All posts in Branding campaigns

From Steel Beams to Palm Trees

by admin on May 27, 2009 in Advertising, Alternative advertising, Branding campaigns, Trends with No comments

Earlier this week, I came across this Martin Lindstrom AdAge video that focuses on new and innovative ways of building brands. Well, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: now isn’t the time to cut back on advertising. Instead, it’s a time to stand out and develop more creative ways to build your brand. Luckily, out-of-home and alternative advertising provides the perfect channel for trying something new and distinguishing your brand from others. Like Lindstrom says, building a brand is all about being different.

In the video, Lindstrom provides a few key pointers (and examples) on how to create a memorable, innovative branding campaign:

1. Turn your brand’s downsides into upsides by converting unattractive products into attractive and engaging products.

One great example of this took place in Nigeria where a telecommunication company converted all of their not-so-appealing radio towers into palm trees.

2. Try new and innovative stunts to build your brand.

For this one, AdAge leads us to the ultimate stuntman/risk-taker, Richard Branson, founder of the mega-corporation Virgin. When competitor British Airways was unsuccessfully attempting to raise the London Eye (which was sponsored by BA), Virgin Airways jumped on the opportunity. In a stunt that probably crossed the line in some eyes, Virgin Airways sent a plane over the construction site of the London Eye, painted with a very clear message (I’ll let you check out the video yourself to hear that particular message…). Whether it made you cringe, made you laugh, or just made you confused, the stunt definitely got the attention it was looking for.

3. Attempt different marketing strategies to try and stand out from the rest.

Years ago in Copenhagen, Ikea took over many of the city’s bus shelters, furnishing them with chairs, couches, carpet, etc. Not only did they win brownie points with those waiting on buses, but they also got the attention of the government. Ikea’s out-of-home stunts are still going on today such as their furnished model of the oval office in a D.C. train station during election time, for example.

T-Mobile Does It Again

by admin on May 6, 2009 in Advertising, Alternative advertising, Branding campaigns, Events, People, Trends with No comments

T-Mobile is definitely out to show the world its slogan, “Life’s for Sharing,” really does ring true. Just like its previous (and very entertaining) event in London’s Liverpool Street Station, they manage, once again, to bring together the masses for one common experience. In London’s Trafalgar Square, thousands of strangers united in what has to be the largest sing-along in history. The Beatles’ “Hey Jude” played while the crowd sang into microphones and watched the enormous screen for lyrics and the live video that filmed the entire event.

The YouTube video generated comments like, “If I feel fed up I just watch this or the dance one, it definitely cheers me up,” “Epic!” and “Amazing. So happy,” clearly verbalizing the optimistic feeling created by the event. Hopefully the next one makes its way to our side of the pond!

Wanna Get High in Amsterdam?

by admin on April 2, 2009 in Advertising, Alternative advertising, Branding campaigns, People, Technology with No comments

I’m, of course, talking about Sony Ericsson’s most recent out-of-home advertising campaign (what’d you think I was talking about?). Sony’s C905 model cell phone is out to show everyone its 8.1 mega pixel camera can hang with the best of digital cameras. And to prove it, they turned an Amsterdam bus shelter into a photo opp session, complete with a C905 camera and touchscreen.

People could then strike a pose for everyone nearby, and their picture would appear on a massive screen across the street, temporarily looking down on passers-by. I can only imagine the photo gallery from something like this . . . especially in a city like Amsterdam.

KFC: Kindess From the Colonel?

by admin on March 31, 2009 in Advertising, Alternative advertising, Branding campaigns, Events, People, Trends with No comments

KFC’s Colonel Sanders has temporarily left the world of fried chicken to instead fill in potholes. Following the recent trend of cause-marketing, the company is now helping local governments by fixing their streets. In return, KFC can market their “Fresh Tastes Best” campaign by stamping “Re-freshed by KFC” on the freshly laid pavement.

The current economic landscape provides the perfect opportunity for corporations to stand out by connecting with local communities in a meaningful, helpful way. According to Advertising Age, this trend of cause-marketing appears to be growing. For example, Charmin provided a public restroom in Times Square for the third holiday season in a row. Along the same lines, Starbucks donated about 400,000 hours of community service towards the rebuilding effort in New Orleans. And the shoe company Toms donates a pair of shoes to a child in a developing country every time a pair of their shoes is purchased.

Hopefully we’ll soon see many more marketing efforts like the one from KFC–which began in hometown Louisville, KY, and will seek out four more cities before returning to the life of chicken and mashed potatoes.

Go Big or Go Home

by admin on March 23, 2009 in Advertising, Alternative advertising, Branding campaigns, Events, News, Technology, Trends with No comments

Carnival Cruise Line has done it again. In the most recent phase of their newest marketing campaign–taglined “Fun for All, and All for Fun”–the company has introduced six massive, interactive aquariums around the country. The computer-animated aquariums will appear in vacant storefronts in Baltimore, Dallas, L.A., New York, Washington D.C., and Houston through the end of April.

Designed to interact with passersby, the fish and plant life react to motion as people walk past. Using their cell phones, pedestrians can go a step further by creating personalized fish by making various sounds into their phones and using the keypad to swim the fish around the aquarium. The fish even change in size and shape when consumers lead them to food! And don’t worry about having to leave your newly-made friend. Pedestrians can retrieve their fish by coming back later and using the same cell phone.

The interactive aquariums are only one part of Carnival’s impressive marketing campaign the past six months. They kicked it off in a huge way when they broke their first Guinness World Record. In downtown Dallas in late October, they dropped the world’s largest volleyballs, measuring 36 feet in diameter, into a crowd of 2,500+ people! Then in November, they broke yet another record in Philadelphia with the world’s largest pinata. The pinata, which rose over three stories, was filled with 2 tons of candy! Talk about a sweet tooth . . .