A viral video to look for an advertising idea

Ogilvy & Mather (Alexander Zelmanovics Executive Creative Director) has created a multichannel campaign for Raiffeisen Bank targeting young users in Austria. The initiative includes TV and print ads, billboards and internet advertising. The key in the campaign is an absurd Tv teaser (something between Baywatch, Jaws and Scream) which invites watchers to go online and visit www.machsbesser.com where the viral idea goes live. On the site users find the whole story behind one of the worst tv spot in advertising history (as it’s defined by the Raiffeisen boss himself) and they are asked to come up with their own ideas to promote the Raiffeisen brand among young adults. The best creative idea will be awarded with a stage in an advertising agency in Vienna.

If you don’t speak German you will enjoy only the first part of the online video which is the TV spot, then the story gets complicated to follow if you don’t understand what they’re saying. Basically the Raiffeisen boss isn’t happy with the spot the agency has created (and it’s hard to disagree with him, since it doesn’t make much makes sense but it’s kind of funny) and asks for alternative ideas.
The idea of asking people to come up with their own advertising ideas isn’t new, I rememeber Mini did the same thing last year in Italy.