iris duo release first book ‘Newsjacking’ following success of Urgent Genius operation

The creative pair behind iris’ acclaimed Urgent Genius operation launches a call to arms for the industry this week in the form of the publication of their debut title ‘Newsjacking: The Urgent Genius of Real-Time Advertising’. 

The book gives core insights into the seven key principles that brands need to think about when newsjacking and plays on an important zeitgeist of the moment by highlighting the importance of the fine line between good and bad topical advertising.

Written by Grant Hunter, a regional creative director at iris and Jon Burkhart, formerly social media director, the book features over 100 case studies of the best and worst examples of newsjacking by brands such as Nestlé, Puma, Samsung, Adidas, Heineken, Johnnie Walker and FIAT. It covers all aspects of topicality, rapid response and real-time marketing.

Says Hunter: “Brands looking to ride the wave of a trending story need to ensure that they are being genuine and relevant. If it smacks of commercial exploitation then the social media backlash will be immediate and intense. If you’re going to be Urgent then make sure it’s Genius. 

iris, which has led the trend since it emerged, now works with clients including adidas, Diageo, MINI, and Monarch on a sign off process that can take as little as half an hour, to ensure they catch any relevant news opportunities. Recent examples of ads for Monarch and MINI have been hugely successful for the agency, providing immediate results that can be directly related to the launch of the ad.

Urgent Genius began as a philosophy by Hunter and Burkhart that stated that agencies and brands needed to create fast, shareable content to succeed in today’s world of advertising which ideally needed to be released within 48 hours of a news item going live to be relevant and popular.

Following the launch of the first global Urgent Genius Weekender competition in February 2011, which saw over 150 creative teams from companies such as Google, Fallon, Wieden & Kennedy and Big Balls films take part, it was launched as a live department of iris. 

Newsjacking: The Urgent Genius of Real-Time Advertising by Jon Burkhart and Grant Hunter is published by Thames & Hudson, $49.95