Microsite.com

Before the Olympics began, I was curious which Big Brands would capitalize on the world’s largest social media event by using, of course, social media and other Web 2.0 tools.

McDonald’s, Coke, Lenovo, Johnson & Johnson, and Samsung all issued press releases proclaiming their Web 2.0 cred. And, I figured, after each coughed up an average of $72 million just to be “worldwide Olympic partners” and for the right to use the five-ring logo, they would each ratcheted up their web spending and produced gold-medal online efforts.

So I checked out Samsung’s “Medal Mania” virtual game at the Medal Mania Microsite, produced by the elite digital agency Digitas.

The promotion, which kicked off on July 24, encourages registered contestants to amass as many virtual gold medals as they can before the end of the games. As players collect medals, they're eligible to win one of the more than 200,000 prizes. (The original press release anticipated 100,000 people in the U.S. would play for 200,000 prizes, including Samsung phones and home-theater systems, plus a $100,000 cash prize. I think the folks at Samsung or the agency should win a medal just for their sandbagging talent.)


Participants can collect gold medals three ways: they can “uncover” medals on sites scattered throughout the Internet; they can earn them by referring friends and family members; and they can receive them automatically when an American athlete or team wins a Gold.

Contestants have a chance to uncover two Internet medals a day – one from clues on the Microsite and the other from clues sent daily to their e-mail addresses or via SMS to their mobile phones.

Medal Mania players can also show off their gold medal count by posting a widget to their Facebook profiles.

When I first read about the digital treasure hunt campaign, I thought it offered a great opportunity to demonstrate how traditional, online, and social media could be integrated to produce a truly Transmedia marketing effort. For example, clues could be hidden in the TV spot that directed people to various websites with Easter eggs that perhaps offered additional clues which required social collaboration to figure out. Maybe a clue or two could be delivered via Twitter, and perhaps a clue on Samsung’s YouTube profile. The possibilities were tantalizing.

So I went to the site and signed up. And I started clicking around.

It wasn’t long until I realized, hey, there’s only like three things to click on: “Instant Win,” “How to Play,” and “Tell a Friend.” Oh, and I can track my medal count. But nowhere could I connect with anyone else or collaborate on clues. There weren’t even the obligatory community-type sections to post comments or advice.

I went to the SamsungMobileUS YouTube profile to watch the Leo Burnett-produced ad. The spot features (according to the press release) “quick cuts of ardent athletes pursuing different sports, with their Samsung phones never far away. The spot ends with a crowd gathering in a square against Beijing’s cityscape.” The press release fails to highlight two things: First, it’s got a killer soundtrack. I mean it’s so great, Burnett commissioned the artist to create a long version. Second, the ad doesn’t even mention the promotion!!! Hello, you have a sweepstakes going on. How about a little line or two to make it seem like the right hand knows what the left hand is doing? Nope. In fact, the profile itself seems to be such an afterthought that it has only one video, one subscription, one friend, and zero comments.

OK. Next, I went to the SamsungMobileUS profile on Twitter. There is one. That’s good. But no post mentions the game. Hmm? That’s bad.

Nothing on Facebook either except for the medal count widget.

Googling turns up nothing of substance either. (There’s one decent site dedicated to past clues here.)

Then I started thinking: Wait a minute. There’s no real social component to this entire online promotion.

This is just a good old-fashion treasure-hunt sweepstakes that happens to be executed on the web.

Wow, that sucks. How disappointing. Now I know a little how the French swimmers feel.