The unique piece of activity has been created to amplify the brand’s sponsorship of the festival, in an exclusive partnership with radio station Lush 99.5fm.

Radio Heineken will be broadcast live from the two-day dance festival from inside a bespoke structure created specifically for the event by iris – the Radio Heineken mobile studio, which will be shaped in the style of a giant retro radio. Lush DJ Chris Ho will be interviewing festival founder Gilles Peterson and other performers each night, as well as playing exclusive tracks from other event artists. Heineken Green Room Sound Council members* will also be spinning tracks on Lush in the days running up to the event.

iris, which runs Heineken’s Green Room programme of cutting-edge music events, has been responsible for the strategy and concept development behind the activity, as well as the logo and key visuals and all on-ground activation. Heineken Green Room members will be given exclusive access rights at the event, such as an invitation to a ‘DJ Showcase’ on the Saturday night, hosted by Gilles Peterson and DJ Lefto.

Luke Nathans, managing director of iris’ experiential operation for Asia Pacific, which led the activity, said: “We wanted to create something that would drive maximum standout for Heineken at one of Singapore’s biggest dance music festivals and create a really strong on-ground presence. The unique partnership with Lush will also very much strengthen the association between Heineken and cutting-edge music and is a perfect fit.”

This is the first year that Zouk will be opened up into one complex for the festival, with one ticket giving consumers access to four different musical spaces. Confirmed artists are due to include Dam Funk, Jazztronic, Dorian Concept, dOP, Ikonika and Lefto.

The Radio Heineken concept was created by iris but brokered with Lush by Bates141, Heineken’s retained PR agency.

Heineken is brewed, marketed and distributed in Singapore by Asia Pacific Breweries Singapore.

iris’ Singapore operation, which launched in 2006 and serves as a strategic hub for Asia Pacific, is now a 60 strong office, making it one of the fastest growing agency networks in the region. Its client portfolio includes Sony Ericsson, Sony, Unilever, Shell, Diageo and Tiger Beer.

* Led by producers, DJs, musicians and tribe leaders, the Heineken Green Room Sound Council formalises Heineken’s collaboration with the local music industry’s most renowned insiders, by giving these individuals an opportunity to work together with Heineken to elevate cutting-edge music experiences in Singapore

Global creative agency iris has been appointed to handle all above the line communications and campaign activation for the Barclays Singapore Open, Asia’s richest National Open.

Event promoter World Sport Group has tasked iris with launching an integrated campaign, which will include TV, digital, print and online advertising, experiential and out of home, for the tournament, which runs from 11th -14^th November.

This year’s campaign, ‘The Ultimate Challenge’, will see the world’s golfing giants pitched against each other, in a heroic, hyperbolic style of creative reminiscent of retro arcade games. It will target golf enthusiasts and the general public alike, conveying the excitement, adrenalin and almost superhuman talents that can be experienced at the tournament.

iris, which last year was responsible for launching a campaign to support the tournament, has been tasked with delivering a full 360 campaign including overall strategy and concept development, logo and key visuals. A three-day road show will take place to generate excitement and drive awareness of the tournament.

Chris Jordan, Senior Vice President, World Sport Group, Golf, said: “The Barclays Singapore Open is one of Singapore’s major sporting events. We believe iris’ campaign will drive ticket sales above and beyond previous years, as well as elevate the status of the competition amongst Singaporean consumers.”

Luke Nathans, managing director of iris Experience Singapore (pictured), said: “It is a pleasure to work with the World Sport Group again, on an event of such magnitude in Asia. It is also extremely refreshing to work with a client who isn’t afraid to challenge conventions in the area of sports event marketing. The event last year was incredibly successful we look forward to even greater success in 2011.”

iris’ award-winning Singapore operation, which launched in 2006 and serves as a strategic hub for Asia Pacific, is now a 60-strong office, making it one of the fastest growing agency networks in the region. The agency works with global blue-chip brands including Tiger, Heineken, Sony Ericsson and Red Bull.

World Sport Group has been the organiser of the Barclays Singapore Open since its re-launch in 2005 and is a leading Asian sports marketing, event management and media company. This is the fifth year that Barclays has sponsored the Singapore Open.

The campaign, which is due to launch in October, will feature digital and social media activity revolving around a series of viral webisodes, as well as retail and promotional activity.

The campaign, “Room 333 – Unlock the Secrets”, aims to engage consumers by bringing to life the stories behind the legendary characters – artists, poets, rock stars, actors and socialites – that have stayed at The Chelsea Hotel in New York. The hotel is the inspiration behind the new season’s collection. For many decades, it has been a center for artistic creativity with a good dose of rock and roll. The aura is one of faded decadence where anything goes and both individuality and eccentricity is celebrated.

The campaign features a mysterious hotel modelled on the Chelsea Hotel, which is filled with unusual paintings, strange corridors, secret rooms and colourful guests. Five viral webisodes tell the story of five characters: a rock star, a broker, a backpacker, a model and an artist. Consumers can answer a question at the end of each week’s webisode to enter to win DKNY JEANS merchandise. Interactive social media activity will also go live on sites such as Facebook, in addition to a global retail campaign.

Kelly Lee Benko, VP Marketing at DKNY JEANS International, said: ”We are very impressed with iris’ creativity, energy and commitment to the client.  The campaign is a clear demonstration of the agency’s ability to understand DKNY JEANS’ core brand values: expression, possibilities and innovation, and to translate that into a provocative and memorable big idea.  We can’t wait to watch the story unfold.”

Tom Ormes, creative director of iris Singapore, said: “DKNY JEANS is a great brand that likes to push themselves (and us) creatively, so it’s very exciting. The opportunity we have here to create something cut-through is huge. It’s about taking digital engagement to a new level – and I think that’s why DKNY JEANS have chosen to work with us.”

iris’ award-winning Singapore operation, which launched in 2006 and serves as a strategic hub for Asia Pacific, is now a 60-strong office, making it one of the fastest growing agency networks in the region. The agency works with global blue-chip brands including Diageo, Unilever, Tiger, Heineken, Sony Ericsson and Red Bull.

The show, created by iris and produced by JA Digital, has been an online hit, attracting 8.4 million views across YouTube, PS3/VidZone and MSN during series two.

Through the deal, highlights from the youth-focused series will be re-cut into 6 episodes of 11 minutes airing during August at 11:45am on T4 until the 20th August. The 11 minute shows will also be repeated on 4Music, and repackaged into 60 minutes ‘zones’ to play over the summer.

The show sees presenter Matt Edmondson interview some of the top charting artists and bands of 2010 including Ellie Goulding, Tinchy Stryder, Ke$ha, Tinie Tempah, Chipmunk, Sean Kingston, David Guetta and Jason Derulo, as well as Jude Law, Forest Whitaker, Russell Brand, Jonah Hill and Tony Hawk.

The branded content show was first launched online and for mobile in 2009 to reengage with Sony Ericsson’s target audience of ‘digital youth’ – digitally connected 15-24 year olds – and to make sure Sony Ericsson was part of this audience’s conversations to increase brand consideration. Due to its success, the show was re-commissioned for a bigger and even better second series in 2010, and grew to include film, TV and sports guests as well as some of the top charting music artists of 2010, to continue engaging with ‘digital youth’ as Sony Ericsson launched a range of high-profile new handsets.

Richard Dorman, Senior Marketing Manager, Sony Ericsson UK and Ireland said, “We’re really pleased Sony Ericsson’s Pocket TV is being aired this summer on T4. The series format continues to be a hit for us and the views online have grown to 8.4 million to date for our second series this year, with a loyal fanbase watching the show, sharing the videos and commenting every week. Even though Sony Ericsson’s Pocket TV is made for mobile, the show has very high production values and fans have been asking us to bring it to Channel 4 which feels like a natural TV home for it. The irreverent and spontaneous style of the show will fit well within the T4 schedule.”

Cath Lovesey, Editor, T4 & Music said,“T4 and 4Music feel like the perfect television home for Sony Ericsson’s Pocket TV, which with Matt Edmondson at the helm, manages to combine the hottest music talent around, in some of the silliest situations, making for brilliant must-see entertainment – we’re delighted to be working together, in what feels such a natural fit.”

Series 2 of the 13 week show came to an end earlier this month but can still be viewed online on a dedicated YouTube channel until the end of December. http://www.youtube.com/pockettvshow

The show was promoted on its platforms of distribution as well as through a comprehensive blogger outreach programme and social media plan.   For series 2, Sony Ericsson ran a competition for a chance to become a paid runner for the show and film a video blog on Sony Ericsson Vivaz HD.

The first series had 3M views, making the total views to date across both series 11.4 million.  The show was recently shortlisted as a finalist for a Cannes Lion award.

The concept for Sony Ericsson’s Pocket TV was developed specially by iris for Sony Ericsson.

Sony Ericsson’s Pocket TV is produced by JA Digital for iris.

The made for mobile show, which this series has featured an exclusive interview with film stars Forrest Whittaker and Jude Law, has followed in the success of last year’s series, which was an instant hit upon launch, recording in excess of three million views.

Other major talent to appear in this year’s series has included some of the music industry’s hottest acts such as Mark Ronson, Basshunter, Ellie Goulding, David Guetta, N-Dubz, Taio Cruz, Chipmunk and Alexandra Burke.

iris developed Pocket TV in 2009 for Sony Ericsson to reengage with the brand’s target audience of ‘digital youth’ – opinion-forming, tech and media savvy 15-24 year olds – in advance of new product launches. Following the success of the first series, the show was recommissioned in 2010 and broadened to include entertainment as well as music guests.

N-Dubz' Dappy

Episodes are aired in four weekly, easy-to-digest segments of four to six minutes in length and feature tongue-in-cheek segments and special features such as ‘Face Invaders’, which shoots bands close-up to allow for the small viewing screen of a mobile.

The show is designed to take guests artists outside of their comfort zone and prompt spontaneous unrehearsed reactions giving viewers insight into guests’ personalities.

Charlotte  Soussan, brand entertainment director at iris, which developed the concept for Pocket TV and is co-executive producing the show, commented: “The second series of Pocket TV has taken the show to a new level with wider distribution across YouTube, Mobile, PS3, and MSN, sustained social media activity across all videos and a growing fan base of Pocket TV afficionados.”

The show is presented by stand-up comedian and Radio 1 DJ Matt Edmondson – an ideal host for the show’s 18-25 year old youth audience.

Alexandra Burke gets 'Face Invaded'

The show is being supported by a linked ATL and BTL campaign, including an online competition to win the chance to become a paid ‘runner’ for the show and help with all aspects of the show and document the experience through a YouTube video blog filmed on Sony Ericsson’s HD handset.

Richard Dorman, Senior Marketing Manager for Sony Ericsson UK and Ireland said: “Sony Ericsson’s commitment to bringing groundbreaking, exciting content to market is an intrinsic part of our brand strategy this year, and Sony Ericsson’s Pocket TV is testament to this. The programs provide fresh, engaging made-for-mobile entertainment for consumers, embodying our approach for 2010. Having the show filmed in HD brings the series to a new audience, whilst retaining our loyal fans. Furthermore its HD filmed content will help bring to life the capabilities of the new Sony Ericsson Vivaz – the world’s smallest* HD video phone.”

The first series of the show, which featured some of the music industry’s hottest talent including Florence and the Machine, N-Dubz and Tinchy Stryder, was an overnight sensation, filling a niche in the wake of shows such as PopWorld and CD:UK and marking a new era in the world of branded content.

To read more on last year’s show, click here: http://www.irisnation.com/irisnews/work/iris-launches-pocket-tv-for-sony-ericsson/

Watch the latest episode of the show featuring Mark Ronson here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7OGbO6-16VE

You can also read what our digital director for Europe George Nimeh has to say on the future of TV including Pocket TV in this piece, which appeared in creative publication Contagious: http://www.irisnation.com/irisnews/uk_europe/iris-digitals-nimeh-tells-contagious-why-the-future-of-tv-is-changing/

The site, created by iris, will act as a destination hub for all of the brand’s online and social media activity in the UK, where users can check out all the latest products and interact with the brand and each other via several new features.

Wonderbra tasked iris with redefining its digital marketing strategy, to include the launch of the new website, last year.

The site, www.wonderbra.co.uk, which has been designed and built by iris, aims to channel the brand’s target 18-30 audience to buy online or in-store by providing persuasive content and an on-brand experience, underpinned by clear calls-to-action. New features will include a ‘Get Inspired’ section, which will contain rich media and ‘social’ content, where users can watch product demo videos, read the latest news on the brand, and get up-to-the-minute posts via Twitter. Users will also be able to ‘like’ and comment on products, and in turn share this with their friends on social networks.

Martina Alexander, marketing manager Wonderbra UK, said: “Wonderbra has a really active online audience so we wanted to tap into this. We want to make the most of every conversation with our target audience, with the view to building a closer relationship with our consumers whilst also converting traffic to sales. The site is a very strong representation of the Wonderbra brand, with great attention to detail, and lots of interactivity – iris has really helped us find our voice online.”

Pete Armstrong, creative director of iris’ Manchester office, said: “Everything from the tone of voice and imagery, to the interactivity and opportunities for engagement on the site has been developed to reflect where Wonderbra is now: a social and influential brand that is in touch with its audience. This audience are natural brand ambassadors so it’s important to engage them with compelling content that they want to share, and prompt conversations. This is all about driving this dialogue with the Wonderbra customer and creating opportunities to offer persuasive content in an on-brand environment that will help drive the all-important purchase.”

In June 2009, Wonderbra launched an integrated campaign for its Ultimate Strapless bra, which recently won the award for ‘Best Digital Marketing Campaign’ at the digital industry’s biggest awards, the Big Chip Awards.

iris has worked with Wonderbra in the UK since 2005, and has partnered with the brand on several of its high-profile campaigns in recent years.

iris recently completed its global study ‘Upon Women’, which looked at how female consumers globally want to be engaged by brands in ways that complement, rather than conflict with, their views of the world.

iris has today announced that it is to revolutionise the way the agency works in order to better serve clients’ needs and to deepen relationships with its existing client base. The move will see iris partner more closely with its clients not only on creative and communications solutions but also on the fundamental issues driving their business.

iris is focusing on three areas of interlinked business; ‘Commerce, Culture, and Communication’, around which the group will be organised to ensure a flat, fluid and flexible agency structure.  It will see a client-focused collaboration of specialists brought together, from management consulting, data, CRM, retail (within ‘commerce’), branded content, PR, sponsorship, experiential (within ‘culture’) and digital, advertising and design (within ‘communication’).   The move seeks to further strengthen the agency’s creative product and to focus its efforts on delivering ‘extraordinary ideas’ that provide a real business return.

Ian Millner, global CEO and founder of iris said, “During the 11 years we have been operating, we’ve invested in people, diversity and clients and we’ve prided ourselves on being dynamic and staying one step ahead. We’ve listened to our clients and they want us to partner with them – not only in creating extraordinary marketing ideas but also to help them solve a range of business and communication challenges. It’s fair to say that communications integration doesn’t go far enough and it is total business integration that is the global agency opportunity for the future.

“Iris led the way in creating a unique integrated agency and now we are going to take this to the next stage by reshaping our business to further remove the boundaries between teams and discipline agencies. Instead, we will have a group of talented specialists, effectively collaborating around a client need.  It will make the agency leaner, meaner, faster and more stimulating and innovative, allowing iris to stay one step ahead of the rest of the market. It will revolutionize the role, meaning and value of the agency and ensure iris is fit for the next 11 years” said Millner.

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For more information or images please contact:
Avril Canavan, + 44 (0) 20 7654 7621 / + 44 (0) 7946416607  / avril.canavan@iris-worldwide.com
Notes to editors

About iris;
iris is an independent, global creative agency that delivers marketing campaigns for clients like adidas, Sony Ericsson, Shell, VW, Coca-Cola and Hertz.

Over the past 11 years, iris has diversified to offer specialism in all disciplines, from management consultancy, CRM, direct and digital to advertising, PR, experiential, retail and sponsorship.  It is the blend of these skills that allows the agency to deliver ‘Extraordinary Ideas’ – solutions that provide competitive cut through by being interesting, valuable and part of popular culture.

Launched in London in 1999, iris is one of the fastest growing micro-networks in the world and today has over 750 employees working in offices across Europe, Asia-Pacific, China and the Americas.

We beat digital creative agency Mobious and online marketing firm PushOn to walk away winners at the 12th annual Big Chip awards, which were held at the Palace Hotel in Manchester.

Of the win, the judges said: “This year’s winner won the judges’ full support for a campaign gracefully executed and pitched just right for the target audience. With a great microsite as well as social media activities, it highly deserves this year’s award.”

iris was tasked by Wonderbra with launching its new product, the Ultimate Strapless bra, with no traditional above-the-line support, just digital activity and a supporting PR campaign. Wonderbra charged iris with redefining its digital marketing strategy for the campaign, which included growing its customer database and creating the microsite, www.ultimatestrapless.co.uk.

Julia Nolan, marketing manager for Wonderbra in the UK, said: “This consumer audience is one that bases a lot of their purchase decisions on positive word-of mouth, so this campaign aims to generate lots of positive feedback. Not only is the site on-brand and interactive, but it has such strong consumer engagement through Twitter, Facebook and content sharing that it means consumers will feel reassured by this transparent approach by us as a brand.”

Since the launch of the campaign in June 2009, Wonderbra has since seen record sales for the Ultimate Strapless bra through the highly targeted campaign online campaign.

Pete Armstrong, creative director at iris, said: “It’s no longer just about billboards and mass media – the days that brands only broadcast to their audience are over.”

The Big Chip awards (www.bigchipawards.com) are organised by and for the digital industry and are judged by a distinguished panel of experts.

The campaign, which spans digital, print, retail, outdoor, CRM and PR, leverages Hertz’s role as the ‘Official Transport Provider’ to The Championships, which sees Hertz cars transport renowned tennis coaches and world-class tennis stars such as Federer, Murray and the Williams sisters to battle it out on the famous grass courts of SW19, in front of tennis fans across the world. It is the first year that Hertz will have activated the sponsorship from a consumer perspective, and will enhance the trade hospitality and transport livery activity that Hertz have traditionally used to showcase their relationship with the world’s most prestigious tennis event.

iris has created a campaign micro-site – drivingthechampionships.co.uk – to house an online consumer giveaway competition offering the chance to win one of twelve pairs of Wimbledon Centre Court tickets over a three-week period* (between 7 and 27 June). Each week four winners will each receive a pair of Centre Court tickets for them and a friend to watch a full day’s action on Ladies’ Semi Finals Day, with access to full hospitality in the Hertz hospitality suite.

The online competition, which asks consumers to guess how many balls have been squeezed into a Hertz hire car can also be entered via Twitter and encourages users to Tweet out their guess.

Awareness of the Hertz / Wimbledon partnership will be driven through a number of channels and where appropriate will include a call to action to WIN tickets by visiting the micro-site.

Transport livery across Hertz’s fleet of 164 official tournament cars and two VIP coaches will be used to spread the campaign messages via high impact graphics, as the vehicles ferry players and officials to and from the tournament. Outdoor advertising will appear as 6 sheets and 48 sheets at London City Airport while retail activity will run across Hertz’s network of stores in the UK, including posters across all Hertz branches in the UK and high impact window graphics across their central London branches.

In addition, CRM activity will be used to bring the partnership to life for Hertz’s network of customers in the UK and, nearer to the tournament, a short viral film will be released celebrating Hertz’s relationship with the tournament.

Elizabeth Norris, Hertz’s Director of Brand & Communications EMEA, said: “We are delighted to be extending our role as Wimbledon’s Official Transport Provider for a further five years. Having partnered with The Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships for the past 15 years, Hertz has played an integral role in taking the players on the last stage of a journey that they will have worked towards and dreamt about since they were very young – the chance to play at Wimbledon.

This year, the campaign put together by iris, gives tennis fans the opportunity to make their own journey to Wimbledon by winning centre court tickets. The various strands of activity work perfectly to showcase our unique partnership and provides a point of differentiation from our competitors during the busy summer months.”

Peter Harris, CEO, iris Sponsorship said “The Wimbledon fortnight captures the attention and imagination of sports fans across the world, and as such Hertz’s unique partnership with the tournament provides a fantastic platform for Hertz to bring their brand positioning to life and differentiate themselves from their competitors. This year through an integrated campaign the ‘Driving the Championships’ campaign is focused on capturing and amplifying the excitement around Wimbledon to consumers in a really fun and engaging way.”

At the 2009 Wimbledon Tennis Championships alone, Hertz vehicles completed 15,822 journeys, carrying a total of 30,551 passengers. The total mileage travelled by all of the cars was 228,736 miles – the equivalent of 379 trips across Great Britain from Land’s End to John O’Groats.

In celebration of the winning partnership, The All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club has also teamed up with Hertz to offer a discount on car hire. Customers wanting to take advantage of the offer simply need to visit www.hertz.co.uk or call 08708 448844 quoting CDP 585057 when prompted.