It’s that time of year again when the nations biggest brands unveil they’re multimillion pound
Christmas blockbusters in the hope of sending sales, awareness and social media hits
through roof in a bid to rule the media
waves.
Ads are now purposely released during prime time ad breaks for mass exposure and aimed directly at
the social media obsessed demographic. A tactic that has worked so well for
John Lewis that its cartoon bear and hare characters now have they’re own
twitter accounts with mass followings, see @JohnLewisBear and @JohnLewisHare!
And this year's ad has already had twice as many views on You Tube than last year’s snowman ad, doubling the hits to the tune of 9.8 million views so far and dwarfing the theme packed M&S advert in the process.
So what are the crucial
elements to a successful Christmas marketing campaign? The fresh thinking required for concepts that are both current yet classic whilst still original is a definite must and something we pride ourselves on here at The MotivAction Group. This got us thinking about the many Christmas adverts over the years, Coca Cola, John Lewis, The Famous Grouse, or maybe Ant & Dec are a new Christmas winner.....but which is your favourite?
Join us on Twitter to keep up to date with our blogs and discussions or leave a comment below. We'd love to hear from you!
Merry Christmas from everyone here at The MotivAction Group!
Street art has always caused a stir, dividing the community into those who consider it an unlawful act of vandalism or those who rejoice in the name of arts and culture. Regardless of the on-going Tom and Jerry styled saga, graffiti has worked its way into the events industry with a subtle bang!
Street artists often hold the same aspirations as us here at The MotivAction Group, to not only ‘wow’ our clients but to truly engage on an experiential level, taking expectations of what’s deemed 'normal' to the very edges of its understanding. Bristol’s very own mysterious Banksy has been doing this for years, occasionally in the most obscure and even dangerous of locations, forcing the world to look and think a little deeper. Most recently he caused a stir in New York where he sold original canvases incognito for just $60 (£38) when they are said to be worth up to £20,000. See more on this story here.
Within the ever developing events Industry a live graffiti demonstration or even digital graffiti wall can add an excellent visual impact to any event, pushing those corporate boundaries and bringing the flavour of a ram shackled, down town 1980's NYC to the conference hall to wow, shock and stir the imagination in the best ways possible.
Graffiti Workshops also offer an excellent experiential team building option with hands on and artistic twists. And with Wi-Fi instant streaming capabilities allowing event delegates to share their fantastic experiences via social media, it can cause real ripples throughout the twittersphere adding further value and exposure to the event.
The most exciting and inspiring variation of events industry graffiti fun is served up by the Graffiti Van. Offering events attendees a novel yet fresh way of creating some potential ‘art’ along with plentiful laughs and lasting memories. The contradiction of using an ex-ice cream van as a black board providing an experience that’s both a little naughty and a little nice.
So regardless of your personal views on whether the action of using spray paint onto walls is a crime against the eyeballs or innovative opportunist art that allows creativity to thrive in places where it should not, the utilisation into our events can prove a pivotal feature that will keep your attendees singing your praises long after the paint is dry.
See our previous blog entriesfor some of the experiential offerings we've found this year!
Remember that you can let us know your thoughts by following us Twitter or liking us on Facebook.
Our dearest of friends from across the pond have long celebrated the force known across the globe as Halloween with a real American sense of enthusiasm which now appears to be spreading.
Here at the Creative Enterprises Hub, along with countless others within our industry, we view this strange celebration of all things dastardly and bizarre as an excellent theming opportunity, or just an excuse for a party.
Here’s a selection of our favourite highly themed and experiential examples;
Thorpe Park Fright Nights
Thorpe Park provides the ultimate ‘Fright Night’ having teamed up with the Scare Group UK to offer attendees not only a terrifyingly lit turn on the parks rollercoaster’s but in every crack and crevice of the park zombies, along with a variety of characters from the Saw movies, lurk with the no other intent than to scare. Genuinely only for those with a high scare threshold, consider this almost a health warning!
As ever London offers an array of fright nights from the grizzly to the gruesome, most coming in the shape of The Vaults, a now unused Underground train station filled with mystery, history and tales of another time and another world. These masters of morgue promise a playground for the freak in all of us.
Activities include DJs of the undead, the graveyard cinema, the abandoned end of pier arcade games and crazed capers from the finest twisted cabaret acts. Click here for full listing.
The establishment of World Zombie Day only reinforces our developing fascination with all things spooky! The event takes place in over 50 cities worldwide where organized marches of the undead are staged with a meet place and a detailed route for the general public to either join the chaos or hide. This year’s London march started at Marble Arch Tube station and spread right across the capital ending up in a Zombie Ball.
This Halloween, rather than being frightfully dismissive or venting annoyance at the fact kids are knocking on the doors for sweeties, perhaps we should start to embrace this celebration, both within the industry and our social lives to fully realise its theming potential.
According to the demand for such events and activities, this could be a strong event theme throughout the calendar year. None the less it will prove a ‘freaky’ one to watch over the next few years.
See previous Blog entries for some of the experiential escapes The MotivAction Group has provided clients.
Remember… let us know your thoughts; follow us on Twitter or like us on Facebook.
Marketing
is evolving at breakneck speed as technology and consumer habits change. Ten
years ago mobile was barely on the agenda for many brands; now it’s fast
becoming an integral part of any multi-channel strategy.
While it’s never simple
to judge exactly where the industry is heading every time a new “seismic shift”
is on the cards, it will be interesting to see how brands and consumers alike
take to an entirely new advertising channel – and whether bone conduction really is
here to stay.
German
company Sky Deutschland plans to use the new technology to broadcast adverts on
the nations’ railway network. Bone conduction involves passing vibrations
through the consumer’s skull to transmit soundwaves to the fluid-filled chamber
in the ear known as the cochlea. From there the information is transmitted to
the brain and the subject hears the sound as though it is coming from within
their own head.
It
may sound reminiscent of a futuristic thriller, but bone conduction technology
has already been in use for some years, particularly in headphones and some
types of hearing aids which are worn behind the ear – which also indicates that
even deaf people will be able to hear the adverts being broadcasted.
What’s
more, talk of Google using the technique in their upcoming Glass unit suggests
that it could be set for widespread dissemination in the next few years. It’s
certainly a bold new technique for marketers to add to their sizeable toolkits.
But plans to employ bone conduction to broadcast adverts to passengers resting
their heads against train windows have been proving controversial ever since
they were first announced a couple of months ago.
According
to the Daily Finance, the YouTube video demonstrating the technology had
received more than a quarter of a million views in early July, of which seven
out of ten had rated the concept with a thumbs down. That’s overwhelmingly
negative, and comments going as far as to decry bone conduction advertising as
an invasion of privacy are unlikely to be won over in the near future. A number
of comments voice their sympathy for commuters who are unable to enjoy a quiet
minute of rest after a long and arduous shift.
So,
what are the chances of bone conduction taking off as a worldwide marketing
tool? It isn’t too hard to see why the industry is fascinated with the idea, but
it seems consumers will be harder to convince. Still, appealing to passenger’s
wallets could make the difference.
In the UK, years of fare increases as fuel
prices have risen have left commuters facing ever-higher transport costs. It
could be that injecting some much-needed revenue from advertising into the
country’s rail network is just the ticket for passengers, especially if it
prevents another price hike, pushes fares downwards or even pays for more and
better services.
It
remains to be seen whether bone conduction marketing makes its way over to the
UK, or indeed whether it is taken up at all.
Either way, in the sense that it’s
captured our attention and got us talking, it’s already working!
The event theming trend of
the year has caravanned its way to an event near you. It’s The Circus Theme!
Since its arrival the Circus
has fascinated us Brits and as a consequence it’s no wonder that event agencies like
The MotivAction Group are re-imagining ways to present everything you can do
under a big top.
You’ll be pleased to know
that you don’t have to spend the sort of budgets that Cirque Du Soleil have at
their disposal to create a truly crowd pleasing performance.
A fantastic example of this
is our local friends that organise the Standon Calling festival every summer. The
weekend’s acts (including De La Soul – I’d forgotten all about them!) will be
housed in a big top and the on-site bar, sweetly called the Strongman’s Arms,
will be hosting a series of quirky sessions including ‘The Art of Whipping’ and
‘How to Conquer Your Fear of Clowns’. I can see that they might appeal to some
of MotivAction’s employees!!
If Circus appeals then also
check out London’s
Southbank where the Wonderground
Festival is now fully underway, with shows ranging from Canadian
Lumberjacks to a traditional Parisian Burlesque knee’s up. There’s something
for the clown or contortionist locked away in each of us.
So, no matter what your
stance is on clowns being funny or just plain creepy, it’s clear that the
circus hasn’t lost its appeal.
If you’re travelling through Stansted or Manchester airport on your summer holidays
over the coming weeks you won’t fail to notice the rather large suitcase
MotivAction has produced for EE’s latest roaming campaign.
Our brand ambassadors are on hand to tell holiday makers
about the fantastic roaming rates they can receive to make sure they’re in
touch with family and friends whilst abroad.
If you’ve got a brief sitting on your desk for a live
marketing or brand experience campaign then feel free to share it with our
lovely team of creatives at MotivAction. We’d love to help!
We don’t know if you noticed but a rather large sports festival popped up in the East of London last summer. And it seems that it’s set to become a firm favourite with festival and sports organisers wishing to ‘pop-up’ an event.
Harnessing the nation’s feel good factor following our Olympic glory, the park has already played host to an array of outdoor cultural events, ranging from the Open East Festival, the Wireless Festival and this summer’s hugely popular Anniversary Games.
The sheer scale of these projects really does impress. Amid the on-going renovation works you’d never expect to find swing ball arenas, cultured catering, multiple stages and the largest chunk of astro turf you’ve ever seen! It’s no mean feat!
So far, the
immediate Olympic legacy has been most enjoyable, with the diverse nature of
the Park’s Event calendar perhaps the most pleasant surprise. Yet, the best bit
of the lot is the fact that this ‘Pop-Up’ perfect festival ground is wham bam
in the middle of London’s east end bringing exciting arts programmes to the
masses, a green playground which really shouldn’t be.
Keep your eyes peeled for more thought provoking ‘Pop Ups’
as the trend continues to sweep the industry.
“Play to win. Don’t play to play.” said the Managing Director of Varo Foods in amazement after first setting his eyes on the Westfield Stratford demonstration kitchen we had created for him.
It may sound like an obvious statement but sometimes it can be hard to hand over the keys to your prized brand to an experiential agency and just let them ‘get on with’ creating a sampling event.
It probably hadn't helped that we’d been planning the launch of his new Nigerian delicacy Moinmoin for nearly a year, discussing a range of different venues and events and having to cancel them as the product simply wasn't ready.
Moinmoin is a dish served at Nigerian celebrations (known as Owambe) and family recipes are a closely guarded secret handed down from generation to generation. So it’s no surprise that Nigerians are very outspoken about what makes a good Moinmoin. You can see why no one had yet dared to package it as a convenience food - there was a lot at stake.
Getting the recipe just right and waiting for the glacial manufacturing process to complete meant that the product sampling activity just got pushed further and further back. After all this time dealing with suppliers it was evident Varo Foods’ Managing Director hadn’t realised just how professional the live sampling activity could look.
That’s precisely why he got MotivAction involved at the outset. We would take care of the whole process, ensuring our brand ambassadors were fully briefed, that Westfield Stratford’s demonstration kitchen was bright and vibrant and most importantly that his shiny new brand was properly represented throughout the whole weekend.
No matter the client, brand or budget, MotivAction are there to win; not simply to play.
And you know what? It all paid off. After trying our hot Moinmoin samples the Nigerian target audience couldn't believe Varo Foods had managed to create such a tasty product. During our three days at the demonstration kitchen we had sold hundreds of tins of Moinmoin, created tens of thousands of opportunities to see the brand and Varo Foods saw their social media activity increase three-fold.
It looks as though Varo Foods’ Moinmoin has all the ingredients it needs to win!
If you would like to know a little more about the sampling activity we created for Varo Foods please get in touch with me at ideas@motivaction.co.uk and I’ll happily send you a case study.
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