Thursday, February 9, 2012

3 Great Interactive Marketing Campaigns with RFID and Facebook

PumaPulse Curated By ZenithOptimedia, The ROI Agency Find out more at http://puma-pulse.blogspot.com


Zentih Comment:
I'm sure some of you will have seen the campaigns last year using RFID. Below are 3 campaigns that used this technology. It's a great way to amplify your event which is what you've been looking to do. Have PUMA looked at using this technology with any campaigns? Could definitely be worth seeing how this could work with the Social campaign later in the year.  

I am a big admirer of new technology and its application in marketing, especially when the result is a novel and remarkable user experience. The use of Radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology and Facebook in interactive marketing campaigns is a combination that creates such an effect.
Recently, I have been researching a bit more about this technology and the possibilities it can bring to the field of marketing and communication. And I managed to find a few really interesting cases which I think are worth sharing.
Below you will see three campaigns from the automotive, drinks and holiday industries.
Renault
The first one is a case by Renault. Earlier in the year, Renault participated in the Amsterdam auto show in The Netherlands. Visitors to their stand were able to interact in a quite unusual way and to connect their online and offline worlds. And all of this with just a plastic card…well not exactly, as you can see from this video:
Coca-Cola
The second case features Coca Cola and their Summer Village initiative organised in Israel. The organisers were able to find a great and entertaining way to let the teenage visitors to share their experience in the real world with their friends online. And all of that with the help of a bracelet…and a chip, and Facebook of course. Here’s the video:
Ushuaia Beach Hotel
The third case comes from a very warm and sunny place – Ibiza. The Mediterranean island becomes the party centre of Europe for three months every year. As a result of that local clubs are faced with the big challenge of attracting the attention of the visitors. If you have been to Ibiza you can’t have missed all the people inviting you to parties in random clubs and all the other crazy ways they’ve come up with over the years to attract your attention. Well, this year, the Ushuaia beach hotel and club found a great way to stand out from the crowd. Again with the help of a few simple tools. Take a look:

All these cases and the speed at which agencies are adopting the innovation bring me a sense of encouragement that very exciting times are ahead for all of us involved in digital communications. I’m really looking forward to more creative uses of this technology by marketing and communication professionals!

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Reebok set to relaunch controversial EasyTone shoes range

PumaPulse Curated By ZenithOptimedia, The ROI Agency Find out more at http://puma-pulse.blogspot.com


Reebok is mounting a European relaunch of its EasyTone sports shoes, backed by fresh research into their toning effects, following previous complaints made to regulators about its advertising claims.


Reebok: relaunching EasyTone range with campaign starring Helena Christensen
Reebok: relaunching EasyTone range with campaign starring Helena Christensen
The Adidas-owned sports brand is shifting the focus of its footwear positioning to women’s ‘satisfaction’. While technology will no longer be the main focus of the range, it will underpin all marketing communications.
Reebok has not changed the product itself, but has commissioned independent research that it claims provides fresh evidence of the physical benefits of wearing the shoes.
It has launched a PR campaign featuring brand ambassadors Helena Christensen and Eva Mendes based on the repositioning. Activity featuring its UK ambassador, Kelly Brook, will follow later this year.
The fresh positioning, handled by M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment, is being used across Europe.
In December 2010, the ASA banned ads for Reebok’s EasyTone Curve trainers following two complaints, stating that Reebok gave insufficient evidence that the shoes toned wearers’ ‘legs and bum more than regular trainers’.
Last year, the US Federal Trade Commission ruled that the company had made unsubstantiated claims in the advertising of its EasyTone walking shoes and RunTone running shoes and forced it to return $25m to US consumers who had bought them.
Reebok was also barred from making these and any further health or fitness claims unless backed by scientific evidence.
Zenith Comment:
Will be interesting to see if M&C Saatchi can shift consumers opinion on the EasyTone range.

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

In the Philippines, site connects runners and brands for promotions and freebies

PumaPulse Curated By ZenithOptimedia, The ROI Agency Find out more at http://puma-pulse.blogspot.com


Finisher.me is a social network in the Philippines that helps brands connect with runners for exclusive freebies and promotions.


For sports brands, growing competition has made reaching target consumers in a cost-effective way increasingly challenging. Aiming to give brands an alternative to costly event sponsorships and other traditional approaches, Finisher.me is a social network in the Philippines that helps brands connect with runners for exclusive freebies and promotions.
Now in beta, Finisher.me is a social networking website for running enthusiasts in the Philippines. Runners get involved simply by signing up with a unique user name and photo, before going on to promote their Finisher.me page online and wearing their user name on race bibs. Finisher.me’s partner brands — including Thermos — then award exclusive bags of freebies to those participants after each race. Using the social network, those brands can also continually promote themselves online between events.
Offering brands a highly targeted way to reach and reward target consumers, Finisher.me is ripe for emulation in other sports niches and locales. Time to help make sports marketing in your area more lucrative for everyone?
Zenith Comment:

This is an interesting new social network that's in Beta in Philippines.

Tried to register to see how it works, what it looks like, what the profiles of the users are that register (serious or fun runners) etc. however there seems to be a problem with the verification email.  I have forwarded to PH office to see if they can find out more details on this and what their thoughts are.