GQ turns its spine into a stereo
GQ has turned the spine of its October/November issue into a stereo, complete with headphones and an audio message from Usher, for advertiser Belvedere Vodka.
After a switch on the spine is pressed ‘on’, a dance track plays. The R&B performer then says: “Belvedere Vodka is the same naturally smooth vodka that you know and love, in a product Red special edition bottle.”
“I heard about the campaign and did not want to turn down an opportunity as great as this. The money that’s raised goes to a great cause – AIDS and HIV prevention in Africa. It’s a great gift to give back. Get involved in Red. We’re really making a difference to something new.”
Given the tie in with RED I’m reluctant to be critical of this, but… A media first. Wow! Seems like we have a media first every second week. And sadly, the people involved fall so in love the the idea of doing a media first that they forget to to something interesting.
capitalism at its very best.
This is a terrible waste of resources for something people will listen to once, if at all, then throw away. And then the promo has a charity donation component – to offset the karma from its carbon footprint?
Should have done it with an in-flight, then they wouldn’t have had to make the earphones!
Very old news
http://www.adnews.com.au/adnew.....uct-launch
what a waste of time and resources. amazing to see (red) associating themselves with such an ill thought out wasteful idea.
if this sells magazines i’d be surprised. an usher b-side with some one-play technology attached to a poor localised version of a once great international title.
@Catch up – fair comment, come on mumbrella keep up! That said, am glad you reported it, even if a few days after adnews as I don’t go to their site much. Subscriber wall keeps me out (and I subscribe!)
And it does seem like a peculiar paradox, as highlighed by Pete (above). Charity on one hand. Big waste on the other.
I wonder if the headphones will be any good and worth keeping. And the pic suggests they aren’t branded. Nor Red! And I think I know the answer to my question about their quality.
Is this a nice idea, lost in execution?
What Pete said.
Apparently I have to be a paid subscriber to Adnews to read that Catch up. What does it say?
Pfft. I love it! I want all my magazines to come with music now.
Nicky, I’m with you. Love it
AdNews reported this a month ago
Unfortunately it does not come with music.
The concept gets more pointless/disjointed when you get in side the mag. Mid way through you had a traditional branded Belvedere (Blue theme) ad followed by a FP Belvedere red ad with a QR code (WOW). When you scan the QR code you are taken to the Belvedere Australia Facebook page. The Facebook page has nothing about the Red campaign (????? why?). The profile picture is not even aligned with the Red creative.
I love a good gimick but all facets of the campaign need to be aligned before something like this rolls out.
Besides people in the media/advertising/marketing industry, do you think this will drive a sale of the magazine??? I do not think so. Also, I think the whole point has been missed of what Belvedere are trying to achieve here… Sell product so they can “donate the profits from sales” (grey area). I do not believe this will achieve this execution either!
Love our industry delivering unique activation though.
I wanna make love…in this club Regards Usher?
Like the idea and execution…..innovation with the mag space is few and far between!
(non mediacom person)
It’ll be a bugger to fix that spine on the iPad version…
Usher? Really?
I drink Russian Standard Imperia, and still do, and would go a long way away from drinking Belvedere now thanks to that fact that it’s been daubed with Usher.
I hear Craig David needs to make a bit of cash, why not phone him up for the next gin’n’juice promotion.
My problem with this campaign: it’s not on all issues! I purchased GQ in North Sydney the day before I saw this post, read the mag that night then saw the add-on here the next day; if all consumers are paying same price for the mag, include the (wasteful) promo in all issues or don’t bother at all.