‘Bee-Boy Dance Crew’ spreads awareness of bee crisis
Posted by Ana Yoerg | 3-09-2008 03:33 | Category: Corporate Social Responsibility
This viral video from Häagen Dazs ("Bee-Boy Dance Crew") had a huge impact among online youth-based communities, especially in the US, where scientists are baffled by the case of the the mysteriously disappearing honey bees.
Two years ago, worker bees started disappearing from hives all over Europe and North America in a poorly understood phenomenon known as Colony Collapse Disorder. Suppliers freaked out - and rightly so, for many of the foods we consume on a daily basis depend on ingredients pollinated by the honey bee. Their disappearance would have catastrophic repercussions on the human food supply.
Häagen Dazs tapped into the issue, noting that 30 of its 73 flavors use bee-dependent ingredients (e.g., almonds, blueberries, peaches). The company may also have been looking at ROI figures from cause-related marketing campaigns: a recent study showed that 7 in 10 consumers have purchased a product or service because it supports a cause they believe in.
And a cool video can’t hurt: The piece, created by Omnicom’s Goodby, Silverstein, & Partners, shows a breakdancing crew, dressed like giant bees, competing on a dance floor, imitating the dance that bees do to divulge the location of nectar to hive members. Targeted to youth thirsty for honey, hip-hop and a cause to support, the complex footwork of the Bee-Boys — a pun that plays on “b-boys,” a street term for breakdancers — sparked the interest of kids that follow breakdancing culture.
LA-based Feed Company, the agency that seeded the video to key audiences, knew that the strength of the creative would work for digitally connected youth, but in order to get it in front of more people, they had to spark interest in spreading the message across social networks, video sites and blogs, which they did through strategic messaging and placement.
It worked. In just two weeks (ending Aug. 1), the video garnered two million views and 3,500 comments. It also earned a four-and-a-half star rating out of five on YouTube, was covered across 150 sites and blogs, and was mentioned in 11,000 forum discussions.
Perhaps most important for the cause, visits to Häagen Dazs’ “save the bees” site spiked, reflecting heightened interest in the bee issue. The campaign, which also includes TV ads, print ads that flower when planted, the microsite, and philanthropic sponsorships - was ultimately carried to fame by a few dancing bees, more than a few YouTube views, and an uncountable number of clicks - as kids spread the message to their friends...and friends of friends.
Advertiser:
Häagen Dazs
Agency:
Goodby, Silverstein, & Partners
Additional credits:
Strategic video seeding: Feed Company (http://www.feedcompany.com)
Source:
MarketingVOX
Print this article Send this article to a friend Share on:
Twitter
Digg
del.icio.us
Stumble It!
Facebook 
The Shrine Down the Hall
0
Follow Osocio at Twitter
