AOL Instant Messenger
I AM rebranded.

As part of their plan to become an advertising-based ISP, instead of a subscription-based one, AOL commissioned us to convert their AOL Instant Messenger product from IM to an integrated communications platform and thereby generate sign-ups among young adults. We recommended an integrated approach designed to create buzz around AIM Mail and entice the target to switch to the new platform. First, we developed a new, more contemporary visual identity system, including an evolved logo, which debuted in a series of bold outdoor executions appearing in major US cities.

The billboards and wild posts plastered in city centers were emblazoned with an anagrammatic anthem that communicated a unique and unexpected function or benefit. The second phase of the campaign fostered more of an underground feel by creating seven real-world characters with whom the target could identify and introducing them through wild postings, viral videos, a microsite and blogs. Within the first six months, seven million new users, two million more than the original target number, signed up.