DASI

www.livingsasquatch.com

We like this for 2 reasons; because it is a nice idea and because it’s for a Jerky brand, and we’re big fans of dried meat based products at DASi.

The site was created by Australian agency www.boffswana.com. Fundamentally, it’s nothing groundbreaking – It’s the same technique that’s been around for a while now with some nice touches, but as I’ve mentioned previously what is key is that rather than the technology being the star, we’re now at a point where it’s mainstream enough that the creative element once again takes the lead.

The key to this piece’s success is its use of UGC, as it gives the campaign much more life and a far greater reach than it otherwise would have. Many campaigns which aim to become ‘viral’ fall down because of a belief that if you add the ability to forward something on, people will automatically do so; it’s just not the case. If your campaign provides no genuine element of interest, whether that is humour, competition, the ability to shock or reward the receiver, it’s liable to be a waste of time and money.

Living Sasquatch works so well because it gives the user the opportunity to be creative with what is a nice core idea, the creativity of the user is much more important that the fact it’s an Augmented Reality piece and this allows a far more mainstream appeal. As an agency head we met yesterday said, “The best technology is practically invisible.” It’s also fantastic to see they haven’t overly branded the site, I’m not sure it would have had the same effect if midway through the legendary Sasquatch suddenly whips out a packet of processed beef. Top Stuff.

I don’t imagine this is the last we’ll see of concepts similar to this, particularly as more agencies have a grip of the technology, driving down the cost in the market, but the interesting part will be who comes up with the next creative level.