GUINNESS- THE DARK DROP
Microsoft Advertising Story Awards Submission
THE PROBLEM
Fundamentally, Guinness is a drink for the daylight.
A lunchtime staple or the first round of the evening
before the sun goes down.
It still feels more at home snug in the pub or halftime
at the rugby.
The challenge is how to make Guinness an active,
engaging part of nightlife around the world for a new,
always on generation of drinker.
THE INSIGHT
There is a new layer of context that always on mobility and location data provide.
Which means that the the ‘polarity’ of the internet is reversing. So the stuff you used to go and look for now comes to look for you.
We are living in an era of a new personalised internet.
One in which we no longer create stories to be told, we create them live together.
Today’s connected technology is enabling us to be more PRESENT.
Present to the people and brands that make our world go around.
THE IDEA
It’s time for Guinness to engage in some cultural hacking.
Here the brand creates and curates a compelling and intriguing new underground layer of the internet.
It will host exclusive content from the brand and from drinkers.
And this is the clever bit. These repositories of digital content float in virtual space above a geo-tagged location.
Places you have to be to access their contents. All of this only exists after nightfall.
When it will augment the experience of the best places to go, to drink and be together.
Welcome to the Dark Drop. The world’s first geo-located content and social network.
THE IDEA
The Guinness Dark Drop is a cloud computing idea. Except the content in the cloud is geotagged.
It’s only available when your location matches that of the content’s tag.
Guinness ‘drop’ content into the cloud. Drinkers ‘drop’ content into the cloud.
Guinness mobile and web apps access the content.
The broad range of Microsoft tools drive traffic to ‘drops’.
Places on the Microsoft network become web based ‘drops’ themselves.
We create a nocturnal social network the functionality and content of which flexes with your location.
THE IDEA
Dark. Representing the night. It appears from nowhere
when the sun goes down. The magic disappears at dawn.
Dark. It represents the darker side of Guinness. A
distinctly underground feel. For those in the know.
Drop. A place where new music. Exclusive trailers. One
of a kind showings. Are all left by the brand for drinkers to discover.
Drop. Literally. A place to leave behind sounds.
Pictures. Video. Posts. Streams. For others to discover.
DRINKERS
\ Location information Event invitation Competition Coupon DJ Mix Music video Live gig Exclusive track Movie Screening Favourite track Pictures Video \ Blog post Message to friends Location reviewThe more people engaged with the content. The more
HOW DO I GET AT IT?
At the core is a mobile app.
Biased to Windows Phone users. They get all the good stuff.
Android and iOS the next level.
Then web apps.
Hosted on the Microsoft network.
Carefully placed within MSN, embedded in display ads, uncovered in search results.
WHAT’S THE ROLE FOR THE BRAND?
Guinness can curate content that fits each Dark Drop location.
Many will be tagged to bars and clubs where the product is available.
Some will be placed at interesting nocturnal meeting places. A town square. A music venue.
They will distribute Guinness’ dark content.
Music. A gallery. A game. A streamed live gig. A movie screening.
WHAT’S THE ROLE FOR THE DRINKER?
Drinkers can leave content that tells the story of their experience at a location.
A track they love. Pics they took.
A clip they watched. A review.
They can enjoy the content left by others before them. They can connect with the other Dark Drop users
AN EVENING WITH WITH THE DARK DROP
I got to KPO a little early. I know there’s a Dark Drop there, so I opened the app on my Lumia.
Guinness have left some exclusive tracks from the new Odd Future album. I’ll listen to them while I wait for the others and scan what people have put in the Drop.
Browsed through some incredible shots of the party I missed last week. The bar staff uploaded the DJ set though so I’ll save that. There’s a couple of trailers for an Arthouse movie event at the
Screening Room next week. Posted that I’m going.
The rest of the crowd are here. If they can stop watching the trailers we’ll get some drinks.
We’ll stay here for a couple then we’re heading to the Armani store in Marina Bay. They’ve got a new Dark Drop and are video streaming their Paris show and after party into the store….
...Loved the new collection. They had Kinect set up so you could try everything on. Virtually. Left behind some screen grabs. Not sure about those hats though!
SKYDRIVE
The central part of the story.
Accessed via a multi platform Dark Drop app, the content for each Drop is stored in and accessed from the cloud.
We use exclusive Microsoft SkyDrives configured and tagged to be accessed at designated physical locations and embedded at Microsoft properties across the web.
BING
Some Dark Drops exist only at the end of specific Bing searches.
For example.
Perform an image search for a partner band, say ‘Glasvegas’ and a Dark Drop icon will show in the results.
A click will reveal fully functional Dark Drop content with an exclusive band interview and demo track.
BING
Bing searches will be used as
mechanics to uncover new places on the web and in the physical
DISPLAY
There are four types of display ads.
#1 Some direct towards places and spaces with Dark Drop access or upcoming exclusive
content.
#2 Some banners are a ‘Dark Drop app themselves. They become page takeovers where full
Dark Drop functionality is available.
#3 Some display ads are targeted to deliver content from fellow Dark Drop friends (via
Connect via Facebook/Twitter) in a demonstration about how personal the experience can be.
#4 Some become a drag and drop ‘Dark Drop’ for visitors to leave content for other visitors
MSN
As darkness falls.
The edgier side of entertainment is revealed.
(Think the What Would Tyler Durden Do blog)
And sports (think the With Leather blog) take over MSN portals.
The darker content drives users to sign up for Dark Drop apps and dramatises what’s in it for members.
VIDEO
Live gig. Imagine a bunch of fans. On a street
corner. On a bus. All attending on their devices. A kind of content flashmob for fans.
Imagine, fans, in a club, in a movie theatre
experiencing a first screening, an exclusive DJ set. A page takeover that turns a site into a stage or a DJ booth.
Something that is only available in that place.
Streaming video events are the richest reward for those in the Dark Drop network.
XBOX
On the fringes of the internet, Dark Drops
are embedded into LIVE game levels.
The brand leaves game codes. Hidden levels.
Exclusive music. etc. For gamers to find.
A Kinect Guinness ‘perfect pour’ game
rewards Dark Drop members.
WINDOWS PHONE MARKETPLACE
Ensure that the Dark Drop app is
sponsored to show prominently on
the Marketplace and on Android and
iOS app stores.
OTHER MEDIA
The Dark Drop utility will receive additional support from offline media…
First for the rollout itself.
Then for supporting Dark Drop content events.
The location based nature of the utility means that well placed outdoor advertising is a key part of the
programme. We activate the ‘block’ around the Dark Drop to give it a physical presence.
To make a connection with drinkers, on premise kits including signage and IT support are crucial.
ROLLOUT
Pilot Rollout Programme #1Content Programme#2Content Programme #3Content Outdoor Mobile Display (Geo located) Bing MSN Marketplace Xbox Video
Dark Drop Network Dark Drop Content
A WORD ABOUT AUDIENCES
Entertainment Bloggers Mashable Bar Owners Tech Journalists Entertainment Journalists Record Labels Movie DistributorsMusic/Movie Super Fans DJs
Tech early adopters
Degree of influence on primary target
Degree of interest in the idea
There are further influencer groups to be included in the communications programme. Content authorities. Cultural disseminators. Peer consumers. And those with a vested interest, like having a Dark Drop tagged to your premises.
RESULTS
It’s almost impossible to predict the growth that the brand would see from this initiative.
Partly because it’s part utility, an after dark social
network and part campaign, convincing drinkers that
Guinness is an integral part of modern and compelling nightlife.
Because the rewards for engaging with the media
properties are based on immediate access to content and connections, engagement should be very strong.
