ShockingBarack.com is one of my favorite things we’ve done this year. It recalls tactics and philosophies that we’ve had previous success with (move at the speed of light from concept to production, do more with less, be relentless, and surround the idea with the integrated production equivalent of the Navy Seals), hints at where more of our creative and strategic thinking is headed (transparent, collaborative, more API driven, and real-time interactive), and supports a socially and economically responsible agenda and vision (electric vehicle infrastructure and tax incentive legislation). Social media marketing has been the talk of the town for a few years now, yet there are still more great capabilities presentations and self-appointed experts than actual great and culture-changing ideas and case studies. On October 13, 2009, the Shocking Barack team set out on a mission to retrace the route of the automotive CEOs who went to DC to ask for government loans and deliver a viable and really smart transportation solution to President Obama. Armed only with two Brammo Powercycles, a small camera crew, some Flip cams, and social media tools such as WordPress, Twitter, and Couchsurfing.com, this team succeeded in getting a meeting at the White House with the DOE and generating both a cultural and political conversation. That’s real-time social at work not in theory. It’s been an inspiration to watch, follow, and interact with. Congrats to the team.

If you missed it, you can check-out the adventure here: ShockingBarack.com

Lately, we’re developing more and more  real-time web experiences for both our clients and ourselves. Project such as Brammo’s Shocking Barack, Best Buy’s Twelpforce, VW’s Twitter banners, Microsoft’s The PC Hook-up Show, Alex Bogusky and John Winsor’s Baked-in live and interactive Q&A session, and our new agency site, all utilize real-time interactive technologies and platforms to power their concepts. Working in this space has been an exciting process for us as it’s still mostly an unchartered and experimental area for brands and agencies alike. There’s still a ton to learn and lots of opportunity left to surprise, service, and entertain audiences, based on the freshness of the content platforms. I’m not too sure where it’s all headed, but it’s certainly an exhilarating time to be doing what we do.

Our latest real-time project and experiment is BK finds the Truth About Tony, which aired online yesterday, and features NASCAR star, Tony Stewart, hooked up to a polygraph machine for 50 minutes, answering mostly user-generated questions to prove to the internet that he truly loves the Whopper. The show’s pretty entertaining. I particularly enjoy the “did you have a childhood blanket” question and response. Definitely check it out for yourself. It’s now playing on-demand here: truthabouttony.com

And congrats to the team on the release. True CP+B integrated production effort.