want2Bsquare - A brand tries to own the square

About a week ago, the strangest commercials started airing during Adult Swim on Cartoon Network. The ads featured what seemed to be a shady medical facility in an eastern European country, where a doctor (who looks a bit like Christopher Walken) is finishing a procedure to mold his patients heads into the shape of cubes (something they are apparently very excited about). The commercial ends with a URL, www.want2bsquare.com. There is no mention of the product, no English spoken, and no recognizable brand or logo.

Of course, this is designed to create curiosity. I usually resist these attempts (I try to be the cat that doesn't get killed), but this one was too bizarre and cryptic. I had to see what it was about. What did I find when I went to that URL? An equally bizarre, but incredibly rich and well-constructed immersive Flash-based website full of strange activities, games and animated creatures. Who is behind want2Bsquare? Scion, the wildly popular customizable brand from Toyota.

I've got to say that I'm impressed, both by the depth and detail of the want2Bsquare site, and by the bold and unconventional way that Scion is approaching this campaign. Unlike many other marketing campaigns, the original brand identity is NOT plastered all over this site. Instead, they are intensely focused on the shape. Everything is boxy, square or cubic. This is clearly a reflection of the boxy, square shape of the Scion xB. A quick Googling turns up a related (and similarly sponsored) want2Bsquare art exhibit in New York and LA.

It is the notable lack of Scion branding involved in this campaign that makes me realize just how audacious a move this is. With the want2Bsquare campaign, Scion is trying to OWN the shape. They are trying to claim one of the main primitive shapes and build a strong enough association that when people think of a square (or the word square) they think of Scion.

This is really bold! If you think about how Nike is intimately related to both the shape of its "swoosh", and even the word "swoosh" itself, then you'll realize they type of Holy Grail that Scion is going for. This might be overly ambitious (or I might be reading too much into it), but at least they are off to a good start.

Want2Bsquare? I just might.