Every now and then it’s nice to hear the words “thank-you”, and who better to deliver the message than a beefy, half-dressed, uber-confident ladies man?

You may have seen him before. Isaiah Mustafa is “the man your man could smell like” and star of Old Spice’s newest TV ads – first launched during the Super Bowl earlier this year.

People seem to love this guy, so much that Old Spice saw fit to thank fans personally for their support – using the interactive world of social media.

Last week Mustafa took comments and questions from Twitter, Facebook, reddit, Digg and YouTube and personally responded to fans with short video messages. They clips were clever, the lines were funny and the character was hilariously brilliant (and not too hard on the eyes either). Last I counted, he released about 180+ videos, generating over 5.9 million views and over 22,500 comments. Although the stunt was short-lived (lasting a little over 48 hours), viewer response outpaced some of the most popular viral videos to date. Some are even calling it the best social media campaign the ad world has ever seen.

“In a way there’s nothing magical that we’ve done here,” Wieden + Kennedy’s Global Interactive Creative Director Iain Tait, told RWW. “We just brought a character to life using the social channels we all [social media geeks] use every day. But we’ve also taken a loved character and created new episodic content in real time.”

The creators of this idea were spot on in their judgment. At the end of the day consumers want to feel as though the company really cares. What better way to show them than a stunt like this one – where the face of Old Spice responds to a tweet you posted only minutes ago? The campaign was simple, inexpensive, interactive and a perfect example of viral marketing at its best. Other companies are sure to follow suit.

My only regret is that, of all the celebrities and fans, I didn’t get a shout out. But as Mustafa put it, “I am just one ridiculously handsome man. I can’t write to everyone.”

(Sigh) I guess I can forgive him.

Check out his personalized videos here.

-Bryna Reid

Like many other Americans last night, I watched “The Decision”, an hour long special on Lebron James big announcement on which team he would be playing for next season. Now in case you’ve been under a rock for the last week or so, I’ll explain: NBA Star and Cleveland Cavaliers player, Lebron James became a free agent. He made the decision to make his big announcement to the world on ESPN last night.

Let me be the first to say that I am not an NBA fan. However, last night I managed to pull myself away from my favorite Thursday night reality show because I couldn’t resist tuning into ESPN to watch the big announcement.

I must admit…this was a great publicity stunt. This was the first time in history that an announcement like this had been made in such a way. There has been a lot of controversy over whether or not this was a good decision for James. I think that only time can tell if this will help or hurt his brand. But focusing only on the publicity for the Lebron James brand, ESPN and the other sponsors involved, the program was successful.

The James’ camp built hype leading up to the airing of the program and the show was said to be one of the highest rated non-sports events on ESPN. Also, buzz quickly began on the social networks and took over the Trending Topics list on Twitter and mentioned frequently on Facebook. James himself  joined Twitter a few days prior to the announcement which also made headlines in media outlets. And to add to James’ image, he committed to donating 100% of the ad dollars to the Boys and Girls Club.

Bleacherreport.com even listed James in the “The 10 Best Athlete Publicity Stunts of All Time” article along with Ocho Cinco’s name change, Dennis Rodman marrying himself and the never ending Terrell Owens’ stunts. Definitely an article worth the read.

James announced he would be going to the Miami Heat, so welcome to the South Lebron.

I’m just ready for football season

-Danielle K.

You don’t have to like soccer or follow The World Cup to really appreciate this nike ad. Personally, I’m a fan of the US, but I cannot stand the Vuvuzelas (aka that horrible buzzing sound that goes on during the games). However, I did rewind the tivo to take this one ad in. Enjoy. Go USA.

-libby sexton

Congrats to Big Art Director, Brian Curtin and girlfriend Joy Gravel for recently gracing the pages of Birmingham Magazine’s Most Beautiful People.

They were actually the first couple to be featured in the beautiful people spread. The honor normally goes just to individuals. We weren’t surprised here at Big when they made the cut. The only question we had was, ‘Where is Indy, the couple’s beautiful dog?’ He should have been recognized as well. Birmingham Magazine staffers, hear this – we at Big would love to see a most beautiful pets next year. With Indy on the cover.

Click here to read the whole article and check out some of the other Bham Beauties.

With the “goo-goos” and “ga-gas” of little ones flooding the office halls, it’s no wonder that employees at BIG still have babies on the brain. If you weren’t already aware, two of our team members welcomed newborns into their families these last couple months. Just yesterday Robin brought in “Woody”, her bundle of joy. Needless to say, the ladies in the office were mesmerized and couldn’t keep their hands off of the handsome stud.

That image crossed my mind when I ran across a new Huggies commercial this morning.

Although I found this particularly hilarious and absolutely adorable, others disagree. The ad has been the source of controversy and debate since its release on May 29th.

So what’s the issue with babies being a little chic?

The images are reminiscent of the modish adverts we typically see from designers like Calvin Klein or Levi — ones where voguish models go about their day-to-day, leaving onlookers frozen and awestruck at their impeccable style.

Some feel the ads are “creepy” and even “pedophilic” in nature. Many express concerns that the babies are being “sexualized”.

Viewers on the opposing side say “Hey, it’s not that serious.”, and praise Huggies for creating a new, fun, unique and fashionable means of keeping baby bottoms dry. “Jeans have always been a Mommy fashion must-have, but now it’s time for their little ones to steal the style,” said Stuart Schneider, senior brand director of Huggies.

The limited edition diaper will disappear from store shelves once the Summer is over, but that still gives the public plenty of time to debate the issue. What do YOU think? Is it Huggies that needs to clean it up? Or is it viewers who need to lighten up? We’ll let you be the judge ….

- Bryna Reid

Brian Curtin – Here at BIG we know him as designer, editor, photographer, motion graphic specialist, filmmaker ………………………and Jedi warrior. Yep, you heard that right. The force is strong with this one, and apparently over 1,178,674 YouTube viewers agree. His Star Wars inspired film – CONCRETE HUSTLE lightsaber duel has recently gotten over a million views on YouTube since its posting two years ago.

His love for the epic motion picture reaches back as far as he can remember, but he recalls high school as one of the first times he was inspired to create one of his very own. “My friends and I saw some and I said, ‘I think we can do that — I think we can do it better.’” And so the saga began.

Being the office rookie that I am and having little to no film experience I started making guesses as to how long it took to make the film — Maybe a month, a month and a half?

Boy was I wrong.

Curtin and his team spent SIX months perfecting this four minute, twenty-two second action-packed sensation. The movie was featured in the Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival in 2008 and the YouTube video now receives about 15,000 views per day. Impressive!

He won’t allow anyone at Big to peek at his next project, “Beyond Black Mesa” (a film inspired by the post-apocalyptic video game “Half Life”) but I expect it to be just as visually stunning and sure to push the envelope for home actions films once again. If accepted, it will show at the Sidewalk Festival in September 2010.

I come across interesting YouTube videos all the time – but this one is definitely being added to my list of favorites. In the best Yoda impression that I can manage, we here at BIG are happy to say that Brian “makes us proud he does.”

- Bryna Reid

When it comes to social media, almost everyone has jumped on the bandwagon. From consumer goods to banks, insurance agents to churches, politicians to fictional characters, there isn’t any category excluded.

And in the PR world, we come close to tweeting, posting, liking, forwarding and embedding everything a client does. But as this video shows, sometimes simple is the best.

Many social media “gurus” have confessed that there are certain companies that should refrain from social media. There is also a rule of being too deep in social media. At some point, the listener will turn you off and tune you out. So in short- sometimes the best communication is to keep it simple…stupid.

-Jessica V.

This Mother’s Day weekend MLB is celebrating their second annual ‘Batting Against Breast Cancer’ campaign. On Sunday, players will use specially made pink Louisville Slugger bats along with pink wristbands and other accessories in an effort to bring awareness to breast cancer.

Last fall I posted on the NFL’s ‘Crucial Catch’ campaign where they did a similar campaign. One area where the campaigns differ, is the MLB’s public relations effort recognizing ‘Honorary Bat Girls’. This PR initiative recognizes inspiring women acting as breast cancer survivors, advocates and supporters. The bat girls are voted on by an all star panel and winners ‘will take part in pregame activities, be honored during an on-field ceremony, and receive pink MLB merchandise and two tickets to her club’s Mother’s Day celebration game or another home game in May.’

As with the NFL’s campaign, the bats and other pink accessories can be sold to benefit the Susan G. Komen foundation. Can’t wait to see the boys pretty in pink this weekend.

- libby sexton.

College women are four times more likely to be victims of sexual assault.

Based on this statistic, Big designed a campaign for Verizon Wireless’ use called Know It Forward, a statewide campaign designed to build awareness about the issue of sexual assault among college-aged students.  Know It Forward was a multi-tier effort that included TV, radio and online tools, all of which was developed to drive people to the Web site called www.knowitforward.com and the related Facebook page.  All of this for the month of April, which was Sexual Assault Awareness Month.

College campus visits were also part of the initiative.  Several college campuses got on board: the University of Alabama at Birmingham, The University of Alabama, Alabama State University and Auburn University.
Radio and TV certainly proved to be powerful elements for building awareness about this issue.  Two live broadcasts at UAB and ASU by 95.7 Jamz proved to be the most attention-getting activities for the target demographic.  The Buckwilde Morning Show plays to the college-age demographic and were able to provide four hours of talk about sexual assault.

During the broadcasts there were conversations about the issue in the terms that young people understand.  Questions were asked in the bluntest fashion and experts were on hand to correct any misperceptions.   The questions:  What is sexual assault?  What are the consequences of committing sexual assault?  How are victims affected by sexual assault?  Do you know someone who’s been sexually assaulted?  Shockingly, most students knew someone who has been assaulted!

Public relations supported the campaign as well.  And after each appearance, primarily in Birmingham and Montgomery, visits to the Web site and Facebook pages spiked.  This campaign proved to be the prime example of why traditional and social media are needed to ensure the delivery of messages.

In total, 1,000 people visited the Web site and “Like” the Facebook page.  That was amazing!  The intention is to continue this effort to bring awareness to other issues related to sexual assault, including domestic violence.  The Big team is looking forward to implementing Know It Forward again to bring important social issues to the forefront.

- satina richardson

Most people who know of the interworkings here at Big are aware that we have had a recent influx of babies. And I’m not just talking about Robin and John’s new children. Three of us have adopted new dogs within the last few months, myself included.

Ever since bringing my pup home from the Greater Birmingham Humane Society, I have found myself watching pet ads that I never paid attention to before. A whole new world of products and services has revealed itself to me. Most recently I fell for a brilliantly executed pet product push found on facebook.

The Mutt Census

There are multiple reasons as to why this product promotion is genius in my opinion.

1. It ties into something bigger than itself. I am not sure how many thousands or millions of dollars the government is spending advertising the U.S. Census, but I’m sure it’s more money than this campaign has spent. By riding on the coattails of an existing noisy campaign, this idea capitalizes on the brand equity that the US has already paid for.
2. It engages you first, and sells you second. The call to action was to register mutts across the country. You can even upload a pic of your pooch. Midway through the form, it asks what all breeds you think your mutt contains (also does a most popular breed by state breakdown – bama favors labs fyi). If you don’t know the answer, you are later redirected to the product – a DNA test called Insights that will provide you with the genealogical breakdown of your pup for under $100.
3. It can be found in many places. I stumbled on it via facebook, but apparently they also have a large twitter presence as well as youtube channel and traditional media. Plus after you register your mutt in the census, you receive follow up emails updating you on the census while quietly  encouraging you to order Insights.

Big fan of this promotion. I have yet to order Insights, but when I have a few extra dollars, you bet this will be the DNA test I choose over their competitors.

-libby sexton