Converse Spelling Bee & SEM

24Oct08

OK so I realize this is old news. Yet I feel the need to document it anyway because it’s the first campaign of its kind. Everyone understands the value of SEM – consumers search relevant terms, your ad pops up, and the click through rates are better than display advertising. Point taken. Sign me up. It’s dry, but effective.

Then Converse came along and created a whole new (and creative) way to play with search. Their microsite – Converse Spelling Bee – features an amateur-style video of a shoe-string- with-eyes that asks you to spell a word. The user then goes to Google, types in the word as instructed, and waits for the search results. If the word was spelled correctly, the user will see a sponsored ad with the URL for Round Two of the Spelling Bee. And so it continues until you’re crowned “Spelling Bee Champion” and awarded a cheesy certificate.

The reward is insignificant but the idea is anything but. While the concept is not the slightest bit relevant to the product, it’s funny, memorable and talk-worthy. So the next time your agency pitches the absurd, consider shelving the vanity that urges you to put your product front and center. It just might pay off.

Filed under: marketing   |  2 Comments
Tags: converse, microsite, search engine marketing, SEM, spelling bee, web