MarketingWonk's Martina Zavagno interviewed the creator of Nike's new online advergame that is based on their extremely popular "Tag" TV commercial. Through Spanish agency DoubleYou, "Tag" has become an interactive game on Nikeplay.com, a web site that also allows Nike fans to download the TV ads as well as wallpapers and screensavers. Juan Pablo Pedemonte, project manager and the account's creative director, sat down to answer a string of questions.

Martina: Do you agree with the idea that the future of Internet communication for big brands will be in the integration of marketing efforts through different media?
Juan Pablo: We do believe in a future for brand communication in which - besides traditional media (TV, press, radio…) - online channels are used. In fact, we are already noticing how companies that trusted in the Internet in the past now consider the web as just one more element in their communication campaigns - in a completely integrated way. Judging by the results these companies achieve, we believe that this is going to become a major trend in the near future.

M: You already worked for Nike to create the viral ad for the San Silvestre Vallecana 2002. Why do you think Nike likes DoubleYou?
JPP: Nike, as we all know, is an exemplary brand, and obviously online media are also taken into account. They do have a greater knowledge of what possibilities and capabilities interactive communications can offer compared to many other companies. This is noticeable, not just looking at their final achievements (Nike is the most awarded company at international festivals), but also in the relationship at a client-agency level and their work methodology, which are all excellent.

M: How did you come up with the "Tag" game idea?
JPP: We wanted to transmit the original TV commercial concept into interactive advertising. We heightened the interactivity; we made the user get involved with the game, getting him to participate actively in it, and not just as a simple spectator. That meant avoiding the use of images from the actual ad because the sizes would have caused long loading times. So we were forced to focus on the "Tag" essence.

M: What was the biggest challenge in creating this game?
JPP: The game is simple to play, but technologically it is rather complex. When we came to the idea for the game we had to face two main challenges. First, the behaviour of the pointers, which had to be intelligent enough to chase and then escape. In early stages, we developed up to five types of behaviour for the pointers, providing different degrees of intelligence, speed and ability. Afterwards we were inclined to discard this intelligence "upgrade" because it slowed down the game executed in slow processor computers. It was also challenging choosing the obstacles in the different stages, in particular on how to make the user's pointer stay in the streets and not blunder over various barriers.

M: What are, in your opinion, the advantages of using advergames and advertainment to promote a brand? Which are the effects you can create on brand perception?
JPP: We believe the production of this type of program is extremely efficient, if it is based on a previous strategic analysis. The Internet offers something no other medium has: interactivity. It can make the user get involved with the brand, establish a direct dialogue and enrich the act of communication. On the Internet, the user does not just watch or listen, but he acts, and most important of all, he learns and remembers a message.