HP crashed Times Square, but falls short

To promote the new HP TouchSmart Desktop PC HP brought a team of acrobats to Times Square. The acrobats in futuristic costumes created huge images of HP’s hand icon and TouchSmart PC. From buildings above it appeared as if the acrobats were in the shape of a PC. The stunt was to show the first touch PC and how you can get lost in a world of technoogy. Not only did passers-by see the imagery, but people could also take photos and send them to friends using onsite TouchSmart PCs. The event was activated by Momentum. [EventMarketer]

Overally I’d say that the event succeeded in causing a disruption in one of New York’s busiest areas, however, when I was looking for more information on the event I couldn’t find anything. The video that was on YouTube was taken down and when I googled the event no images came up. Not sure how they were planning on building buzz, but there isn’t any.

I’d say that the concept was good, but not buzzworthy.

Never thought I would say that I was impressed with KFC

[source: brandweek]

Not only is KFC giving back to the community , but they also did a great job branding the experience. Basically KFC filled several potholes in five major cities and branded each pothole with a chalk logo with the words "Re-freshed by KFC." The event was meant to promote their new fresh brand campaign.

This event is really unique and completely unexpected for KFC, which alone makes it a success. I really give them a lot of credit. Bravo KFC (again, never thought I would say that). [brandweek]

The hunt for severed limbs

(source: gamezine.co.uk)

(Source: gamezine.co.uk)

In order to create buzz around the new game Resident Evil 5 Capcom's marketing team held a city-wide scavenger hunt in London. Great idea right? Well...considering that they hid realistic body parts around the city and the winner was the one who gathered the most body parts I'm not sure it was the best idea. I can imagine it was quite the scene in London to see people lugging around decapitated heads and severed limbs. Not to mention that the body parts weren't branded in anyway to explain the madness to an onlooker. People were so freaked out by the stunt that the police were called.

Capcom had planned to do the same marketing stunt in the US, but due to the negative publicity it received they canceled their plans. Now that was a good idea!

[BrandFreak]

Go Fish

Carnival Cruises had a very interesting concept utilizing interactive marketing to promote the cruise line. I am a huge fan of using interactive marketing since it really creates a new dimension of marketing by truly engaging the consumer. So, they installed a series of interactive aquarium on the corner of busy streets in a few key markets including Dallas, Baltimore, Houston, Los Angeles, Washington, and New York.

Basically the technology allows you to call in and create a fish that swims and makes funny noises. The fish then shows up on the screen. Users can return to feed and take care of their fish while the installation is up.

I'm not sure that this will really engage passers by, but I guess I'll keep my ears open to see how it was received.

Gotta Love Havaianas

Havaianas had a spring break pool party for the media and special guests. This is the first event I've seen from them and I'm glad they are ramping up their marketing strategy considering I'm a big fan of their flip flops. The event was pretty well styled and I love the design your own flip flop station. It definitely had a korky vibe, which I love. Not sure if they are open to partnerships, but I think these would be great gift bag items for any event. Who knows, they may even make cobranded flip flops. If only I was still in events marketing I would pursue this further...

Prada Copies Chanel's Marketing Strategy

Image courtesy of kontaktmag

There is plenty of room for sharing ideas and marketing strategies amongst companies, but there is something disappointing about two similar companies utilizing identical marketing initiatives and not learning from the other.

Prada has decided to copy Chanel and debut a pyramidal mobile pavilion called the Prada Transformer that will be erected in Seoul, Korea in April. The structure will host art exhibitions, film screenings, and other live events. Word on the street is that cranes will occasionally flip the "Transformer" to reconfigure its look and feel. The objective is to create a unique visitor experience each time you visit the "Transformer." Great idea, right. Absolutely. It could be really cool. But, Chanel did the exact same thing and had to scale back efforts due to the economy. They also received a great deal of negative press.

Chanel had planned to tour their pavilion to 86 cities around the world throughout 2010, however, a Chanel spokeswoman told WWD "Considering the current economic crisis, we decided it was best to stop the project, We will be concentrating on strategic growth investments." Very smart of them I might say. High end designers are being deeply effected by the economic crisis and the last thing they need to be doing right now is blowing out a huge events marketing strategy. Not sure it is the best use of their resources or good for their overall image.

The Chanel pavilion also received mixed reviews regarding their efforts to support culture. Many called the pavilion overly commercial, while others saw it as a way to bring culture to the public. Again, not sure it is the best idea to copy a marketing initiative that received little praise.

On the other hand, the Chanel pavilion did look pretty cool.
Thoughts?

Happy Birthday Barbie!

Barbie turned 50 and Mattel carried out very aggressive in your face marketing surrounding the celebration. Their strategy began with a Barbie fashion show at Bryant Park followed by a Malibu Beach Party editor event. The event looked great, although I'm not so sure about the Barbie hair chandelier...

Packaging done right

I know I recently posted an article about the failure of the packaging redesign for Tropicana. General Mills just redesigned their cereal boxes to go retro. Here is an idea that is completely relevent to the consumer. Consumers love to channel their past for great childhood memories, including cereal. By transforming the packaging it brings the consumer back in time to their childhood and they remember how much they loved the product. Since GM can no longer market directly to children this is a great way to reach consumers ages 15+. I believe these boxes are only available at Target.

Why didn't I think of that?

Pop-up restaurants are the latest rage in New York. Existing restaurants are transforming into limited time restaurants with unique menu options. Korean BBQ spot Dokebi changes over at midnight on Fridays to Bonjin, a ramen spot, while on Monday nights, Simple Cafe goes Vietnamese with Bep. If restaurants aren't switching over to completely different menus they are offering unique menu items to their existing menu. For those interested in a unique and new dining experience I would check out these pop-ups around NYC. Hopefully the fad will catch on and you will see these pop-ups throughout the country.

Whole Foods markets to Teens

Whole Foods is holding a contest for teens and the winner will receive a "green prom night." This sounds like a big win for Whole Foods to target a younger audience, who is not their core customer. They are leveraging the "green movement" by integrating being green into one of the most important moments of a teens life. I approve!

Old Navy returns to their unique marketing

I am so glad to see that Old Navy decided to go back to their kitchy marketing. It is so unique to Old Navy. Last summer Old Navy changed their guest segment to the sophisticated, young career women who needed basics for the office and the weekend. Although the TV ads were very good it completely confused their core audience and tried to create a brand that didn't exist. Needless to say, much props to Old Navy for realizing that it is with their campy image and marketing that their customers love them.

Tropicana realizes their new packaging was a bad idea

This article highlights the process Tropicana went through to redesign their packaging. Had they done more research or testing prior to rolling it out they could have saved thousands.