Ann Summers' rides on BA wave

Where you searching for innovative marketing campaigns? Then search no further then Ann Summers'. This company is very active in the online media industry and in fact was very fast to react to international events. iCrossing, Ann Summers' digital marketing agency, was very quick to bid on BA strike-related keywords (obviously when you think about it you will immediate notice the potential that these words have given the amount of Christmas travel that was expected) so that when users searched for the latest news on the industrial action, a sponsored ad promoting the retailer emerged.

The link read "The planes may be grounded but you can still join the mile high club!" A link through to Ann Summers Online is also provided. This campaign started a large wave of praise for people who are on the lookout for marketing geniuses especially on twitter... below are some examples of comments on Twitter:-

@funky72 wrote: " Enter BA strike into Google for example of great tactical search advertising ... nice work Ann Summers :)"
@annaats said: "Some nice rapid response paid search ads around the BA strike ;)"

This was not the first smart maneuver by Ann Summers'...During the cold snap in February this year, using snow-related search terms, the agency launched a sponsored link with the strap line 'Brrr...cold out there, why not stay in and get steamy with Sex Toys from Ann Summers'.

Lets all wait and see what's the next big news will be and how Ann Summers will react.

Marketing Stunts...do they always work?

It is said that guerilla marketing or marketing stunts are the best way to attract attention and get free press coverage. However is the result always desirable for the company...apparently not, or at least this was the case of Tele2.

A publicity stunt involving a fake meteorite strike in Latvia has totally backfired with Tele2 (a Swedish telecoms company) possibly losing a government contract. Tele2 admitted that the meteorite crash has been staged in the Latvian countryside and the hoax claimed that this strike caused a 10 metre wide crater. This stunt has alerted the Latvian emergency services who went rushing to the scene together with scientist only to find that this was all a stunt.

All this saga was recorded and posted on YouTube, with the video registering more than 400,000 views. Tele2 said that the stunt was part of a wider marketing campaign that is due to be revealed later on this year. However this has not gone down well with the Latvian Government. The interior minister has told that it is not acceptable for a company to promote itself using public fund, especially in a period when Latvia has been very hard hit by the economic downturn registering a very high rate of unemployment and the biggest fall in GDP in the European Union. In an attempt to save its face, Tele2 has reportedly said that it will reimburse the government over any expenses incurred by the stunt.

Will this be enough to save it from losing all contracts in the country? We'll wait and see...

TalkTalk uses innovative promotions...what about put pocketers!

I'm back...I was in London for a wee time and could not update the blog unfortunately as it was really difficult to find free Wifi spots! However I came across this article and thought it was a good example of a proactive company using innovative solutions!

TalkTalk undertakes another guerrilla marketing campaign...and what a campaign. The company has decided to start distributing money between now and the end of August in areas of central London and on the Tube network. You might think how will this money be distributed...and this is the innovative part!

TalkTalk has employed a team of 20 ex-pickpoketers to actually start "put pocketing". The company has confirmed that lucky recipients of put pocketed cash will receive a branded card along with the cash.The campaign is being promoted with posters at relevant locations proclaiming "Rejoice!

The campaign however has met with a mixed response from those who like the idea of finding a fiver in their trousers, to those who have been victims of bag snatching and other street crimes questioning the sense of such a campaign. However this is what make the campaign successful...it makes people talk about the company. TalkTalk has also anticipated such fears and informed Metropolitan Police about this campaign. Apart from this the put pocketers have been given ID in case they do get caught in the act. Have a look at this Talk Talk Video that shows some of these stunts...what's your opinion on it?

Qualities that an innovative product should have

I always like to surf the net for in search of something innovative...that stands out of the crowd and something from which each and everyone can learn. I can across a very interesting article reviewing a likely innovative and interesting product.

It is well known that now a days the market for promotional products is over saturated and companies tend to sell the same promotional stuff. However brand owners hunting down promotional products are now a days looking to satisfy two main criteria:- the product must stand out from the crowd and must have plenty of use. Well Brightbutton's Willie Wetsuit is certainly going to cover all of these requirements.The following section describes the product in terms of it's use and it's innovativeness.

Use: As far as promotional products got he Willie Wetsuit is primarily a keyring....a keyring with a difference as is designed to hold a condom. Hence it meets the first criteria of being a useful product. The Wetsuit can hold from one to three units.

Branding: The suits come in a choice of seven colours and there is 60mmx30mm of space on the back to place branding. The promotional message can also be printed in four colours so there is plenty of flexibility.

Overall: Well the product is certainly different, but will it get the same exposure as pens and mouse mats? Brightbutton market the Wetsuit as a fun way of promoting safe sex. However from a poll that was done another company it was found that many females wouldn't be impressed with a potential mate especially if they saw what the keyring contained and thought the best place for a condom was in a wallet. Overall the product is bound to be picked up as well as remembered and hence it serves all the requirements for a successful product.

The power of Creativity in Marketing

An important aspect of marketing and advertising, especially from the point of view of both the marketeer and the commissioning company is to use creativity in a way to attract attention to the brand. Companies are in a contast search for innovative ideas as these can be used to increase exponentially the impact of an advertising campaign. One company which made effective use of this guerrilla marketing tactic was Flygbussarna, a Swedish bus company.

The company concluded that a coach, on average, can carry the equivalent of about 50 cars (taking into consideration that the average car carries about 1.2 persons). At the same time coaches emit as much carbon dioxide as 2 cars. Hence the company armed with such information embarked on a very innovative campaign...it used 50 scrapped cars painted them in the shape of a bus and placed this live billboard alongside a highway.

Have a look at this video to see the full campaign in the making and it's results



The result was simply fantastic...they got themselves a traffic stopping campaign that got mentioned in all media in Sweden, from TV to newspapers. The total value of free PR was more than worth it in the end, making the campaign an absolute success...if you know of any other such campaign go ahead and leave a comment here. It is nice to learn from such innovative companies