Amplify is well versed in creating unique Red Bull experiences that embody the creativity, surprise and humour of the brand – we all know how they to do things differently.

Red Bull Cola, however, is a whole different prospect; we needed to communicate the natural, non-energy attributes of the product in a ‘Red Bull’ way whilst cutting through the festival clutter and generating WOM.

Back to the Roots

Looking at the key product truths (natural, strong) and the attributes of the target audience (confident,  discerning), we landed our thinking on the proposition ‘Inner Strength’  developing this into the big idea ‘Red Bull Cola: Back to the Roots’.

Telling the ‘Red Bull Cola’ story to consumers…

Amplify delivered the ‘Back to the Roots’ idea at Big Chill and Camp Bestival through an engaging and educational festival experience, The Branch and Root.

This mythical and alluring Inn, which we created as the home of Red Bull Cola, was hidden away from the main stream of the festivals (discovery - another brand trait). This provided us with a perfect setting to deliver a product story to consumers as they’d never seen before…

The ‘Branch and Root’

The ‘Branch and Root’ festival experience was a powerful, immersive event, rooted in nature in its many forms.  A range of strong impressions and experiences were created through an exhilarating combination of the unexpected, with humour, drama and multi-sensory stimulation.

At the rear of the bar, through a wooden door concealed in foliage, a mix of theatrical production, actors and musicians told consumers the natural story of Red Bull Cola.

Each of the rooms demonstrated an aspect of Strong by Nature, before reaching the climax in the Utopia Room where Red Bull Cola was revealed as the heart of the source. But only after the group was asked to play the special ‘cleansing’ song on bongos and whistles,  naturally!

As night falls, the natural energy rises…

The introduction of a varied DJ line-up and our forest band, Riot Jazz, a 9-piece brass band, gave the audience a more energetic experience of Red Bull Cola and turned the Branch and Root into a night time destination within each of the festivals.

Each performer delivered sets in keeping with the experience and ensured the bar and garden was always packed and always provided something different. One of the biggest highlights was Riot Jazz performing in the garden with people singing and dancing amongst the band, a real festival moment.

What did this deliver?

The Branch and Root was a great success with over 700 intimate consumer journeys, press reach of 1,570,000+ and nearly 7,000 cans of Red Bull Cola sampled by the public. Every person that left the experience came out with a smile, a better understanding of the product and an experience that left some speechless.

The presence also generated a number of press pieces in key titles as well as a ‘shout-out’ on Jo Whiley’s Radio 1 show.

Interesting links:

Rowntree’s Randoms
Festival Overload
The New Breed of Festival
Red Bull at Hydro Connect

It has always been a priority for The Church Of London, in both our magazines Huck and Little White Lies, to champion innovative individuals who are creating culture from the grassroots up. And when Amplify invited us to help bring their Dream Factory project to life, it made perfect sense.

These Cultural Engineers started out with nothing but a dream and their belief in that dream, and it’s inspiring to see how their visions have taken shape in a way that is constructive, self-sufficient and truly life-affirming. Take Simon Berry’s Colalife for example: an altruistic, genius-like idea that he’s used for the greater good. An example of the potential we all have to make a difference.

The Dream Factory, for us, has been all about collaboration. Amplify & TCOLondon have been able to give some well-deserved publicity to the endless work of these individuals but also to the creative community supporting them. We roped in the help of our talented TCOL collaborators; from one of the UK’s leading portrait photographers Sam Christmas to Muso Magazine editor Claire Jackson and a whole host of environmentalists, film buffs and wordsmiths along the way.

The passion and enthusiasm of everyone involved has been nothing short of extraordinary and we hope that spirit transpires as you meander through the exhibition, browse the pages of the book or absorb wisdom from one of the tailor-made workshops.

We are proud to be a part of The Dream Factory, a collective of inspirational doers. Now all you have to do is get involved and support them. We hope you enjoy.

thechurchoflondon.com

“There were a few cinemas showing arthouse, but in terms of shorts, which is where a lot of the creativity is, there was very little,” explains Francis. “This was in 2003 and short film was exploding on the Internet, but you wouldn’t have known it in Birmingham cinemas.”

Inspired by the city’s music scene, the pair borrowed a fast-fold screen and a projector, bundled them down to their local and set up Seven Inch Cinema, a film night that took “a mix-tape approach” to shorts, showing films alongside live acts, DJs and slide shows. The West Midlands had never seen anything like it. Seven Inch Cinema began popping up at gigs and in the city’s many abandoned industrial buildings, turning Birmingham into an improvised multiplex and building a loyal following of short film fans that would park themselves in front of the screen wherever it was set up.

Based out of their attic and working entirely for free, Francis and McKnight then pulled off a hugely successful festival, mixing their beloved shorts with longer features, arts events and live shows. Flatpack became an annual fixture on Birmingham’s cultural calendar, and at the end of 2008 the UK Film Council came calling, making Flatpack one of its seven key national events and delivering a chunk of money, “which has paid a lot of bills”.

Peter Buckingham, Head of Distribution and Exhibition at the UK Film Council, finds the potential outreach of the festival exciting. “As technology becomes more and more accessible, people are able to come across film in lots of different ways,” he says. “But there aren’t many film festivals that are doing [what they do]. When you put art and culture in unusual places, people encounter it and enjoy it and begin participating with it. So with Flatpack, you find there are people who might not ordinarily go and watch ‘art’ cinema coming across it and getting something out of it.”

“I am like Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde,” he says, mentioning the work of Robert Louis Stevenson, that other twisted Scot. “It tears me apart. On the one hand I’m out there as an artist intervening in people’s lives, talking to people, getting my hands dirty creating real stuff in the real world that people have a genuine relationship with. On the other hand I’m exhibiting little drawings in the National Gallery of Scotland.”

There is a masculine, visceral thread through Harman’s drawings and sculptures. Golf clubs spill from dumpsters. A quiver of knives is thrust deeply into the rusted steel of a digger’s claw. A plunger is stuffed into the face of a motorbike helmet and floats eerily in space. Raw fish explode from a plastic container.

“I root around in car boot sales, flea markets. I look in skips and tips and dig things out that are relevant to what I’m interested in. I think I’m trying to solve a problem, the problem of being an unrepressed young male and how he should or shouldn’t behave,” Harman explains.

But there’s more to the work than a surrealist’s chance meeting of a sewing machine and an umbrella on a dissecting table…

“My work is not just about giving people a shock or even about giving them pleasure. I think it’s about opening up people’s eyes and filling them with an awareness of the inherent beauty of things. It’s a beauty that you can access without the excess that is the art system, the galleries, and the hierarchies within that. It’s about making the world an art space, a global space where art can be made of anything.”

Kevin Harman is a happy, creative hooligan. And you know what? That’s all right.

Through his job, Berry saw first hand the human effects of poverty. One statistic shocked him above all others: that in the most impoverished communities, one in five children died before the age of five from preventable diseases like diarrhoea. The treatment - sachets containing little more than salt and sugar - were cheap and effective, but the shelves of health centres lay empty. Aid agencies and NGOs simply didn’t have the capacity to distribute the drugs. And so, by the dusty Zambian roadside, it dawned on him. Sachets of rehydration salts aren’t large or heavy - if only they could hitch a ride with the soft drink deliveries. Then, Berry realised, the networks that made Coke the world’s most successful beverage could be used to bring life-saving medicines to those who really needed them.

The ColaLife concept may be off the ground, but there’s still lots to do to get it into everyday use. Seeing real potential, Berry is soon to give up full-time work and divert all his energies to the project. He wants to get more people involved by recruiting a team of interns. And, this summer, he plans to head back to Africa on a fact-finding mission which will see him talking to everyone from health organisations to workers in Coke factories and distributors.

But with nods of approval from Coca-Cola’s top brass, he remains optimistic. And the real driving force is people. The phrase ‘one in five by the age of five’ underpins everything he does. They’re numbers Berry wants to see changed.

The Challenge
Leading on from social media project work that Amplify previously carried out for MTV, the brand got in touch with us again to discuss blog strategy to support the launch of new shows in 2010. A wider conversation emerged about a long-term strategy rather than a scattergun approach around each show.

As a result Amplify was challenged to deliver the tools MTV needed as a foundation to launch this long-term approach, as well as tapping into ways that the brand could further engage audiences through other social media channels and looking into the effectiveness of MTV’s competitors in the digital world.

Amplify’s approach
Amplify understands the value of social media, it’s influence and reach. Through experience we also know the best way to start a dialogue with a blogger and how to nurture the relationship, ensuring a value exchange for both brand and blog.

Building on contacts we’ve made across campaigns, insights we’ve acquired through experience and tapping into our cultural community of creatives who engage with blogs daily, we created a bespoke set of 16 blog lists for MTV across their core audiences. Including TV, film, fashion and various music genres.

More than simply handing MTV a set of lists, Amplify researched each blog thoroughly looking at those that would have the most value to MTV as well as those they’d genuinely be able to build relationships with. Each blog was approached to ensure the most up to date information, including contact details and desired content, was given to MTV as well as supporting commentary about the blog and relevance to MTV.

Armed with the lists, Amplify hosted a workshop for the MTV team to ensure they had the tools they needed for a successful blog approach. At the workshop Amplify shared our insights, expertise and advise with MTV.

This included an introduction and insight into the blogosphere, understanding the value of blog search tools, how to approach a blogger and keep the conversation going, MTV’s relevance on a blog and providing content that adds value. We also seeding took a wider look into across message boards and forums, how to use social network profiles, tracking and evaluating coverage and ways to discover new blogs.

Results
As a result MTV have successfully established their blogger outreach program and currently managing a number of campaigns internally.

The Challenge
Amplify was approached to launch this micro-beast to Red Bull’s 400 journalists and staff. The aim of getting the company and its key voices excited and informed of the benefits of the new product. Up until now rumours had been spreading in the marketing press about the new product, all fiercely denied by Red Bull!

Amplify’s Approach
Amplify evolved the concept of The Red Bull Energy Shot being “The Worst Kept Secret” into a spy-themed spoof expose of the product scripted and delivered by a team of actors.

Breaking the story
To generate excitement prior to the event Amplify created a video email invite in the style of a self-destruct computer transmission featuring a secret agent on the run (Agent R), who breathlessly instructs the viewer (Agent B) on how to infiltrate “Project Compact”, ending with the time and place of the event.

Exposing the truth
To make the overall experience seamless Amplify ensured that our Secret Agent R from the video viral greeted guests at the door.

On entry guests were ushered into The Red Bull Energy Shot Bar, which was set up with games including golf putting, Wii Sports games and a driving simulator to communicate the message that you can down a shot whilst on the move.

Once all guests had arrived they were taken through to the main “We Are Red Bull” room, where they were given a presentation about the history of Red Bull and the launch of Red Bull Shots launch whilst surrounded by Red Bull paraphernalia.

The Red Bull Energy Shot Experience
Following this guests were taken through three small rooms in small groups - the Red Bull Energy Shot Lab, The Marketing Mix and The Perfect Store. Guests were entertained by a character in each room including an Austrian scientist who demonstrated the benefits of shrinking Red Bull to a “portable convenient” size, a statistician who dramatised the marketing strategy and a shopkeeper who showed guests around the perfect store.

The Results
Feedback about the campaign from the client, staff and journalists was overwhelming - Red Bull described it as “the best launch they had ever held”. The accompanying video footage of the email invite and event itself was also a major talking point and was used to showcase the launch to HQ in Austria.

The Challenge
Launching in October, Amplify was set the challenge of further establishing Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment within the games software market, and to drive sales through retail sampling experiences.

Whilst creating awareness to a range of Warner Bros. software titles, with particular focus on LEGO Rock Band and Scribblenauts, Amplify had to promote the wider LEGO Rock Band competition, offering consumers the chance to win a Rock Star weekend package.

Designing and building a set of flexible and durable sampling assets that reflect the titles on show, the world of Warner Bros had to be bought to life.

Amplify’s Approach
Creating a highly visual brand experience, Amplify provided a stand out presence within shopping centres and beyond during the busy q4 period in the run up to Christmas. In order to achieve this, the sampling unit would need to draw consumers in through both the stand design and the activity taking place.

The unique stand design featured a Lego Rockband stage at one end and a homage to Maxwell the lead Scribblenauts character, at the other. The stand also featured flexible island units in the centre which allowed Amplify to showcase the full range of Warner Bros. Interactive titles coming to market.

Engagement on the stand was a mix of title sampling and non gaming activities. Consumers were invited to take to the stage in a mini battle of the bands for Lego Rockband, complete with rockstar face paints and dressing up items, or crack the puzzles that Scribblenauts threw up, whilst racing against our giant egg timer.

Results
The 4-month tour was deemed very successful, and one that saw retailers GAME and HMV both report huge uplifts in sales of the supported titles whilst the tour was in town.

Overall, the estimated total number of ‘Opportunities to See’ throughout the tour was a staggering 2.9 milliion, and this, in support of the wider PR and Marketing campaign, helped ensure a successful Christmas for Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment.

The Challenge
Each year GAP runs activity dedicated to showcasing and promoting their denim ranges, from jeans to jackets and all other denim products in between. During the last week of the promotion, a 30% discount off the full denim range is offered to consumers.

The campaign theme was based around ‘Fit Together’ showcasing the Gap Denim range and how denim tops and bottoms can be worn together - the denim on denim trend was the look of the season featuring on the catwalk and echoing through many high street stores.

Gap approached Amplify to deliver activity that would drive traffic into store to take advantage of the 30% discount on all GAP Denim. Ultimately increasing overall store sales with the focus being on 5 stores - London Gracechurch Street, London Oxford Street, Dublin, Edinburgh and Paris.

Amplify’s Approach
Teams of 5 trained ‘GAP Denim Fit Squad’ members hit the streets targeting high footfall locations outside GAP stores, ensuring a clear drive from point of engagement to store.

More than promotional staff - our GAP Denim Fit Squads were teams of stylish men and women who had a fashion background. They were able to offer shoppers a quality interaction by giving advice on GAP denim top and bottom styles and combinations that would best suit them.

Amplify created promotional areas instore that featured a framed visual that integrated with the overall look and feel of the stores. They were located within the denim area to allow shoppers to browse through the range once entering the competition.

Teams distributed what looked like a piece of a jigsaw puzzle that communicated the 30% discount. As an extra driver to visit the selected GAP store, shoppers were invited to “see if their piece fits”, completing the instore visual. The winning pieces won a £100 GAP outfit.

No competition ran in Paris stores due to competition rules in France. As an alternative chalk stencils were strategically placed on pavements promoting the 30% discount.

Results
11,000 postcards distributed to shoppers, driving awareness and traffic for the 30% denim promotion. Overall the activity had a positive impact on traffic and sales on the day.

The simple, yet effective, competition mechanic meant that shoppers entered the store immediately as opposed to leaving it until another time.

‘I have been with GAP for a number of years and this has been one of the most effective activities I’ve been involved with so far.  We have reached our denim sales targets and the percentage of people who bought once they were in the store was well up on average.’
- Gap London Gracechurch Store Manager