Cirque Du Soleil - Wintuk Promotion

There's a saying that it's never too early to advertise, a maxim that Cirque Du Soleil have apparently taken to heart. Performers and stuntsmen from their troupe took to the streets this morning outside Grand Central Station in New York City to advertise the return of their Wintuk show this upcoming winter. Dressed in beautiful, white-furred costumes the performers attracted a lot of attention as they handed out promotional flyers.

The limited engagement, directed by Richard Blackburn, will run exclusively at the WaMu Theater at Madison Square Garden from October 30th, 2008 through January 4th, 2009. Tickets are available now and can be purchased online here or by calling ticketmaster at 212-307-1000.

Puzzling GPS

In order to raise awareness and advertise for the benefits of upgrading to a Satellite Navigation System, the Thrifty Car & Truck Rental company arranged great interactive promotions in many of its stores. The world's first giant sliding tile puzzle of a road map was setup to illustrate the difficulty of finding your way around a city without GPS.

Had the consumer upgraded to the navigation system when renting or buying the car, he or she would be finding their way around the city without a problem! Many interactive and fun promotional items can be used and passed along to certainly increase exposure. Try custom imprinting your company name or logo on some type of promotional puzzles that will keep your recipients busy and thinking about you until they solve it!

(Via: directdaily)

The Big Waffle

It's amazing how creativity and some art supplies can turn a little bit of paint into an unique ambient promotion. The Wafels & Dinges waffle truck has been making headlines in New York City since last year, but we all know that a little extra promotion never hurts.

So, to garner extra attention for the famous yellow waffle truck, the NY branch of the Duval Guillaume advertising agency turned the grills on the sidewalks into large waffles by painting them over with acrylic paint. The result is a trail of gigantic, mouth-watering waffles leading to the truck. Check out the video of the setup at the Wafel & Dinges blog.


(Via: directdaily)

Canderel Slimming Bag

Canderel, a popular brand of artificial sweetener, wanted to promote the slimming effects of substituting their low calorie sweetener for sugar. They decided to use promotional plastic bags featuring an imprint of a lady's waist with a measuring tap around it.

When the bag is empty and open, the waist appears to be wider, but pulling the drawstrings to close the bag immediately 'slims' down the waist as the measuring tape is drawn tighter. The copy on the bag: "Pull yourself together" invites shoppers to imagine the same slimming effect on themselves if they choose to use Canderel sweeteners.

(Via: adverbox)

Eatalica -Just In Case

Eatalica, the "Little Italian, Little American" restaurant in Chennai, India that is known for its amusing marketing campaigns is back with another clever marketing stunt.

Working on a limited budget, they marketed their new juicy burgers by home delivering the burgers and a 'Just-in-case' pouch to select customers. The pouch contained a promotional stain remover, implying that the burgers are so juicy that customers might need to clean up stains afterwards.

Post-its Against Violence

This is quite possibly the cheapest guerrilla promotion I've seen yet. A Danish group calling themselves the Vandaler Mod Vold (Vandals Against Violence) have taken to the streets of Copenhagen using post-its to spread a message of nonviolence.

The post-its were tagged on virtually any surface they could reach and had handwritten messages like "Only the weak resort to violence" and "Only cowards carry knives" The campaign was in response to a recent wave of violence in the city and was intended to make people think twice about their actions.

More information here (in Danish).

(Via: Youtube)

Focus Key Ring

Focus Ireland, an advocacy group dedicated to helping Ireland's homeless, is attempting to raise awareness of their mission and drum up support for their campaigns. To accomplish this, they turned to a guerrilla marketing ploy that exploited people's natural desire to help out by picking up lost keys.

Hundreds of keys attached to brightly colored promotional key chains were scattered all over Dublin City for people to pick up. But, instead of a return address, the key chain is imprinted with the words "Thousands of people in Ireland are missing their keys." on one side and "Help us help the homeless. Focus Ireland." on the other. This clever promotion is particularly well targeted, as the well-meaning samaritans picking up the keys are also the most likely to have the desire to help.

(Via: adverbox)

The Sliding Door Donation

As part of a marketing campaign, the P&G detergent brand Ariel have organized a clothes donation campaign in supermarkets all over Lebanon. In order to raise awareness for the campaign, Ariel used a very eye-catching guerrilla promotion in the markets where the donation will take place. As customers entered the supermarket through the sliding doors, they noticed a picture of a child wearing a thin tank top and jeans. As the doors slide open, the child is covered with warmer clothing to show the instant effect of the clothing campaign.

This promotion is definitely increased exposure for the donation campaign. Promotional decals can work for any brand or company to attract attention and increase exposure. Use a clever arrangement like Ariel and setup your customized decals in locations that your target market is bound to notice them!

(Via: directdaily)

Dare Business Cards

Dare magazine, an Indian-market publication focusing on entrepreneurship news and issues, came up with a clever direct mail promotion featuring business cards and promotional business card cases. The promotion was specifically targeted at potential entrepreneurs in an attempt to boost readership.

Each of the 12 business cards within the case featured a different industry, with the recipient's name printed on each one as CEO and founder. The overall effect gave the recipient the impression that he can become a successful entrepreneur if he has the desire to and can achieve those dreams by reading the Dare publication.

(Via: directdaily)

The Pepto Promotion

In many of the laundromats across New York City, Pepto-Bismol has launched a very fascinating guerrilla promotion using cleverly placed stickers and decals to spread its company message. Each laundry machine features a different decal showing a person's torso, and the wash window is left uncovered to represent the person's stomach. As soon as the machine is turned on all of the twirling and spinning sends a strong message that this character has an upset stomach. Pepto-Bismol responds to this message by stating under each character that "No matter what you throw in your stomach, Pink's got you covered."

Pepto-Bismol definitely increased its product awareness and brand exposure with this attractive promotion. The association made between the tumbling laundry and an upset stomach is certainly memorable. Pepto-Bismol also responds to its own message with a quick and witty retort, referring to the brand as "Pink" to associate the very favorable color and taste of the product. Try using promotional stickers and decals to associate an everyday item with your product for a very successful campaign.

(Via: directdaily)

The Garbage Plate

To raise awareness for the increasing food problem regarding homeless people in Australia, The Father Bob Maguire Foundation created some promotional stickers. Three stickers were created, a fork(on a napkin), a knife, and a message with a call for action stating that "For the Homeless, Every Day is a Struggle - donate today and help us feed the homeless." These 3 stickers were placed around specfic garbage bins in Australia to make it seems as though the eating utensils surrounded a plate full of garbage, making the connection that if we do not help the homeless, they will be eating their meals out of the trash.

The Father Bob Maguire Foundation is a completely non-profit institution organized for the direct relief of poverty, suffering, sickness and disability. The foundation relies entirely upon the proceeds from its fund-raising efforts to operate. The overriding principle of the foundation is to ensure practical help is directed to the areas of most need at any given time. In attempt to increase awareness for its cause, the foundation used very clever promotional decals to attract attention. This type of promotion can be executed by any company or brand to enhance exposure and get the attention you deserve!

(Via: directdaily)

Open For Business

South Africa has been experiencing daily power outages due to a national energy crisis. As a result many businesses have suffered except for St. Elmo's Pizza, because their pizza is created in a wood fire oven that does not require the use of electricity. To promote St. Elmo's use of wood fire ovens and the restaurants ability to operate during the power outages, St. Elmo's came up with a very clever guerrilla promotion using a magnetic menu. This particular magnetic menu is very special because in case of a power outage (or if you turn out the lights) the menu will glow in the dark.

The glow in the dark menu's increased brand awareness for St. Elmo's and assured consumers that even in case of an emergency, they would still be able to purchase pizza! St. Elmo's success is mainly due to the relevancy associated between the current problems in South Africa and the ability to see the menu in the dark. The promotion the of the glow in the dark menu left consumers fascinated and intrigued resulting in an increase in sales. Promotional Magnets are a great way to increase awareness and brand exposure for any company. Everytime your recipients go to open the fridge, and we know its a lot, they will be reminded of you!

(Via: directdaily)

Guerrilla Giveaway: Condoms

If you have been watching a lot of TV lately, you may have noticed that a lot of the advertisers' marketing efforts is targeted at the 15-35 age group. The prevailing perception seems to be that this particular age group is most susceptible to flashy marketing campaigns and has the most desire (and disposable income) to spend.

Unfortunately, we (yes, I also fall into that age category) tend to have a notoriously fickle attention span. This onslaught of advertising has left many of us jaded, so to catch our attention, a marketing campaign usually has to be seen as being trendy and fashionable or clever enough to worm its way into our collective meme pool (for example: the Budweiser "Whassup?!" back in the late 90s).

There is however, another way to grab our attention and that is by providing a promotion that is relevant to our lifestyle. Whether or not people feel comfortable of acknowledging it...sex is quite important to just about everyone in this age group -- which brings me to the use of promotional condoms as a marketing tool.

I've seen various groups at college campuses using this promotion to advertise anything from AIDs awareness to upcoming local events, all with a good deal of success. Once people get over the embarrassment, they tend to respond with enthusiasm. It may make for an unusual, perhaps even controversial giveaway, but that sometimes works in favor of guerrilla marketing campaigns.

An Amazing Concert Surprises with Promotional Items

I recently attended a Saul Williams concert in New York City. Though I didn't expect to come home with a handful of promotional merchandise, I was very happy that I did. The Village Voice was there reaching out to their target audience and offering an imprinted American Apparel t-shirt. All you had to do was sign up for their newsletter.

Now I am anxiously awaiting my first newsletter. It is amazing how a promotional t-shirt can increase your anticipation for a email newsletter.

After Saul's amazing performance, I got handed an iTunes gift card that is good for 20 songs on iTunes. Thanks Irving Plaza! Not a bad haul for a concert.

The Tabasco Hot Stop (Tanning Beds Have Been Replaced!)

In attempt to create a winter-based ambient campaign and raise awareness of Tabasco as the generic hot sauce, the Tabasco company created a great guerrilla promotion that certainly got the job done. All throughout the winter, Tabasco setup a series of heated bus shelters featuring Tabasco branding and powered by small generators built into the back of each shelter.

Waiting for the bus in the cold winter chill can be excruciating, so consumers would arrive early and fight for a spot under the much appreciated heated bus stops. By making Tabasco an integral part of the consumer experience and providing a free and useful service, the Tabasco company communicated the direct benefits of the Tabasco heat and created an immediate positive association with the brand.

Not only did this guerrilla promotion attract the attention of the commuters, but also the hundreds of spectators driving by took notice. Tabasco made sure that its company name, image and products would be the first thing to enter consumers minds every cold winter morning. Clever guerrilla promotional ads have a strong tendency to be noticed, even by the people not getting involved. Try associating your company name or brand image with some promotional products to increase awareness and brand recognition the way Tabasco did with its "Hot Stops".

(Via: directdaily)

Guerrilla Tip - Watch Your Brand Placement

The marketing campaign of Sweden's Absolut Vodka is a success story that would be the envy of many brands. The venerable distillery has gained unparalleled brand recognition since the debut of the first "Absolut Perfection" ad in 1980. Their distinctive advertising themes and guerrilla public relations stunts (such as handing out limited edition, hand-painted promotional t-shirts) have won them a number of advertising and public relations awards. The distillery has even managed to make concerns over global climate change into something fashionable with their latest eco-friendly promotion. Yet, all the consumer goodwill they have built up may have come tumbling down, due to a major product placement blunder.

In this age of rapid information dissemination, an advertising misstep can come back to haunt you in a blink of an eye and this is exactly what happened with an ad campaign targeted at Mexican consumers. The ad in question features a stylized early 19th century map showing chunks of the United States as being part of Mexico. While never intended to be viewed by an American audience, the ad has nevertheless gained widespread attention due to social networks such as Digg. The resulting backlash may have irrevocably damaged the company's reputation with some consumers. Many outraged and offended Americans perceived the ad as an anti-American attack, disparaging the nation's immigration policies -- some have even gone so far as to call for boycotts of the vodka brand.

For all the companies that may be reading...let that stand as a lesson on how easily a brand's image can be destroyed and consider carefully how ALL of your potential audiences may react to your own promotional campaigns.

The Speed Bump Stump

To make potential Volvo customer aware of the new Active Four-C suspension system, the company setup a clever guerrilla promotion at their dealership parking lots. At the entrance to the lot Volvo placed speed-bumps that looked real, but were really made of a soft sponge material. Upon entrance to the lot, people slowed down expecting a bounce and they surprisingly felt nothing. A sign explained, ""Never feel a bump again. With Volvo's Active Four-C suspension."

This guerrilla promotional ad was cleverly placed in the United Arab Emirates because Volvo outsources a lot of production to these countries where the roads are cluttered with speed-bumps. Due to that problem in the roads, the consumers in UAE are good targets for the advertising of the new Active Four-C suspension. Target your consumers with the best promotional items available to increase awareness and brand recognition.

(Via: directdaily)

Fresh All Winter

Shortly after the first snowfall in Canada, the Calgary Farmers Market used a very unique guerrilla promotion to remind consumers about the fresh produce that will be available all winter. As pedestrians left their homes that morning, they noticed big red fresh apples hanging from the barren trees. I can picture all of the people walking up to the trees to snatch down an apple and immediately look for the ad from Calgary Farmers Market saying "Fresh All Winter" to make the connection.

This promotion was a great way for the Calgary Farmers Market to raise awareness and really advertise their products. Consumers love to receive promotional food items, especially a fresh healthy snack like apples. Promotional giveaways are a great way to raise awareness and increase brand exposure for any type of company!

(Via: directdaily)

Guerrilla Giveaway: Massagers

Any good marketer will tell you that a well-targeted marketing campaign will always be more effective than one that is not targeted. Anticipating your customers' needs and wants (or even creating them) is a key business concept. Unfortunately, most guerrilla campaigns are by nature not targeted, disseminating their message without regard for demographics. Obviously, this is not the most effective way to do things, especially if you are handing out promotional items on a limited budget.

Fortunately, this is an easy problem to solve if you just spend some time considering your choice of advertising locale and the the promotional products used. Take for example, the use of imprinted massagers as a promotional items. Fun and practical items for everyone perhaps, but get people when they are at their most sore, like outside local gyms and you will have drastically increased the chances of people paying attention to your promotion.

German Sausage Calendar

Koenecke, a German manufacturer of meat and sausage products came up with this innovative food-based promotion in an attempt to boost sales and consumer loyalty over the winter.

Their most valued customers were shipped a salami that had been specially marked to make it look like a calendar...turning an erstwhile ordinary food product into a fun and functional promotion. A promotional greeting card was attached to the sausage, reminding all the recipients who to thank for the thoughtful gift.

(via: directdaily)

Video Game Guerrilla Promo

I think this is a great way to promote a video game, you set up a station and invite people to play. Then you give out prizes for the highest scores. In this case, the prize is a promotional t-shirt.

In order to get the giveaway you had to play the game and achieve 400 points when playing. I think they could have been a bit more clever. I think they should have had two giveaways. The t-shirt for the high scorers and maybe a promotional pen for the runner-ups. At least then everybody gets something with your brand on it, which will help you all the more because the recipients of the gifts will appreciate receiving a "prize" even if they didn't get the high score.

(Via: YouTube)

Grim Reaper

The goal of this guerrilla promotional campaign in Germany was to increase public awareness of the plight of homeless people during the cold winter months. A mannequin was outfitted in a robed costume and positioned so it appeared to be holding onto a street sign.

The posture of the manniquin, coupled with the shape of the street sign, created an illusion of the grim reaper holding a scythe. The end result is a powerful promotion using shock value to get people involved in their social cause.

(via: ibelieveinadv)