Like blowing up buildings? That's the central, big, noisy, and risky idea for the Sony car stereo's Xpl-od on the Road campaign. Here's the concept: Pull a car with a Sony sound system up to a condemned building, crank up the tunes to eardrum-disintegration level, and blow the sucker sky-high. Xpl-od-themed premiums and a sweepstakes tie in at retail.
Absolut Kurant was a poor sister to Absolut Citron in the flavored vodka segment, mostly because Americans thought "currant" was something that went with their events, not their shooters. "We obviously had to do sampling on-premise," says Davidoff, "but we needed something to give the brand personality." The answer came in a walk past an el stop in Chicago, where Upshot staffers spotted street performers tap-dancing to hip-hop music. Thus was born the Absolut Tap on-premise tour, with those very same buskers as stars. And don't laugh. "It succeeded in moving cases," says Seagram's Shapiro.
To bring personality to call-forwarding for Pacific Bell, Upshot erected living rooms on the streets of San Francisco and Los Angeles, intercepting passersby with ringing phones and saying, "This call's for you," in order to explain the service to them. The idea of the century? Hardly. Annoying? Perhaps. But the big idea here is the nature of the deal with client SBC Communications. (CFOs at retainer-based agencies, cover your eyes.) Upshot's remuneration is a percentage of the activation fees.
"It's a unique compensation model, but it's where it's all going," says Kelley. "You've got to be in business with the client. Even ad agencies are going to have to go there."
Likewise, Kelley holds that Upshot has a no-secrets policy with clients. "We go in and say, 'Here's our complete G&A.' Accounts all know what they are contributing to the agency's business, and they know what our expenses are, and what our profit is."
