The Kempt GP#1 - Write Up and Results.

Well it's all over bar the bragging, sadly the inaugural Kempt GP has been and gone leaving only great memories, the lingering smell of burnt rubber and big black lines on the tarmac.

I hope the attendees will all agree that the day was a triumph, thanks in no small part to our hosts Andrew, Emma and Rob from Carlimits.com who were simply awesome.

For those that didn't attend, the format went as follows: We started the day at 10am (although a few of us snuck in at 9 for a bit of cheeky practice) and from then until about 12:30 the Carlimits team took us all through a series of car control exercises including how to steer (yeah, you thought you knew that huh!) and the spin-inducing monster that is the high speed bend.

With the initial training over we then adjourned to lunch at a nearby pub where we all swapped experiences of the day so far whilst consuming some well-earned nosh. Then it was back to the track to begin the competition in earnest.

Whilst we'd been filling our faces the carlimits team had setup two courses on the airfield. After a (very entertaining) set of demonstration laps with Andrew driving the scooby each of the competitors began their timed laps in each of the two cars under Emma and Rob's expert guidance, by this time a degree of healthy competition had built up and everyone was trying their very hardest to lap as quickly as they could. Inevitably there were an unlucky few that span out mid-run but hey, if you don't spin out, you're just not trying hard enough!

The official results are as follows:

Very well done to our fastest guest David, who was not only quick but impressively consistent on the day and took away a magnum of bubbly to make his colleagues green with envy. Unsurprisingly Mr Fryer put in a series of blistering times despite strict orders to let the clients win ;o).

I think it's safe to say that we all had a fantastic time and learnt a little bit too, there was lots of excited talk afterwards about buying sports cars and coming back to do it again which, I think, is a great indication of the success of the day. So, only it remains for me to say a massive thank you to the attendees without whom it wouldn't have happened and for those of you that missed it, don't worry, we'll be announcing more shortly!

So, thanks for reading (and for coming if you did!) I'll leave you with some footage of Andrew and Emma taking the Lotus around the big track in style:

Uphill Vegas: letting our hair down with Elvis

When building an advergame a lot of our energy goes into the strategy - how do we appeal to the right audience, is there a concept that feels consistent with the message and so on. It can be a complex task and so once in a while it's great to have the opportunity to let our hair down and just make a fun game for the sake of it.

A perfect example was when Spil Games - the giant casual gaming portal - asked us to build a driving game where the only criteria was feel-good fun for millions of users. The result of this is our latest release, Uphill Vegas. If I tell you that it stars an Elvis impersonator driving a pink Cadillac whilst strumming the guitar and pulling shapes then you're going to want to play it, right?

Play Uphill Vegas on Agame.com

Huzzar for the Bank of England!

Let's hear three cheers for the Bank of England, hip hip... no? Well okay, I guess in these uncertain times it might seem a little strange to be celebrating such an institution but for the time being I'd like you to set aside your concerns over your mortgage, pension fund and the like and have a quick look at something that the BoE have put together to help explain inflation: "The Monetary Policy Balloon".

I love this... I mean I REALLY love it... I want to have it's babies. This is a fantastic example of how you can communicate quite complex information simply and effectively through play. Okay so it's probably aimed at a slightly younger audience than me and it does suffer in places from being a little pedestrian but personally I don't think it takes a lot of imagination to see how this could be developed into something really informative and effective for all ages.

Anyway, these are relatively minor quibbles... I think that, given who they are and how well this works, the good old BoE deserve real praise. I only hope that next time they want to do something like this they give us a call so we can make it even more brilliant!

Kempt Update - Summer 2010

It's been a very busy start to the year at Kempt so we thought it was time to put together a short update on some of the things that have happening at the Kempt cave: our work, acclaim, news, press, what's coming up and most importantly Martyn's red hot World Cup tip.

Summer of Soccer: In keeping with the growing football fever, the Pepsi Football Hero global activation was launched on
Microsoft featuring 5 brand new Kempt games, currently garnering average dwell times of over 10 minutes each. Check them out on the MSN Football Hero site, on Instant Messenger or the viral versions which are pretty much everywhere online!

Sony Music asked us to help launch the Daisy Dares You single, Number One Enemy – here is the viral game on our portal TinyMania.

Wot No Advertising? Lately we've been lucky enough to be working with Viacom on their Neopets and PetPet park sites. Our latest release is a really cute trading card game. There are 4 others recently launched by us dotted around the sites but for those of you that are too busy to hunt them out you can check out video footage of Potion Panic and the trailer for CardCasters on Metacafe.

And that’s not all! there are also recent activations for other Sony Music artists, a brilliant football/arkanoid mash-up and a wicked urban ‘platformer’ for the Southbank Centre - all to be seen in the portfolio on our site. Plus we’ve picked up some excellent new clients, we can't say who yet but for the time being let's just say we're moving into the movie and retail sectors - All will be revealed shortly!

Awards Recognition We were pleased to be finalists in 2 Revolution Awards categories. Considering the relatively small size of the Freeway Fallguy (Sony Music) execution compared to the competition (Disney, the Sun, AKQA etc) this was a real result. This viral game delivered massive audiences, incredible ROI, 75% of all video views and unprecedented UGC. Impressed? You should be! Check out the case study to find out how we did it.

Press: There have been a number of comments and articles in press like NMA and Contagious of late. This larger article we wrote in Contagious came out a little while ago, but then so did our last newsletter. This article in Cream explains more about the Microsoft Pepsi Football Hero campaign.

MemeCounter: Our tracking tool MemeCounter passed a huge milestone recently, having counted over 2 billion visits since its launch a couple of years ago, and remains very much an industry standard in viral game tracking.

Chris made the final 3 in the British Council’s UK Young Interactive Entrepreneur program – no mean feat...given his age!

The Kempt team has grown – we have a new ueber-brainy developer, a new artist (that’s put the crayons bill up again) and an ex-Microsoft Commercial Director. Check us all out on the header above.

Coming Soon: Apart from some imminent and exciting new campaign launches, Martyn will be speaking at the C21 produced “Propaganda Factory” event in early July – the event title is Building Entertainment Brands in the Digital Age and this is exactly what we’ll be offering our fairly unique perspective on. More info on the event at the organiser’s site.

Anonymous Personal News
One of us got married, one of us fell over in stinking mud in front of everyone else, one of us got a music publishing deal, one of us published some comics, some of us went to LA, one of us went to Alton Towers and sat in the bar the WHOLE TIME, and one of us bottled all the worst rides and we all went to a slightly weird nuclear bunker!!

And Finally... Martyn's World Cup Tip "Currently at 150/1 it’s got to be Nigeria. Because that’s who I have in the office sweepstake!" So there you go.

Kempt Grand Prix for Clients, Press & Allies

The inaugural Kempt Grand Prix was such a tire-squealing success that it has become an ongoing series with more events scheduled for this summer. We're offering you the chance to be our guest on a car-focused day of high-speed fun, relaxed networking and the added spice of a little competition.

The spacious North Weald Airfield is the location for our all-day event. You can either use one of the supplied cars (such as a Lotus Elise) or bring your own. It's a perfect place to test the limits of your skill - as the track is laid out on an airfield there's nothing to hit but plastic cones!

With assistance from three experienced instructors, you'll begin the day learning from the pro's as you get to grips with the two circuits set up especially for the event. Once you've honed your driving style you'll then take part in the grand finale, the Fastest Lap Challenge.

There are three criteria for selection:

1. We like you.
2. You are going to spend money with us.
3. You already spend money with us.

If you tick all three boxes, we'll even make sure the brakes work and buy you a sandwich! So pass us your details and we'll get back to you very soon.

Further Information
The event is run by ex-Benetton F1 pilot Andy Walsh and the rest of the driving gurus at Car Limits. These chaps are experts in their (air)field and have improved drivers of all skill levels, including BBC F1 anchor Jake Humphries.

Where is it?
The North Weald Airfield is conveniently located just off the M11. There is no post code for the venue but directions are very simple if you are coming from the M11 - come off at Junction 7 and then follow the signs for North Weald Airfield.


View The Kempt GP in a larger map

Not Coming by car?

The nearest train station is Harlow Town just 30 mins from London Liverpool Street. The Nearest tube station is Epping on the end of the Central line. Both stations are 15-20 min drive from the airfield, if you're on the attendee list and intend to come by one or other please do let us know and we'll try to arrange for someone to pick you up or put you in a cab.

The Cars
If your wheels are just that little bit flash then we'd actively encourage you to bring them along. Several of us will so you'll be in good company and North Weald is the perfect place to explore the limits of the car safely and responsibly.

If you're not bringing your own car (or even if you do and fancy a bit of variation) then you'll get to zoom around the course in a Lotus Elise (just about the best damn car to fling round a track) or a slightly more forgiving Porsche Boxster.

The Prize
Setting the fastest time in the end-of-day shoot-out will gain the winner a Magnum of champagne. It's your choice whether you use it to soak your fellow competitors or take it home for a champion's celebration.

Brave Marketers who Tell Stories, we Salute you - and Consumers Reward you.

As an agency that thrives on persuading clients to try something new, its always good to see global brands extolling the virtues of some smart and different thinking - especially if its viral and playful, engages users in a story, and even better if its digital!

In a recent Ad Age Article we hear from top Sony Pictures Execs about their success with some riskier marketing techniques for the (oringinally) relatively unknown film District 9.
http://adage.com/entertainment-alist2010/article?article_id=143995

Mr. Weinstock [Marketing President, Sony Pictures] suggested that creating an interactive viral experience for each film's marketing also helped matters. "District 9," for example, was launched with a viral outdoor campaign on benches and kiosks featuring a silhouette of the film's signature prawn-like aliens and a 1-800 number. It was a gamble that ultimately paid off due to Sony's commitment to original storytelling.

"Someone had the confidence to put a real tease in the market and really get something going virally before you even knew what it was," Mr. Blake [Chairman, Sony Pictures Worldwide Marketing] said.

This kind of press hugely strengthens the case for less traditional media activity; and as we've recently signed up a movie studio ourselves, vindicates their decision to use a new and highly effective viral approach, albeit in our case digital rather than outdoor.

The storytelling idea is key as it delivers consumer value even though its also marketing. This is exactly our approach with much of what we produce, as we invite consumers to play with the brand's story, be it a piece of entertainment marketing, or even an FMCG product that is being sold.

The recent-ish game we launched for a Sony Music band (http://www.killerviral.com/site/games/844/Freeway+Fallguy) is a case in point as it took the video concept, and turned it into a game, enabling a further level of engagement with the 'narrative' if you can call it that in a pop video! It defnitely raised awareness of the band, which was the aim, as over 13.5 million visits have been acheived since launch!

Currently the storytelling idea is seen in full force in the games we built for the Pepsi Football Hero activation with Microsoft, (http://www.footballhero.uk.msn.com/) as users play the protaganist in a journey from Zero to Football Hero, and dwell times are over 10 minutes on average for each game!

As an aside, what Sony Pictures did with the viral outdoor activity reminded me of something that remains an absolute favourite bit of marketing for me. When I was at Discovery Channel years ago, Animal Planet were promoting a 'dogs and their owners' theme week. To catch attention they somehow sprayed a liquid (I was told it was real dog urine!) onto the base of lamp posts that would draw dogs to the spot. At approximate owner eye-level was a fly poster telling the owners about the TV stunt. Best in Show marketing!!

I cant wait to tell you more about what we will be doing for our new movie client, so keep an eye on the blog!

Kempt, Microsoft and Pepsi Press

Here is a recent article in the online mgazine Cream about the global work we've been doing with Pepsi and Microsoft.
http://www.creamglobal.com/17799/21788/pepsi-launches-five-football-games

Thanks Cream!!