Using Chatroulette as a Marketing Channel
Online condom store Condomerie has created an HIV awareness campaign using Chatroulette as a media channel.
For the uninitiated, Chatroulette works like a cross between Skype and StumbleUpon, pairing random strangers from around the world together for webcam conversations. Participants can choose to either chat to the person they have found themselves matched with or press “next” to be partnered with another random person. The site has attracted a large number of exhibitionists, as could have been predicted, so users can expect to be greeted with the sight of a penis with every five to 10 clicks.
Condomerie recruited a woman to sit semi-naked in front of a webcam and use Chatroulette. She covered her breasts with a sign that was illegible when she was holding it close to her chest. Once she had got her fellow chatter's attention, she would move the sign closer to the webcam so that they could read the message: “Bingo! You are now in touch with an HIV infected person. Don't play Russian roulette in real life.”
The sign also included, of course, the condom store's web address, condomerie.com.
via Using Chatroulette as a Marketing Channel – Advertising Age – MediaWorks Idea of the Week.