Barr, HBO, Monster.com, MTV, Polo Ralph Lauren, Sotheby’s Institute of Art, Victoria’s Secret, Wired, and Yahoo!.

For more information, and a full member roster, visit www.iavisarts.org.

See the award-winning Community North site. As hospital’s go, it’s a winner.

Meet the target audience of the GendeX™ Mutual Fund from Thrasher Funds

GendeX™ Not your father’s mutual fund.

A Changing Financial Market

The GendeX™ Mutual Fund (Ticker: GENDX) from Thrasher Funds targets the estimated 60 million people born between the mid 1960s and mid 1990s—a demographic largely ignored by the financial community according to Thrasher.

In the Pink: Access and Appeal

The Thrasher Funds brand identity breaks from traditional financial motifs by dipping their logo—a staid engraved “T”—in shocking pink (right), and reflecting their target customer in imagery (above). The Thrasher GendeX products bring real value to this unique investment brand. A $100 beginning balance and minimum monthly contribution of $50 makes an automatic investment plan feasible for young professionals. GendeX holdings also feature companies relevant to their target market such as Apple, Adidas, Coca-Cola, Lulu Lemon and Nike.

Thrasher Funds shocking pink logo

As markets and demographics change are you reflecting that change in both form and function across all brand touchpoints? Engage your customers in ongoing dialog to discern their short and long-term needs and desires.