By Karli Sullivan, Account Coordinator
These days, you just never know who’s going to spark the next big marketing trend or breakthrough the noise with a creative scheme. Here are just a few of my favorite big (and mini) ideas.
The Politicians
Online marketing platforms have allowed for a “democratic process” we could never have envisioned 10 years ago. Today, YouTube hosts virtual debates between politicians currently in office and those campaigning. Twitter has established itself as a medium through which the average American can ask Barack Obama questions regarding domestic and international issues. And, if you are running for an office in the 2012 election, you better plan to pull out all of the social and digital media stops. You could attract powerful audiences with iPhone®, iPad® and Android apps; Twitter and Facebook promotions; QR codes; and creative YouTube videos.
The Opportunists
Playing in a highly competitive market, Ben & Jerry’s takes advantage of unique marketing opportunities whenever it can. To spread the word about World Fair Trade Day, the ice cream brand launched a social media campaign encouraging Twitter users to put unused characters to good use. It invited them to type their tweets into a site they created, fairtweets.com, which auto-populated the end of each tweet with a fair trade message. This clever campaign not only supported a good cause but also promoted the brand. The Fair Tweets site linked to the company’s homepage, encouraged people to follow Ben & Jerry’s on Twitter and generated lots of “likes” on Facebook.
The MINImalists
Mini Cooper recently stood out by taking a fresh idea to the streets rather than computer screens. Although its efforts were ultimately combined with online outlets, including YouTube, Mini Cooper launched an ad campaign using billboards with layers of old posters. This campaign not only caught the attention of passing artists but the environmentally conscious as well. Watch how it was done here: MINI: Recycling Poster.
What do politicians, ice cream makers and car companies have in common? Creativity.
