Campaign of the month – CP Proximity

Barcelona-based CP Proximity Interactive has won the April IAB Creative Showcase award, in association with Microsoft Digital Advertising Solutions, for its campaign promoting the UK release of the film Pulse. Dedicated microsite www.iwanttoseeaghost.com taps into the popularity and influence of user-generated content to provide a truly terrifying online experience. As you land on the site, a blog posting from regular visitor Sceptic Boy announces that the international blogging community is suffering from “a wave of suicides” leading to numerous sites being closed. The odd thing about the case is that in almost all of these blogs, one of the latest entries was a strange video. Once the eerie black and white video is launched, there follows a shocking chain of events, concluding with clips from the film, which was released on DVD in the UK last month.

First runner-up in the same month was AKQA, with its innovative and entertaining brand site for Trident Gum. The aim of www.tridentgum.co.uk was to support the release of Trident Gum in the UK, and to provide an online information source for those wanting to find out more. The site features a high-quality movie, masquerading as a corporate DVD. Set in the factory, the site explains how Trident gum is made and introduces visitors to the infamous mastication lobe. One scene illustrates how Himalayan blue kneading kittens are employed to make their product so soft.

Second runner-up for April was Modem Media with its campaign for the Hewlett Packard Pavilion Notebook. The viral video is moodily lit and shot in grainy black and white. Starring a pouting male model, we witness a show of obsessive love for this laptop. The level on the silly-dial is cranked up with props like crystal balls, faux Grecian plinths and Ostrich feathers.