Creative Agency: Arc Worldwide
It sounds ridiculous. But that's exactly the situation the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found themselves in five years ago as youth obesity was reaching epidemic proportions. So in 2001, we created Verb-- a brand and web-centered campaign dedicated to inspiring play.
Verb Yellowball is our most recent campaign effort.
The idea is simple. We're putting hundreds of thousands of yellow balls out into the world and encouraging kids to find them, play with them, then pass them on to another kid. In essence, creating an endless chain letter of play.
Each ball has a unique code number and instructions that send kids to this microsite where they can enter the code and blog what they did with the ball. This code also allows them to see who had the ball before them-- then continue to track their ball once they've passed it on.
The Yellowball microsite has become the hub of our program. It's the place where kids can tell their stories (over 9,000 blogs and counting), meet celebrities that touched the ball, enter contests, and even earn iTunes for passing the ball along. Kids waiting to receive a ball can mix their own Yellowball video, then pass it on to friends. In just a few short weeks, more than 10,000 videos have been created.
The simplicity of the Yellowball idea has allowed for a wide range of innovative and integrated marketing efforts.
We launched in November 2005 by recruiting almost 1,000 teens and tweens to distribute balls to peers, blog on "friendship" sites, and promote the program through instant messaging.
We also created intrigue around the program by placing interactive projections in malls and movie theaters. They were projected onto floors, and kids could kick, hit and pass Yellowball in a virtual game.
This past spring, we distributed 120,000 balls to 6,000 middle schools around the country. A teachers' guide delivered inspirational Yellowball games and challenged kids to invent their own. At the end of the program, schools were encouraged to pass a portion of their balls on to another school-- spreading the movement further.
Mobile efforts are also playing a key roll in this movement-- not just to distribute balls, but to show kids that the possibilities of play are endless. We've staged Yellowball street performances in key markets-- featuring acrobats, jugglers, streetballers and breakdancers.
Currently, six Verb Yellowball Experience vehicles are crossing the country all summer long, reaching kids "where they are"-- at summer camps, minor league baseball games, local festivals, et cetera. The experience features an obstacle course that can only be run with a Yellowball. Upon completing the course, kids pass their ball on to the next kid waiting.
At its core, Verb Yellowball works because it puts play into kids' hands and lets them decide what to do with it. How they play, what they blog, and whom they pass their balls to is entirely up to them. It's about creativity, empowerment, and getting active. When there's a bouncy ball in your hands, you can't not play.
-- William Rosen, chief creative officer North America, Arc Worldwide; Chris Cancilla, senior vice president and group creative director, Arc Worldwide
I must admit that I find the need for this concept slightly disconcerting. The idea of combating obesity by teaching kids how to play, become active and physically fit just plain feels strange. My three-year-old has enough energy to power a small third-world country, but the reality is that some children aren't encouraged to be so active. And to leverage the web to teach active behavior seems a bit paradoxical. I do, however, recognize the viral advantage of the site and using it as a communication vehicle to reach a wider audience as part of a larger PR campaign. As a parent I am sad to see this type of campaign out there. But as an advertiser, I can certainly say that the site is well done.
-- David Heidenreich, EVP, strategy & marketing, Ripple Effects Interactive
It's pop lore that Paul Simon wrote "Bridge Over Troubled Waters" by the award-winning-songs rule book in order to win a Grammy. Every element, including the theme, the lyrics, the beat, the melody, the harmony and the engineering was thought about by Simon to produce a song (and album) that would win awards and mass acclaim.
The Verb Yellowball campaign was planned, built and executed to win awards.
- It combines online and offline elements and demonstrates their connection on the site.
- It has celebrity tie-ins.
- It utilizes video.
- It utilizes video in new and interesting ways (try the video mixer).
- Its web design is anything but cookie cutter.
- There are user blogs from kids around the country.
- It engages users based on their zip codes.
- It offers downloads and send-to-a-friend functionality.
- It allows for user-uploaded photos.
- It has a desktop application component.
And most importantly… - It engages today's youth…tomorrow's leaders.
It even has a control panel with a bouncing yellow ball to help you follow along! The only buzz components missing are user-generated video and the ability to make a direct point of sale and buy an actual yellow ball.
It's obvious that the people at Arc were hard at work in putting together this campaign to convince kids to go out and play. Ironic, right? Another irony is that Simon and Garfunkel also wrote the song "Red Rubber Ball."
This is truly an awesome campaign that shows how seemlessly online and offline experiences can be interwoven.
-- Bradley Werner, director of marketing, The Fifth Network