Throughout history there are examples of outstanding creativity that are immediately embraced by consumers. As the popularity of the creative work grows, it’s inevitable that a marketer will come knocking at the door, looking to ride the work’s coattails to build its own brand.
For some reason, Wallace & Gromit, the beloved creation of Nick Park’s Aardman Animations, have retained their charm despite numerous efforts by marketers to make it their own. The most recent example? The Royal Mail, the British version of Canada Post. The Royal Mail’s Christmas stamps for 2010 will feature the fun-loving pair. If the images on the stamps are any indication, Christmas mailings should see an increase.
Here’s the interesting part. This co-opting of Wallace & Gromit by a mainstream British marketer does not bother me. I don’t know why, honestly.
Perhaps its just that the characters are so fun, so genuine, so animated that they remain immune to blatant attacks of commercialism. Of course, I don’t live in Britain, so perhaps other attempts have indeed sullied the W&G brand. I also know that Park has leant his unique style of claymation to marketers, including Sealy Posturpedic (the sheep) and many more. Indeed, I believe (although can’t be sure) that this is exactly how the studio got funding to create Wallace & Gromit in the first place.
How deliciously ironic.
Posts Tagged ‘marketing’
The W & G Brand. Stronger Than Marketing?
When Will It All End?
That’s a common question we get from people entering the social fray. “Facebook. Twitter. Foursquare. When does it end?”
It doesn’t. And that’s a good thing.
The latest social network I’ve looked into is called Stickybits. Where Facebook connects you to a network of friends and Foursquare connects you to a location, Stickybits does this with both and a brand. How does it work? First, you download an application to your mobile device (only Android and iPhones thus far), then scan anything that has a barcode–a granola bar, a box of Band-Aids, a bottle of Coke. Stickybits then asks you to attach a note, photo, video or audio clip which it then sends (with your location) to a stream where others from around the world can share.
What’s the point?
Well, I could scan a can of Guinness and send like-minded drinkers a cheers from Toronto. I could scan a food product and send along a recipe for others to try out. As David Berkowitz from Inside the Marketer’s Studio explains: “People are already experimenting with Stickybits in cases such as scavenger hunts and business cards. Soon enough, brands will get to take control of their own bits and share their own messages with consumers. Right now, it’s all about having fun, and with any luck it will largely stay that way.”
But what about the numbers? Exactly how many people are doing this and do I really need to be there? The answers: not many and probably not yet. Maybe never. But with all things social, you should be less concerned with how many people you’re hitting and working toward conversing with those that matter to you and your brand. Will Stickybits work for you and your business? Perhaps. The key is to keep yourself open to these new opportunities and decide for yourself if you should embrace them or not.
Are you ready for the next thing?
The Olympics: Whose Marketing Won a Medal?
I’m sure someone, somewhere has done a review of the creative work by brands who battled to go higher, faster, stronger during the recent 2010 Winter Games hosted by Vancouver. If so, I have not seen it, so here are my Olympic Marketing Medals and Misses.
Let’s start with the Misses, those creative performances that would be the equivalent of a 17th finish. First up? General Motors. Here was a perfect opportunity for a tainted brand to apply fresh gold shimmer in front of record TV audiences. Talking cars? Sorry, not good enough. What was the shoot for these ads like? OK, rolling…OK cut. Great take, Sierra grill. How about Petro-Canada and their glasses? Asking viewers to equate a spinning glass with figure skating was too much of a stretch. Coca Cola was another disappointment. The “Our Game” anthem was nicely executed, but very one dimensional as hockey was the sole focus. Molson’s Hockey House was a much bigger idea. Finally, Galen Weston Jr. remains a charming pitchman, but the message of winning with Loblaws Blue Choice products was ultimately undercut by the poor performance of the Alpine Team.
Now, on to the Medals. The Bronze Medal goes to…Hudson’s Bay Company. Although I did not really like the attire at first glance, it’s sheer ubiquitousness wore me down. And I was not alone. According to the Globe and Mail, HBC’s realized a 43 percent increase in awareness of Olympic sponsorship, far above that of other sponsors. The mittens, I thought, were a nice stroke. An inexpensive way to show your true colours.
The Silver Medal goes to…RBC. The Royal Bank got the most bang for their buck, having sponsored the torch relay. The RBC little man icon was cute, but not too cutesy. I like the way the creative allowed him to interact with all the events. The shot of him sitting atop the spinning curling rock was a hoot.
Finally…the 2010 Olympic Marketing Gold Medal goes to…VISA. Every spot told a compelling story (the maple syrup story was very nice). Every spot was consistency blue-tinged and beautifully executed. Here’s the kicker. Moments before the big Canada-US hockey final, a VISA spot comes on with the simple message “For a brief moment, a nation held its collective breath”, accompanied by a slow motion shot of a puck floating down between two sticks at a face-off circle. Wow. Powerful. Simple. And most important timely. There’s no doubt in my mind that VISA produced this spot for EXACTLY this moment. You gotta appreciate the foresight and courage to have that ready. Brilliant.
So the mighty cauldron is extinguished. As we look back on 17 days of intense competition, a question remains – Are the Olympics worth the sponsorship dollars? For my part, I’m not sure I BELIEVE.
Should Bricks & Mortar Stores Offer Free WiFi?
As reported by Mobile Marketer, mobile audience media company JiWire released a study outlining an increase of people accessing the Internet via their handsets. A growing majority of mobile users are shopping and browsing the internet outside their homes and that got me thinking: should a brick and mortar store offer you free internet access?
I’m guessing most retailers would answer with a “no”. Why? Comparison shopping. I myself have been at a Costco with a DVD in hand and used my iPhone to check if it was cheaper at Future Shop or Best Buy. Granted, it was a labourious process; checking prices over a 3G network on non-mobile optimized websites is simply annoying. But what if the store I’m at makes this process easy?
Radical, I know. You’re inviting me to check prices at a competitor? And make it easy?
But what if that company is confident enough in its pricing and focused on something else: like a great customer experience? And what if they can add more value by my being there—right now? Something like the ability to scan a product and send me to a price comparison chart of their own. How would this affect your purchase decision?
