Nike Catch the Flash - multi-channel promo

Can you imagine running through the streets of Vienna at night, running past the Opera House, the Hofburg and through the Museumsquartier, all in the hopes of winning a 10,000 Euro platinum bar?

Sounds like fun.

Nike set up a multi-channel contest to promote the new Vapor Flash Jacket not only creating awareness of the jacket but doing it in a way that that showcased the jacket's unique features and benefits - the jacket is fully reflective making the wearer completely visible in the dark, thereby providing greater safety at night.

To promote the Vapor Flash Jacket's launch the German agency Jung von Matt created the “Catch the Flash” contest using both offline and online components. The idea was that 50 athletes dressed in the Vapor Flash Jackets would be running around the streets of Vienna. Contest participants would chase these runners and "flash them" - take a picture with a flash camera which would reveal the number on the runner's jacket. The person (or team) that had photographed the most numbers shot would win 10,000 Euros.



The online component had two parts. You could track your progress as a team using an app. Or you could also play the game online using a virtual runner since the 50 flashrunners' GPS data was uploaded real time.



Nice way to engage fans both online and offline in a way that reinforced the brand's image as an innovator and generated awareness about the jacket's core benefit. The contest was promoted in-store, through social media and through a radio co-promotion.

Why did the chicken stop in the middle of the road?

To fix a pothole?

Last week, KFC launched a campaign addressed to city mayors offering to patch potholes for free. In return , the company wants to leave behind a chalk stenciled logo on the patch informing people the road has been "Re-Freshed by KFC."

"In honor of our "Fresh Tastes Best" campaign, we want to come and Re-"Fresh" your roads!" KFC president Roger Eaton says in the letter. "Every patched pothole comes with the Colonel's very own stamp of approval."

I’m all for corporate citizenship, but as a branding and marketing professional, this just feels wrong. This promotion runs counter-intuitive to supporting the brand promise of “fresh taste best” and feels like old-school self-serving corporate citizenry.

Let’s use the checklist I put together from Jay Heyman’s book (All You Need is A Good Idea) to see how this promotion fairs.(See book review below)

Could I understand the strategy? Yes

• KFC wants to be a good corporate citizen by filling in potholes

Was the idea unexpected yet relevant?

• Unexpected yes, relevant to the brand/product – no. Road works and fried chicken have zero in common

Did it have the power to make me smile?

• No - this made me scratch my head

Does the promotion tie in with the brand promise?

• No. Fresh taste and refresh the roads puts gravel in my mouth and smells of tar

Does the promotion help differentiate the brand from competitors?

• yes – but not necessarily in a good way

Is the idea brand building & campaignable?

• Absolutely not
  

Based on these answers, I would not recommend this promotion.

So here’s the question. If KFC were your client, what promotion would you recommend that would be more in keeping with their brand promise and would build awareness while doing good?

Here’s mine. Please share your ideas!

Get citizens involved in a “fresh thinking” campaign

Using a tool such as “A Better Project”, get people to submit and vote on ideas on how to “refresh” their city by providing grants to the best ideas. KFC would be able to create a groundswell of involvement that would not only build brand equity but be better aligned with their brand strategy.

In the end the winning idea might be to fill in potholes. The difference is in the how – by getting people involved in a new way that taps into a fresh approach of getting folks involved in supporting their city.

Share your idea.

Roadside assistance

If you've ever worked as a brand manager on big commodity categories such as paper products (toilet paper, paper towels) I can only imagine you had few levers to impact sales. Price of course was a lever, as was product efficacy (adding layers of softer tissue) and if you were lucky, you even had an advertising budget. But how many loyal customers could you really gain and, was an emotional connection even in the realm of possibility?

But now in the digital age, you can have fun with phone apps and connect with your customers. Proctor & Gamble's Charmin brand has sponsored a free mobile utility where you can find a spot to "SitOrSquat" anywhere in at least 10 countries and growing. You can download the app onto your Blackberry or iPhone. It helps locate public restrooms and provides ratings based on their cleanliness and other amenities.

A great example of a brand in a commodity category redefining their core purpose to play a more important role in the lives of their consumers - the AAA of nature's calling, if you will.

Charmin can now be your trusted guide in times of need. And isn’t that the test of a loyal friend?

Help Goodness Grow (and build brand loyalty)

Every once in a while you come across an ad or a promotion that really makes you smile and feel good about being in the marketing industry. At The Essential Orange, I draw my inspiration from the orange because it represents the pure potential that all good brands have – they are differentiated, they have both functional and emotional benefits, they are engaging and they are “green” – responsible at a minimum, in a perfect world giving back more to the planet than what they consume. Good brands are ones we would miss if they ceased to exist.

One such brand is Campbell’s soup, and if there were an “Essential Orange award”, they would receive one for the absolutely lovely promotion they just launched for tomato soup.

Campbell’s Soup has created an interactive website that educates, gives back and inspires. This is the kind of promotion that deepens the relationship a brand has with existing customers, making them feel good about their brand choice. It’s this type of marketing activity, I would argue, that helps leading brands differentiate themselves from private label and builds long term equity with the consumer.

I encourage you to click here to visit the website

Here is a quick overview:

It’s all about the Farm



The promotion achieves a number of things:
- Creates awareness of the National Future Farmers of Amercia, (FFA) an organization that is developing tomorrow’s agricultural leaders through education and leadership skills (kind of like an "uber" 4H Club)
- Makes site visitors feel good and get them involved in a cause. For every click you make for free, tomato seeds are donated to the FFA.
- Educates folks on Campbell’s efforts to promote sustainable agriculture
- Helps us become (better) tomato gardeners – free seeds with proof of purchase and growing tips from experts. (Baby seedlings can even be started in soup cans)
- oh yes, and get us to buy more soup by using some of their recipes

And if that isn’t enough for one promotion to achieve, the site also builds awareness for what I think is a very cool project – restoring old iconic red barns. Campbell’s does a great job storytelling and you can follow the progress on new projects.

Well done Campbell’s (and G2 Interactive) – highly engaging, super relevant brand and business building promotion.