Wednesday, July 23rd, 2008

Versus “Take Back the Tour” ad campaign

Take back the tourCable television network Versus will air wall-to-wall coverage of the 2008 Tour de France July 5–27. On average, fourteen hours of race action per day will celebrate clean competition in one of the most intense and grueling events in all of sports. To promote the event, New York City agency/entertainment group hybrid, The Concept Farm, created a comprehensive, multimedia campaign to champion the riders who compete clean, while providing a platform and a voice to the passionate fan base that supports them. The media push (all based around a single component, the Manifesto) includes three versions of multiple length on-air spots, viral films, several print ads, and a campaign specific Web site to reassure fans that even in the absence of the “celebrity” riders and marquis-name teams, that the soul of the race—and the tradition it was built on—remains.

Robert Singh, art director; Brian Thompson, writer; Tyronne Schaffer, associate creative director interactive; Ray Mendez/Griffin Stenger/Robert Waldner, creative directors; Alexander Rea, interactive director; Johnny Jacques, senior Flash developer; Mike McCall, The Production Farm, producer; Catherine Benedek, The Production Farm editor; APM Music & Beyond Music /Penny Lane Studios, music/sound; The Production Farm, production company; Post Farm, post production; Mark Albertson, account director.

Posted by The Rooster

Tuesday, July 22nd, 2008

The Late Night Landscape

Check out the video!

Posted by The Rooster

Griffin Stenger on Fox Business’ Money For Breakfast to talk about advertising in the late night landscape

Posted by Alexander Rea

Thursday, July 17th, 2008

Takebackthetour.com: Screw The Dopers

Blaise Zerega loves his Orbea. The shocking news today that Saunier Duval has withdrawn from the Tour de France after Riccardo Ricco, its top rider and winner of two stages thus far, had tested positive for EPO, gives new urgency to a compelling and innovative marketing campaign called Take Back the Tour.

Let’s face it, doping is a major problem for my favorite sport and leading up to this year’s Tour, it was obvious that something dramatic was needed to rekindle people’s passion for it. The good folks at the Versus channel (which broadcasts the Tour in the US) turned to The Concept Farm, a NY-based ad-production-entertainment firm.

The result is a sneak peek into the future of advertising and marketing. Concept Farm’s impressive campaign integrates TV, Print, and Web, making full use of interactivity and community. This means a Rants blog, Flickr photos, YouTube videos, and Facebook. Registered participation is not huge, but I wouldn’t count that against the campaign.  It’s bold, visonary, and it will spawn a raft of imitators.

Best of all is its message: Screw the dopers…They ripped the soul out of this race…It belongs to us… We’re masochists. We’re believers. And it’s our time. Take back the tour.

Posted by The Rooster