CAMPAIGN OF THE WEEK
Stella Artois is hoping the immediacy of peer-to-peer gifting will help boost declining sales in pubs and clubs across the UK with its latest digital foray. The beer brand is allowing Facebook fans to gift friends a pint when they share a voucher code on the social network. It is the first consumer product to stem from owner AB InBev’s tie-up with London’s Tech City as the brewer looks to exploit emerging technology to get closer to drinkers. The tie-up is the latest in a trend sweeping the beer category which is seeing brewers increasingly use technology to drive sales.
GOOD WEEK FOR…
The “Share a Coke” summer marketing campaign appears to have had the desired effect, boosting brand engagement and perception and helping sales growth outpace the wider cola market.
The campaign, Coke’s biggest ever in the summer, tapped into a growing interest in personalised ads, getting users involved in finding a bottle with their name on it and taking a picture. It also chimed well with current events, with the firm using the campaign to say congratulations on the birth of the Royal Baby.
Coca-Cola marked the end of the campaign by thanking customers for their support, taking out ads in the Metro newspaper and on digital out of home sites. It will now be hoping it can replicate its success across the rest of Europe.
BAD WEEK FOR…
Apple’s rivals were quick to mock the new iPhone after it unveiled a cheaper colourful plastic handset alongside an update to its flagship smartphone. Nokia UK took to Twitter to post a picture of its range of colourful handsets alongside the tagline “Imitation is the best form of flattery”, while HTC tweeted a Vine of its brightly hued devices. Meanwhile, Samsung, referring to the iterative nature of the updates to the top end iPhone 5S, took out a banner ad on tech websites with the text “The Next Big Thing” and an image of the Samsung Galaxy S4 phone.
The snipes highlight a broader issues about innovation in the smartphone market and the lack of new and exciting features and services that will come with the new iPhones. Apple continues to rely on its hugely strong brand and loyal customers to shift devices. But in a hugely competitive market, Apple will need to make sure it’s marketing at least is innovative and retains its high-end feel if it wants to remain top of the pack, said Marketing Week’s Lara O’Reilly.
Russia eclipses Germany as Europe’s biggest car market
Marketers from the automotive sector will be turning their eyes to Russia after it emerged this week that it has now eclipsed Germany to become the largest market for car sales in Europe this week. According to Autostat, 235,000 to 240,000 vehicles were sold in Russia in August.
Unilever eyes MENA growth
Unilever has appointed Egypt-based Digital Republic to bolster the profile of its Axe Gulf, Rexona for Men, Rexona for Women and Knoor brands in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) in its bid to localise global brands.
ONE TO WATCH
In what has arguably been the biggest week in Twitter’s history with news of its intended IPO, the social networking firm also announced the purchase of mobile advertising firm MoPub. MoPub, a firm that specialises in automated trading in the mobile sector, will be integrated into the Twitter fold, although details of how it will do so have yet to be shared publicly. However, Kevin Weil, Twitter’s VP of revenue product, did discuss its plans to use the platform to further develop its “native advertising” proposition (which will effectively be ads made to look like regular tweets) in a blog post confirming the deal.
TWEETS OF THE WEEK
@jeremybrook – global lead digital and media innovation at Heineken on using social media fans effectively
“Brand advocates will act like virtual members of your brand team but you need to give them a story to tell and something to talk about.”
@markbrewster – Mark Brewster, web manager for Converse EMEA on the new batch of iPhones
“So Apple will have basically a massive database of thumbprints. Wonder if they have any ‘agreements’ with the NSA.”
@macelotripoli – chief executive of SapientNitro on agency/client relationships
“Many people believe that great designers get great clients. It’s the other way around.”
@petepaphides – music journalist on the Mercury music prize
“It’d be good to have a music prize where part of the sponsorship meant bands not having to pay hundreds of £s to be eligible for contention.”
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
17 September – The Advertising Association is hosting its “Last One Standing” event where up-and-coming young marketers from The Guardian, Mondelez International and Google will discuss the need for campaigns and innovation that change the world.
18 September – Marketing Week and The Outdoor Media Centre stage the Outdoor Works Conference at The British Museum, showcasing the latest developments in the use of outdoor media.
18 September – Digital marketing conference Dmexco takes place in Cologne, Germany. Key speakers include Unilever’s top global marketer Keith Weed and his counterpart at P&G, Mark Pritchard.