This Week We're Talking About...
With live marketing, it can be impossible to keep up. There are so many exciting and incredibly creative campaigns, stunts and activations going on all the time that if you blink you might miss them.
Fear not, however as Kommando will be bringing you a weekly round-up of interesting campaigns from across the globe that have set tongues wagging in our office. This week we have China up first, followed by Germany and the USA. Each post will be a varied combination of marketing techniques, depending on what takes our fancy at the time. So, here's week 1.
PR Stunt: Disney Star Wars - China
Unless you have been hibernating for the past couple of weeks, you’ll know that the 7th Star Wars film is set to be released mid December in the UK. The movie franchise has always been a big deal here, however the phenomenon didn’t reach China until June of this year when all 6 of the films were released in cinemas in one go. With the Chinese movie-going market overtaking that of the US in terms of size, it’s no wonder that Disney are diving in head first to create a buzz around the release of “The Force Awakens”.
The giants have executed what is arguably one of the most spectacular stunts in movie history, with none other than the Great Wall of China as the location. For one night only, an army of 500 Storm Troopers stood motionless whilst the words “The Force Awakens” flashed dramatically in Chinese on giant billboards behind them. The event was a hit on social media as fans enthusiastically shared photos brandishing the free lightsabers on offer, in front of a backdrop of Storm Troopers assembled for miles. How’s that for a selfie opportunity?!
GUERRILLA: BLUSH LINGERIE - GERMANY
This guerrilla marketing tactic is so unbelievably simple, yet so entertaining and effective. Who says marketing has to be expensive? The lingerie chain “Blush” literally used bin bags cut into the shape of men to advertise their latest range. They were fixed to subway grates on streets throughout major cities so tha when a train passed and air blew up through the grates, the bin bag people stood – for want of a better word – erect! They displayed the tag line “Make him stand” along with Blush branding, and left the rest to the imagination.
Experiential: Casper Matresses - USA
As we’re all experiencing the inevitable sleepiness of the beginning of winter, this experiential campaign struck a chord with us as something we’d love to come across on our lunch breaks! US mattress company, Casper have taken a bespoke converted trailer containing four “nap pods” on a #NapTour across 7 cities along the East coast of America. Each octagonal pod contains a Casper mattress (of course), wooden panels for tranquility, a pull down screen for napping in peace and a red telephone which can be lifted to hear bed time stories to ease you into your well-deserved afternoon slumber.
The activation area features signs that say “All in favor of naps!”, chairs to chill in while you wait on a pod, and brand ambassadors armed with information on – unusually - the brands only model of mattress, and the importance of a good night’s sleep. Not everyone took this information on board during their experience though, with one participant admitting "I was taking selfies and sending them to my family." Pics or it didn’t happen, I suppose!
