A contamination between new technologies and media: this is the formula behind creative marketing, led by the so-called digital transformation. Which means mixing different elements – Tv, internet, IoT, QR Code, VR, AR etc – to create particularly impressive advertising campaigns which can involve users personally, putting them under the spotlight. Read it in Italian.
Its potential has not been fully exploited yet, but there are a few relevant examples which seem to reconfirm that, hopefully, it will be evolving and spreading soon. One of such examples is the so-called “Sun campaign” by E-mart in South Korea. To compensate the decrease in purchases during lunchtime, they have installed, outside underground stations a 3-D QR code system so that, from 12 to 13, shadows created by the sun onto the model, draw a QR code which, once targeted with smartphone cameras, gives passers-by the opportunity to access special offers and discounts to be used while shopping online. And this has resulted in an increase in the sales for E-mart of 60%.
Knorr, instead, has involved users by helping them create their “taste profile”, through a campaign entitled “What is finger-licking good?”. After accessing the web page, users are invited to answer 10 questions concerning their preferences in terms of food, by clicking on a series of mouth-watering pictures. At the end of the test, then, they are assigned a profile (from the “meat-eating warrior” to the “sea maniac” to the “posh vegetarian”), to be shared with friends on social media. In addition, they can also download a selection of recipes connected to such profile, each of which including at least one product of the brand. Nothing too technological, but a huge profiling project aiming at collecting useful data about potential users.
To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Union Station of Kansas City, an augmented realty app has allowed passengers to dive into the station history and take Harry Truman and Ernest Hemingway back to life, with several pictures to be shared on social media. Such campaign led to 30k downloads in the first two days, and an average one-hour stay per user inside the app.
LiuJo fashion brand has recently decided to exploit geo-fancing to enhance Younique, the next tour of events dedicated to denim to be held, both in Italy and abroad, in the retail points of the brand. Knowing that on the days customers hit the physical shops, sales will increase by 70%, the brand is trying to maximize the results, creating a synergy between digital and real life. Users that will be around Liu Jo stores on a set of given dates, will receive a personalized adv on their smartphone with street directions and details concerning the in-store events. We will know whether the campaign will have been a success only after it has finished.
On the other hand, an example of how not to behave is Burger King. Indeed, its recent campaign, despite exploiting Google Home chatbot through TV ads, turned out to be a boomerang.
In such ad, one of the fast food assistants said “OK Google, what’s the hamburger Whopper?”. The voice control activated watchers’ smartphones which displayed the answer. Unfortunately, not only has this pissed off the Big G, which had not been contacted to ask for an authorization and has therefore blocked the function, but it has also got users angry since the mechanism was considered too aggressive. Thus, creative marketing is expected to involve customers but never against their will, isn’t it?
What do you think about creative marketing, do you already used it? Tweet me @agostinellialdo.
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