On hiatus...

As Never Heard About... has been on a lengthy hiatus, I have finally accepted it is time to post a formal announcement.

Due to a schedule of working on entertainment digital marketing campaigns (it's true - social media never sleeps!), I haven't had time to blog and analyze campaigns up to the standards I would like if I continued this project.

Never Heard About may return in the future, but until then thank you for reading!

If you would like to contact me, I can be reached via LinkedIn.

P.S. I still offer my two cents on social media marketing on Twitter, so feel free to tweet with me here!

Trendspotting: Choose Your Own Adventure video storytelling

Remember those Choose Your Own Adventure books? Putting it in video form storytelling to market Cody Simpson's forthcoming debut album Paradise is near genius.

The Warner Sound's series "Finding Cody," about two fans trying whatever it takes to get into Cody's sold-out concert, has 31 interactive videos with 15 possible outcomes. It's seamless, empowers his young female fans and includes his music in a way that is logical to the story!

(Paradise out October 2, 2012 on Atlantic Records (Photo source: Cody Simpson's Facebook)

Moreover, the story is fun, age-appropriate wish-fulfillment, and the production values are high. The videos are all relatively short (ranging from 30 seconds to 8 minutes each), so they don't ask for a large commitment, and the multiple endings give the series strong replay value.

Check it out! Very cool and creative. We'll likely be seeing these truly interactive series pop up in many places soon.

'Total Recall' (2012) viral sites, digital marketing campaign: Easy to forget

Columbia Pictures’ Total Recall, out August 3, is a remake of the 1990 sci-fi hit movie of the same title that starred Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sharon Stone and was directed by Paul Verhoeven.

(Movie poster, Photo source: IMP Awards)

Over two decades later, the new take on the 1966 Philip K. Dick short story about a future where Rekall Corporation can implant artificial memories to make fantasies come true stars Colin Farrell, Kate Beckinsale and Jessica Biel.

(Screencap from Total Recall Facebook)

Other than a set visit featured on Collider, exclusive motion poster unveiled on JoBlo, and the premiere of the trailer, Total Recall’s main engagement consisted of two viral, alternate-reality websites featured heavily on a series of posters: WelcomeToRekall.com and NoRekall.org.

Anti-Rekall Corporation banner (Photo source: IMP Awards)

Though the sites play into the movie’s Rekall Corporation, neither allows the user to be an active participant besides entering contests for real-life “dream experiences.” With a month before its release date, the campaign may want to change its lackluster approach and make this a movie worth remembering to go see; Total Recall’s wish fulfillment premise is ripe for engagement.

Taking a bite out of 'Snow White and the Huntsman' apps

Universal Pictures’ Snow White and the Huntsman (SWATH) perched on top of the box office throne on its June 1 opening weekend, crowning itself with a majestic $56.1 million.

The 2D Kristen Stewart/Charlize Theron/Chris Hemsworth-led action-fantasy reimagining of the classic fairytale cracked The Avengers’ five-week domination that poisoned summer tentpoles MIB 3, Battleship, The Dictator and Dark Shadows’ expected big openings.

(Movie poster, Photo source: IMP Awards)

Of the two high profile Snow White projects this year, SWATH benefited from its darker tone that appealed to an older 18-34 audience and both females and males; the ax-wielding Huntsman’s (Hemsworth, white-hot off The Avengers) title billing kept this fairy tale from being perceived as "just for girls." The other Snow White, Relativity Media’s comedic Mirror Mirror starring Julia Roberts and Lily Collins in March courted families with colorful costumes and died a quick death after receiving middling reviews and box office receipts.

(Photo source: Mirror Mirror official Facebook)

SWATH’s digital marketing campaign effectively touched many bases from Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook (that included an app for fans to collect badges). Two iOS game apps were also released, Escape The Dark Forest and Snow White and the Huntsman – Storybook, and both are rich visual and interactive tools to engage.

Were these two downloadable apps the fairest and most effective of them all? Let’s take a bite and find out:

TV: PART 2 'The Client List' - Recommendations to be appointment television

RECOMMENDATIONS

Hot off the press today comes news The Client List has been renewed for a second season with an increased episodes-order to boot. It's no surprise, given the series is pulling in consistently strong ratings and finished last week as the "No. 1 drama on basic cable among adults 18-49."

(Poster, Photo source: IMP Awards)

Client List's digital marketing campaign is straightforward and effective, but aside from character-microblogging on Twitter, light on emotional engagement.

Igniting heated discussions and offering advice benefiting its target audience will remind fans The Client List is the can't-miss appointment they wait all week for.

Below are three recommendations to spice things up:

TV: PART 1 'The Client List' - Offering to rub viewers in all the right places

(Poster, Photo source: IMP Awards)

Lifetime’s The Client List takes the 2010 television film of the same name, which garnered star Jennifer Love Hewitt a Golden Globe nomination, and turns the premise into a weekly TV series.

The extremely watchable, entertaining, and sexy series premiered on April 8 to "solid" numbers and has continued to lure clients back.

Premise: Taken from the synopsis, the show follows a Texas housewife and mother Riley Parks (Hewitt) who, "after being deserted by her husband, ends up working at a day spa that offers more services than she initially believed."

The hook:

(Photo source L-to-R: IMDB and CBS, Client List Facebook, Client List official site)

• Jennifer Love Hewitt starring vehicle. Hewitt's coming off her last series, CBS's Ghost Whisperer, where she cultivated a following for playing empathetic and amicable Melinda Gordon for five seasons.
• Intrigue - how far will a woman go in this economy to provide for her family? Also, an insight into a hush-hush profession many are unfamiliar with but interested in watching.
• It's fantasy fun - handsome men, chisel torsos, and sex - with a conscience.

Target audience: Females 18-34 (Secondary: 35-54)

Though Client List’s premise may seem lascivious on the surface, the series is in line with the network’s brand: it boosts a steamy setting and fun cast, yet hits an emotional core showing a woman struggling to protect her family and stay true to her morals at the same time.

Let's take a look at the digital marketing campaign and review what kind of services Client List is offering to keep viewers panting for a return visit.

TV: PART 2 'Don't Trust the B---- in Apt 23' - Recommendations for Rent

(Photo source: Apt 23 Facebook)

RECOMMENDATIONS

Premiering to OK numbers last Wednesday, Don't Trust the B---- in Apt 23 can hang onto current tenants while attracting new occupants by further connecting to the show’s snappy humor and relatable premise in its digital marketing campaign.

Below are five recommendations: