AOL LLC
Challenge: Develop an integrated marketing communications campaign targeted to 18-24 year olds to increase brand awareness, brand favorability, and usage among eight of the AIM Social Media services.  Present ideas in a 32-page plansbook and in a 20-minute presentation delivered to AOL executives and industry professionals.

Plenary Thought: Everything about this campaign challenged the definition of AOL as a dead, irrelevant brand.  After developing ground-breaking, critically-acclaimed research methods (www.TalkToRunningMan.com), executing a brand overhaul, defining a killer creative concept, and engaging the target with media buys and promotions they could identify with, the AIM: Connect. Engage. campaign was complete.

Outcome: The campaign poised AIM (repositioned as Aim Integrated Media) to become the leader in the emerging Social Media market.  The campaign was well received by pre-eminent marketers and by the 500+ industry professionals it was presented to.  AOL chose not to implement the plan and continued to turn out ‘me too’ products that positioned the AIM brand to continue to be regarded as outdated, irrelevant, and lame.

Superstar: The breakout star of the campaign was the non-traditional research method, www.TalkToRunningMan.com, that acted as a viral utility and underpinning for the campaign’s creative concept.  Ben Grossman spoke about www.TalkToRunningMan.com at Social Media Breakfast Boston 8 and PodCamp Boston 3.  It is also featured next to initiatives by Starbucks and Nike in the successful “What the F**K is Social Media?” presentation by Marta Kagan, bonafide marketing genius.

This project was completed for AOL with McMahon & Tate at Emerson College for the American Advertising Federation National Student Advertising Competition. The campaign won District 1 regionals and ranked fifth nationally.