Organic describes a MediaJamming technique tested for the "Unleash Your Freak" campaign, and showcases results.

Organic Inc. has been fortunate enough to be the interactive agency of record for Chrysler Group since 1999. Out of the hundreds of campaigns we have worked on over the last six years, the Dodge Charger, "Unleash Your Freak," campaign signaled a dramatic departure from the online marketing status quo and ushered in a new level of online campaign sophistication. Let me set the stage.

The path to 'Unleashed'

Chrysler Group was preparing to reintroduce one of their most recognizable and beloved vehicles -- the Dodge Charger -- the up-to-date, classic, Hemi-powered muscle car of the 1960s and 1970s. The original Dodge Charger was an American hot-rod icon, with brutal horsepower, stunning performance and an instantly recognizable design.

Our challenge, in partnership with fellow-Omnicom agencies BBDO Detroit and PHD, was to help Dodge redefine a new era for the "modern muscle car" that was bold, aggressive and would appeal to enthusiasts -- despite the fact that the car now had four doors instead of two.

To successfully launch a vehicle as culturally relevant as the new 2006 Dodge Charger, we needed to support the concept that it was more than a modern interpretation of a classic design. With its muscle car means, 21st century safety and technology, the Charger would give consumers a "vehicle" to liberate their untamed spirit. We knew that in order to engage our target consumers -- confident, tech-savvy, self-expressive and competitive individuals (65 percent male) with a spouse and two children, living in a large city and earning 65-90k/year -- we had to leverage all pertinent aspects of pop culture to truly connect to and motivate them. The strategy came down to just one word: unleash.

Tapping into the inner 'Freak'

Research revealed that the target consumer for the Dodge Charger had a need to liberate his untamed inner spirit -- wanting an excuse to let loose and grab life. When we paired this concept with the four strongest selling points of the vehicle -- speed, style, control and power -- the four "Freaks" were born, and the campaign began to take shape:

• The Power Freak in our consumer can become a gear head in the Power section, soaking up all the engine information that he craves.
• The need for speed is met as a Speed Freak in the Speed section.
• The Style Freak -- suave and stylish -- can feel cool and confident in the Style section.
• The Control Freak can maneuver around the vehicle and become intimate with the technology that helps a driver stay in control.

The online experience was developed to help the consumer unleash and understand that the Charger was built to satisfy the needs of all consumers' inner freaks.

The method to the madness: MediaJamming

Before I describe the details of the campaign, I would like to introduce a new concept -- created and spearheaded by our Chief Creative Officer Colleen DeCourcy. The Dodge Charger campaign was the first where we tested the concept of MediaJamming, and we feel this is one of the reasons why it was such an extraordinary success.

As you know, most online campaigns are destination-based and work by building brand awareness and then pointing consumers to a particular destination (bigcar.com site) where there is valuable content, such as something amusing, informative, et cetera. MediaJamming is different and incorporates three important concepts:

1. The valuable content (music, videos, ringtones, games, et cetera) can live within the advertising itself and doesn't require that you go to a particular destination. The valuable portions of the campaign are, therefore, where you are, scattered across where you already go on the web. Of course, they can also live on a central website as well.
2. To effectively work, the media buys need to be highly targeted to a particular customer (persona), and need to anticipate who would be interested in the campaign and where they go. There is a high dependency on pop-culture and knowledge of what's hot and where it's happening.
3. Viral is a huge component of MediaJamming. In addition to culturally informed media placements, the content itself must be viral-worthy (cool, new, hot, fresh, et cetera).

Using cultural references to define modern muscle

Organic used music and pop cultural references to bring the new Charger to life and develop animated personifications of each freak -- Speed, Style, Control and Power. We worked with local Detroit bands to obtain exclusive rights to original, hard-hitting, rock and roll music. We also created exclusive photos and videos for each Freak, to capture the essence of the brand characteristic and the emotional intensity of the muscle car culture.

Jamming content and promoting contest for continuous engagement

We jammed content to users automatically in two ways -- through online ad units and a downloadable desktop application.

To help create buzz and continuously engage the target audience while tapping into their competitive nature, we created a "Collect and Win" online contest that included four online events -- all available on www.dodge.com/charger. We hung keychains of the four Freaks from the ad units throughout the web -- places that our targets were likely to visit, based on their interests and habits. By collecting the four Freak key chains, contestants were automatically registered to win an instant prize and participate in the online Dodge Charger giveaway -- entitled, "Start Your Engine" -- at a designated day and time. (We also relied on email campaigns to help drive awareness and registrations.)

To enable Dodge Charger enthusiasts to receive valuable content -- including special videos, news, music, ringtones, trivia, ecards, games, et cetera -- without having to visit the main site, we created a downloadable desktop application that became the user's first-line channel for Dodge Charger information, entertainment and shopping tools. This tool extended the brand in a new way and provided a regular opportunity to prolong and deepen user engagement and loyalty. The Dodge Charger "Unleash Your Freak," experience extended from a few minutes on a website to days, weeks and months.

Results should always speak for themselves

• We charted over 2.5 million site visits during a four-month period. This is far and away above our previous new car launch benchmarks.
• The campaign has driven over 60,000 complete web leads.
• Users spent an average of three minutes on the Charger site.
• Nearly 20 percent of people who viewed an online banner interacted with it for nearly a full minute (Source: Eyeblaster).
• The online ad clickthrough rate was double the automotive industry average (Source: Doubleclick).
• We racked up over 100,000 web-generated hand raisers (people who voluntarily asked for information on the vehicle), which is a Chrysler Group record breaking success, including the highly acclaimed Chrysler 300 launch.

Chuck Russo is EVP and chief client development officer at Organic, Inc., in San Francisco, California.