eROI NYC Interactive Agency

I have been obsessed with time lapse video lately. I have made a couple weak ones from off my fire escape. I got this tweet today from @socialmedium that is just crazy.
Check out how much the bridge moves….yikes.

Original tweet:
@socialmedium: Pretty [creepy!] footage of the Manhattan Bridge swaying, aching with the weight of the subway http://bit.ly/Z4WwI (via @gillianmae)

I came across something interesting today and it made me think about the nature of what “going viral” means and how something gets there. Almost every conference or event I have been to this year spends some time with this question.  I am almost sick of the term, but alas I am here talking about it.  It started for me like it has many times before….I got a link via email. This link was from a web developer in Portland and it shot me to the vid below.

Pretty dope right. A little long but still cool, especially if you are a fellow fan (This album changed everything for us in HS).  What was even more interesting to me than the video was when I took a look at the stats.  The views for the last three days read like this: 4, 1, 30, 13.9K. Today is only half over and it has 10.6K already. So what happened? That jump is crazy. What percentage growth in views is that? (first to tweet @masagatani or email chris@eroi.com the answer gets a beer on me).  The real question to ask is not what happened but how it happened.  The first thing I thought was to check digg…here are the results of my search there and the vimeo stats. I love the comment from the guy who made the vid:

So it got some love from digg. 40 or so comments so far. But that’s not enough right? (more…)

So I have 847 million reasons why Zappo’s rules and unless you have been in the server room all week you know the recent news. We have always been huge admirers of the Zappo’s brand. In fact I think Tony was the best speaker at SXSW this year. I think we all can find something to learn from them. As a tribute to their recent good news I wanted to share the DNA of what makes Zappo’s…well Zappo’s. I think even Tony would agree that it comes down to the “core values”. So here they are….the real reason Amazon bought Zappo’s:

The 10 Core Zappo’s Values:

1. Deliver WOW Through Service
2. Embrace and Drive Change
3. Create Fun and A Little Weirdness
4. Be Adventurous, Creative, and Open-Minded
5. Pursue Growth and Learning
6. Build Open and Honest Relationships With Communication
7. Build a Positive Team and Family Spirit
8. Do More With Less
9. Be Passionate and Determined
10. Be Humble

This week marks the start of Restaurant Week here in NYC. Aimed at showcasing NYC eateries and cafes Restaurant week offers foodies and non-foodies alike the opportunity to eat some where they might not otherwise choose. Most places offer a fixed menu for a very reasonable price usually around $30-$35 a person. I thought they have done a great job with their online marketing. These are just the fundamentals but they nailed it. Below I have displayed some of the assets from the campaign, but I encourage you to check it out yourself. Here are five observations:

1. Consistent visual messaging = All the pieces tie together from a visual prospective. I liked the way they handled this from color to form.

2. Consistent Offer = All the collateral consistently directs you to make a reservation.

3. User Experience = Top notch flow from email to site to conversion.

4. Multiple Tools = They leveraged email newsletter, email promo, banner ads, Twitter, home page call outs, commenting, reviews. All of this adds depth and broadens the coverage.

5. Builds Community = Overall the campaign works so well because the “product” is so engaging and fun. They play to that through out and pull on the fact that it is fun to make reservations and take advantage of Restaraunt Week.  They make it easy to join the conversation and participate.

Click an image for slide show:

eROI NYC moves its doors. It felt like graduation day.

Over the last year I have done some posts following intriguing and innovative campaigns. @vitaloca forwarded me an article on Media Post News that describes one such campaign.
Doritos created a unique and innovative experience with their Bags of Doritos Late Night. The bags have some special technology on it that allows you to “launch virtual 3D performances” of bands featured in the campaign (blink-182 and Big Boi). The description of it from the post sounds eerily futuristic but curious at the same time. It reads “[The bags] bear markers that are recognizable by augmented reality technology — technology that enhances video imagery with computer-generated graphics in real-time.”I am not sure what “augmented reality” means but I want to find out. Isn’t that the solid foundation of any campaign? Get me curious get me engaged. I guess the deal is you point the marker on the bag to a web cam and these performances seem to jump of the packaging in real time. Even if this doesn’t work you gotta give some love for the thought and inspiration. I love the audacity of it.  They are no stranger to crazy marketing campaigns either. They did the X13D naming contest a couple years back and their packaging seems to morph every time I go into a bodega (click an image below for slideshow). And of course no one can forget  their great super bowl commercials over the years. I am not sure the world is ready for what eROI would do with a 5 million dollar budget. Robots son….Robots.

Remember this:

Last year we partnered with Gomobo to create the Subway Sandwich Builder. They recently made this video to showcase the functionality and overall ux. This one of my favorite eROI executions. They came to us with an idea and we delivered an experience. Gomobo wanted us to recreate the “in store” environment while utilizing their sweet back-end ordering system. The result is undeniable. Mad ups to Noel and Verity for bringing this vision to life.