Guerilla Event Marketing—A Mob in a Flash

The choreographed dance, not surprisingly, was captured on film. Spontaneous shimmying spurred on by commuting ennui? Not quite. The event was a brand-orchestrated flash mob, a gathering (usually precipitated by an elaborate set of e-mail instructions) of large numbers of people in a public place, where some preplanned event takes place to entertain, amuse or generate buzz and publicity for a well-known brand (in this case, T-Mobile). The mobile-phone company pulled off a similar Trafalgar Square sing-along three months later, attracting nearly 14,000 people. T-Mobile isn’t the only company to employ viral marketing using a colossal street cast and the Internet to build brand awareness. One hundred leotard-clad young women danced in Piccadilly Circus to Beyonce’s “Single Ladies” for Trident Unwrapped. And sunglass giant Ray-Ban staged its own guerrilla-marketing ploy in Manhattan, with “street teams” (decked out in Ray-Ban shades, naturally) standing and gazing skyward at a huge Ray-Ban building wrap. Some companies have even merged their performing plebes with some high-profile talent. SKY HDTV commissioned supermodel Gisele Bündchen to flip through the TV channels in an airport lounge while more than 1,000 cast members “brought the TV to life.” And a clothing store on California’s Sunset Boulevard was suddenly overrun by hundreds of dancers wearing gold parachute pants and cutting a rug to “You Can’t Touch This” (an A&E mobile-marketing ploy to attract attention to its Hammertime documentary about rapper MC Hammer). This viral marketing is a form of guerrilla advertising that not only directly touches its participants and the spectators who witness the event live, but also the viewership that subsequently gets a chance to view the event via e-mail, text messaging, podcasts, blogs, forums, social networking sites and other Internet resources. You know the drill: Your brother sends you a link to some YouTube video or Facebook group, and voilà—instant brand awareness that spreads like a California wildfire. There are even websites dedicated to helping brands track how well their viral campaigns are doing. Visible Measures, for instance, offers a Viral Reach Database that collects data from more than 150 video-sharing destinations. It then generates stats on not only how many people have seen a video campaign (and how many times), but also on how they’ve interacted with it via comments, ratings and their own video responses. Married to the Mob The flash mob is said to have originated in 2003 with Bill Wasik, a senior editor at Harper’s Magazine. For his first successful flash-mob attempt, Wasik blasted out a detailed instructional e-mail to a bunch of people. More than 100 willing participants then converged on the rug department at the flagship Macy’s store in Manhattan, where they gathered around a carpet and informed the salespeople that they all lived together in a warehouse and needed to search for a “love rug” as a group. Just as weird as their arrival was their sudden departure—after a burst of synchronized clapping, all the participants ran out of the building. “I really just did them as a sort of social experiment,” says Wasik, whose book And Then There’s This: How Stories Live and Die in Viral Culture debuted in June. “I wanted to see what would happen—how far would the e-mail spread? How many people would come? I had seen e-mails and webpages go viral, and I was really interested to see if I could make something like that happen myself.” The fact that companies have tapped into flash-mob types of viral marketing to promote their brands doesn’t surprise Wasik. “It’s an image that captures what people find so exciting about the current information age: a group of strangers using technology to come together instantaneously,” he says. “It makes technology seem like the cure for loneliness and alienation. Of course, the irony is that sometimes our technology has the opposite effect: It lets us connect with more people, but at the expense of the depth of connection.” Charlie Todd, founder of Improv Everywhere (a comedic performance-art group that proudly states on its site that it “causes scenes of chaos and joy in public places”) and author of the recently penned Causing a Scene: Extraordinary Pranks in Ordinary Places with Improv Everywhere, isn’t surprised that some companies are using the flash-mob technique to promote their brands (Improv Everywhere itself doesn’t stage events that advertise specific brands). “Anything that’s popular will eventually be co-opted by the advertising world,” Todd explains. “It’s usually just a matter of time. Brands see people getting excited about something, and their first thought is always, ‘How can we use this [phenomenon] to get people excited for our brand?’”
	What Works, What Doesn’t For such a public-event-driven campaign to work, you need to keep the element of surprise without alienating your audience—or your participants. “I think a mistake many brands make is not being transparent,” Todd says. “No one wants to show up to a flash-mob-type of event only to find out later on they were used as pawns in a marketing campaign. If you’re making a commercial for the Web, don’t kid yourself or anyone else involved that it’s anything else.” Wasik agrees. “I suspect that flash-mob marketing will be more effective for [companies like] T-Mobile as an image in advertisements (where it gives that sense of instant togetherness) than it is as an actual viral campaign (i.e., creating mobs that try to market to participants),” he says. “People don’t want to feel like they’re shills in a corporate campaign, and once they realize that’s what you’re asking them to be, they won’t show up.” Brands also have to weigh the risks in attracting participating players. “You look stupid if no one shows up,” Wasik explains. “But if you try to solve the problem by sweetening the deal somehow (book some attraction like a celebrity or band, for example, or give something free away), then you risk having people show up and cause problems. There have been almost no cases of ‘real’ flash mobs leading to violence or arrests, in part because the absurdity of the idea filters out the kinds of people who would start trouble.” The psychology behind why flash mobs and viral campaigns work speaks to an individual’s inherent need to create—and connect. “I think people are excited about creating their own entertainment,” Todd says. And participating in an Improv Everywhere type of mission is an active form of entertainment: “You’re creating something with a group, rather than passively watching a movie, TV show, or sporting event,” Todd adds. Wasik warns that brands can’t rely solely on these manufactured free-for-alls and their viral nature. “It speaks to our great dream about the Internet, and about technology in general—that it will cure our alienation and allow us to feel connected,” he says. “And sometimes it does. But other times it makes us just feel distracted and stretched thin—keeping up with 400 Facebook friends but never really feeling connected to them.” In the end, even campaigns that thrive in the age of computers need to still rely on good old-fashioned human relationships. “It’s a matter of really thinking through what makes people press that ‘forward’ button,” Wasik says. “Jonah Peretti, a really smart thinker on viral phenomena who I profile in my book, says that things that go viral have a ‘social hook’—they speak to the specific relationships that we have with people in our lives. If you have friends you talk to about politics, you’ll send them viral media about politics; if you talk to them about dating, you’ll send them viral media about dating. We use these Internet memes as extensions of our conversations.”
	Jennifer Gidman lives and works in New York.

Use AXE responsibly

Indomie donates to Adeoyo Hospital

Dufil Prima Foods Limited, manufacturer of indomie noodles, has donated some equipments to Adeoyo Maternity Hospital, Yemetu, Ibadan .

The programme, which kicked off last month and earmarked for 10 hospitals across the country, represented one activity that the noodles brand secured to carry out its social responsibility towards the society.

Some of the equipments donated include high-tech incubators, baby weighing scales, digital thermometers and sphygmomanometers, equipment for measuring arterial blood pressure.

Speaking last Wednesday while presenting the equipments, Tope Ashiwaju, PR Manager, DUFIL Prima Foods Plc, explained that his company donated the equipments to Ade-Oyo Maternity Hospital because of its unequalled reputation for caring for mothers and newborns in Ibadan city.

He emphasised that DUFIL Prima Foods would remain consistent in its support to governments’ efforts in General Hospitals where a good percentage of the population especially those in the lower class goes for medical attention.

“We want to bring Indomie brand closer in terms of health care to those who cannot genuinely afford medical bills and that’s the reason why the initiative is centred on General Hospitals rather than private hospitals.”

While receiving the equipments, the Chief Medical Director, represented by Dr. Adeyanju Olusoji, Consultant Gynaecologist, thanked the management of DUFIL Prima Foods for the people-centered initiative.

Indomie gives post-graduate award

As part of its efforts to bring to life its commitment to providing Nigerians with quality nutrition for healthy living, Dufil Prima Foods Plc, makers of Indomie Instant Noodles has announced the availability of N8 million in scholarship aid this year to Nigerian students studying Nutrition & Dietetics at Masters Degree level. Mr Tope Ashiwaju, PR Manager, Dufil Prima Foods expressed, “It is our hope that over a period of time, this scholarship programme will produce a critical mass of trained nutritionists that will continue to sustainably chart and guide the way for optimum nutrition for all Nigerians.” Ashiwaju noted that the scholarships would certainly ease the burden of rising school costs on beneficiaries. He added that the scholarship was open to all Nigerian students qualified for admission into M.Sc. programme in Nutrition and Dietetics within the Nigerian university system and was open to students from every geo-political zone of the federation including the FCT. He said qualified candidates were encouraged to apply in writing providing their full names; copy of admission letter into the programme or application for admission; credentials with details of educational history; and State of Origin obtained from the appropriate Local Government Area and duly signed by the chairman or secretary.

Instant noodles Ramadan Eftar

Indomie rations in Kano, Maiduguri, Abuja

Dufil Prima Foods Plc, manufacturers of Indomie instant noodles says it will be sharing the glorious occasion of Ramadan with the Muslim community in the country. According to the company’s Area Marketing Manager, Abdulrasaq Lawal, Indomie would be served during Iftar at various mosques in four northern cities of Kano, Maiduguri, Kaduna and Abuja as well as the ancient city of Ibadan. Lawal announced, “We have identified seven mosques each in Kano, Maiduguri, Kaduna, Abuja and Ibadan where freshly prepared Indomie will be freely served at the time of breaking the fast at each of these mosques on a cycle basis, as in one mosque per day and thus in a week, we cover the seven mosques of that city and the cycle continues”. Lawal, who spoke last week in Lagos explained that the council of Imams in these locations had given their support to ensure the success of the exercise and the Imams of each mosque would hand out freshly prepared Indomie to everyone on a daily basis. The exercise, according to him, was expected to last throughout the Ramadan season and plans were underway to extend the exercise to other cities.

Spoof, inspiration & ideas initiator

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The Job seekers STVjobs get into it too.

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Small Country, Big Brands

August 24, 2009 issue In a February 2009 ranking of Swiss brands by Interbrand, the top five brands were, in order of brand value, Nescafé, UBS, Nestlé, Credit Suisse and Zurich. Other globally recognized brands in the top 20 included Rolex, Omega, Lindt, Swatch and Longines. How did a tiny country largely known for keeping to itself become such a branding powerhouse? It starts with Switzerland’s view of its own brand. The inherent value of “Swiss made” brands is so In a February 2009 ranking of Swiss brands by Interbrand, the top five brands were, in order of brand value, Nescafé, UBS, Nestlé, Credit Suisse and Zurich. Other globally recognized brands in the top 20 included Rolex, Omega, Lindt, Swatch and Longines. How did a tiny country largely known for keeping to itself become such a branding powerhouse? It starts with Switzerland’s view of its own brand. The inherent value of “Swiss made” brands is so high that the country’s government is currently considering new laws to protect it: “The government wants to replace vague laws with concrete rules to crack down on abuses of ‘made in Switzerland’ and Swiss cross labels” (“Protecting ‘Swiss made’ brand divides opinion,” swissinfo.ch, April 6, 2008). The movement is known in Switzerland as “the legislation project Swissness.” Interestingly, the notion of “Swissness” is a cause for concern among some Swiss brands. New laws being considered would potentially make it legal to use the well-known Swiss cross (white on a red field) as a marketing tool but restrict the Swiss coat of arms to government use only. Victorinox, maker of the Swiss Army Knife, has used both the Swiss cross and the coat of arms for 100 years. Touring Club Switzerland has used the coat of arms since 1896. Their brands would be directly affected if this new rule were to be implemented. The fact that the Swiss government is wrestling with revising its intellectual property laws says something: This is a country that clearly understands the value of branding. In fact, Switzerland’s Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) publishes a comprehensive corporate identity manual for Brand Switzerland because “a focused and strong brand definition is necessary for successful positioning in the international market.” The FDFA sees Switzerland’s values and character as moving from the present characteristics, “reliable, precise, exclusive, rich, beautiful, and neutral,” to the future characteristics, “trustworthy, premium quality, and authentic.” Switzerland’s reputation for high quality, precision and design is legendary, so it follows that the perception of Swiss brands and products is strongly positive. The “Swissness Worldwide Report,” presented at the Swiss Brands 08 conference in Zurich, surveyed some 8,000 foreign consumers. According to swissinfo.ch, “Respondents from 66 countries strongly associated Swiss products with high quality, reliability and luxury. An international comparison of goods and services saw Switzerland ranked highest of 12 countries, including Japan, Germany and the United States” (“Swiss brand still stands for quality,” June 19, 2008). However, consumers rated Swiss products poorly when it came to “price competitiveness” and “innovation.” Despite an overall positive brand perception, Switzerland has not been untainted by recent controversy. Perhaps the most damaging blow to Swiss brand credibility of late has been the country’s role in the world’s financial problems. UBS, Switzerland’s largest bank and a prominent global institution, was fined almost US$ 800 million in early 2009, charged with helping wealthy Americans evade income taxes. Credit Suisse, Switzerland’s second-largest bank, narrowly avoided the tax evasion scandal but suffered financially during the banking meltdown. This has not been the only sticky issue swirling around Switzerland: “… Switzerland’s image has been battered abroad with accusations of xenophobia during the general election two years ago…This comes on top of negative press in the past decade over dormant Holocaust-era bank accounts and money laundering” (“‘Made in Switzerland’ brand retains its appeal,” swissinfo.ch, June 12, 2009). It seems, though, that it would take a lot to undermine a Swiss brand. Many are steeped in a tradition that extends for more than a century, and most have represented stability, quality and dependability for decades, recent economic problems notwithstanding. In the financial market, for example, UBS, Credit Suisse and Zurich are legitimate long-standing global brands. UBS originated as Union Bank of Switzerland in 1852. The distinct UBS logo, with three keys and the red letters “UBS,” is recognized in 50 countries. Credit Suisse was born in 1856 as SKA and didn’t become widely known by its current name until the 1970s. The company says it became an “integrated global bank” in 2006.
	Zurich, a diversified insurance company founded in 1872, serves customers in 170 countries. The company recently launched a global brand campaign focused on Zurich HelpPoint, “the collective term for the many guidance, solution and service offerings we deliver that capture our commitment to putting customers at the heart of all we do,” the company says. Print ads and television spots featuring HelpPoint have been prominent in the US and Europe. In consumer goods, Switzerland is home to the Nestlé Company, started by Henri Nestlé, a pharmacist who created an alternative to human breast milk in the 1860s. The product apparently saved the life of a premature infant and was subsequently marketed in Europe. In Henri’s German dialect, Nestlé means “little nest,” so Henri chose a bird’s nest, also his family’s coat of arms, as his trademark. A stylized version of the trademark is still used in the modern-day logo. The Nestlé Company has grown into a global behemoth, with over 280,000 employees worldwide and 2008 sales of close to CHF 110 billion (one CHF—Swiss franc—is worth about US 92 cents). The Nestlé brand family spans the food category—examples include Perrier and Poland Spring in bottled water, Cerelac and Gerber in baby cereal, Cheerios and Estrelitas in cereal, Butterfinger and Kit Kat in chocolate, Edy’s and Häagen-Dazs in ice cream, Stouffer’s and Lean Cuisine in convenience foods, and Alpo and Purina in pet food. The brand name Nescafé is a combination of Nestlé, the brand owner, and the word café, representing coffee. Nescafé is an instant coffee that was introduced in Switzerland in 1938. For most consumers, the two brand categories most associated with Switzerland are probably watches and chocolate—with good reason, since Switzerland excels in both. The Swatch Group (the word “Swatch” was formed from the words “Swiss” and “watch”) is the world’s largest watchmaking group, including not just the Swatch brand, but also the brands Breguet, Hamilton, Longines, Omega and Tissot. Other renowned Swiss watch brands include Breitling, Rolex and TAG Heuer. There are several prominent Swiss chocolate brands, among them the 160-year-old brand Lindt, which is marketed in more than 100 countries. The Ghirardelli chocolate brand is part of the Lindt & Sprüngli Group. One of the more distinctive chocolate brands is Toblerone, a unique blend of Swiss chocolate, honey and almond nougat produced in an unusual triangular shaped bar. It was first created in 1908 by Theodor Tobler and Emil Baumann. While Swiss brands are not recession proof, they have an appeal and a cachet that transcends economic conditions. “Swiss products stand for top quality at higher prices, but not for luxury,” says Dominique von Matt of the Swiss advertising consultancy Jung von Matt/Limmat. “The Swiss reputation for reliability, quality and precision has even more value now than before the recession” (“‘Made in Switzerland’ brand retains its appeal,” swissinfo.ch, June 12, 2009). As a country that has a big stake in big brands, Switzerland will undoubtedly work hard to keep it that way.
	Barry Silverstein is a freelance writer/marketing consultant and co-author of the McGraw-Hill book, The Breakaway Brand

INDOMIE IS INDONESIAN NOT NIGERIAN!

Dufil Prima Foods Plc "Indomie Brand"

http://www.dufil.com/index.asp

Nigeria: Indomie Launches Chicken Suya, Pepper Chicken Flavour

(L-R) Prof. Dora Akunyili, Mrs. Ojora Adejiyan, representative of the First Lady of Lagos State and CEO, Dufil Prima Foods, Deepak Singhal.

Dufil Prima Foods Plc, makers of Children’s favourite meal has added two additional flavours, Chicken Suya and the Pepper Chicken to its Indomie Instant Noodles offering. The noodles giant also unveiled the 120g super pack of its existing Indomie Chicken Peppersoup flavour.

While consumers in the country have enjoyed Indomie and its consistently evolving portfolio of products for over 12years, the leading noodles manufacturer decided that it was once again time to add new variants to the Indomie collection.

Adding further to the Indomie portfolio of flavour, Dufil Prima Foods tapped into the areas of great need of consumers as revealed by research which concludes that suya and pepper are most enjoyed and liked by Nigerians. The Chicken Suya and the Pepper Chicken flavours are the 5th and 6th additions to the Indomie range.

Speaking at the launch on Friday, September 12, 2008 at the Aquatic Hall, Toyin Street, Ikeja, Lagos, the Chief Executive Officer, Dufil Prima Foods, Deepak Singhal said that the new flavours are designed to ensure consumers enjoy and savour the unique and authentic tastes they cherish so much.

He said that the new flavours which are just being introduced into the market bears testimony to the organisation’s pioneering and leadership position in the area of innovating to achieve customer satisfaction.

He stressed that the new additions as well as the existing variants of Indomie Noodles will give consumers a wider range of choice to choose from in satisfying their needs.

He also stated his company’s commitment to continue to produce different flavours and always provide something that will help consumers differentiate their favourite Indomie brand in the market.

In her key note address at the launch, the First Lady of Lagos State, Mrs. Abimbola Fashola who was represented by Mrs. Ojora Adejiyan, congratulated the management of Dufil Prima Foods for their foresight in introducing these new flavours into the Nigerian Market. She said it is a reflection of the importance that the company accords the consumers of its products.

“The launch of these two additional flavours is no mean feat. It is indeed a reflection of the commitment of the management to actualize its vision of offering a variety of quality products that meets the needs of the consumers”. She stressed.

According to her, the noodles manufacturer is renowned for initiating innovations and expanding the frontiers of quality control in the food industry and has therefore emerged as a major stakeholder in the Nigerian economy. She equally commended the company for being able to withstand the storm of economic hardship in the country by constantly coming up with new products.

Also speaking at the event, the Director General of the National Agency for Food and Drugs, Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Professor (Mrs.) Dora Akunyili, commended Dufil Prima Foods Plc, for the good quality and nutritional value of the company’s products. According to the DG, the company’s products have consistently conformed with good manufacturing practice over the years.

”I remember in the 90s, I use to think that Indomie is for little children, now we all know that Indomie is for everybody because Indomie is a complete food. Indomie is well fortified with carbohydrate, protein, micronutrients, vitamins, calcium; all in one is a complete meal.”

Speaking on the new products, she stated that “Nigerian expects more varieties of Nigerian food. We are already enjoying chicken Peppersoup that was launched last year. Now we are going to start enjoying the chicken suya and the pepper chicken flavours”. She also commended the company’s efforts in establishing a plant for the local production of its seasoning in Nigeria.

Hitherto, Indomie Instant Noodles is available in 4 distinct flavours:
Indomie Chicken, Indomie Onion Chicken, Indomie Spicy Chicken and the Indomie Chicken Peppersoup flavour.