Oh lord won't you buy me a decent marketing website
August 21, 2007 7:19 PM   Subscribe

A great marketing tool.
posted by Samuel Farrow (46 comments total)

This post was deleted for the following reason: you know, you explained to me why you thought this post as a good one, and I sort of decided to see what MeFi thought of it, but MeFi sort of thinks it's a pepsi blue not that great post. I'm sorry. -- jessamyn



 
But I don't want a pepsi blue mercedes.
posted by doctor_negative at 7:29 PM on August 21, 2007


Yes, they appear to be selling something. Still, wow.
posted by found missing at 7:34 PM on August 21, 2007


Someone approved that?
posted by Bighappyfunhouse at 7:44 PM on August 21, 2007


wtf?? I got bored while it loaded, I got offended when it treated me like an internet idiot (ok, maybe I am), and why are we doing links to advertising sites...

countdown begins!!!!!
posted by HuronBob at 7:48 PM on August 21, 2007


A great marketing tool for selling cars, maybe. If you're comparison shopping for toenail clippers, it sucks.
posted by Faint of Butt at 7:50 PM on August 21, 2007


Flash: doing on the web what we've managed to do on computers in general for more than 20 years, but in a more pretentious, unusable way.
posted by chlorus at 7:51 PM on August 21, 2007


The coolest part is how it finally bogged down and hung on my rather powerful system. I've never seen Flash hang before. Ever.
posted by darksasami at 7:54 PM on August 21, 2007 [1 favorite]


I'm split on it. It is certainly an example of excellent UI: each page uses some different control method, and none of them have explanations (except the odd tutorial that says "you can click, rollover, or drag"), and yet each one is instinctively usable. But the actual content therein is no more interesting than any other old-school ad.
posted by Bugbread at 7:55 PM on August 21, 2007


Suck it, snarkers.
posted by found missing at 8:02 PM on August 21, 2007


It's a bunch of well known flash effects linked together as more-or-less content-free ad heavily laced with more-or-less meaningless keywords that sound classy.
posted by loquacious at 8:10 PM on August 21, 2007


Suck it, snarkers.

Whip it out.
posted by loquacious at 8:11 PM on August 21, 2007 [2 favorites]


I'm mostly meh on this.
posted by oddman at 8:12 PM on August 21, 2007


Meh of the web.
posted by chinston at 8:15 PM on August 21, 2007 [2 favorites]


Where's T, U, V, W, X, Y and Z?
posted by Skygazer at 8:16 PM on August 21, 2007


the only reason i can imagine someone posting this mundane, ubiquitous flash-ad and bill it as a "a great marketing tool" is because s/he had something to do with its production, and is seeking validation through mefi...
posted by vishnubob at 8:23 PM on August 21, 2007


As I explained to Jessamyn in my email to correct the typo in the title, there is plenty of marketing on the web - and this is one of the best marketing sites I have seen.

I think it is landmark because it shows an understanding of the difference between an old media brand and a new media brand. The former expecting a passive response from the consumer the latter accomodating consumer brand interaction.

I think that we are probably still some time away from McDonalds launching a flash marketing site where children can feed virtual burgers to a character and watch it grow obese, but this site impressed me with its attempt at understanding how web marketing can support the Mercedes brand.
posted by Samuel Farrow at 8:23 PM on August 21, 2007


Yeah just what i want, a car polished with ostriches that constantly has to have the button pushed for the window to stay up.
posted by Big_B at 8:23 PM on August 21, 2007


The car taught me how to click and drag. I'm a big boy today!
posted by Ohdemah at 8:24 PM on August 21, 2007 [1 favorite]


On preview, not everyone is as purile vishnubob
posted by Samuel Farrow at 8:24 PM on August 21, 2007


Huh. It just looks like any other car company's site. Am I missing something wonderful here?
posted by octothorpe at 8:25 PM on August 21, 2007


But that button was efficiently designed by an industrial psychologist to be perfectly satisfying to press! Why don't you want to press the button? Do you hate efficient industrial psychologists? PRESS THE BUTTON!

Oh, God, the pain! I want the image tag back so bad it hurts.
posted by loquacious at 8:27 PM on August 21, 2007


Is this thread closed yet?
posted by humannaire at 8:39 PM on August 21, 2007


Geeze, feel the snark.

I liked playing with the thing. Still can't afford a mercedes, but it was cool anyway.
posted by Zinger at 8:45 PM on August 21, 2007


Don't take it personally, Mr. Farrow. It's an engaging flash-widget but it's all been done before, sans-ads.

And that and the fact that if I post three more snarks I'll get a free toaster oven from Adbusters.

I really want that toaster oven. It's designed by Bono (from U2) and manufactured from 100% post-consumer recycled content or bio-sustainable composites like hemp-oil plastic or cornstarch solids. I hear if you try to toast Wonderbred in it you get a thirty-minute lecture on factory farming and biodiversity.
posted by loquacious at 8:50 PM on August 21, 2007 [1 favorite]


New frontiers in web marketing are great, sure, but this seemed more like new frontiers in mystery meat navigation. I take your point seriously, but I just don't agree. It's far too boring for a brand that's based on a non-boring physical object.
posted by GuyZero at 8:53 PM on August 21, 2007


Loquacious - I have been around here long enough to know the deal, and I also realise that stavros is going to freak when he sees this (he rants and rages at posts linking to entertaining viral videos, and this is a single link post to naked advertising).

But the site interests me personally and proffessionally, and I hope some others.
posted by Samuel Farrow at 8:59 PM on August 21, 2007


As I explained to Jessamyn in my email to correct the typo in the title, there is plenty of marketing on the web - and this is one of the best marketing sites I have seen.

Good god, are you serious? I honestly thought until I read your midthread comment that you had posted this as a sort of trophy of the most abject failure of marketing pretension ever excreted in the history of Internet advertising.

I'm selling all my stock in companies that sell stuff. Capitalism is doomed.
posted by gum at 9:04 PM on August 21, 2007


I don't consider it good marketing when a site takes a long time to load, and during that time instructs users how to use a mouse to interact with websites.

It also doesn't usually speak well for an FPP when the poster feels the need to post two defensive comments in the first two hours of the post's existence.
posted by cerebus19 at 9:08 PM on August 21, 2007


I think that we are probably still some time away from McDonalds launching a flash marketing site where children can feed virtual burgers to a character and watch it grow obese

Not if I'm reading this RFP correctly...
posted by ryoshu at 9:09 PM on August 21, 2007


Samuel Farrow said: I think it is landmark because it shows an understanding of the difference between an old media brand and a new media brand. The former expecting a passive response from the consumer the latter accomodating consumer brand interaction.

It may well be "landmark," and even pretty, but it requires too much consumer interaction. People want instant gratification, especially when they're searching for something they want to buy. The Mercedes customer is already set on buying a Mercedes, so a "landmark" website is basically redundant (and even off-putting) to their target customer.
posted by amyms at 9:14 PM on August 21, 2007


Pepsi blue blah blah blah

As a former flash monkey for a several marketing and advertising agencies, this makes me feel bitter and jealous. This is the kind of stuff we were always wanting to do, and clients always wanted BIGGER logos, MORE colors, and how much can you do for half the money?

Now the new flash monkeys can show this to clients and say "Wouldn't you like your stuff to look like Mercedes' stuff"?

Thanks for the link.
posted by Dataphage at 9:31 PM on August 21, 2007


the latter accomodating consumer brand interaction.

That's "consumer brand interaction" to you? Really?

Dude, test driving a car is "consumer brand interaction." This is just silly fidgeting that was done to death online years ago, with much more interesting and artistic content. My hat's off to the creative drones who managed to get someone to pay them to fuck around like this, but get serious. It's not gonna do a damn thing to solidify brand loyalty, and is, for a lot of people - some of whom are Mercedes' target audience - a generally dull and patronizing web site.

Not the effect they should be going for.
posted by mediareport at 9:35 PM on August 21, 2007


I think it is landmark because it shows an understanding of the difference between an old media brand and a new media brand. The former expecting a passive response from the consumer the latter accomodating consumer brand interaction.

Oh, buddy, pass the cool aid, will ya? Old media brand vs. new media brand? I love it when the folks in marketing start drinking their own piss.
posted by doctor_negative at 9:40 PM on August 21, 2007 [1 favorite]


I want my 30 seconds back.
posted by The Light Fantastic at 9:51 PM on August 21, 2007


Bring back the IMG tag!
posted by davy at 9:58 PM on August 21, 2007


Hey - those coconuts are sweet. you can throw em around an they make funny noises.

/drinks more pbr

wish pbr would make a site lilke this.

with cars and shit.
posted by Baby_Balrog at 9:59 PM on August 21, 2007


Wasn't that oscill8 dude doing cooler non-commercial stuff like this five years ago? I agree with someone upstream. They combined some has-been Flash jobs into a partial alphabet, fuck hard to rollover three-letter words that start with K navigation that leaves me wondering why do I even care?

I'd be more impressed if they just started a blog like those GM dudes.
posted by strangeleftydoublethink at 10:33 PM on August 21, 2007


A great marketing tool.

Yes, yes you are.
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 10:37 PM on August 21, 2007 [3 favorites]


Dataphage, I used to be an Agency monkey as well. I worked for an agency that had free reign to do this type of thing, and maybe 2 out of every 10 projects turned out "amazing". The other 8 while usually good, often fell short of greatness due to the same kind of thinking that leads to the attitude we see in this thread.

If it isn't Citizen Kane, it's a waste of popcorn. If it isn't The White Album, why'd they bother picking up a guitar? If it doesn't give you multiple full body orgasms, then WHY OH WHY DID YOU JUST WASTE 3 WHOLE MINUTES OF MY LIFE!

To me, this is the opposite of creative thought.

That mercedes site isn't the greatest marketing site i've ever seen. But it isn't shit. And having spent many years pitching, planning, and creating sites like this, I can appreciate what's good about it.

As an ex-industry guy, it's fun to look at stuff like this and wonder what the initial pitch looked like. What really cool stuff got left out? What stupid stuff got left in because the client insisted? What little tiny part was done by some fresh faced, completely green junior designer, who is now totally stoked cause, "OMG! Mercedes Benz in the portfolio!"

I thought it was ok post, and would put forth the argument that (perhaps with a bit more context) this type of stuff should have a place around here.
posted by billyfleetwood at 10:52 PM on August 21, 2007


I found it too slow and irritating to get past "B". Can someone tell me which letter explains why everyone who drives a Mercedes is such a fucking asshole?
posted by nanojath at 10:52 PM on August 21, 2007 [1 favorite]


Yuck. Why can't we flag posts as "advertising"?

DO NOT WANT.
posted by lupus_yonderboy at 10:57 PM on August 21, 2007


I also realise that stavros is going to freak when he sees this (he rants and rages at posts linking to entertaining viral videos, and this is a single link post to naked advertising).

Whatever.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 12:03 AM on August 22, 2007


DO NOT DROP AN EGG.
posted by flabdablet at 12:04 AM on August 22, 2007


billyfleetwood writes "As an ex-industry guy, it's fun to look at stuff like this and wonder what the initial pitch looked like. What really cool stuff got left out?"

T through Z.
posted by Bugbread at 1:32 AM on August 22, 2007 [1 favorite]


Actually, the one thing this does make me wonder about is this: where did the S rank come from? That site makes no sense to Americans unless they've played a lot of Japanese video games, which tend to give grades based on the American school system except that there's a grade S that's better than A. First time I saw it was racing chocobos in FFVII, but it's really common now.

Did it come from Europe? Are Europeans assumed to know that S is better than A? What's the deal?
posted by darksasami at 1:45 AM on August 22, 2007


Merc make an A class and an S class, hence A to S. And Samuel, I liked it. Thank you for the post.
posted by markr at 2:51 AM on August 22, 2007


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