Contest replaces ad campaign for Nissan launch

If contests can be used to fill a job or promote a region of the world, why couldn't they launch a car?
That's apparently the thinking at Nissan Canada, which recently kicked off a competition to select 50 people to win a free 2009 Nissan Cube.

Nissan Canada's hypercube contest is a unique social media campaign to promote the company's new Cube vehicle, which launches in May. Rather than embark on yet another mass-media advertising campaign, Nissan and Capital C—its creative partner in the effort—have chosen to tap the creativity of Canadian consumers.

Back in March they invited up to 1,000 Canadian musicians, DJs, dancers, programmers, designers, bloggers, podcasters, poets, writers, storytellers and artists—"anyone who considers themselves creative, hip, interesting or unique"—to explain via survey and Twitter why they should be selected to audition for one of the winning 50 spots.
From that initial group the top-scoring 500 individuals were selected to audition via Facebook, Twitter and the hypercube site using photos, videos, illustrations or other media to demonstrate how they personify the Cube brand. (Current examples can be found here.)
Due to wrap up in mid-May, auditions will be evaluated by a panel of independent judges based on uniqueness, creativity, personality, enthusiasm, survey responses and peer voting. Consumers can register to vote on the hypercube site, and the 50 winners of the brand-new Cube will be announced in mid-June.
With advertising clutter and consumer skepticism at the heights they are, it's no wonder clever marketers are turning to alternative methods to break through the din.
The contests will continue to come fast and furious, we expect—why not try one out for your net-savvy brand? (Related: Scion drives into Second Life.)
Website: www.hypercube.ca
Contact: joncube@hypercube.ca

Lyntoto:::Betting on women

BRAND OWNER:Norsk Rikstoto
CATEGORY:Sport/Leisure
REGION:Norway
DATE :Apr 2008 - Aug 2008


Norsk Rikstoto is an independent foundation established by the Norwegian Trotting Association and the Norwegian Jockey Club.

Betting on horses is big business in Norway, but the foundation was seeing its consumer base of men over the age of 40 dwindle.






Lyntoto is a gambling product aimed at those who don’t really understand horse racing and trotting. An automated system uses form and rankings to pick the horses the customer bets on in seven different races that take place every Saturday.
Norsk Rikstoto isolated women aged 25-55 as a key untapped target audience for Lyntoto. The women they wanted to attract were“fortune gamblers”, i.e. attracted by big prizes but with little understanding of the sport. The campaign revolved around a humorous gambling kiosk owner called Tor who explains to younger customers how to bet on the horses with Lyntoto. This was launched on TV, online, radio and in print.
By targeting such an different audience, Lyntoto increased its sales by 16.5% and continues to run into 2009.

Whiskas::: Let's purr together

BRAND OWNER:Mars
CATEGORY:Pet Care
REGION:Hungary
DATE:Jan 2008 - Mar 2008


Whiskas is market leader in Hungary, but it was under threat from competitors including own-label products. It needed to push the emotional brand connection it had started to establish with its regional them of “let’s purr together”, especially in the more competitive dry food sector.

Whiskas’ target audience was women aged 35-55 who don’t just look for functional features in cat food, they look for the product that will most satisfy their feline friends.
A cat’s purr is the universal sign of feline satisfaction, so Whiskas strategy had to exploit it via audio and audio-visual channels.

Whiskas created an owner-purring contest which ran on Hungary’s most popular national morning radio show.

Participants applied by SMS to purr on air and prizes were given out to the best purring owners. In-store there were displays triggered by motion-sensors.

When someone passed the displays, the movement triggered the message: “Meoww, purr, irresistibly tasty Whiskas dry food with pocket kibbles”. This was supported by a microsite and a TV and radio campaign.

The in-store programme was particularly successful, delivering a 16% sales volume uplift for the Whiskas dry portfolio.

Starburst::: Share something juicy

BRAND OWNER:Mars
CATEGORY:Confectionery/ Snacks
REGION:USA
DATE:Jun 2008 - Dec 2008

Confectionary brand Starburst had aggressive growth goals in 2008 and wanted to revitalize itself among 18-24 year olds online, with the launch of a new product, GummiBursts.

Starburst realised that for 18-24 year olds, the digital space provides the setting to create the identity they want the world to know. They use every opportunity to share themselves with anyone who will pay attention. The Share Something Juicy campaign connects the candy to insights about today’s TMI (Too Much Information) culture, where people's personal moments are captured and broadcast more than ever.

The campaign is highlighted by partnerships with popular vloggers, entertaining viral videos about sharing, with creative control given over to vloggers to create videos that show what happens when people share everything in their minds – Moments in Sharing.

Starburst also produced, in partnership with Nest New Networks, Nite Fite - an episodic cartoon series in which Starburst was integrated into the fabric of the show. Within the cartoon, two talk show hosts share their feelings about the challenges of their new sponsor, Starburst, in an interesting twist on a traditional media sponsorship.

Nite Fite and vlogger videos combined to deliver nearly 11 million engaged video views. The GummiBurst launch creative received strong branding, with the new product messaging driving a 14% lift in purchase intent and brand favourability among the target.

Ariel::: Think about wasting water

BRAND OWNER :Procter & Gamble
CATEGORY :Household Goods
REGION :Germany
DATE :Jul 2008 - Sep 2008


Ariel is one of the two big players in the German detergents market, with competitor Persil benefiting from a strong heritage of over 100 years. Ariel needed to position its product and communication strategy to appeal to people's support of sustainalble consumption, which is still strong even in times of economic strain.
Ariel's target is environmentally conscious, but only when it is at little extra effort and saves money.

Ariel's new detergent technology allows the consumer to forego the pre-wash, saving water and money. The challenge was to educate the target to the scarcity of water as a natural resource and to the financial cost of over consumption.

Ariel started with a pre-launch phase before the official start of advertising. To sharpen the targets awareness Ariel used 10 TV Specials: "Surprising water facts" spots from daily life.

Questions like 'did you know that you consumed 160 litres of water yesterday?' - were placed within Sat. 1 breakfast TV, catching the target as she starts her daily routine.

Once awareness had been sharpened, the target was invited to share their own water saving tips. Prizes worth 20,000 Euros were used as incentive, and the education was continued on Sat. 1's online portal. Underscoring this campaign was the fact that using Ariel allows you to give up your pre-wash, and do your bit for the environment.
In September 2008 Ariel took over market leadership in volume (+3.4ppts ahead) from long-time German market leader Persil for the first time.

Shredded Wheat :::Putting the "NO" in Innovation

In a time when many food products are being enhanced with super ingredients and altered to match the latest diet trends, one food brand is bucking marketing trends and embracing its lack of innovation.
After more than 100 years, Post Original Shredded Wheat cereal continues to be made with one simple, honest ingredient 100% natural whole grain wheat.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULzt2rZjT4Q

Social networking trends

which recently announced that more than one million social networks have been created using its service, is currently the 2nd fastest growing social networking property. Its traffic is up 283 percent year-over-year, and it now reaches a total of 5.6 million people in the US.

which we recently reported saw a one month surge of nearly 50 percent on the heels of a redesign and AIM integration, has grown 148 percent in the past year, and now reaches more than 6.1 million people in the US.This is significant because Bebo is known mostly for being big overseas, but insignificant in the US. The next few months will tell us if this was a one-time pop thanks to AIM integration or a continued trend thanks to some innovative things Bebo is doing with Socialthing.

continues to be one of the quickest growing social sites and has more than doubled its size in the past year. It now reaches better than 15.8 million people in the US, ranking it 3rd in total size behind Facebook and MySpace. It’s no doubt being buoyed by the weak economy and high unemployment as people turn to the site and their connections to find work.

As for “the big three,” the story remains much the same.

is now growing at a mind-boggling 2,565 percent. In total, it reached more than 13 million people in the US during the month - and that’s just on its website (i.e. - not counting clients like TweetDeck or Seesmic Desktop). Next month will likely see this total continue to swell, thanks to huge mainstream media events like Ashton Kutcher versus CNN and Oprah jumping onto Twitter.

continues to extend its lead over MySpace. In March, it saw 69.1 million visitors, versus 55.9 million for the News Corp-owned social networking site. In fact, MySpace was the only social networking site measured in the Nielsen survey that saw its traffic decline year-over-year.

Word Of Mouth Visualized

As it says visually, we have three potential scenarios. Promoters, passives and detractors.

• Passives :who have mediocre experiences don't talk about them and so there is no conversation around the subject (this is where most word of mouth marketing initiatives fail).
• Promoters have a good experience and tell people about it,
• Detractors who have a bad experience with something tell even more people about it.

Word of mouth isn't always positive, it's often negative and that's where there's opportunities to engage detractors, change opinions and improve products and services.

Coca Cola's corporate responsibility

Ivendo Positivamente for South America

Live Positively for the US

The Female Shopper, shop online

Glossary of Some Direct Marketing Terms

ABOVE THE LINE (ATL) COMMUNICATION: Communication that primarily uses high-profile (high visibility) mass media like print, television, radio, outdoors, etc.

ACTION DEVICES: Techniques or elements used in the message to elicit a response by the target audience. Also referred to as Response Devices.

ACTIVE MEMBERS: Members who are eligible to receive program or brand communication by virtue of having met certain pre-defined eligibility criteria. As opposed to Lapsed or Expired Members.

AUTOMATIC CALL DIRECTOR (ACD): Computer software that receives all incoming calls and directs them to call handlers in a pre-determined manner. If all call handlers are busy, the ACD plays a pre-recorded message to that effect, till a call handler becomes free to take the next call.

AVERAGE ORDER VALUE: A simple mathematical figure arrived at by dividing the total revenue generated from a program or exercise divided by the total number of orders received under the program or exercise.

BELOW THE LINE (BTL) COMMUNICATION: Communication that primarily uses low-profile (low visibility) media such as direct mail, telephones, single-venue events, the Internet or email.

BILL ENCLOSURE: Promotional material enclosed with a bill, an invoice or a statement.

BRC / BRE: Business Reply Card / Envelope: A response format that a customer or prospect can use to write back to the company in response to a mailer, where the company pays the postal department based on the number of responses received. The BRC / BRE is usually enclosed with the mailer to facilitate cost-free response from the target recipient.

BRP: Business Reply Permit: A permit that has to be procured by a company from the postal authority to facilitate use of the BRC / BRE reply format. The postal authority issues a permit to be issued for a specific post office at which the company can receive replies in the form of BRCs or BREs.

BURST: To separate continuous form paper into individual sheets. (High-speed printing systems designed to handle regular-frequency large volume print runs like credit card or telecom bills routinely have a “burster” to separate continuous stationery into individual mailable statements).

C/A: Change of address. A notification put on mail which may have returned to the originator with a revised address of the target recipient, or any communication received from a target recipient to the communicator to notify the same.

CLEANING: Refers to the process of removing, updating or altering contact details like a name or address in a database. This may be the result of data being out of date, or being incorrectly entered in the first instance.

COLLATE: To assemble individual elements of a mailer in a precise sequence for inserting into a mailing envelope.

COMPLETED CALLS: Inbound or outbound calls, where all the required data has been collected from the respondents, or a pre-determined decision point has been reached, and that does not requiring any further calls to the target.

CONTINUOUS STATIONARY: Stationery designed for high-speed computer printing, which can later be burst or trimmed to size and collated for mailing.

COST PER INQUIRY (CPI): A mathematical value derived by dividing the total cost of a mailing or a direct-response advertisement by the number of inquiries received.

COST PER ORDER (CPO): A mathematical value derived by dividing the total cost of a direct marketing campaign by the number of orders received. Focus on orders as opposed to inquiries.

COUPON: Portion of an advertisement or promotional mailer to be completed by the customer and returned to the advertiser.

DATABASE: A structured collection, storage or presentation of specific data. A direct marketing database provides a means to contact a group of prospects as well as a method to measure responses. A database is usually purpose-specific and contains qualifying information about its members, as opposed to a list which is just a compilation of names and addresses without any qualifying or unifying criteria. (See also: Relational Databases, RDBMS).

DATA CAPTURE FORM: A form designed to capture response data in a very specific structure and format, so as to make it easy to standardize data for entry into a database. It is essential to design data capture forms and databases in sync, to optimize the data structure for future enhancements as well as analysis. Specific care also needs to be taken to ensure that capture of crucial fields like

PIN / ZIP codes is done according to tightly controlled rules.

DATA ENTRY STANDARDS: A set of rules to be followed when creating, adding, deleting, arranging, or selecting records in databases, designed to ensure uniformity and consistency across all entries made by different individuals or over time.

DEAD MAIL: Mail sent to an intended recipient that is returned to the sender without any further information on where the same can be redirected in future. This can be due to incorrect / incomplete address, or target recipient having moved, or having changed names and the updated information is not available to the sender.

DE-DUPLICATION: Elimination of duplication in names, to make sure that no matter how many times a name and address appears on a list, it will be mailed to only once. The process involves intensive standardization of data before it can be effectively de-duplicated.

DEFAULT SALUTATION: Names on a database or rented list which are incomplete or incorrect, or do not have proper titles, need to be replaced with a common salutation such as "Dear Sir/Madam", "Dear Colleague", etc.

DIRECT MARKETING: A planned system of contacts seeking to produce a lead or an order. Using any media, direct marketing requires the use of a database for the responses to be measured. Key differentiators of direct marketing from conventional communication are: Communication is one-to-one (as opposed to one-to-many), interactive (allowing for two way communication), responsive (where next communication is a specific response to a previous one) and measurable (number of responses can be precisely computed).

DIRECT RESPONSE ADVERTISING: Mass-media advertising inviting targets to respond to a specific contact point by any means where the number of responses can be measured. Mass media advertising carrying coupons, call-back numbers, post boxes or website names are all examples direct response advertising.

DUMMY: A fictitious or “control” name and address that is deliberately inserted into a list to verify how the list is being used, or to confirm final delivery of the mailer. (See also Seed.)
DUPE: The appearance of identical, repeated information in a database. Dupe is short for "duplicate".

EXPIRED MEMBERS: Former members who are no longer eligible to receive program or brand communication by virtue of having ceased to meet pre-defined eligibility criteria.

FLOATING VARIABLE: "Personalised" information that can be placed anywhere within a laser text, usually within a sentence. Used to make communication content appear highly personalized.

FREQUENCY: The number of times an individual has purchased a company’s product or service over a certain period of time. One of the key measures of customer loyalty, along with “Recency” and “Monetary Value” (the three terms are collectively referred to as RFM).

FRIEND-OF-A-FRIEND: Friend referrals. The process of known target audience members referring or providing names of other unknown friends who might also be interested in a specific advertiser's products or services. Also referred to as Member-Get-Member approach.

FULFILMENT: The complete process of complying with a customer’s response, by way of supplying goods against an order placed, or providing complete and specific information asked for by the respondent.

GIMMICK: Any attention seeking device used in communication.

HOUSE LIST: An in-house or owned mailing list developed by a company over time, based on current or former customers or inquires; usually does not contain additional data on customer / prospect behavior relating to the company’s products or services.

INBOUND TELEMARKETING: Handling an incoming call from a prospect or customer, who calls in to a number publicized through various media.

INCOMPLETE CALLS: Inbound or outbound calls, where the caller is unable to speak to a target respondent, or unable to collect all the required data, and where further calls are required.

INFLUENCER: A person who is involved in – or has a major influence on – the buying decision process, but who does not make the final buying decision.

INKJET: A type of printing process that uses very fine and controlled jets of ink onto paper to produce text and graphics. Inkjet printing is a cheaper alternative to laser printing.

INQUIRY: Someone who has asked for literature or other information about a product or service, but has not necessarily made a buying decision. Also sometimes referred to as a Lead.

INSERT: Element placed in an outgoing mailer package or invoice.

INTEGRATED MARKETING: A combination of two or more forms of marketing used to sell a product or service (eg. a direct mail campaign combined with a series of television commercials).

MAILHOUSE: Company which performs the mechanical and operational details involved with bulk mailing, including addressing, printing, collating, sorting, etc.

LIFETIME VALUE: In direct marketing, this refers to the total amount of money that the customer is expected to spend on a particular product category in his or her lifetime. If this can be ascertained (and it can be, with some effort), the objective of a brand manager would then be to direct as much of that value as possible towards his or her brand.

LIST: (Mailing List) A set of names and addresses of companies or individuals with a common interest, activity or characteristic, but without any additional qualifying or classification data.

LIST MAINTENANCE: Any method which keeps name and address records up-to-date.

LIST RENTAL: An arrangement between a list owner and a mailer, where the owner provides a set of names and addresses, for which the mailer pays one-time “rent”.

LIST SAMPLE: A set of names selected randomly from a list, to evaluate the responsiveness of the entire list. Also referred to as a Test List.

LOYALTY PROGRAM: A program to track and reward customers who continually use a company’s products or services. Rewards are usually linked to the total purchase value.

MASTER FILE: A master repository of all data, from which sub-sets of data can be extracted for specific uses. A master file is usually not used for processes, since any corruption or damage to data can result in loss of valuable data gathered over time and at a high cost.

MATCHING: Ensuring that multiple personalized elements that go into a single mail pack all relate to the same person or member code. Matching usually involves comparing name, address or a unique identification number.

MERGE & PURGE: To merge one data file with another and de-duplicate the resultant file to produce a consolidated file with no duplicated records.

MONETARY VALUE: The total value of one or more transactions carried out by a customer during a specific period of time. One of the key measures of customer loyalty, along with “Recency” and “Frequency” (the three terms are collectively referred to as RFM).

NAME ACQUISITION: The process of soliciting a response in order to obtain names and addresses for developing a mailing list. Direct response advertising in mass media is usually employed to acquire names when no list or database is readily available, or when potential targets are widely dispersed.

NESTING: Placing one enclosure within another before inserting them into a mailing envelope.

NTH NAME: A selection for a list test mailing where names are selected on the basis of the size of the test sample in relation to the size of the list.

OFFER: The terms promoting a particular product or service.

ORDER CARD: Reply card used to initiate an order through the mail.

OUTBOUND TELEMARKETING: Outward calls made by a marketer to list of phone numbers, as opposed to inbound telemarketing where the customer calls in first.

PEEL-OFF LABEL: A self-adhesive label attached to a cardboard backing sheet in a mailing piece. The label can then be removed from the mailing piece and stuck to an order card.

PENETRATION: Relationship of the number of individuals or families on a particular list compared to the total number possible.

PERSONALISATION: Printing of letters and other promotional material with details that are unique to each individual recipient (like names, addresses, transaction details, etc) that are extracted from a computerized database. Personalization has been proven to increase response levels, since such mail is seen as personal communication by the recipient, and not as “junk mail”. PHONE LIST: Mailing List compiled from names listed in telephone directories.

PIGGY-BACK: An offer that hitches a free ride with another offer.

PIN Code: Postal Identification Number Code. Each Post Office is assigned a unique PIN code which – if properly written – will allow the postal department to route mail to the specific post office within whose jurisdiction the intended recipient is located. PIN Codes are usually composed of individual alphabets or numerals for State, District / County, City, Suburb and (for larger suburbs) neighborhood.

POLY-BAG / POLY-WRAP / PLASTIC WRAP: See through plastic bag used instead of an envelope for mailing.

POP-UP: A printed piece containing a paper construction pasted into a paper fold which will "pop- up" when the fold is opened. The "pop-up" forms a three dimensional promotional illustration.

POST BOX / POST BAG: A specific numbered box or bag assigned to a company at the local post office in anticipation of a large number of mail to be received. Companies which undertake large volumes of direct mail activities usually opt for a Post Box or Post Bag into which all responses received are stored, and from which an authorized representative has to go and collect the mail and periodic intervals (Postal authorities usually do not undertake to deliver bulk responses to companies, except as a specially paid for service).

POST CARD: Single sheet self-mailers printed on card stock.

PP: Postage Paid. Refers to an envelope which does not need a stamp because it has a Royal Mail imprint.

PROSPECT: A potential buyer for a product or service who has yet to make a purchase.

PROSPECTING: Sending mail to generate leads for further sales contacts rather than trying to get immediate sales.

PROTECTED MAILING PERIOD: A period of time before and after a mailing date a list owner will not allow the same names to be mailed by anyone - except the assigned mailer.

PSM: Pre-Sorted Mail. Post offices do not usually accept bulk mail for postage unless it is pre-sorted by the postal code of the receiving post offices.

PSYCHOGRAPHICS: Characteristics or qualities used to denote the lifestyles or attitudes of prospects and customers.

PURGE: The process of removing duplicates and other unwanted names and addresses from a list or lists.

RECENCY: The most recent recorded purchase information about a customer on a database. One of the key measures of customer loyalty, along with “Frequency” and “Monetary Value” (the three terms are collectively referred to as RFM).

RECORD: Name, address and other information pertaining to a single entity (equivalent to a row in a table).

RELATIONAL DATABASE: A database that shows the relationship between various pieces of information stored about customers. The information stored can include anything from names and addresses, to a customer’s buying habits. Relational databases make updating or altering records, as well as analyzing information of a particular type a much easier task.

RDBMS: A complex set of logic and rules governing the storage of related information across multiple databases, designed to facilitate ease of storage, ease of access and ease of analysis of large amounts of data across specific parameters, in order to ascertain effectiveness of a direct marketing program. Information across the various databases is usually linked using a key field or relational field

RESPONSE CODES: Unique identifying characters used on response devices to identify the mailing list, specific version of mailing, or other differentiation within the mailing exercise.

RESPONSE RATE: Number of responses received as a percentage of total mailers sent out.

RETURN MAIL: Mail which comes back to the sender undelivered, due to a variety of reasons. Unless the reason for return mail can be identified and rectified, the record is usually tagged on the database to stop further mailings being sent to that individual. (See also Tag.)

RFM: Acronym for Recency, Frequency and Monetary Value. RFM is a formula used to evaluate the overall worth and/or loyalty of a customer to a company. Depending on the company’s objectives and product category, specific values are assigned to each of the parameters to determine the loyalty of a customer.

ROLLOUT: To continue with the actual large-scale mailing after testing a portion of the mailing list.

SEED: A name and address that is deliberately inserted into a list to verify how the list is being used, or to confirm final delivery of the mailer. (See also Dummy.)

SELECTION CRITERIA: Refers to characteristics used to identify segments or sub-groups within a list.

SELF-MAILER: A mailer designed to form an envelope when folded, thus not requiring a separate outer envelope.

SEQUENTIAL PROCESSING: Information storage. Each item must be read one at a time, going through all the preceding records to get to the next record in sequential order.

SHEET-FED FORMS: Using a standard cut form in computer printing as opposed to continuous stationery. Also called Cut-sheet Forms.

SPLIT TEST: Representative samples from the same list, used for package tests, or to test homogeneity of the list.

STEP UP: Special offers designed to get a buyer to increase his units of purchase.

TAG: To mark a record with definitive criteria so it can be used or avoided in the future.

TEASER: An advertisement or promotion planned to excite curiosity about a later advertisement or promotion.

TELEMARKETING: Using telecommunications in sales and marketing efforts.

TELESCRIPT: Telephone conversation script which a telecaller has to follow in order to maintain a specific standard and quality of contact in each call. A comprehensive telescript takes into account all possible scenarios and responses that the target can give, and provides options for the telecaller to take in each scenario. A telescript also needs to have a data capture form designed in sync, so that the telecaller can capture responses easily and accurately at each instance.

TIP-ON: An item glued to a printed piece.

TITLE ADDRESSING: Functional titles used in compiling business lists, where no individual names are available.

TRAFFIC BUILDER: A direct mail piece used mainly as a way to attract customers to the mailer's place of business.

UNIVERSE: Total number of people who might qualify for inclusion in a mailing list; where all of whom fit a single set of eligibility criteria.

UPDATE: To add the most current information to a database.

VARIABLE INFORMATION: Data that relates specifically to each individual in a database.

VERIFICATION: Sending a questionnaire or making a call to a respondent to ensure genuineness or validity of an order placed or information provided