It’s Back: Elf Yourself 2011 Is Here!

Written by Dimitri Bauer on November 12th, 2011 | 5 comments

With 2011 Christmas ahead many companies can’t wait to expose their most brilliant themed marketing. Some – like Elf Yourself – are so epic that they can be re-launched every year. See the Elf Yourself 2011 edition here. We think it can inspire a few CMOs as well…

And did both JibJab and OfficeMax managed to keep their Elf Yourself campaign fresh? Read along!

Elf Yourself
For the people not familiar with Elf Yourself, here’s a small wrap-up. Elf Yourself is a Christmas holiday application where people can transform themselves and other ‘victims’ into elves.

With that they are able to participate in the most wicked dance moves, which is obviously quite hilarious! The application makes nifty use of upload opportunities. You can use photos in any range, as long as it has a face in it.

You can use photos stored on your computer, make a new one by using your webcam or just by logging in to Facebook to get that perfect face.

In terms of usability, the creators did a very good job. Select a photo, enhance it and position the mouth area for some serious mouth movement and the quality time can begin. After these seconds lasting procedure you are ready to see yourself (and others) in dances, varying from Funk, Hip Hop, Country, Classic and 5 other brilliant settings.

To keep the Elf experience alive, the mostly brilliant results can be shared through email, Facebook, Twitter or with an embed on your owned media. Was your creation that brilliant, then you might want to download it (costs $4.99), since online versions will be erased starting in January.

Did you made a creation close to epic? Elf Yourself makes it tangible for you with their online store.

Gift items include ceramic mugs, mousepads, playing cards, puzzles in tins, magnets, posters, collectable ornaments, DVDs and print greeting cards – each personalized with your ElfYourself photos.

Elf Effect
CMOs should be tuned in right now. What can a non-business connected campaign do for your brand, in terms of awareness, preference and purchase intent?

Well, earlier editions reported at least 180 Million visits and 123 Million faces were used for the actual application.

So that made Elf Yourself no longer a stack of gold but much more the mother load. OfficeMax saw a 190% increase to its web-traffic and a sustained a steady increase in online and walk-in sales.

In 2010, Julie Krueger, senior vice president of e-commerce and direct marketing at OfficeMax, titled Elf Yourself as a “gift from OfficeMax to their consumer”.

David Berkowitz, senior director of emerging media and innovation at interactive marketing firm 360i, said that even if there’s no logical connection to anything OfficeMax sells, the program works from a name-recognition standpoint. “It gets their name out there.” And with more than 180 million visits, you definitely can be sure of that.

OfficeMax

OfficeMax Incorporated (NYSE: OMX) is a leader in both business-to-business office products solutions and retail office products.

The company provides office supplies and paper, in-store print and document services through OfficeMax ImPress, technology products and solutions, and furniture to consumers and to large, medium and small businesses.

OfficeMax customers are served by approximately 35,000 associates through direct sales, catalogues, e-commerce and more than 900 stores across the USA.

JibJab

JibJab is a digital media company dedicated to making funny things worth sharing since 1999. The company consists of the best artists, comedians, writers, musicians, performers, technologists and business people to produce world-class original entertainment on the Internet.

Want to get started and make a Elf Yourself creation yourself? Click here!

What was your experience with ElfYourself? Let us know!

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