Tylenol Uses 2D Codes To Educate Consumers

January, 2012

Tylenol has placed 2D barcodes on their product packaging to further educate consumers on proper dosages. When scanning the code, users are directed to a site where they can learn about the the drug acetaminophen and the appropriate amount to administer to alleviate symptoms. The site also offers medication safety tips, other over-the-counter products that include acetaminophen, as well as tips on how to properly read the Drug Information labels. The 2D barcodes are part of a new initiative, Get Relief Responsibly, Tylenol will be pushing in 2012. To learn more, please visit MobileMarketer.com.

Huggies Engages With YouTube Baby Translator

January, 2012

Huggies Korea engaged new mothers over this holiday season by offerings a “Baby Babbles Translator” through YouTube.   Mothers were encouraged to upload videos of their babies babbling to the company’s Korean YouTube channel.  Huggies then selected videos to ‘translate’ and posted videos to the YouTube channel of their translating team deciphering the babblings and determining exactly what the baby was trying to say. In all Huggies created over 25 videos with their ‘translations’.  The parents of the chosen baby videos received a gift from Huggies after the holiday season. For more information, see Creativity Online.

Axe Launches Fragrance On Facebook

January, 2012

Axe will kick off the launch of its newest fragrance through a social short graphic novel called Anarchy: The Graphic Novel hosted on its Facebook page.  Fans will be able to help write the novel by dictating the characters’, “The Anarchy Girls”, actions. The fans interact with the novel as it unfolds to determine the outcome. Axe recruited X-Men writer for DC Comic books, Scott Lobell, to help write the new Anarchy Girls series for the Facebook launch.  The fragrance launch includes a fragrance for men and a fragrance for women.  For more information, see Mashable.

Kleenex Promotes Tissue With Online Sharing

December, 2011

Kleenex is promoting the launch of their new Kleenex Cool Touch Tissue with their online “Softness Worth Sharing: Send One, Get One” promotion.  This promotion allows consumers to virtually gift personalized boxes of the new Kleenex tissue via Facebook to friends. Consumers can also physically send a sample “share package” of the tissue to a friend in the mail.  By mailing a friend a box of Kleenex, you will also receive a box of the new Cool Touch Kleenex at your house.  Fans are also encouraged to submit a photo of themselves holding a box of Kleenex to add to their online photo album. So far more than 267,000 consumers have shared boxes of Kleenex online or through the mail. For more information about the online promotion, visit the Kleenex Softness Worth Sharing site.

P&G’s Downy Launches Mobile Hunt

November, 2011

Procter and Gamble’s Downy is launching a mobile scavenger hunt in Las Vegas, NV to capture interest of a younger demographic. While promoting their newest line of scent beads, players must search Las Vegas for famous landmarks and complete challenging questions in order to earn points. Points earned will be directed to winning a prize. Sherilena Strub, spokesperson for P&G said, “We feel this is essential because we need the live activation to really showcase the benefit, but the online components to share the experiences virally.” To learn more, please visit MobileMarketer.com.

P&G Sells Virtual Goods On Subway

November, 2011

P&G is now selling products to on-the-go consumers at busy subway stations in Prague – the products, though, are virtual. When users scan a QR code underneath the image of a product, they can purchase the item through the company Mall.cz, which will then deliver the products to their home. The company plans to add more children’s products during the holiday season to assist in holiday shopping. To learn more about this new shopping experience, please visit AdAge.com.

Vick’s Uses FB To Search For “Dedicated Fans”

September, 2011

Vick’s NyQuil and DayQuil will again search for the “Most Dedicated Fan” through their Facebook pages. Just in time for flu season, the company will award the most dedicated football fans with an opportunity to win a trip to the 2012 Super Bowl. For those hoping to enter, they must submit their personal fan rally cry. To learn more about this promotion, please visit Businesswire.com.

Heinz Uses QR Code to Engage Customers

September, 2011 Heinz is placing QR mobiles codes on packaging to engage and reward consumers. Heinz is showing consumers that they are going green and being more conscious of the environment via the new program. By scanning the mobile code consumers are directed to a mobile-optimized landing page. There they can answer a question about the environment for a chance to win several eco-friendly prizes.

CRM Supports Kellogg’s New Mobile Strategy

August, 2011

Kellogg Co. is introducing a new CRM program to integrate into it’s existing mobile strategy. The initiative will enable the company to analyze consumer behavior, drive consumer engagement and implement mobile campaigns personalized to the user, in addition to enabling consumers to opt in to receive brand communication. The CRM initiative will join a list of mobile strategies that have been tested by the company this year, including QR codes, SMS and mobile apps.

Groupon Lands CPG and Retailer Deal

July 2011

Groupon has landed its first offer featuring a consumer packaged good paired with a specific retailer. The Unilver offer for Ben & Jerry’s is aligned with Supervalu, redeemable at the Jewel-Osco chain in Chicago. The Groupon deal is loaded onto the Jewel-Osco loyalty card and is redeemable at checkout, versus the traditional printed coupon from Groupon. This new deal could open doors for future CPG and retailer specific Groupon deals. For more information, please see AdAge.

Tone Skin Pushes Sales Via QR Code in WalMart

June, 2011

Tone Skine Care, a division of Dial Soap, is leveraging QR codes to drive sales in Wal-Mart stores. The QR code directs visitors to a video featuring singer Sara Bareilles, who talks about her sponsorship of the soap and how they can enter a sweepstakes for a chance to see her in concert. “This ad campaign with Propaganda Inc. and Dial is unique because with the in-store displays, we can track exactly where and how people are using the QR codes with the brand throughout the store,” said Andy Lynn, CEO at Kickanotch, Roeland Park, KS. To learn more, visit Mobile Marketer.com.

Clorox Introduces Mobile Ingredients App

June, 2011

Clorox Co. is releasing their “Clorox Ingredients Inside” app early this fall, which will allow consumers to scan Clorox product’s UPC code to obtain ingredient information. After scanning the code, the users will be directed to Clorox’s mobile site, offering short, quick and easy instructions on how to clean the messes that life makes. Clorox aimed to provide relevant and quick information about their products for their customers through the use of this new application as well as increase brand transparency about their products. For more information, please visit Mobile Marketer.

Altoids Salutes FB Stars Via YouTube

June, 2011

Altoids, the “Curiously Strong Mints”, have launched a YouTube video to salute stars of Facebook. These stars include “Likes A Lot” – a friend who likes every status update, the “Lyric Lover” – a friend who consistently posts song lyrics, and the “Oversharer” – the friend who shares more information than necessary. In addition to the YouTube video, the brand dedicated a section of their Facebook page for users to nominate their own friends for the awards. To learn more about the promotion, please visit Facebook.com/altoids.  To see the promotional video, please visit YouTube.com.

Bounty Begins Take Five Friday on Facebook

June, 2011

P&G brand Bounty paper towels kicked off their $5 coupon Friday on Facebook this month, giving away 5,000 high value coupons to the first consumers who come to get the savings. Every Friday in June, the Bounty Facebook page will make a surprise announcement when consumers can begin collecting the coupon – and once the 5,000 are gone, they are gone until the next week. Consumers can also sign up to receive reminder emails about $5 Friday within the corresponding Facebook tab on the brand’s page.

P&G Launches Facebook E-Commerce

June, 2011

Over the past few weeks, P&G has begun to add e-commerce to the Facebook pages of some of their brands, such as Tide, Gillette and Olay, and several more are slated to go on line in coming weeks. Items purchased will be fulfilled through the existing P&G e-store, but the Facebook commerce from P&G has also attracted Walmart.com, who is considering linking with the P&G pages in the future.

Bounce Uses Facebook To Build Buzz

April, 2011

Bounce is using Facebook to build brand buzz for its otherwise low-interest product.  The promotion will begin with a video featuring two Bounce advocates, one a bar person and the other a sheet person, trying to persuade people to their side.  Bounce will then prompt consumers this weekend on their ideas for new ways Bounce can be used and the best ideas will be featured in a video on the brand’s Facebook page.

Nook Color Adds Apps And Video

April 2011

Barnes & Noble is upgrading the Nook by adding an application store, an e-mail program, and the ability to play Flash video on its web browser. Consumers have been “rooting” the Nook software for months, voiding the warranty, to make the e-readers more tablet-like. With the new changes, consumers will be able to play games like “Angry Birds” and send emails on the device automatically without losing their warranty. At $249.00, the Nook Color will be hundreds of dollars less than other competitor tablets, although the alternatives do have advantages including a wider selection of apps and cameras.

Fendi Promotes Facebook Frenzy

April 2011

“Fendi Frenzy: The Color Challenge,” the new promotional Facebook contest launched by Bergdorf Goodman and Fendi, will intentionally increase traffic, views and “Likes” of the Bergdorf Goodman fan page. Fendi and The Bag Snob are promoting the Frenzy on their pages, ads have shown up on the department store’s website and The New York Times, and there are QR codes on the department store windows. For the promotion, fans go to the Bergdorf Goodman Facebook page and choose colors to customize a new bag. Fans then vote for their favorite design on Facebook; the five designs with the most votes will be reviewed by Fendi’s design team. The winning bag will become part of a limited edition collection and the design winner will receive Fendi’s new color-blocked 2Bag.

EBay Celebrates Moms on Social Media

April, 2011

eBay launched a Mother’s Day campaign through Facebook asking users to submit their “Superhero Mom”. The campaign, “Every Mom’s a Hero”, will offer perfect gifts to give this Mother’s Day. Entries to the written contest will be evaluated for chances to win prizes. In addition to Facebook, $100 eBay gift cards will be given way daily on Twitter for users who retweet the Mother’s Day deal or use the hashtag “ebaymomheroes”.

Calatina Launches ‘Coupon Network’ Online

April, 2011

Catalina, one of the largest coupon distributors, has launched “Coupon Network” as an online extension of its popular at-register coupon offerings.  The coupons on Coupon Network include many staples such as Campbells Soup and General Mills, but other non-grocery brands have launched offers on the site such as Fisher-Price and General Electric.  Catalina’s move to online couponing is on trend with the increasing number of coupon sites that are launching.  Coupon Network will face competition from already popular coupon sites Coolsavings.com, Coupons.com, and Redplum.com.  The online coupon market has been booming over the past few years: while online coupons represent only 1% of coupons distributed, they now represent 10% of coupons redeemed.  Catalina has been increasing their online couponing presence over the past year through increasing offers by mobile email, developing Target’s coupon section of their website and acquiring E-Centives, and internet couponing company.  One of Catalina Coupon Network’s main attractions is the “YourBucks” feature.  YourBucks offers in-store discounts off of any purchase a consumer makes the next time they shop, rather than an offer off of only one specific item like the usual coupons featured on the site.  Retailers have been quick to adopt Catalina’s new site.  Many larger retailers such as ShopRite have already added YourBucks to their websites.  For more information, see The New York Times.

General Mills First CPG on Groupon

April, 2011

General Mills’ offer featured as the daily deal on Groupon marked the company as the first consumer package good to be featured on the site.  The “featured deal” was $20 for a 12 item home delivered grocery bundle, valued at $40.  The bundle included boxes of popular General Mills items such as Chex Mix and Betty Crocker sugar cookie mix as well as a $15 coupon book.  General Mills stated that this offer was a test to see how consumers would respond to a CPG brand in the daily deal market.  The deal was only featured in two cities, but the response was extremely positive.  The deal started at 12:00am and was sold out with 4,500 purchased by 11:00am.  General Mills said that their goal for to offer was to do an “in home sampling program” through a new channel.  The company will analyze the results and consider incorporating similar offers into the next fiscal year’s budget if the response in positive.  General Mills’ partnership with Groupon comes as more national brands, most recently Barnes & Noble and Gap, have offered deals through the site. For more information see Ad Age.

Ocean Spray Taps FB For Spring Campaign

April, 2011

Ocean Spray is launching the “Make Your Spring Sparkle” campaign via Facebook, in addition to various other media outlets. During the past month, over 110,000 samples of the brand’s juices were sent to Facebook fans, and the campaign is asking these fans to return to Twitter and Facebook for more giveaways and contests. Currently, the Facebook page is debuting a sneak preview of the upcoming TV commercial for page fans.

Giant Eagle Promotes Through Twitter

April, 2011

Giant Eagle’s latest Twitter promotion is gave consumers the chance to win $150 gift cards.  To enter, consumers had to follow the brand and tweet about their favorite Giant Eagle brand product.  The short promotion began April 8 and ran until April 13, awarding one gift card per day.

Bounty Helps Clean Up Schools with FB Sweeps

April, 2011

Bounty is encouraging families to take the clean school pledge, offering a $50,000 Fabulous School Makeover designed by celebrity Kimora Lee Simmons as incentive. Hosted entirely on the brand’s Facebook page, consumers are invited to take the pledge to help keep community schools clean and then can register to win a makeover for the school of their choice. The Fabulous School Makeover is part of Bounty’s Make a Clean Difference movement.

Spectracide Launches Death Watch FB Game

April, 2011

As part of the Death Watch campaign, Spectracide has released a new Facebook game called Yard Defenders. Users must defend their yard against weeds using various Spectracide lawn care products.  The game also has a sweepstakes tie-in that consumers can enter to win a trip for two to Death Valley with accommodations in Las Vegas.  Follow this link to see the action <facebook.com/Spectracide>.

GranataPet’s Interactive Billboards

April, 2011

GranataPet, a pet food brand created in Germany, has begun an interactive advertising campaign using out-of-home billboards and Foursquare. When dog owners see a billboard introducing the new GranataPet brand, they can check in on Foursquare to redeem dog treats that automatically come out of a dispenser at the bottom of the billboard. The campaign will not only get dogs to try the snacks, but also introduce the owners to the new brand, and hopefully generate demand for the GranataPet brand at local area pet stores.

Miracle Whip Embraces Haters on Social Media

April, 2011

While most brands try to claim that their products are for everyone, Miracle Whip is taking a slightly different approach by embracing the “haters”. In a comprehensive social media campaign, Miracle Whip is letting both the lovers and the haters share their opinions on their brand of mayonnaise. In return for their opinions, Miracle Whip is offering a $1 off coupon, as well as free samples to try the product.

Kraft’s TV Ads Feature Your Tweets

March, 2011 Kraft along with its agency Crispin Porter + Bogusky, are searching the Twittersphere for tweets that mention Kraft Mac & Cheese to feature in an ad that will air tonight.  Five tweets will be chosen by Kraft and the agency, which will then have TV ads filmed this afternoon based on those tweets.  One of the five ads will run tonight on TBS and the other four can be seen on the Kraft Mac & Cheese’s Facebook page.

Home Depot Provides Mobile Barcodes At Shelf

March, 2011

Home Depot has partnered with Scanbuy to provide shoppers with mobile barcodes at shelf. When shoppers scan the codes, they are directed to Do-It-Yourself videos, product and buying guides and even the possibility to purchase the item online. Users must first download the HDScan technology, available as an app or by texting. As for the percentage of users likely to use the technology, “JumpScan claims that 57% of Facebook and Twitter users have also used QR Codes (a similar technology to scannable barcodes) at least once in the past year,” (Mashable.com).

Kellogg Collects Photos to Help Fight Hunger

March, 2011

In support of National Breakfast Day, which was March 8, Kellogg launched a campaign to help bring breakfast to children in need. Now through July, consumers are encouraged to share photos of their breakfast through shareyourbreakfast.com and for each photo shared, Kellogg will donate breakfast to a child who would normally go without one. Those who want to share can also text their photo to 21534 or share via Twitter with the #ShareUrBreakfast tag.  The campaign efforts are being communicated through broadcast, print, digital and social media and over 1,000 photos have been uploaded to the promotion site to date.