360DigitalInfluence

It is hard not to notice the sponsored #MikeInTheWindow trending topic on Twitter and wonder “what in the world is this?” For those who don’t know, Mike in the Window is a campaign currently being conducted as part of Downy’s “Clean Sheet Week” Challenge where Mike Birbiglia, comedian and author of the New York Times best-seller “Sleepwalk With Me,” has been sleeping in a Macy’s store window to encourage consumers to test out the “long-lasting” freshness of Ultra Downy® April Fresh.

This week-long program is a multi-faceted campaign that encompasses live-video feeds, real-time tweets, a Facebook page with fan Q&A and much more! Excited to get “down and dirty” with Mike during the snow storm, digital strategist Molly Keyes and I trekked down to Macy’s in Herald’s Square to get a glimpse of him in action and potentially ask him some questions. Here is how it went:

(If you can’t see the video, click here)

As you can see, Mike isn’t always “in the window.” Fortunately, we were able to check back in on Mike on Downy’s Facebook page for the live-feed of the store. Here is what we saw two hours later:

Unfortunately for us, Mike takes many breaks which aren’t scheduled according to the fan base online:

As fresh and cool as this campaign is (pun intended), it also provides some key learnings around how to successfully execute a robust, integrated program:

• Be Seasonally Appropriate! OK, snow is clearly not always expected, but in the middle of January? If the weather doesn’t look good, consider promoting a product, especially one with the word April in it, in the month of April.
• Test Your Technology. We saw the page reload the introduction video at the onset of the program rather than provide a live-feed.
• Be Transparent: If It’s Not Always Live, Don’t Say It Is. Based on our experience, it appears that Mike is not in the window for periods throughout the day. We can understand not wanting to be confined to a window all day, but it would be helpful to know Mike’s schedule so we can tune in at the right times.
• Provide Clear Communication. We weren’t sure whether to reach out to Downy or to Mike’s Twitter handle to ask questions; having one central channel for questions could help alleviate consumer confusion.

With such an integrated and interesting campaign, we wish Mike and the Downy team success as Mike continues to “live” in the Macy’s window through February 1^st. If you are interested in this campaign, check out Downy’s Facebook Page to catch a glimpse of Mike, or Mike’s bedroom.

Images courtesy of Downy

Contributors: Molly Keyes, Maya Swedowsky