Insidious? Or ingenious?
The concept behind SinisterBeauty.co.uk and the related TV ads portrayed the Audi RS4 as a menacing spider consuming competitors. As a viral extension of that campaign, Audi commissioned comic illustrator Frazer Irving to create a 12-page mini comic book to be distributed in bars and clubs. The result was “Beneath,” the story of an evil scientist driven insane by his attempts to extract a patient’s terrible secret, which is tied to the ominous RS4 spider. In the 11th hour, Audi decided to scan the comic and make it available online.

The company turned to Goodtechnology, where lead creative developer Ben Lunt persuaded them to let him create a full-blown animated short. Lunt’s test for creating branded entertainment? “Even if all overt branding is removed from the finished piece, it should still have meaning. It needs to have a life outside of the product or company it’s advertising.”

“‘Beneath’ was always going to be fairly niche,” says Lunt, “We wanted it to be a riddle for viewers to solve. We hoped to generate buzz as people worked out the story, thereby amplifying the viral effect. It wasn’t heavily promoted, just some word-of-mouth and blog postings.” In the first month alone, the “Beneath” micro-site received 15,000 views—and 25 percent of people who watched it downloaded it to their PSP or iPod.

One car. Six teams. Three weeks.
In the spring of 2006, leftchannel received a call from agency Rubin Postaer and Associates. A new Honda Civic was launching. Six teams had been chosen to promote the car—and a lifestyle—in unique 60-second shorts online. Each team was given one word to drive its concept. Leftchannel’s was “Unleashed.”

Leftchannel’s ultimate film integrated camera paths, contrasting static and moving elements, and post-processing to transport viewers across plains, through alleyways, over an ocean and beyond. “Our goal was to create an ethereal world in which an unseen force travels—enlightening individuals until they reach a timeless and serene reality,” says Nate Reese of leftchannel. “Unleashed” proved enlightening to audiences as well: within two weeks of launching online, it received 83,000 hits.