It’s cheeky, in-your-face and even a little cocky. It’s the Amp’d Mobile Canada pre-launch campaign, and it’s setting the tone for what’s to come.
The edgy California-based mobile content provider is set to launch in Canada on March 14, and will be available via Telus. It has several exclusive made-for-mobile projects on the go for 2007, including deals with actor Jack Black, writer Donick Cary (The Simpsons) and producer Howard Gordon (24). Amp’d will also provide Canadian-only programs like a weekly sports talk show produced by Luc Robitaille, and original content from its partnership with MuchMusic.
Several wild posting executions hit the streets of Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver in late February, featuring bold headlines like ‘Introducing more cool technology sure to confuse old people.’ The minimal body copy emphasizes the plethora of content Amp’d provides, and reads simply: ‘Entertain yourself with more sports, more music, more viral videos and live content on your phone.’
‘The Amp’d brand is definitely a bit counter-corporate and edgy. It’s really aggressive,’ says Lance Martin, CD at
Toronto-based Taxi 2, Amp’d Canada’s AOR (Taxi New York has the U.S. Amp’d business). ‘[The campaign] is saying: ‘Hey, there’s a new player in town, and it’s not like the others’…content is king when it comes to Amp’d.’
Amp’d is known for its zany marketing efforts. Its U.S.
pre-launch campaign in 2005 was called ‘Try Not to Die – Amp’d Mobile is Coming,’ and included several darkly humorous executions, like street efforts with sidewalk chalk art in major cities that looked like a gaping hole, with a sign advising pedestrians to ‘Try not to die.’ The outrageous TV spots were hits on YouTube, including one 30-second spot with a maid scolding a dead rock star who OD’d, asking him ‘why risk your life? A new phone is coming out.’
Martin says the post-launch campaign will include subway domination, as well as other OOH, LG video boards, TV, POP and online elements. And, he adds cryptically, ‘there will be some exciting stunts.’
