Promotions at their Best!

The purpose of this post is mainly to entertain, but also to get the creative juices flowing as we near the end of the semester and (ideally) head out into our new and exciting marketing careers -- or the summer jobs that will lead to those careers. Promotions can exist in all different forms; think about it the next time you're casually strolling down the street: what hasn't been used as advertising space yet? The following are some of my favorite recent examples of creative and innovative brand promotion.

1. Cupcake ATM: No longer only exists in your dreams!



Yes, it's exactly what it sounds like: an ATM machine that dispenses cupcakes. This idea came to fruition in New York City, where it has become the center of news spots on many of the mainstream news sources such as CNN and ABC. David Letterman even featured a bit listing the "Top Ten Things Overheard in Line for the Cupcake ATM (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDtxHurxNpw)."

The cupcake ATM could be seen as a new form of distribution for baked goods, but more than that I would classify this as a guerrilla marketing tactic. The point of guerrilla marketing is to generate lots of buzz and create a more authentic brand interaction than other forms of advertising. I'd say this did just that.

2. The McDrive Surprise

In celebration of April Fool's Day, McDonald's implemented an elaborate prank across several countries for visitors of the fast food chain's drive through windows. The video below gives some amusing examples of the pranks. It's rather long, but very entertaining:



Although I think McDonald's has done well in advertising in general, this is the first example I've found where the brand steps a bit outside of its comfort zone. It's interesting to think about which pranks would go over well in certain countries, while in another might be found to be extremely offensive. For example, in one of the pranks a a couple of employees are making out instead of helping the customers at the window; where might this be OK and where might it be considered going too far? I'm sure the company considered this when planning its April Fool's stunt, but it's not hard to see how this could have backfired if less cultural consideration was given to the execution.

3. Selsun Blue Makes the Most of Harsh Winter

We've all heard about how this winter has been one of the most severe in recent memory. In a display of creativity, a Canadian ad agency helped Selsun Blue stand out and make people smile through the winter wonderland by creating outdoor ads that made the snow look like dandruff piled up on people's heads (see photo). This is another great example of creative guerrilla marketing. By simply installing some platforms to collect snow above these billboards, attention paid to the ad increases dramatically. It's much more difficult than it might sound to think of a guerrilla marketing execution that specifically pertains to a given product and attracts attention as this one does.

I'd encourage everyone to think of a creative promotion for their respective final projects. It's becoming an increasingly important component of successful marketing campaigns. As the clutter of ads grows, we as marketers need to continually search for ways to stand out and not only grab the attention of consumers, but also offer some entertainment as a reward for that attention.