How Nissan brought joy to a 73-year-old to celebrate its 25th birthday.
On a sunny day in August, Tom, a copywriter from TEQUILA\Agency.com Brussels, showed up on the doorstep of Jacqueline, aged 73, with a big smile and a birthday cake with 25 candles on it. Jacqueline was the proud owner of the oldest Nissan Micra in Belgium. And Tom had news for her: to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Micra, the apple of Jacqueline’s eye was about to get a total makeover.
Jacqueline’s Micra birthday party was the first step of a campaign that would surprise and pamper Nissan Micra brand advocates.
In September, the agency sent 40.000 Nissan Micra car owners an old-fashioned photo album. It contained snapshots of old and new Micra models from the past 25 years.
Micra drivers were invited to post family snapshots of their Micra on a specially designed website. If they do so, they stood a chance of winning the new Micra ‘25th Anniversary’ edition.
Of course, the microsite also told the story of the relationship between Jacqueline and her trusty Micra, with a video of the entire makeover.
Now the Nissan Micra hall of fame already boasts 1,200 snapshots uploaded by Micra fans. Which proves that – in an age of fierce brand hopping, swapping and churn – it’s a good idea to connect with your brand advocates and to involve them in a charming story.
Of course, the microsite also told the story of the relationship between Jacqueline and her trusty Micra, with a video of the entire makeover.
Now the Nissan Micra hall of fame already boasts 1,200 snapshots uploaded by Micra fans. Which proves that – in an age of fierce brand hopping, swapping and churn – it’s a good idea to connect with your brand advocates and to involve them in a charming story.
By the way, it wasn’t easy to persuade Jacqueline to bring her beloved Micra up to date. It took some coaxing before she agreed to change the plain old white body paint for shining pearly… white. She warily accepted a CD player. And new upholstery for the seats was OK – as long as they were protected again with their familiar furry covers.
If you have any comments or suggestions please email Annette Verhamme (annette.verhamme@tbwa.be).
Throughout the history of Pepsi, the brand has always been connected with the energy of young people and those who think young.
Today, we see that energy changing. It is focused not around superficiality, but around consciousness, depth and having a positive impact on the world. As a society we are facing the greatest challenges of our lifetime, but like many in our culture we believe together we can make a difference.
The world is ready to “be moved” both emotionally and in a new direction. And Pepsi’s not afraid to help inspire it.
If you have any comments or suggestions please email Rob Schwartz.
AUDIENCE BEHAVIOR Reduce, reuse, recycle — we’ve all heard it a million times. It was the simple mantra that marked the mainstream arrival of the environmental movement. But from this clever catchphrase has grown such a cacophony of “green noise” and green-washed marketing that people have gotten overwhelmed by the right things to do. However, since 83% of people say they would change their consumption habits to make tomorrow’s world a better place, brands still have an incredible influence on environmental change. Maybe a return of the three Rs is just the point of reference people need to get some new perspective on making change simpler. Many of us have already made “recycling” part of our daily lives (although over 75% of what we buy is still trash in six months), and “reducing” and “reusing” is something we’re doing a lot more of in this economy anyway. So it’s a good time to make them all habits worth keeping.
BRAND BEHAVIOR Regardless of where your company stands on the environmental movement, one thing is undeniable: with limited natural resources, the only future for our economy is to become a sustainable one. Whether you support new school, eco- friendly business strategies like cradle to cradle, zero waste, closed loop production, local living economy, green chemistry or not, marketers don’t have to wait for companies to figure out a long-term sustainable business strategy. It may not entirely solve the problem, but rethinking “reduce, reuse, recycle” can represent new brand opportunities for marketers to take small steps in the right direction today.
rethinking “reduce”
Companies only looking at the environmental impact of the production and distribution of goods are not considering their marketing as part of its footprint. Placing ads on alternative-energy-powered billboards and in biodegradable media, going paperless with digital coupons, hosting climate-neutral events, designing eco-efficient packaging, and printing collaterals with soy-based ink on recycled paper with chlorine-free bleaching are all easy steps to reduce a company’s entire footprint.
rethinking “reuse”
In our throwaway society, encouraging people to reuse your product is usually not on the minds of marketers. But the ”Hand Me Down” line by Howies, a UK clothing brand, has a different spin. The line uses fabrics and materials made to withstand the test of time and are designed to look timeless. So that the company uses less resources in the end, the high-quality products come with a guarantee to last at least 10 years and a contract that asks consumers to commit to handing them down to a second-generation wearer.
rethinking “recycle”
Recycling normally results in a product of equal or lesser quality. Rethinking recycling has allowed Coca-Cola to upcycle its empty PET bottles into an entirely new product line with a different purpose: a sustainable fashion line . Its ”Drink 2 Wear” line is made of a blend of recycled plastic bottles and cotton featuring catchy slogans intended to promote recycling. The neck labels indicate the number of bottles recovered to create each shirt, reminding people that small steps can go a long way.
Heineken does. Sure you remember the walk-in fridge commercial featured on mad-blog a couple of weeks ago. Today the next episode was launched. It shows a man explaining to his Polish contractor that he also wants a walk-in fridge… The contractor understands that perfectly. Or maybe not? See yourself…
If you have any comments or suggestions please email Jeroen Konings (jeroen.konings@tbwa.nl).
In a little corner of Marylebone which will remain forever England, one shop turned the convention of the ‘retailer’s magazine’ on its head. Monocle is the glorious creation of one Tyler Brule, best known for his original magazine empire – Wallpaper*.
With the launch of Monocle magazine, Brule quite simply reports, probes and supposes around myriad subjects of interest and relevance to culturally-savvy business people. There’s a slight male skew, but it’s definitely metrosexual, not FHM/GQ masculine.
Monocle loves stuff that is simple, well crafted and stylish, to fit in with the ‘business traveller / creatively savvy’ readership. So it started selling the kind of products which best represent its brand, direct to customers by opening its little Monocle shop in Marylebone. From German-designed coloured notepads, to overnight bags to simple blazers cut from the best British wool, Monocle loves simple lines and understated elegance. This is a brand for those who find brands frankly a little vulgar. May its craftsman’s ethic spread through this financially darkened land to herald a return to the simple pleasures that make our everyday just that little bit more enjoyable.
If you have any comments or suggestions please email Julie McKeen. Visit the shop in the web: Monocle.
Jenny Naish continues her exploration of love affairs and what they can teach marketers. In this concluding part, meet Nicole.
“All stories are love stories” – Robert McLiam Wilson
In a good love story, to keep the journey alive there should always be a sense that something has not yet been accomplished. Something yet to be done, found or explained – a villain to vanquish or an obstacle to overcome.
Renault launched the Clio in 1991, a year of economic downturn, when new car sales in the UK declined by 21%. In such a market, how did the Clio beat sales targets by 32% in the first year alone, and go on to become the best-selling imported car?
The first Clio ad introduced the public to a charming French girl called Nicole, sneaking away from her “Papa” and using the Renault Clio for a secret meeting with her boyfriend. The following ads, which are all detailed here, continue to follow these characters, offering brief insights into their affectionate, chic and sexy lifestyles. In each ad, something is left unexplained, or unseen – a small twist. Read more…
Rapha does. And it loves cyclists. A passion for road racing means Rapha is more than just a product company. It is an online emporium of performance roadwear, accessories, publications and events, all celebrating the glory and suffering of road riding. In fact, they love it so much – in an almost masochistic way – that the first Rapha collection was launched in July 2004, at a month-long Rapha exhibition of cycling memorabilia and events called ‘Kings of Pain’. Not your standard clothing launch.
Rapha has recognised that cyclists want performance, and they want their dedication to performance to be writ large. But that doesn’t have to mean a compromise on style. As a result, Rapha is taking the cyclist and cycle-fan (up)market by storm.
To showcase all aspects of the rider’s art, every quarter Rapha publishes Rouleur, quite simply the most beautiful cycling magazine in the world. Rapha publishes its own range of books and brochures and also has a growing series of films designed to inspire riders. Read more…
Jenny Naish explores the tricky process of preventing a love story with a brand from reaching a premature conclusion.
“Love is man unfinished”- Samuel Beckett
Whatever the situation, it is society’s nature to make heroes, villains and victims out of the players involved. They are the stock characters in any love story, whether their names are Romeo and Juliet, Cinderella and Prince Charming, or David and Victoria Beckham.
Love stories however, are not the same as love, in that by their very nature they must have an ending, be it happy or sad. The characters always face a series of peaks and troughs before the situation is resolved. Often, it is the revelation of love itself that signals the end. A classic love story tells us that the troubles are over and it is all plain sailing from here.
But love can only truly have an ending through its loss. Romeo and Juliet could illustrate this perfectly. Read more…
On a sunny day in August, Tom, a copywriter from TEQUILA\Agency.com Brussels, showed up on the doorstep of Jacqueline, aged 73, with a big smile and a birthday cake with 25 candles on it. Jacqueline was the proud owner of the oldest Nissan Micra in Belgium. And Tom had news for her: to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Micra, the apple of Jacqueline’s eye was about to get a total makeover.
In September, the agency sent 40.000 Nissan Micra car owners an old-fashioned photo album. It contained snapshots of old and new Micra models from the past 25 years.
Throughout the history of Pepsi, the brand has always been connected with the energy of young people and those who think young.
AUDIENCE BEHAVIOR
Rapha does. And it loves cyclists. A passion for road racing means Rapha is more than just a product company. It is an online emporium of performance roadwear, accessories, publications and events, all celebrating the glory and suffering of road riding. In fact, they love it so much – in an almost masochistic way – that the first Rapha collection was launched in July 2004, at a month-long Rapha exhibition of cycling memorabilia and events called ‘Kings of Pain’. Not your standard clothing launch.
