Joss Davidge, Business Director of brand experience agency BEcause, continues his weekly search for innovative marketing ideas. This week he looks at how Nivea and Impulse got people talking using two very different techniques.
Using technology in an insightful way can create a highly memorable brand experience. Every day I come across examples of brands that have used technology to push a key message and attract attention from consumers. This week I came across two very different campaigns that use technology to draw attention to product benefits.
Nivea Deodorant – Stresstest
This is a fairly bold campaign from Nivea - I’m not sure how I would have reacted! Photographers took secret photos of unsuspecting passengers in a departures lounge. The passenger’s face was then printed onto a mock-up newspaper and appeared on television screens around the hall, claiming that they were wanted by police. Just before they had a complete melt down, a swat team appeared with Nivea deodorant to ensure they were in control of their sweating in this particularly stressful situation. It was a risqué campaign from Nivea, but it certainly got people talking!
Impulse Augmented Reality
A 4-metre screen was placed in a shopping centre in Buenos Aires. After women sprayed themselves with Impulse the on-screen image changed. They were shown covered in flowers and virtual lotharios appeared handing over virtual flowers and other gifts. Alongside this activity, Impulse provided samples to people in the crowd and handed out balloons, flowers and other small gifts. There are some great shots from the crowd and it's clear that it's not only the people on-screen who will have found this a memorable experience.
In 2011 I looked at how Disney and The National Geographic Channel used augmented reality in a blog post for The Marketing Society on Virtual Brand Engagement. If the technology is applied appropriately to the brand it really can leave a lasting impression.