A Wacky festival of speed

Today was day one of the 2008 Goodwood Festival of Speed.The conversation in the Mercedes hospitality structure, hosted by the car marque's events agency Mobile Promotions, wasn't the Forest Rally times or saloon car legend John Cleland's 'off' in his Super Touring Vauxhall. It wasn't even Dougie Lampkin riding his motorcycle through Goodwood House (although it's pretty cool - check out the video below). Instead, all the talk centred on a guest appearance from the characters of Wacky Races - the timeless cartoon series from Hanna-Barbera, about a group of 11 different cars racing against each other in various road rallies, with each driver hoping to win the title of the "World's Wackiest Racer."

We all remembered Dick Dastardly and Muttley in the Mean Machine and Penelope Pitstop in the Compact Pussycat. And it's difficult to forget The Ant Hill Mob in the Bulletproof Bomb led by Clyde. But when it came to naming the other competitors, we struggled.



So, thanks to the wonders of the internet, here they are:
- The Slag Brothers in the Bouldermobile
- The Gruesome Twosome in the Creepy Coupe
- Professor Pat Pending in the Convert-a-Car
- Red Max in the Crimson Haybaile
- Sergeant Blast and Private Meekly in the Army Surplus Special
- Lazy Luke and Blubber Bear in the Arkansas Chuggabug
- Peter Perfect in the Turbo Terrific
- Rufus Ruffcut and Sawtooth in the Buzz Wagon

Phew, that's another mystery solved. Right, for anyone wishing to head back down memory lane, check out the detailed Wacky Races entry on Wikipedia .

Otherwise, check out twelve-time international trials champion Dougie Lampkin promoting this year's festival by riding through Goodwood House.

Ibiza Rocks

As exclusively revealed in my I'm with the b(r)and article for Media Week, Sony Ericsson is bringing the Balearics back to the UK this summer with four Ibiza Rocks parties. Now, here's the detail:

Agency Iris Experience has developed what I believe to be a unique advocacy driven ambassador programme. A competition has been launched via online music community Xtaster to invite budding promoters to submit their ideas on how they would host the ultimate Ibiza Rocks party. The winners will receive full support to bring alive their very own random rock-fest. Sony Ericsson will also challenge each winning host to capture the action on Sony Ericsson handsets.

Highlights from the parties will be seeded through a network of more than one million youngsters via mobile and online social networking sites, where the best party and content will be voted on. The party hostess with the most-ess will be rewarded with a trip to the Ibiza Rocks closing party with five mates.

Also, starting on 21 July, Channel 4 and its digital offering 4music will run weekly half hour long shows broadcasting footage of the gigs, behind the scenes interviews and action from the island. Iris Experience has also created a social network style microsite off-shoot and online seeding programme as part of the campaign's digital strategy. A digital input has seen the four-year-old Ibiza Rocks event brand come of age.

Next generation Wireless Festival

The thing I rate about O2 Wireless is that it's a constantly evolving festival. On Saturday, I headed down to Hyde Park to see Fatboy Slim and to find out what has happened to the O2 Blueroom concept.

Previously, only O2 customers could gain access to this central VIP area. Over the years, customers have been rewarded with access to performances from unsigned bands, guitar tuition and even a hot tub one year. The Blueroom experience reinforced brand advocacy from those that were allowed into its inner sanctum and brand envy amongst non-O2 customers, who could only imagine what secrets the O2 bubble held.

This year however, there was no sign of the blue bubble tent in the middle of Hyde Park. In its place stood an extra stage, open to everyone and rammed with festival goers catching preview performances from artistes that would later play the main stages. Live Nation, O2 and its experiential agency Sledge had listened to feedback that suggested envy marketing gives off both wanted and unwanted brand perception. The resulting changes saw enriched festival content, accessible to everyone.

But what about the rewards for O2 customers? Following my last post, a group of friends registered for O2 Afternoons. They received a barcode which could then be swapped for food to the value of five pounds between 12pm and 4pm. This got people to arrive at the festival earlier thus improving the overall atmosphere of the day. It may also pave the way for cashless festival technology (a concept that was piloted in Hyde Park this year) to be rolled out in 2009.

Registered O2 customers were also invited to take part in Secret Sessions. At 5pm each day, invitees gathered by the side of the main stage, waiting to be taken back-stage to experience an acoustic gig, filmed live for MTV. The group I joined had no idea who they'd be watching. Looking around at the cross section of ages that crammed into a room behind the back-stage kitchens, I was beginning to wonder how many would still be non-the-wiser once the secret artiste had been announced.

But, as Dan Le Sac Vs Scroobius Pip entered on cue, the majority gasped, applauded and, I suspect gave silent thanks for having chosen a mobile phone network that really knows how to engage the festival audience. How many other festivals give off the impression that the customer experience is an afterthought? Wireless, I salute you - my only grumble (and this applies to all festivals) is why put a band that everyone wants to see on in a tent that holds only a small minority? Underworld should have been on a stage. Fatboy Slim rocked!