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Client: Speed Stick
Publisher(s): Maxim Online

Speed Stick was challenged to increase brand and message awareness, and more importantly, to increase brand favorability. With a goal of keeping their brand messages of "How Competitive Are You?" and "Micro-Absorber technology-- tiny particles that can absorb up to 100x their weight in wetness," Speed Stick turned to Maxim Online for a unique way of communicating their messages to the elusive M18-34 audience. As the category has gotten much more competitive, Speed Stick realized that they had to become more relevant to their target audience and communicate to them in a trusted environment.

Maxim Online decided that it was important to entertain men in order to get this message across to them and therefore went to work on creating a series of videos and games to do just that. Based on Maxim's inherent irreverent tone, and in the spirit of staying consistent with that, we chose to poke fun at typical broadcast deodorant spots and instead chose non-traditional sports that would have our guys in stitches. To that end we depicted overly competitive men in ping pong, air hockey, and wiffle ball and showed how their commitment to their respective sport and their competitive spirit is played out in their everyday lives. The idea was generated through our internal marketing department and germinated with the assistance of the creative agency, VML, the Media Agency, the Digital Edge and the actual client.

Over the course of three months we released one video per month along with its corresponding Speed Stick branded game. The videos, games, and a three month long sweepstakes sending a winner and a friend to their favorite sporting event, were all hosted on a Speed Stick/Maxim co-branded microsite, which was promoted and supported with co-branded media running across Maxim Online. In the end, we developed a fun environment for our guys to hang out in where they could play mindless addictive Speed Stick branded games and also view the short films that were developed. 

By all metrics -- page views, video views, game plays, sweepstakes entries, opt-ins, and Dynamic Logic results -- the campaign exceeded expectations. Although there was certainly Speed Stick branding throughout the experience, the key to success was it was created in a way that was acceptable and embraced by our guys.

The only thing we would change would be to have had everyone who ultimately become involved in the conceptual brainstorming there from the beginning. 

The significance of this campaign is that Maxim Online was able to help change the way an established brand thinks about speaking to its target audience. This was a huge undertaking for a company like Colgate, and the results proved that you can make a deodorant product connect with its target consumer and have them heavily engaged in the product in a non-conventional way.
-- Steven Rosenblatt, national advertising director, Maxim Online

On Maxim Online's co-branded Speed Stick microsite with games, sweepstakes and video webisodes, it had to be games first. I played both Ping Pong and Air Hockey. Both looked slick and thoroughly Speed Stick 24/7 branded. Actually the entire microsite did a great job of creating a co-branded environment with Speed Stick as the hero, while still feeling like a Maxim experience.

When it comes to the webisodes, well, what do you know? Very well written, produced and acted, the webisodes, "Ping Pong" in particular, were surprisingly good. Quality entertainment. Delivering on Speed Stick's message of "How Competitive Are You?" each focused on an obsessed game player who was competitive to the point of being a sociopath. It's funny stuff and went well beyond my expectations. These spots are easily on par with anything running on television today.

If there is any failing here (the use of the word webisode aside) I think it is with the "How Competitive Are You?" line itself. For me the line is a little too vague and generic. Maxim Online did a fine job delivering an experience built around that line, but in the end you could easily use the same creative and swap out Speed Stick for a sports drink or energy bar.
-- Patrick V. Barrett, managing partner, gamut industries

The Speed Stick site developed by Maxim is a simple and small contest mini-site. Its content and style fit right in-- while sporting less skin than the rest of Maxim Online. Its design is clean and crisp. The main call to action on the site pulls you into the featured videos. The air hockey video spot introduces the Real Competitors campaign that comes off as a mix between Fight Club and the old Reebok Terry Tate campaign. This video does a decent job of humorously positioning Speed Stick with the competitive nature and intensity in all of us.

Unfortunately, the VIP sports weekend giveaway comes off as an after-thought of the site. As for the details of the giveaway-- they are vague at best. To find out more about what it is I had to turn to the "Official Rules" section of the site. It specifically states that the prize is a trip for two people to a "mystery destination within the continental United States" including coach airfare, standard hotel accommodations, and "admission for winner and guest to a sporting event (subject to availability, to be selected within the sole and absolute discretion of Sponsor)." Not exactly what I had in mind when I was thinking of VIP.

The site's content and prize do not have a lot of pass-along value. I would expect that by selecting a more detailed prize and promoting it more clearly, the draw and number of entrants would increase. As it stands currently, the success of the site will ultimately be driven by how Maxim drives entrants to the contest site and how the winner feels after they come back from the "mystery destination."
-- Sean Connelly, VP sales and marketing, Refinery