Sidewalk Ritual Hits the Streets with Social Publishing Project

Fill in the blank: A Debut Novel + Social Media + Wu Tang Clan = ?

Answer: Social Publishing.

San Francisco author Scott James took one page from the hip hop playbook and combined it with social media marketing to turn his new novel, Sidewalk Ritual, into a collaborative project. He's been spotted around San Francisco doing some guerrilla marketing- you'll find him at busy locations around town with his typewriter and desk, typing out original poems for passers-by and reading from the novel.

The social publishing project brings a street team and experiential aesthetic to self-publishing. First, he raised $9,047 through a Kickstarter campaign. Those funds are paying for 6 artists and 6 musicians to create original works inspired by Sidewalk Ritual. When readers buy the novel, they get the art and music as free digital downloads.

You can learn more about Sidewalk Ritual and his accompanying project at http://redhatproject.com

MINI Gives New Meaning to Term "Pop-Up Shop"

Dealerships that make house calls?

MINI France with the help of DDB Paris just reinvented the idea of the "Pop-Up Shop" by releasing ten mobile MINI Stores in Paris. These fully equipped MINIs moved all through the city enticing possible customers with free test drives.

Now if only gas stations delivered...

[Via Fast Company]

Adidas Kidnaps Teens That Try On Climacools

What's the best way to make young people more active? Adidas explores the option of giving them something to run for in their newest campaign!

In an effort to jump start running shoe sales with French teens Adidas launched the "Ready to Run" experiential campaign that kidnapped unsuspecting teens trying on Climacools in random stores all over France. They were thrown in to vans, prepped with instructions by Teddy Riner (world champion judo wrestler) and given an hour to complete their mission. Their outrageous objectives ranged from delivering keys to a cheerleader-filled locker room to jumping out a moving helicopter--all for a chance to meet some of France's biggest celebrities. Adidas used an interesting way to persuade their targets to test out their shoes and most definitely gained some life-time customers from this campaign.

[Via PSFK]

Tweet for Tea

Tweet for tea?  Why not?!  South African brand BOS Ice Tea launched a new vending machine which is powered by tweets!  All you have to do is sent a tweet to the BOS account and the machine will dispense a free sample of the tea for you to enjoy.  A clever way of integrating social media with real life, don't you think?

[Via Digital Buzz Blog]

The Little Man in the ATM

Imagine a man crawling around inside of the ATM box while you are using it!  That'll be sure to catch your attention right?  This clever campaign was launched in Peru to raise awareness of the problem that a majority of children there are illiterate.  Not being able to walk away or forget as easily as you will with an ad, this campaign is engaging and interacts with each target.  What do you guys think?

[Via Creative Criminals]

BIG SPILLS solved!

UH OH! Can you please pass me a Bounty paper towel?

To promote product quality through increased awareness, Bounty infiltrated NYC and LA with larger-than-life sized instillations of clothing’s eternal enemy….SPILLS! The attention grabbing props emphasized Bounty’s durability and spread word-of-mouth buzz while surprising passersby in high traffic locations in both cities. Bounty created BIG buzz with these BIG spills.

[Via Guerrilla Communication Blog]

The Most Refreshing Drink Dispenser

In 104 degrees Fahrenheit weather,  you'd be seeking all sorts of ways to cool off too!

Sprite leveraged Rio de Janeiro beach culture as an opportunity refresh beach-goers while promoting the brand. A giant shower modeled after a Sprite fountain drink dispenser was constructed on the beach, sparking interest from everyone. The shower was "showered" with Sprite logos easily seen, along with the words "Refresh Your Ideas" to help promote brand awareness, and creating a lasting impression!

[Via- AdRants]