However, brand activation specialist thirtyfour has successfully shown that this can be done when they creatively devised an online marketing strategy for permission marketing agency Autumn Star's 'Win Now' competition web site, to steer internet users to the www.winnow.co.za web site.
By overcoming consumer reluctance to part with information, lest it be misused and for fear of spam, the newly-launched 'Win Now' membership site offers competition entrants the chance to win big prizes, with the option to fill in consumer questionnaires.
After some thorough investigation into the user profile of consumers who are inclined to enter such competitions, thirtyfour conceptualised the creative messaging and online media selection, and launched Win Now's strategically placed online marketing campaign on 30 April.
The online marketing is driven through placing whimsically captivating banners with the theme of flying pigs and the devil shivering in hell, across various strategically selected local online publications, as well as international publications, making use of technology to ensure only South Africans see the ad. “These days, few people believe they have a chance of winning anything online. Visitors to websites see messages that seem void of any personality. We wanted to address these concerns by presenting our client's unique offering in an easy to understand, entertaining way. We clearly achieved this and raised a few smiles from even the most jaded of web users,” says Richard Phillips, creative director of thirtyfour.
In just less than one month, over 100,000 leads have registered on the site, between them completing 300,000 questionnaires. Almost 40% of competition entrants are aged between 18-30, of which two thirds are women.
"It is the nature of consumers to enter competitions, but few of us expect to win until 'pigs fly' and 'hell freezes over'," says thirtyfour's head of Digital, Andrea Mitchell.
"Giving entrants the option to willingly supply information about themselves and their preferences is the ideal way to build a sales database of leads from consumers who have chosen to be targeted. Our strategy of introducing a flying pigs and hell freezing over message, with which consumers readily identify, enabled us to plan a highly effective launch campaign.”
In addition, thirtyfour's world class online ad serving and reporting technology allows for the constant optimisation of the campaign from both an online media and creative execution perspective, ensuring that the campaign is constantly achieving the best possible results.
Autumn Star MD Diane de Villiers concurs. “thirtyfour was the natural choice for us. They are not only the leading brand activation specialists in our market, but the most imaginative and innovative strategists in the brand activation industry. The results to date should speak for themselves and entrench thirtyfour as the market leaders when it comes to winning online campaigns as part of the whole brand integration process when trying to reach consumers.”
About thirtyfour:
thirtyfour is a brand activation agency where creativity counts - not just for creativity's sake, but strategic, channel-neutral solutions that create demand in the minds of consumers and ultimately deliver genuine results. It promises liberated thinking to get out of the rut of traditional advertising campaigns. thirtyfour has been built on the talents of founding partners Andrea Mitchell, Morné Fourie and Andy Sutcliffe, combining in-depth knowledge of retail, digital, sport, experiential and direct marketing. / www.34.co.za
