HS&P - News room

Faithless and Fiat join forces for creative marketing solution

A number of integrated marketing campaigns are to be forthcoming as a result of a new and perhaps surprising partnership - an accord between dance act Faithless and car manufacturer Fiat.

The creative marketing solutions are to promote the Punto Evo and the two organisations are to be collaborating on new Faithless singles Feelin' Good, Sun to me and Tweak your Nipple, UTalkMarketing reports.

Content will include videos, events and music projects, with marketing director of Fiat Group Automobiles UK Elena Bernardelli stating that the agreement with the band is "perfect ... due to their legendary status and creative approach to their work".

"They were really keen to develop a true collaboration where both parties had a positive impact on the creativity and production output," she went on.

This comes after Marketing Magazine noted that Bulmers cider is to go on a summer music tour, featuring live performances from a new group called the Sun Lovin' Criminals, as part of a creative marketing campaign dubbed Awake Your Summerside.

Cider enthusiasts will be able to take in a show in either Edinburgh, London, Bristol or Leicester.

Weird awareness campaign comes from BrewDog

BrewDog may not yet be a household name in the same way that Carlsberg or Fosters are but after this awareness campaign, it's likely that consumers will never forget the company ever again.

Apparently, the brewer has created a super-strength drink called The End Of History that costs £500 a bottle and - wait for it - comes encased in the body of a dead stuffed animal, some of which have been dressed up in top hats and kilts.

The ale itself is said to be stronger than vodka and whisky and co-founder of the organisation James Watt remarked: "This is the beer to end all beers. It's an audacious blend of eccentricity, artistry and rebellion, changing the general perception of beer, one stuffed animal at a time."

Activists need not fear either as no creatures were harmed intentionally for the campaign - a lot of them were roadkill.

Consumers wishing to find out more about the brand can do so on its website, which boasts its own broadcast show, BrewDog TV.

Brand marketers after BP jobs, report suggests

It's unlikely to cheer BP up but a new poll has revealed that brand marketers are keen to come on board with the troubled company as its tarnished reputation now presents a true challenge for creative marketing agencies.

Compiled by EMR, the survey indicated that 57 per cent of industry professionals would now take a job with the organisation, with 90 per cent going on to state that it will definitely recover from the oil spill debacle.

Just 23 per cent said they would avoid the oil giant - considering it a poisoned chalice - while only 24 per cent thought the British Olympic Committee should drop it as a sponsor of the upcoming games.

"It is yet to be seen if the brand equity can be salvaged. It will require the best branding talent, a lot of hard work and a long time to provide the oxygen for a complete recovery," said managing director of EMR Simon Bassett.

This comes after BP offered double loyalty points to customers using its fuel pumps, Marketing Week reported.

X Factor magazine to hit shop shelves

Not that The X Factor really needs any more creative marketing solutions under its belt - it's unlikely that there remains a single person in the UK who hasn't heard of the hit show - but now the programme has decided to publish its very own weekly magazine.

Expect it to hit shop shelves in September, produced by Haymarket, in conjunction with FreemantleMedia Enterprises (FME) and Simon Cowell's company Syco Entertainment, with distribution managed by Frontline, CampaignLive reports.

Managing director of Haymarket Network Andrew Taplin said: "The women's weekly category is very vibrant at the moment and the launch of this magazine will provide it [with] a further significant boost."

And Dominic Burns of FME noted that the title should offer something new to fans.

Similarly, a new Toy Story magazine is to be launched to coincide with the latest Pixar movie, which came out in the UK on July 19th, Media Week reported.

TV awareness campaign from NSPCC to feature real calls to ChildLine

A new hard-hitting awareness campaign from the NSPCC will soon be gracing TV screens, featuring real-life calls from abused children to the trust's ChildLine service.

Bearing the strapline 'Help us make sure every cry for help is heard', the creative marketing solution tells the tale of a girl whose father has started beating her and who is compelled to skip school in order to hide the physical evidence, Pitch reports.

The ad is to begin this week and will be on air until the end of July on both terrestrial and non-terrestrial programmes.

Spokesman for the NSPCC Mike Flynn noted that this is the first time such a move has been made.

"We feel it is very powerful, bringing the viewer closer to what the child is experiencing and how the NSPCC [is] there to help them," he remarked.

Meanwhile, JLS star Marvin Humes has pledged his support for ChildLine by helping to launch its new website and hosting an assembly at Harefield Academy School in Oxbridge back in 2009, as well as posting messages on the organisation's chat board.

Anti-Brit creative marketing solution from Chrysler

A new creative marketing solution from US car manufacturer Chrysler appears to be trying to capitalise on a growing sense of malcontent with the UK in the wake of the recent BP oil spill.

Dubbed Let Freedom Rev, the integrated marketing campaign was first aired just before England took on the US in this year's World Cup tournament.

It features British redcoats running for their very lives as their American adversaries charge towards them in a cavalry of Chryslers, bearing the voiceover: "Here's a couple of things America got right: Cars and freedom."

According to the Daily Telegraph, the awareness campaign has been watched on YouTube 714,000 times, while nearly 3,000 people have pledged their support for its content by pressing a 'like' button, compared with just 440 people who were against it.

BP meanwhile continues to suffer as a result of the incident, with its shares dropping amid concerns that the new cap it has used may not be strong enough.

Cadbury's Flake wins People's Choice award

A Cadbury awareness campaign for Flake has claimed this week's UTalkMarketing's People's Choice award, scooping 24 per cent of the vote.

Gone is the tagline of old 'Only the crumbliest, flakiest chocolate' and in its place a beautiful blonde floating on screen in a romantic dress - designed by none other than couture king Antony Price - magically turning into the well-known bar of chocolate.

Apparently, around 200 m of fabric was used to make this creative marketing solution and two weeks were needed for production.

According to the news source, "the aim is to represent the beauty and delicacy of the chocolate bar simply by presenting a girl in a ruffled yellow dress".

It is to be backed by PR, cinema ads and a £3.5 million investment.

Another champion of the People's Choice award is Aleksander Orlov, who earlier this year claimed the title for Comparethemarket.com, with 300 out of 1,000 people showing him their support.

Sunshine 'good' for creative marketing solutions

Businesses featuring summer-related products in recent awareness campaigns are likely to have done quite well this year, as research has revealed that the sun can have an impact on the effectiveness of creative marketing solutions.

Conducted by Pure360, the survey found that recipients of email marketing messages containing festival promotions were twice as likely to open them on sunny days than when it was raining.

Product and experience manager with the company Adam Bambrough advised professionals involved in integrated marketing campaigns to monitor performance of emails after they are clicked on.

As a result, "marketers can respond to campaign specific trends and gain further insights into the effectiveness and overall value of their email marketing campaign," he remarked.

Benefits were also seen in the holiday industry, with open rates five times higher when temperatures rose.

Audio watermarking could also be a good trick to throw into the marketing mix, with UTalkMarketing recently reporting that Coca-Cola did this well during the World Cup with K'naan's Wavin' Flag song, which went on to reach number one in 11 countries.

BNP party to pay Marmite £170k?

An awareness campaign by the British National Party (BNP) in which it borrowed Marmite's well-known 'Love it or hate it' slogan could see the group brought to its knees after Unilever launched High Court proceedings.

The BNP has now agreed to pay a maximum of £170,000 by way of compensation for the ill-advised creative marketing solution, which featured Nick Griffin next to a massive jar of the spread and the strapline 'Love Britain Vote BNP'.

Insiders have said that an amount between £70,000 and £170,000 has been agreed upon and, according to Pitch, while Unilever has confirmed a settlement has been decided upon, it has not revealed the terms.

Regardless, many believe that this is the end for the BNP after Eddy Butler, former national organiser, admitted it is "on the brink of bankruptcy".

Marmite itself is likely to continue doing well and enthusiasts can even join a fan club and forum, discussing their favourite ways to eat it.

Biggest-ever UK awareness campaign from Glaceau vitaminwater

Glaceau vitaminwater - owned by Coca-Cola - is rolling out its biggest-ever awareness campaign in the UK, featuring outdoor activity across major billboards in 14 cities.

It all began yesterday (July 19th) and eagle-eyed consumers will be able to spot the ads - featuring everyday people representing one of the eight different colours of the beverages - on media sites such as the Clapham Colossus and the London Piccadilly sign.

The brand will also be partnering with Vice magazine, asking customers to join the Vitpack, which will see them offered the chance to win a number of prizes.

And Facebook activity will be seen as well, with Vitpack members able to star in their very own billboard ad come October.

Earlier this year, a new flavour was unveiled called Connect to chime in with a Facebook promotion and a YouTube ad with Steve Star of the NBA, although it was only made available in the US, Campaign Live reports.