Ringing Interactive

Viewer was an opportunity to contextually place music and artists within the phone. Users were actually able to view videos or artist interviews on a virtual online version of the phone, seamlessly bringing together the brand attributes of the Slider -- innovative, cutting edge and trend setting -- with those same attributes of hip-hop and urban music. The feature entitled Man on the Street included video snippets that showed the phone in use throughout the course of a regular day of the life of the target. Different video corresponded to different times of the day (in school, at a club, at lunch, et al). Finally, the BeatBox featured urban underground beatbox artists and Max B and Shodekah produced videos, which incorporated the specific ring tone of the Kyocera Slider in a series of mini-videos that were promoted virally and featured on the site.

Choosing the right artists was also critical. Much time was spent working with various record labels to identify and secure assets of emerging artist that matched the brands attributes. Sweepstakes were held in conjunction with artist Carl Thomas in which Sliders were awarded as prizes. Web master and viral message board seeding campaigns were used to create buzz among trendsetters in urban, music and technology driven online communities. This buzz drove both traffic and registration for SliderStyle.com. Once past the intro phase, the target was broadened to a larger audience.  The first association of which was with Paramount Pictures to promote The Manchurian Candidate. The Kyocera Slider was featured and awarded as prized as part of an IVR mobile game that allowed audiences to be a part of the movie plot prior to launch, again reinforcing the brand attributes of cutting edge, unique and innovative.

As this was the fist such endeavor into this genre for Kyocera Wireless, specific success metrics were not established.  However, registration and conversion numbers are trending above that of the corporate site. Overall, the site has surpassed Kyocera's general expectations and plans are underway for continued refreshes. A key learning from the site was that users respond to fresh content. It has been important to keep new content on the site in order to maintain traffic levels and interest, as is the nature of the genre. 

Overall, the program is a great success in branded infotainment. It seamlessly brings together branded product information with music/entertainment. As more and more brand marketers and entertainment companies are looking to create relationships and promotions that go beyond just logo placement, SlideStyle.com and the its campaign is an excellent case study in how to truly integrate the two to create a rewarding experience for the user that benefits all parties.
-- Robert Kasunic, director of online marketing, Media Revolution and Perry Wang, director of production, Media Revolution

I feel kind of like the Kerry/Edwards campaign on this one -- flip flopping my opinion. At first I really liked it, but after trying to find some hint of value from this microsite, I lost interest and quickly became frustrated. As for the design of the sight is great, visually appealing and lots of interactivity. However, there was no real direction provided for consumers to help direct the product education and/or purchase process. This is the single biggest benefit of a Web experience, the ability to combine the emotional and the analytical sides of the sales argument. The SliderStyle site does the emotional part very well -- beatbox videos, tie-in to the VMAs, TV commercials, etc. It's the analytical side that falls apart.

And I am a key target for Kyocera because I'm constantly in need of a new cell phone. I think I've lost more cell phones than Bush has reasons for being in Iraq. But after seeing the SliderStyle site (even with the hilarious commercials), I found no reason to buy one. Sure it slides and takes pictures, but what's the real benefit over my clam-shell design? I wasn't even directed to any information or compelling content on price or purchase outlets. This had promise initially, but in the end...doesn't get my vote.
-- Matt Wright, director, business development, IQTV