The Sun Gets A Little Help

On January 23rd, an environmental phenomenon occurred... the sun rose significantly earlier in central London than normal. Well, not really. It was a man-made sun, but it helped the real sun brighten Trafalgar Square. Not only did this "sun" rise an hour early, but it also gave Londoners three extra hours of "daylight"!


The "sun" was around 30,000 times bigger than a football and had the power of 60,000 light bulbs, which apparently means it could have been seen from space. Greyworld, a UK art collective, was commissioned by Tropicana to design and build the sun in order to launch the company's "Brighter Mornings" campaign. It was the perfect (and gorgeous) way to brighten up the dark, mid-winter day. 

Photo Courtesy of Greyworld

Tropicana's "Brighter Mornings" campaign is a large-scale, integrated marketing campaign, which also includes a new Tropicana commercial. The key goal of the campaign is to increase sales and specifically link Tropicana with the ultimate way to start the day--yes, that rhymes. It also aims to strategically motivate retailers to back the campaign by selling single-serving Tropicana juices to boost on-the-go breakfast sales.

Obviously, an instillation like this is meant to generate a lot of online and traditional buzz... and Tropicana succeeded. There were TONS of tweets from consumers, marketing professionals, and media personnel from all over the world. Clearly, if the company was measuring the effectiveness of the campaign solely on the amount of digital buzz, they would be proud. Tropicana still needs some time, however, to see if the campaign influences positive sales results.

I love sunrises (when I'm unlucky lucky enough to catch them), but the installation was short-lived and the bang--or lack there of--didn't seem worth the time or money. The idea was pretty good, but the execution was... meh. It would have been a lot more impactful and memorable if Tropicana had these "suns" installed in multiple locations... maybe in specific areas that don't receive sunlight naturally. Money, however, is always a factor, and I'm sure the sun in Trafalgar Square didn't come cheap. I guess the rest of us will have to settle with the natural rise and fall of the real sun... "oh woe is me us." 

POGS, 
AKtually Ashley

Is Ronald McDonald A Keeper?

We all know Ronald McDonald... some may know him too well. He's been around for nearly 50 years, so I'd be worried for McDonald's if the clown (in a literal sense) didn't have such a strong global presence. He's so important to our culture (and children) that he has his own website! There are some people, however, that aren't thrilled with Ronald, and have been urging the fast food chain to retire their long-time mascot. Personally, I'm not a huge fan of clowns and I do think Ronald McDonald is a little creepy -- not nearly as creepy as Burger King's King -- but I don't think McDonald's is ready to let go of him. 


He's a face for the brand. He humanizes the global chain. Yes, McDonald's has the "golden arches" but those arches can't engage customers. They can't shake someone's hand or pose for pictures. They won't be directly responsible for putting a smile on a child's face. Ronald McDonald is a friend, and while he hasn't been as visible in McDonald's ad campaigns as he has in the past, he still has a strong presence and connection to the brand. 


The advocacy group, Corporate Accountability International, wants Ronald McDonald to step aside. They've created a website solely for this cause, Retire Ronald, blaming Ronald McDonald for prompting children to visit McDonald's and ultimately become obese (hmm...). I understand the advocacy group's reasoning, but their proposed solutions to the general problem are a bit ridiculous. Retiring Ronald McDonald will not remove a child's desire to visit the fast food chain. Getting rid of the toys in Happy Meals? That's another story. It's possible that future laws will prevent marketing fast food to children due to recent widespread childhood obesity... but for now, McDonald's is safe.


McDonald's says the clown is "an ambassador for good". He has "the smile known around the world," says Willard Scott, the creator of the mascot. Ronald McDonald is not only the face to the brand, or a character in commercials, but also the leader in McDonald's philanthropic efforts -- Ronald McDonald House Charities.


For now, our old friend, Ronald, is sticking around. Hopefully he'll be greeting McDonald's patrons, old and young, for years to come. Luckily, Burger King "dethroned" their creepy mascot in August... and replaced him with... a mom? Read more here. I totally support that retirement. He's scary.

POGS,
AKtually Ashley

Let's Motor

MINI Cooper has an incredible track record for creative, witty, and unique advertising campaigns. The majority of them stress the tiny car's size and its massive power. Their out-of-home advertising is what I love the most, but MINI has done a great job integrating various tactics to reach their objectives. 


The following pictures are a few of my favorite MINI advertisements. I learned about some of them in my Communications and Promotions course a few days ago and felt compelled to see more (and share them). Hope you're all as impressed as I am!

    

I really love the billboard on the left, with the two bent palm trees. Yes, this was completely staged BUT super effective in showing how MINI has speed and power. It's a great illusion. The billboard on the right, with the digital screen, was really innovative at the time it was up. As MINI Cooper drivers passed by, it would show a personalized message for them (and the rest of the drivers) to enjoy. How clever is that?! The board used a signal from a radio chip that was embedded in the car's key fob. Obviously this was a few years ago, before the world became ultra techy. Now we can watch streaming videos via billboards -- crazy!

I love building advertisements like this, but these specific ones are especially clever. On the left is vending machine. Not a typical vending machine though. You can't get a Snickers or a Diet Coke, instead you get a MINI Cooper! Does it still cost $1? On the right, an actual MINI is turned into a literal YoYo! It moves up and down. LOVE IT. Both ads are obviously promoting the small size of the automobile. Its size is one of its main differentiators. If you've got it, flaunt it. 

I'm a big fan of guerilla marketing. I think it's fun and really grabs attention and generates buzz. If I had stumbled across either of these guerilla marketing efforts in real person, I'd be talking about it for days... weeks maybe! I'm a big skier, so the MINI Cooper chairlift really resonates with me. The MINI Cooper box presents the car as a toy... or "toy size".

Another car that uses a clever guerilla marketing campaign is the Smart Car. Also, click that link and check out their killer website. There are so many companies want to have the "Apple" of websites... I'd want to have the "Smart Car" of websites.

Adorable. A cute Smart Car parked next to a phone pole and locked up with a (giant) bike lock!

Keep an eye out for MINI Cooper ads in the future. The advertising for the small car really has a big impact.


POGS,
AKtually Ashley

"Clean Me"

"Reverse Graffiti" turns the act of cleaning into an art form... or strategically into an advertisement. This innovative form of guerilla marketing took off in 2010 in the UK and the US (mainly in San Francisco). Reverse graffiti ads are pressure washed advertisements stenciled onto grimy city sidewalks or walls. Many companies who specialize in this service pitch themselves as "environmentally conscious" because the process only involves water. 


Domino's Pizza was one of the earliest U.S. companies to use reverse graffiti as a marketing tactic. It cost them less than $20,000 to create the campaign, which included 210 reverse graffiti imprints across New York, Philadelphia and Los Angeles. Domino's estimated that the campaign brought it about $1 million worth of publicity. Who knew cleaning a few square feet of sidewalk would provide such a huge ROI?!

Other companies that have used this creative cleaning practice as a marketing tool include: Starbucks, Range Rover, Puma, and MTV. I'm sure many companies will follow suit, if they haven't already, due to the effective, eco-friendly, low-cost marketing tool that can make use of any dirty surface. This also allows ads to be highly targeted. Reverse graffiti advertisements grab people's attention, are an innovative way to create brand awareness, and promote the environmentally sound company objectives.

Reverse graffiti was created and coined by a UK artist known as 'Moose' (his real name is Paul Curtis). When you think about it, we have all probably been reverse graffiti artists at one point in our lives. Have you ever written something on a dirty car window? "Clean Me" perhaps?

The UK has already created specific legislation against reverse graffiti practices because advertising (of any sort) in public must be licensed. Unfortunately, the U.S. may be next. San Francisco is trying to crack down on reverse graffiti marketing in a "public right-of-way". Everyone knows that green is in... so we'll see if they succeed. If not, I think we'll be seeing a lot more  graffiti  on our streets! Check out this video about reverse graffiti, Moose, and San Francisco. 

POGS,

AKtually Ashley