Campaign Consciousness Can Strengthen Your Brand
Let’s be honest here...being a marketer I’m easily engaged and excited by unique, innovative marketing concepts. Show me an interesting, creative advertisement or promotion and one of those kid-in-an-unattended-candy-store smiles will come across my face.Just recently I experienced such a promotion from the marketing and creative agency Hodgson/Meyers (www.hodgsonmeyers.com)...a promotional pitch in the form of a metal lunchbox. A well put together piece, the lunchbox contained a metal fork and pURL...the message being, ‘Let the feast [on your competition] begin’.
Super-cool. Super-slick. (I was reminded of the ‘wow’ campaigns I received during the ‘dot com’ boom; baseball bats, jack-in-the-boxes, branded Battleship games, etc.) Additionally it seemed like good timing for a ‘wow’ campaign to try and capture prospects’ attention as many of us are working on 2012 planning and budgeting. This time however, my usual candy-store smile was quickly replaced with a contemplative smirk. As with any hyper-demonstrative marketing vehicle, I pause to think about the costs against potential returns (the postage on this piece, alone, was over $8). But I was actually thinking of the environmental impact of this campaign; and collaterally, the level of environmental responsibility we have as marketers in the execution of our campaigns.Putting conversion and campaign effectiveness aside, it’s highly likely that this promotional piece will find its way into the trash (we’ll hope for the recycle bin).C’mon It’s Just A Lunchbox, Not A Bag O’ Asbestos (nod to the Dan Aykroyd SNL skit)
I know, it’s pretty simple. Just ‘reuse’ the lunchbox. However, there’s no real attachment to this piece that would give it sustainable value. The senior executive targeted by this promotion is not going to start a new daily lunch routine of PB&J, chips, and a juice box...then start toting it around in this thing. Perhaps this creative finds its way into a child’s collection of random stuff turned toy...but still, that only suspends the inevitable toss into the trash.Connecting Responsibility and Brand Positioning
Creative campaign delivery? Absolutely. Fully connected execution? Almost.I support the wild creativity of marketing but believe we need to complete our thoughts...especially when we have such impressive demand vehicles. This campaign clearly pushes Hodgson/Meyer’s creativity to the forefront and how that creativity will be used to steal share from a prospect’s competitors.However, this piece is missing an important opportunity to promote the agency’s applied, fully connected concepts of creativity. As both a vehicle for promoting creativity and environmental consciousness, the lunchbox should include creative ways to reuse the piece (much like Target does with their shopping bags, pictured below).
This piece should have included creative uses that simultaneously support the company’s brand positioning (i.e. ‘edgy, creative marketing’ which is my take). For example, Hodgson/Meyers could suggest the lunchbox be used for:
Understanding the pressures and realities of business, it’s unlikely a prospect will implement any of those ideas (yes...even those suggested above). However, providing such suggestions positively presents an agency that diligently thinks through strategy, creative, execution, and audience perception...and, most importantly, this can be accomplished in parallel with its primary goal of prospect engagement/conversion.Even with a fully connected concept, this marketing piece may still find its way into the trash. Even if the trash can is an inevitable outcome, including the acknowledgement of, and an effort for, reuse provides an important opportunity to demonstrate how an agency can marry creativity to comprehensive thought processes.It’s easy to miss the micro-concepts of our marketing activities, especially with such a tangibly impressive vehicle, but it is the micro-concepts that often carry a macro-generated reaction through to conversion.
As an important note, someone/entity attached to the campaign made sure that the lunchbox is identified as being, ‘made responsibly in China.’ A nice touch.
I know, it’s pretty simple. Just ‘reuse’ the lunchbox. However, there’s no real attachment to this piece that would give it sustainable value. The senior executive targeted by this promotion is not going to start a new daily lunch routine of PB&J, chips, and a juice box...then start toting it around in this thing. Perhaps this creative finds its way into a child’s collection of random stuff turned toy...but still, that only suspends the inevitable toss into the trash.Connecting Responsibility and Brand Positioning
Creative campaign delivery? Absolutely. Fully connected execution? Almost.I support the wild creativity of marketing but believe we need to complete our thoughts...especially when we have such impressive demand vehicles. This campaign clearly pushes Hodgson/Meyer’s creativity to the forefront and how that creativity will be used to steal share from a prospect’s competitors.However, this piece is missing an important opportunity to promote the agency’s applied, fully connected concepts of creativity. As both a vehicle for promoting creativity and environmental consciousness, the lunchbox should include creative ways to reuse the piece (much like Target does with their shopping bags, pictured below).
- A Suggestion Box - for the prospect’s team to submit ideas on how their current agency needs to improve.
- Snack Box - introduce the concept of ‘team snack day’ (remembering back to your days in Little League, Pop Warner, etc.) where a member of the marketing team ‘owns’ Friday-snack-day and brings/presents it in the lunchbox. (Note: following the pURL might also include a starter offer of Dunkin’ Donuts gift card for Munchkins.)
- Marketing Idea Box - members of the prospect’s team would deposit examples of marketing materials/advertisements/etc. over a period of time and discuss/reflect upon them during periodic meetings (e.g. monthly marketing meetings).
Understanding the pressures and realities of business, it’s unlikely a prospect will implement any of those ideas (yes...even those suggested above). However, providing such suggestions positively presents an agency that diligently thinks through strategy, creative, execution, and audience perception...and, most importantly, this can be accomplished in parallel with its primary goal of prospect engagement/conversion.Even with a fully connected concept, this marketing piece may still find its way into the trash. Even if the trash can is an inevitable outcome, including the acknowledgement of, and an effort for, reuse provides an important opportunity to demonstrate how an agency can marry creativity to comprehensive thought processes.It’s easy to miss the micro-concepts of our marketing activities, especially with such a tangibly impressive vehicle, but it is the micro-concepts that often carry a macro-generated reaction through to conversion.
As an important note, someone/entity attached to the campaign made sure that the lunchbox is identified as being, ‘made responsibly in China.’ A nice touch.
