Campaigns That Deliver The X Factor

Sarah Kent, deputy managing director at Haslimann Taylor, writes:

To coincide with the return of the X Factor last weekend, Premier Foods launched The Oxo Factor, an appeal to find the next Oxo Family (Linda Bellingham was presumably too busy doing Strictly Come Dancing). The campaign invites families to make a 30 second TV ad for a chance to win £10,000 and appear on national TV during the X Factor final.

The public competition is not a new PR tool, but the explosion of social media and online content sharing over recent years had made it easier than ever for companies to engage directly with their target audience and create a two way dialogue. Significantly, the success of these campaigns is often dependent on them gaining momentum online through blogs, forums, content sharing and social networking. Coverage in mainstream media is beneficial but no longer essential.

And whether it’s bearing all for Dove’s Campaign for Real Beauty or making an ad for Doritos, consumers seem more than happy to collaborate. Earlier this year, more than 34,000 people worldwide applied for the ‘Best Job in the World’, as Island Caretaker on the Great Barrier Reef, by making a one minute ‘Big Brother’ style audition video. Oh yes, gone are the days when you could simply fill in an entry form and complete a 25 word tie-breaker.

User-generated content and ‘citizen journalism’ are key features of modern communication, as is our passion for sharing that content. During April 2009, we viewed nearly five billion videos online in the UK, an increase of 47% from April 2008 and it would take you more than 412 years to view all the content on YouTube. Campaigns such as The Oxo Factor feed that appetite by enabling the public to view entry videos via You Tube and involving them further by inviting them to vote for their favourite.

The real value of these competitions is the relationship they create between a brand and its consumers. People become brand ambassadors just by entering. They work well because they don’t treat consumers as a passive audience. Instead, the public is invited to help shape brand identity, offer real insights and, through participation, develop an emotional bond with a product or brand – a powerful combination and not one easily achieved through traditional marketing activity.

Harvester Makes A Wish For Charity

Harvester is aiming to raise tens of thousands of pounds for Make-A-Wish Foundation® UK this month by selling specially commissioned branded trolley tokens and Chuppa Chup lollipops.

Customers are invited to make a donation of £1 for a lollipop and £2 for a special edition trolley token. Everyone who makes a contribution will be entered into a prize draw to win a free family meal at their local pub and grill.

Alex Meyer, marketing manager for Harvester, said: “We’re hoping each restaurant will raise at least £500 for this fantastic charity by selling the lollipops and tokens. We’re urging people to come along to their local Harvester and help us achieve this total to kick-start this year’s fundraising.

“It usually costs around £4000 to make a wish come true for a child with a life- threatening illness, so we’re hoping that through our 173 restaurants we will be able to make a real difference. We will also be doing other fundraising activities during August, so watch this space!”

In the last two years Harvester has raised more than £50,000 for Make-A-Wish. The charity helps children and young people with life-threatening conditions by granting their magical wish. It was founded in the UK in June 1986 and, since then, has granted over 5,500 wishes.

Karen England, Make-A-Wish’s Director of Fundraising, added: “We are delighted to be working with Harvester to increase awareness of our work as well as raising much needed funds that will add magic to the lives of special children. Make-A-Wish is a great charity to support, whether you are an individual donor, a community group or a company like Harvester. You can see directly the real difference your donation brings to a child’s life.”

Eee By Gum - Yorkshire Sayings Are On The Buses!

Arriva has showcased Yorkshire’s heritage by displaying the top ten Yorkshire sayings, as voted for by local people, on its fleet of new buses.

The bus company has introduced 17 new buses into its services in Dewsbury, Batley, Birstall and Bradford, representing an investment of over £2million. Arriva decided to use these vehicles to highlight the wit and wisdom of the people of Yorkshire and is displaying a saying on the destination screen of each bus.

The company appealed for people to send in classic Yorkshire sayings such as 'sit thissen dahn and tell me about it' and 'Where tha’s muck, tha’s brass', in a bid to keep these colloquialisms alive.

Chloe Leach, marketing manager for Arriva, said: “We’re delighted to launch our new buses with the winning Yorkshire sayings following our appeal to the local public.

“We know that the people of Yorkshire have been respected not only for their blunt and forthright nature but for the wisdom this contains for many years, and now we want to ensure that these colloquialisms do not die out by displaying these sayings on our new buses.

“Hopefully, by creating a repository of these regional proverbs and witticisms we will keep these classics alive and pass them on to the younger generation.

The top ten sayings, listed below, were revealed on the new buses on Yorkshire Day, Saturday 1st August, at Batley Mill.

1. 'Ey up

2. Sit thissen dahn an' tell us abaht it

3. Tha can allus tell a Yorkshireman but tha can't tell 'im much

4. Well, Ah'll go to t'foot of ahr stairs

5. It's neither nowt nor summat

6. Put t'wood in t'oil

7. Wheere ther's muck ther's brass

8. Ee, by gum

9. See all, 'ear all, say nowt. Eat all, sup all, pay nowt. An' if th'ivver does owt for nowt, allus do it for thissen.

10. An' Ah'll tell thi that for nowt

Goodyear Helps Motorists Get To Grips With Efficiency

A new tyre launched by innovation specialists Goodyear will offer motorists an environmentally friendly addition to their car - lowering fuel consumption and Co2 and offering high mileage without compromising on safety.

Years of research and development has culminated in the unveiling of Goodyear’s new EfficientGrip tyre, which becomes the first product to harness the company’s unique ‘FuelSaving Technology’.

Independent performance tests run by world renowned TUV SUD Automotive have shown that, compared to the average performance of other leading brands, the new tyre has achieved 13 per cent better rolling resistance, and close to a two point increase in both fuel consumption and braking distances.

The success in improving rolling resistance has led to a staggering mileage performance, with a car equipped with the new EfficientGrip tyres showing almost 50 per cent increase in long term mileage on its free axle, and close to 10 per cent on the driven axle.

The tyre has already received the thumbs up from the environmentally friendly Nordic region in the form of the official ‘Ecolabel’, and now Goodyear corporate communications manager James Bailey believes it will offer a simple solution for UK motorists.

He said: “In the past it has been very difficult for motorists to choose a tyre for environmental of fuel saving reasons because it has normally meant a compromise somewhere else, whether it be on performance or safety criteria – the EfficientGrip changes that.

“People are becoming more and more aware of the difference that their tyres can make on fuel consumption, in every way from the product they choose in the first place to the way they are maintained during their lifetime.

“The EfficientGrip offers a great way for people to do their bit in reducing emissions whilst still having the peace of mind offered by Goodyear’s track record in safety.”

The launch of the EfficientGrip comes in the wake of EU plans to introduce mandatory tyre labelling in less than three years time, meaning that motorists would be encouraged to understand the fuel efficiency, wet performance and noise pollution implications of each product before making their purchase.

Goodyear has welcomed this move and believes the EfficientGrip will pave the way for drivers to think more carefully about these factors before they buy.

Mr Bailey said: “EfficientGrip simplifies the equation as it offers excellent performance in all three areas – the new system will highlight those tyres that focus heavily on market leading one area at the neglect of another.”

For more information on the EfficientGrip visit www.mygoodyear.co.uk

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For more information contact Megan or Dan on 0121 355 3446 or email megan@haslimanntaylor.com

Gripping Challenge For Motoring Experts

Six of the country’s top motoring experts are to pit their driving skills against each other to prove they’ve got the best grip on efficiency.

The EfficientGrip Challenge, hosted by tyre giant Goodyear, asks drivers to extract the maximum mileage from a limited amount of petrol in order to promote the advantages of economical driving.

The challenge, which aims to raise money for Teenage Cancer Trust, will highlight the fuel consumption benefits gained from efficient equipment, driving techniques and careful route planning. Each team will be tasked with devising a route which they feel will allow them to cover the most miles on as little fuel as possible.

Goodyear’s James Bailey said: “Drivers are becoming increasingly aware of the massive savings that can be made by taking all possible steps to increase fuel economy. Trends like ‘hypermiling’ are also becoming increasingly popular in the US, where it is claimed to be able to affect a 40 percent mileage increase.

“The EfficientGrip Challenge therefore calls on teams to put their driving skills to the test in order to lower their fuel consumption – and we can’t wait to see the results”.

All competing drivers will be given identical cars, fuelled to the same level so that their efficiency can be measured at the end of the day. Cars will also be fitted with EfficientGrip – the company’s latest tyre with ‘fuel saving technology’, which due to excellent rolling resistance can have a significant effect on fuel consumption.

The company will also be raising money for Teenage Cancer Trust and are appealing for sponsorship in order to reach a £30,000 target by the end of the year. To pledge your support, simply visit www.justgiving.com/EfficientGrip-Challenge

Goodyear will also be making a donation directly to the charity, totalling the sum of each team’s points score from the event.

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For more information contact Meg or Dan on 0121 355 3446 or email megan@haslimanntaylor.com

Paul's House? Only In Adland!

Bron Eames, managing director at Haslimann Taylor, writes:

There are times when I envy the admen with the talent and budgets to produce iconic commercials which really are ‘art’, like the Guinness horses, or the Nike football fests with an abundance of World class talent.

And there are other times, when I thank my lucky stars that I am in PR and grounded in a world where we have to take a reality check and have to keep in touch with the consumer.

Have a look at this ad which is currently getting considerable air time here in the Midlands, and you will see what I mean.

Yep – a small boy is asking to go and poo at his friend (?) Paul’s house, because Paul has Glade Touch & Fresh in the bathroom.

The potential for satirical remakes of this ad are tremendous – perhaps where the small boy soils himself on the way to Paul’s? What other totally unlikely aspirations does this little chap have? Would he like to help do Granny’s laundry maybe? Unload the dishwasher?

I find it hard to believe that this ad was made with any input from real mothers, or anyone who has had to coax a small child towards better toilet etiquette. My son (at that age) would delight in ponging the house out and, strangely, even now at 15 would never think of using air freshener. Clearly, it all went wrong very early doors!

I suppose there is one positive, the mother has at least succeeded in educating her son that his s**t does stink, and he will not grow up into an arrogant, overconfident autocrat.

£6.98 Glue Stopped My 50ft Yacht From Sinking!

When marine engineer, Stephen Spencer from London, discovered his 50 foot yacht had a hole and was taking in water in Poole Harbour, not even the pumps could keep her afloat. Instead, it was a £6.98 tube of adhesive that stopped his ketch from going under.

Stephen explains: “It’s quite an eerie feeling stepping on board a boat that is filling with water. After identifying where the leak was coming from, I was desperate to patch up the hole, which was about five inches square. I went to B&Q and came across Wet Grab adhesive from Evo-Stik, which claimed to work under running water.

“I admit I was skeptical! When I got back to my boat, I found some cork and some plywood and, with an enormous amount of cynicism, stuck it down with Wet Grab. To my astonishment, it didn’t get washed away but stuck like a barnacle to your worn out anti-fowling! I squeezed the remainder of the tube into the gaps and, without even having to wait for it to dry, the leak stopped.

“I was able to pump out the water and after 48 hours, I took the boat out to sea and sailed to Fox’s Marina in Ipswich without taking on a single drop of water.

“I learnt two things from this experience. Firstly, two inches of scrap ply and an old sanding block are worth keeping, regardless of what your partner might say when she is tidying up the boat! And secondly, if I’d got the hole when I’d been at sea, the boat would definitely have gone under – possibly taking me with it. I’ll never take the boat out again without a couple of tubes of Evo-Stik Wet Grab on board.”

Wet Grab from Evo-Stik is available from B&Q, Focus and Homebase. SRP is £6.98. For further information, log on to

http://www.evo-stik.co.uk/

For further press information, please contact Claire Heavisides or Anna Jester at Haslimann Taylor PR on 0121 355 3446 or email claire@haslimanntaylor.com / anna@haslimanntaylor.com