October 24, 2007

How to drive footfalls to a bar / pub / restaurant

So everyone has seen signboards & direction boards for restaurants, shopping centers and cafes? Of course you have, and you probably think that its been so done to death, that nothing can be done differently...

Traditional advertising is trying to break clutter more than ever before. An ad on a new medium is always likely to attract attention for a while, but gradually consumers develop a blind spot on this medium.

The purpose of many marketers and this blog is to break through this blind spot. The means to achieve the end is - either use innovative media, use existing media differently or create clutter breaking ads. The ad below uses the second option and innovates on existing opportunities to reach the consumer.



Source - Ads of the World

This guerrilla marketing was initiated by Soma Coffee House in Canada. The primary objective was to advertise the addition of a wine bar to the coffee house. The secondary objective was to direct people in the vicinity to the venue.

Not only did they advertise the Wine Bar addition using a sign board / direction board, but also coupled it with footsteps which took consumers to the outlet doorstep. The beauty is that the footsteps were little drunken footsteps, in sync with the added wine bar.

I love this, Cheers to Soma (hic!!)

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October 23, 2007

Cadbury's fantastic Mobile marketing campaign

I think every marketer has toyed with mobiles and how to use them in Integrated Marketing Communication. Being consistent and complete in this communication medium is a difficult task, so when I came across this mobile marketing initiative by Cadbury India, I just had to give it the finger (Naaah! not that one - the thumbs up).


The interactive campaign for "Pappu Pass Ho Gaya" which means "Pappu* has passed in his exams" bagged a Bronze Lion at the prestigious Cannes Advertising Festival 2006 for 'Best use of internet and new media'. The idea involved a tie-up with Reliance India Mobile service.

It allowed students to check their exam results using this mobile service. If the student passed, he got an sms congratulating him saying "Pappu pass ho gaya" alongwith the exam result and hence encouraged him to celebrate the moment with a Cadbury Dairy Milk.

Creative thought, great execution, innovative use of a marketing medium and fantastic association with a key moment in the consumer’s life. Do you give it the finger too?

* Pappu is a common nickname given to children in India

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October 18, 2007

And the mobile phone will be extinct (not kidding)

Here we are, inseparable from our dear little handheld mobiles and yet the takeaway will be "Hmmm... it could get extinct". To understand why, we have to understand or rather define convergence.

Defining Convergence

"Convergence" refers to the blurring of dividing lines among traditionally distinct products and services, technologies, markets, industries, and regulatory structures.

For example, the Playstation2 is not only a games console, but also a CD player, DVD player and Internet connector. Mobile phones are actually the best example, in that they increasingly incorporate digital cameras, mp3 players, camcorders, voice recorders and other devices.

For the consumer it means more features in less space.

So does everyone love carrying their mobile phone?


Whats wrong with the mobile?

As Matt would put it "The pain in the neck of carrying both a PDA and a phone - along with my notebook, wallet, cigarettes, keys, business card case, and other miscellaneous bits and bobs - would inevitably cause me to abandon ship"

His problem was more with the PDA + phone, but I get pretty pissed with the standalone mobile. House keys, car keys, wallet, mobile phone, random sheets of paper, coupons, bills I have to pay and sometimes my ipod go into my pocket. I can kill myself for the thunder thighs effect generated.

So is that reason enough to ditch the mobile?


The Wrist Watch will replace the mobile? No Way...

Not yet - not until the new generation wrist watch kicks in. Wrist watch manufacturers have focussed on fitting in absolutely useless features like an altimeter, a temperature sensor etc.

To really get an idea of the possibilities that a watch can converge into, check this out.


This cool watch doubles up as a USB device to store your music, documents etc and also serves as a plug and play with Windows and MAC operating systems.


So you love the cool videos and the smartphone feature

Its not going to take long to give the watch the core feature of a mobile phone - the ability to "talk" & "sms". Its a watch & time keeping is the core function, so "alarms" & "reminders" are easy too.

What about all the cool videos that you can see on an iphone and what about the smartphone features? It does look like a stretch that the watch will cater to this need as well, so most probably the low end mobile phones will only be under threat. A thought I would like to leave you with - No one thought that the simple phone would become a computer in itself.

So do you think a Rolex or a Tissot could replace the Nokia's and Motorola's of the world?






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October 15, 2007

Top 9 Axe Ad campaigns

Following the Axe campaign post a few days back, here is a compilation of my top 10 favorite Axe ads. Unfortunately most of the ads got eliminated for either being way too explicit or for turning women off and I ended up with 9. (A quick check on a lot of Axe ads reveals that women can find them degrading).

#9 - Same old concept - but executed well


#8 - You wonder how its an Axe ad, till you read the tag line


#7 - Its a nice concept and could have been higher in the ranking list, if it had been executed better


#6 - Creative Genius - well executed - Kudos


#5 - Nice - very nice


#4 - Takes you a second to get this - A nuns attempt to resist temptation

Source Coolbuddy.com

#3 - This looks like it was created just for the net, the idea is just too creative to leave it out. If these towels were handed out at a beach, hmmm...

#2 - Its simple, great idea, well executed. I kinda like these toilet door ideas!!


#1 - Awesome idea - It attracts attention, a desire to read on and connect the pieces. Engages the consumer. Had a difficult time trying to find one that beat this



Drop me a link of an interesting Axe ad, if you think it should be on this list...

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October 12, 2007

The last quarter of this Football Final was so..... yummmy ???!!!

There are many amongst us who think a newspaper print ad will remain just that - the same old print ad. Its not that we dont see great messages being communicated using this medium, but thats more to do with the creative.

So to bring real innovation in the picture, take a close look at the Vegemite ad.


Images of four quarters of toasted bread were placed at the 4 corners of a sports column. A simple line above the last bread quarter reads "Good to the last Quarter".

Execution was timed to coincide with news on the Grand Final of the Australian Football League. Great way to connect a 'bread brand' with a football final. Its topical, relevant and brilliant !!

Its not the creative thats innovative, its the precise placement on the sports supplement, the timing of the ad, connect with the article, and speed of execution (absolutely required to execute great ideas in cases like this).

Seen more like this? Let me know...

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October 05, 2007

Girls get Naughty!! (The ___ Effect)


Pretty young girls mysteriously left their lingerie in Men's restrooms at discotheques in Montvideo. I know your mind is working overtime right now but breathe easy my friends.

Sorry to disappoint you, but the lingerie is a result of printed stickers. Quality of print and the shadow for the lingerie give them a very realistic touch.

This Out Of Home marketing initiative is very impressive. The fit between brand, location, the moment, message and TG is just so perfect. Discotheques + sex + naughty girls and guys who love naughty girls - Just Perfect for Axe!!!


The one below is another kickass idea at a nightclub. Saw this at Ads of the World




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October 03, 2007

Dad vs Kid - Wilkinson wins !!



Every married man sees a dramatic shift in affection from his loving wife post child birth.


Wilkinson used this “shift of affection” as the insight and created an awesome viral - Fight for Kisses. Its not easy to create engaging advertising in this category, especially advertising that brings the brand into the consideration set. This great viral is also accompanied with a game download which acts as another viral marketing tool that can be forwarded. I haven't caught the game yet - let me know if you liked it...



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