Going Mobile: Zannel.com Takes Entertainment Video on the Go
Viral entertainment network Zannel.com is taking the “Hammer & Coop” video series to mobile phones in the Menlo Park, CA-based company’s first consumer branded content deal.
The short films promoting the 2007 MINI Cooper are an homage to classic buddy and talking car television shows like “Knight Rider,” says Mark Netter, director of business development for viral entertainment network Zannel.com. With the help of MINI USA’s ad agency Butler, Shine, Stern & Partners and Zannel, the car maker is enabling consumers to download the videos to their phones and share them with friends.
The six “Hammer & Coop” episodes were directed by Todd Phillips, who directed the movies “Old School” and “Starsky & Hutch.” A similar sensibility to those movies is evident, given the “Hammer” trailer tagline, “Sometimes to get what you want, you’ve got to kick some asphalt.”
Results for the viral campaign, which began in early March, aren’t available yet. But Steve Hoffman, COO of Zannel, says the viral approach is perfect for the car, because owners are so fanatical for the brand.
Advertisers that work with Zannel get their own “channel” within the site, where they can insert their own messaging. At present, Zannel isn’t accepting the type of hard sell ads one might see on television, focusing more on what Hoffman calls ‘branded entertainment advertising.’
“That will change as people build up their channels and we insert ads in between different pieces of content,” he notes. “As we evolve as a company, we will move a little more towards the current television paradigm. But right now we’re more about filling these channels with very entertaining things, and if some of them happen to be advertising, that’s great.”
Zannel stands for “zillions of channels,” says Hoffman, noting the idea behind the site is that anyone—from an individual to a large film studio—could create a channel. The company was founded about a year ago, and is now shifting into its second phase, where it will bring advertising on the site.
In addition to MINI, Zannel worked with Warner Bros. on the launch of the movie “300.” A channel was created to showcase clips and behind the scene footage to complement a viral contest on Zannel, where viewers were asked to pass along the trailer. The winner will be the first person who passes along the trailer – you guessed it – 300 times.
A channel has also been launched with the X Prize Foundation, where users are asked to share videos of what they think are the world’s greatest challenges. Zannel is powering the mobile and Web side of a contest to find ideas on what people think are the most important issues
Zannel is also working with several video game companies and musicians, including Dido, Meatloaf and Barenaked Ladies.
