We’ve seen this concept manifest in the real world in one of the oldest promotional ideas around: customer loyalty programs. Buy X amount of things and become a Gold Member! Or accumulate X amount of points from purchases and get a free Gizmo!

The issue here is that there’s usually a big disconnect between the effort and the reward.

The first problem is that the rewards are usually so few and far in between that they don’t provide any real incentive. If I just enrolled in a loyalty program at a beer store and I have to spend $200 to get a free glass, what kind of incentive is that? When the prize has no real relation to the amount of time or money spent, then it becomes more of a minor bonus than incentive to buy/do more.

Take a game like Call of Duty: Black Ops as an example of how things should be. In the beginning the leveling up comes fast and (relatively) easy. The rewards are minor, but they’re coming so quickly it doesn’t matter. As you level up, the rewards become fewer and farther in between but much more substantial.

Keeping with the beer store example. Why not give out a key chain bottle opener after $10, a free beer after $20, a cooler bag after $60, etc.

The second problem is that most of the customer loyalty programs that exist are based on one behavior: purchases. The modern purchase cycle has become so connected that there is now much more to reward customers for, beyond the simple buying of your product or service.

Yes, rewards for direct referrals have been around for a while, but what about indirect referrals? Why not reward customers for blogging about their great experience? Wouldn’t it be nice, as a brand, to thank your customers (with tangible rewards) for showing off your great sandwiches via Twitpic or Posting a Facebook gallery of your jewelry?

Badges are nice as a study in psychology, but when it comes to creating memorable experiences and engaging people, we can do so much more.

His main point is that the ad wasn’t necessarily about Google Search, but more of a proof of concept for their advertising (which includes search ppc, television, etc.).

Google has been trying for years to help advertisers think about the relationship between Superbowl [or any TV spots] and search and online video, [...]

and that the proof of any new platform requires big brand case studies and support, and that having your own is always useful when talking to agencies….

And in fact they have already said they are running Chrome spots across their TV AD network as a LIVE CASE STUDY OF HOW THESE THINGS WORK TOGETHER…because you can use insight from online deployment to better plan the TV, as I’ve been saying for years, because the internet gives you real data, not nonsense from pre-testing focus groups

I think a big thing to think about here is that Google is looking at all these venues of advertising as an ecosystem, not “TV viewers interact with ads this way” and “Web users interact with ads that way”. Also, taking insights across platforms could become extremely valuable in the near future.

I really like how Target is taking a play out of Disney and Dreamworks’ book here. And that play is the “something for everyone” humor. Just like the way that Disney and Dreamworks sneak in jokes written for the parents in kids movies, Target has managed to craft an ad speaking directly to parents, while still not cluing kids in on anything.

Plus it’s pretty funny to too.

Take a quick look, and then we’ll talk.

I think the biggest thing here is the move from passive to active. With ads (typically) we are passive recipients of a neatly packaged “moment” designed to elicit some sort of emotional response or purchase intent. With websites, and most digital instances, we’re being given the opportunity to experience something, and how we do so is entirely of our own choosing.

You’ve probably heard that the medium is the message. I think that’s only half right.

Maybe the experience is the message.

ABC’s Castle (which I really, really like) is now in it’s second season and has found a steady, growing following. If you’re not familiar with the show, the basic premise is that Richard Castle (Nathan Fillion), a hugely successful crime novelist uses his connections with the Mayor to be assigned as a tag-along with detective Kate Beckett (Stana Katic) where he helps solve cases in the name of “research” for his books. It’s a pretty unique twist on the old cop show, and I think it bears watching a few full episodes on hulu if you haven’t seen it.

And after the first season, Castle has written a new book loosely based on Beckett. The book, titled Heat Wave features Nikki Heat and her adventures. The first few episodes of the second season have more than a few moments revolving around the release of Heat Wave, which itself is nothing exciting. But the hitch is the book actually exists. It’s “written” by Richard Case, and you can go buy it on Amazon.com right now. It’s even got Fillion’s picture on the back cover.

Now that’s all well and good, but what’s even better is that it seems to be a good book. Hopefully the show will keep doing well, and they’ll keep cranking out quality crime/mystery novels that go with it. It lets you follow along at home folks!

And, obviously, you can follow Richard Castle on Twitter.

Saw this at the Minneapolis Airport on my way home from Montana the other day.

Does it make me want Travelers Insurance? Not really.

Does it promote the position they’re going for? I’d say yes.

Did it get my attention? Absolutely.

What matters?

Not only is this a cool commercial from Bacardi (plays very well off the “timeless” vibe), but it has a great song. In fact, the song is what stuck with me even after the ad was over. It was that “Wow, I’m going to go look that up right now” type feeling that I’m sure you’ve experienced before. The same thing happened to me with The Ting Tings song from this Apple ad.

I’m not sure that this is something the ad companies are intending, but it sure is a value-add for me. Does it make me love/want to buy Bacardi or Apple more because their agency has good musical taste? Probably not, but I dig the song and won’t change the channel if it comes on TV.

We used to look the DJs to let us know what the next, new, cool stuff would be. Now, by the time something hits the Top 40 stations it’s already either played out, sold out, or old news. It seems that ads are helping the general public “discover” new artists more and more. It’s an interesting dynamic, and I’m looking forward to see how it evolves in the in the future.

What do you think?

We’re not on Facebook to click on your ads.

We’re not checking email to read your press releases.

We’re not on Twitter to read your Auto-DMs.

We’re not commenting on your corporate blog unless you have something real to say.

We’re not watching the video for your pre-roll (but we appreciate when it’s short).

We’re not checking out new platforms just so you can “leverage” them.

Just thought you should know.

1) Free gamerpics and themes.
Nothing new here, but it still can be smart and easy. That being said, I don’t think it will be truly effective/adopted unless your brand is what Alan Wolk calls “A Prom King Brand“. For example, McDonalds just did this with their McCafe lattes. I don’t get that at all. What self-respecting gamer is going to have their picture set as a McDonalds latte? Past examples such as the TV show Entourage or the Addidas Anniversary Editions make a much more compelling case.

2) Sponsored avatar clothing.
No one has done this yet, and I’m not sure Microsoft is even open to it, but I think it’s a slam dunk. I want to see Ralph Lauren step up and offer Polo branded shirts. Where are the Converse All-Stars, the Nike warm-ups, the Levi’s 501s? And all that doesn’t even touch sports teams. It seems like this is a segment with some potential, and if I was an apparel manufacture, you can be I’d be on the phone with Microsoft.

3) Free sponsored version of arcade downloads.
This is my favorite idea here, and the one with an absolute ton of potential. What I’m suggesting here is that a company take an already popular (or semi-popular) version of an arcade title and offer it free for a few days. This free version would have all the functionality and features of the regular title, but be branded. It could even have a small interstitial in the beginning to play the latest 30-second spot from the brand (which could be updated continually over the internet connection). This way, every time you fire up your favorite, free, new arcade title, you’re reminded who to thank. Could be great.

4) Advergames.
This is a sketchy option. Not because gamers don’t like free stuff, but because these games usually really suck. Look at that game that Doritos just gave away, or the Yaris game. Ouch. Now there’s two routes these kind of games can take. One is they can be something remotely related to your actual product (like the Yaris game). While this seems like it makes the most sense, you have to remember that most products don’t lend themselves to a fun game experience. The second option is to just make a fun little game, and brand the hell out of it. Think Peggle but with “YOUR BRAND HERE”.

5) Giveaways.
Netflix is already rocking out pretty hard with the giveaway option. They’re offering a chance for a home entertainment system with your Netflix activation (which is awesome, trust me). I feel like a lot of companies could go this way, gives you a lot of publicity with little cost.

So what do you think? What did I miss?