Citroen anti-retro ads invade print mags - with videos!

The current issue of Enjeux les Echos, a monthly companion to Les Echos, and of which only 10,000 copies are made, has a treat: a spread for Citroën DS3’s "Anti Retro" campaign that includes video.

Here’s a makeshift video I took exploring how it works and what it includes:

And a more polished video of how it works, courtesy of Influencia.net:

The ads start and stop playing when you open and close the magazine, kind of like a greeting card that sings. You have a choice of which ads you want to play, including the Marilyn Monroe and John Lennon ones for which this campaign is best known. And on the backside of the video player, a little plug apparently enables you to download data.

I actually panned the Anti-Retro campaign in early March for being gimmicky and for using nostalgia to punt the philosophy of anti-retro. But then my friend Izaak Jordan of Tribal DDB told me this:

"Keep in mind the original DS is in several museums and has been voted by even a group of top level designers as the best looking and most iconic car ever made. It has a strong historical status in France, one even saved Charles De Gaulle’s life. I think the ads do a good job of playing off that legendary reputation."

That’s cool, I’ll buy what he’s selling. Plus, video ads in print rags? Most definitely anti-retro, even refreshing, although, some years from now when everybody has an iPad equivalent, all this might feel laughable.

The technology was brought to Citroën/Les Echos by Americhip, which dubs itself "the leader in multisensory marketing." This is Americhip’s first execution in Europe, but the technology made its debut in the US in September 2009. The ad was for CBS and Pepsi in a copy of Entertainment Weekly.

Other ways in which the glossy’s tried staying fresh include augmented reality features, which require more work on the user’s part because you actually have to bring the magazine in front of your computer, visit a website and switch your webcam on. Oh, the demands technology makes of us.

While AR’s more flexible and makes the magazine less bulky, I’d say Americhip’s greeting card-esque technology has more staying power in the novelty print ad arena. All you have to do is open and play.

Source: culture-buzz.com