Oracle Ironman and other super heroes

If you're on Twitter you'll know that this week is super hero avatar week. Silly I know but it injects a bit of fun into proceedings. Coincidentally (unless this started deep in the Twitterverse by an Oracle mole), Oracle is sponsoring Ironman, the upcoming super hero movie. It seems fitting when you think about the attributes some of us pin on the company.

In reality this is a clever way to get people to check out an animated story about Marvel Comics, one of Oracle's customers. The story is interesting at several levels. The use of animation that reflects both the Marvel brand while putting Oracle's story front and center is carefully constructed so as not to be overtly obvious but compelling. Teasers that pique reader interest make sure readers click on at least one element of the storyboard. Getting the user to climb over a login wall which doesn't ask for every bit of detail about the person makes sure Oracle captures some data about who is looking at the material. And finally, the whole is supported by a written cases study extolling the virtues of the 'one throat to choke' enterprise story. This last element is the weakest part as it is dripping with PR speak. But don't let me spoil the enjoyment. Check it all out for yourself.

I doubt Ironman will ever of itself sell a single copy of Oracle applications but you can be sure that using multimedia in clever and inventive ways will increasingly become part of the enterprise salesman's arsenal. Given what Mike Krigsman had to say about salesmen and snake oil, consider yourself warned.

My Twitter avatar? Who else but Fred Flintsone.