Cute way to market your clothes shop - fresh media channel thinking

The lovely Tali Jatali who runs a clothes shop selling her own design in Bondi Beach has got her business marketed in a very cute way. Who needs TV ads or print ads in magazines when you can attach yourself to what your target audience love and are like. Throw a bag with your logo on a really cool cruiser and put it down the beach - done! Surprising and creative marketing channel. No media agency involved, I assume... :)

Pinterest campaign - this is what it can look like!

Do you remember the early days of Twitter, when a few brands made simple, super cheap campaigns on the new platform and gained a truckload of publicity and goodwill out of it? Now the same thing is happening on Pinterest, the social media platform mostly loved by women (some say). This is Psfk reporting about a simple, effective and cute Kotex campaign:

"Israeli advertising agency, Smoyz, has created a clever and creative campaign for Kotex through the use of Pinterest. The firm targeted 50 influential Pinterest users, understanding what they pinned as interesting to them. Then the agency created customized gift boxes filled with goodies and new Kotex designs that related to their interests and delivered them straight to the women’s doors.  According to the campaign video Smoyz produced, the campaign was a tremendous success as the women shared details of their gifts to their Pinterest followers, resulting in almost 700,000 total impressions.

Smoyz’s CEO, Yael Linen-Zuchman, said of the campaign:

We had a ripple effect and women who were not involved in the campaign posted statuses like ‘What is this deal with all the Kotex gifts, can I have one too?!’ The main purpose was to have woman talk about the brand and the experience and it worked.

Check out the video below for more information about the innovative campaign:

More inspiration! Mashable´s list of 5 creative Pinterest campaigns: http://mashable.com/2012/03/23/pinterest-marketing-campaigns/
http://mashable.com/2012/03/07/pinterest-brand-marketing/

Brilliant campaign letting people buy chocolate with good deeds

This is such a cool idea! Anthon Bergs recently up a shop in Copenhagen where people could come in and get a nice little bag of goodies for the price of a good deed! The reason I love this idea is that it´s not simply putting the shine on the brand, making it look generous - as many brands do, giving away presents as if they were Santa Claus, only to make themselves seem better than us... 


Instead it´s involving the customer and her own loved ones. She gets to think of herself as "a good person", consider people she care about and get a freebie - all at the same time! Brilliant! Her heart is open, and the brand is a bystander - but one that will be remembered... (Thanks to Psfk for the spotting of this campaign.)


Danish chocolate brand Anthon Berg opened a pop-up chocolate shop for one day only, where people had to pay with the promise of a good deed instead of cash or a credit card.
 
To inspire people to see the positive effects of being generous, “The Generous Store” in Copenhagen ‘priced’ its boxes of chocolates with over 30 different good deeds including ‘Serve breakfast in bed to your loved one’ and ‘Help clean your friend’s house.’ Customers made generous promises towards a friend or loved one on Facebook using the in-store iPads to ensure they followed through with their payment.


Agency Robert/Boisen & Like-minded came up with the project, which had people queuing up for one and a half hours in order to make their promises and “purchase” their chocolates. Check out the pop-up store in the video below:

Anthon Berg

I would have combined this with a big mirror video camera, where people could proclaim their intentions out loud. Research presented in Roger Dooley´s book "Brainfluence" has shown that we are much more likely to keep a promise if we either see ourselves making it, or while struggling to keep it. (Tips: Put a mirror in front of your lollie jar...)

Living alone trend makes people depressed - consumer insight to use or not?

Over the world, more and more people are living alone. In Australia, 26% of all households held only one person in 2006, and that share is predicted to grow to over 30% by 2026.

Today I read in Science Daily that the number of people living on their own has doubled, over the last three decades, in the UK and US – which has sad side effects, according to a Finish study.

New research published in BioMed Central's open access journal BMC Public Health shows that the risk of depression, measured by people taking antidepressants, is almost 80% higher for those living alone compared to people living in any kind of social or family group.

Dr Laura Pulkki-Råback, who conducted the research at the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, explained, "Our study shows that people living alone have an increased risk of developing depression.

For women a third of this risk was attributable to sociodemographic factors, such as lack of education and low income. For men the biggest contributing factors included poor job climate, lack of support at the work place or in their private lives, and heavy drinking.

It is known that living alone can increase the risk of mental health problems for the elderly, and for single parents, but little is known about the effects of isolation on working-age people.

Researchers in Finland followed 3500 working-aged men and women for seven years and compared their living arrangements with psychosocial, sociodemographic, and health risk factors, including smoking, heavy drinking and low physical activity, to antidepressant use. Information on antidepressant medication was taken from the National Prescription Register.

The researchers suggest that this may be due to feelings of alienation from society, lack of trust, or difficulties arising from critical life events.”

I wonder about these kinds of studies... All research of happiness show that people who are in relationships or have close friends, who feel loved and seen, are happier than others. But does loneliness create unhappiness, or are unhappy people seeking loneliness?

Higher living standards have over the decades raised the possibilities for people to have their own pad, and this has created a lot of freedom and peace – for some. In the book "Going Solo: The extraordinary rise and surprising appeal of living alone" the author presents research from interviewing 300 people who live alone, and the result was that most singletons were not lonely souls, but socially active. 


For others, it has become an opportunity to escape and hide; they might be naturally shy and by living alone they never get challenged to meet others.

There will be good and bad with everything, and media will always spot it. If the development was “flats are overcrowded” I bet that would be seen as a problem as well... For marketers it is interesting to watch the movements of our society though. If people are living alone, and feeling bad, this is an interesting consumer insight. Will those people need other types of products and services? Will they need cheering up? Are they immune towards ads showing happy groups of people laughing in the sunshine (beer and clothes ads....), in the same way that smokers are immune towards too negative anti-smoking ads (my research shows most smokers turn the TV off or go out for a smoke to avoid the truth)?

I know it´s a sensitive topic, to talk about how marketing can “trick” depressed people. But on the other hand, I believe brands can do a job here and enhance the mood of those people suffering. Living alone is not the problem – sadness and loneliness is. Attitude is the key, and brands can through digital media reach those people who have gotten stuck in negative thought patterns. Brands can make a difference – and win the customer´s heart at the same time of course. Cynical or not? If it makes a positive difference in people´s lives, who cares?

Maybe a hair styling brand could skip the beauty contests that damage young girls self esteem and instead spread inspirational quotes and coaching tips on their Facebook site? Maybe a beer brand can invite all the lonely people to a party, instead of simply showing hip happy 20 year olds having fun (rubbing it in)? What if a bank had an open meeting for singles on how to handle your economy when living alone - who knows what could happen? :)

And, good news for those not feeling to well... at least unhappy brains are better brains, http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/life/why-unhappy-brains-are-better-brains-20120323-1vnyy.html 

Creative campaigns to change behaviour

Ads of the World and Hongkiat.com have posted these amazign examples of public awareness campaigns. They are all very creative and emotional, worth spreading, hence I re publish as they are. Thanks to those who found them! :) 

(Image Source: Ads of the World)

Today, we want to share with you 60 creative public awareness ads that not only attract people’s attention, but also make them actually want to give the issues a thought, encouraging them to act and to fight against the imbalance of the world.

While we enjoy the creative power used to create these ads, let us also share the ads out in order to spread more awareness. By doing this, you can be the part of the solution. And most of them really need the extrah elp. Get inspired, and let’s get some work done!.

Act Fast. The longer we delay in helping children with autism, the harder they are to reach. Act fast, act today.

Anyone Can Give The Miracle Of Life. Donating your organ to save a life is equivalent to giving birth to a baby, and we all know that they are both miracles.

Before It’s Too Late. Give our Mother Earth a chance to breath.

Brain Corals. 70% of plastic ends up in the sea, and they will never go ‘extinct’.

Censorship Tells Wrong Story. An amusing and cheeky advertisement which is done by adding some pixelation into play!

Consequences Stay With You Forever. A stunning advertisement with stunning effects. Nothing is more painful than regret.

Cure the Victims of Domestic Tests. Don’t let your quest for beauty kill the innocent.

Deal With The Consequences. The sea will take revenge on you one day, or may be even now. It’s really just a matter of time.

Desertification Destroys 6000 Species Every Year. We are all Earthlings, but we do not enjoy the same rights.

Dissolvent Pollutes Millions Of Litres Of Water. It’s never too late to make a change.

Domestic Violence. How long are you going to continue watching this show? Don’t turn a deaf ear to their cries for help. Speak out against domestic violence!

Don’t Buy Exotic Animal Souvenirs. If you buy them, they were killed because of you.

Don’t Kill Blockbusters. A funny but effective one, our blockbusters need financial support to continue their heroic life!

Don’t Leave Him Alone With Chernobyl. “20 years after the disaster, Chernobyl’s landscape remains as one of the barren planets. Even more damage was done to local residents, their bodies and minds alike. Please support us.”

Don’t Swallow Other People’s Smoke. Looks very disgusting, but this is what it looks like when you take in secondhand smoke.

Don’t Talk While He Drives. A powerful message on what could happen on the other side of the receiver, if you take his eyes off the road.

Each Minute Counts. Undoubtedly a striking one! And it perfectly expressed the message “Each Minute Counts”.

For Them, Anything Can Seem A Lot. Your ‘terrible’ meal could be the best thing that ever happen to them, so help them have a great meal.

Gambling Blocks Your Social Life. I guess even cards aren’t all that innocent.

Give A Hand To Wildlife. A masterpiece can always attract a lot of attention.

Help Before It’s Too Late. The message strikes through the heart, doesn’t it? This advertisement is a jewel.

Help Them Fast. “The longer you live on the street, the harder it is to get off it.” Literally.

How Does It Feel? Now you know how it feels when you are being hunted down.

Ignore Us, Ignore Human Rights. Cruel but true, speak out and help to win back what they should have: human rights.

Imagine It For A Kid. While most of us go on and on about how difficult it is for an animal to live on the street and fend for itself, let’s no forget that many children go through the same thing as well.

It’s No Longer Your Life. “While he controls your life, it’s no longer yours.”

It’s Time To Neuter Your Dog. Subtle, suggestive and cute! Check out the cloth the dog is wearing, simply angelic!

Keep The Ocean Clean. Do you want our future generations to think that this is how we take care of the place for them while we were here?

Killed By Our Rubbish. Yes, the masked man is doing the killing but who put the weapon in his hand?

Life is More Thrilling Than Drugs. There is more to life than drug-induced ecstacy. You deserve to experience them, drug-free.

Liked Helping Terceira Island. The evolution of the thumbs up.

Many of Them Disappear Every Minute. 15 square kilometer of rainforest disappears every minute.

Missing Children. The visuals are eye-catching but it was the words to the right of the tree that did it for me. If they are stil searching, there is always hope.

Nobody’s Immune To Breast Cancer. When it comes to preventing breast cancer, even heroes need regular checkups.

Not What You Seem To Be. Is it just me that this guy looks like the T-Bag from Prison Break? Nevertheless a great piece for fraud awareness!

Nutrition Fact: 0 Gram. “The only thing he should lack is hunger.”

Oceans Aren’t The Only One In Danger. Karma remembers everything.

Organ Donor Saves. Nothing is greater than saving the people’s life and giving them hope. Feel the gratitude on the woman’s face.

Our Water Is Thirsty. Took a creative twist to achieved the message, but I will say that this a unique advertisement!

Preserve Your World. The environment is ‘crying’ out for help and all we do is keep hurting it.

Rebuild The Children. Realigning our priorities with this eye-opening advertisement; even if buildings fall, we should always be there to help rebuild the children.

Respect The Planet. Of course we won’t ever think of vandalize such a beautiful creature, would we?

See You On The Road. Simple and straightforward idea, it works for me.

Seek Help. Schizophrenia can actually be treated; look out for the signs (or the people) and seek help.

Spending Christmas On The Streets. That’s no Christmas gift. We can do better for them kids in the Phillipines, can’t we, people?

Stop The Abuse. This is what animal looks like in those abusers’ eyes. This ad is bound to break a dog-lover’s heart.

The Earth Is Heating Up. Amusing or not, this advertisement drags a lot of attention!

They Also Need Your Help. People with disabilities deserve concern and coverage equivalent to those given to endangered species.

They Don’t Have A Childhood. You might be able to get them one.

They Will Pick It Up. It’s not too late for you to realize that you can save an animal’s life by not throwing rubbish everywhere.

We Can Help You. “Small problems may turn into big for senior citizens.”

We Transform Sadness Into Hope. Sadness can always be transformed into hope, so don’t give up. Creative, charming, positive.

What Goes Around Comes Around. Delicious? No? Then stop throwing rubbish into the sea.

What They Do Happens To Us. By blending 2 images into 1, we can actually see the consequences of pollution directly. Simple but effective!

When They Speak, We Listen. What should I say? Brilliant idea, impressive art, great execution. For sure this kind of advertisement is shared more often than less creative ones.

Workers Are Not Tools. What’s the difference between a worker and a human? None, they deserve human rights too.

Worst Predator Comes From Land. And this is what we humans look like in the eyes of a sea animal.

Would You Care More If I was a Panda? Every species on Earth should be loved equally, not just the cute ones.

You Can Help. The best way to let people know the situation is to let them see the truth.

Your Body Is Your Home. For smokers, direct visuals are the best way to persuade them.