Tribe Talent Team on Tour

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Here at Tribe, we pride ourselves in recruiting, training and providing some of the best promotional staff in the experiential and events industry.

Over the past few months, our dedicated Talent Team have visited the far reaches of Britain to meet these individuals face to face. We continuously receive feedback that new recruits enjoy these sessions and appreciate meeting the agency that they are working for. Surprisingly for us, it’s not uncommon for agencies to book promotional staff on campaigns without having so much as a telephone interview!

We always ensure that each and every person goes through the following recruitment process:

  • CV received and assessed
  • telephone interview
  • face to face interview
  • continuous evaluation in the field

Meeting our promotional staff members face to face not only enables us to closely monitor who we allow on our books, but it also helps us to build strong working relationships – which in turn encourages them to work harder for us and the brands they are representing.

You wouldn’t hire someone you haven’t met to go to a meeting to liaise with your clients – so why would you book promotional staff to represent them in this way?

Baffling!

Shockvertising

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Something that seems to be capturing the media’s attention recently are shock PR & advertising campaigns. How far will brands/organisations go to get noticed? Or will we as consumers become unshockable over time?

Shockvertising is becoming more prevalent in the market. On average, a person is exposed to about 3,000 advertisements a day. It is becoming increasingly harder for advertisers get their brand and message out there.“Shockvertising” literally forces someone to take in a message. Although shockvertising can be very successful in capturing the consumers attention as well as informing them of important issues, it is an extremely controversial method to use and can be very risky. Is bad PR better than no PR?

A recent shock campaign that has hit the media is for the store chain Lush. A performance artist in London recently agreed to undergo procedures in a shop window meant to simulate animal testing.

Jacqueline Traides, 24, spent about 10 hours this week in the window of Lush Cosmetics’ Regent Street store in Central London. During the ordeal, she was subjected to force-feeding, injections, hair shaving and other uncomfortable procedures — often while restrained — reported the International Business Times.

Traides was joined by fellow performance artist, Oliver Cronk, who assumed the role of a laboratory technician. According to the Daily Mail, thousands of passersby witnessed the stunt and many signed a petition to end animal testing.

Lush’s Fighting Animal Testing campaign was clear that the London demonstration’s mission was “intended to shock.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=f4K9iSyj_lk

 

Here are a few more brands / organisations using shockvertising

PETA has decided to alienate their target market, humans.Their latest ad features slaughtered humans in order to draw out their feelings about humans slaughtering animal

Lady Gaga’s is unstoppable force of continuous self-promotion with her bizarre outfits and performances, one of her most famous being the meat dress!

Benetton anti-hate campaign.

A campaign focused on the theme of the kiss, a universal symbol of love, exchanged between global political and religious leaders:

 

 

#Trending at Tribe

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#TrendingatTribe

Yet another week flies by at Tribe towers! It’s time to look at what has caught our attention in the office this week…

Ford’s Parisian Pinball Car Parking Space

In Paris, people will do whatever it takes to fit into a parking space. Ford took this as an opportunity to promote Active Park Assist, a Ford Technology that helps even the worst drivers park their cars effortlessly.

A giant pinball was installed over a free parking space and programmed the bumpers of the front and rear cars to react as pinball bumpers. After a series of poor drivers attempt to park in the space, dinging the cars on either side mercilessly, one driver is particularly bad, scoring a monster hit on the impact scale! Crowned the worst driver of the day, this last man is given a ‘extra ball’ in the form of a chance to try to get in the spot with a shiny new Ford Focus, using its Active Park Assist feature.

A really fun an engaging way of bringing this new technology to life. Immediate consumer reach is minimal, but the amplification via social media is huge. Great work Ford!

Check out the video here: Ford\’s Parisian Pinball Car Parking Space

Sensory Experiences

Engaging via the senses isn’t anything new, we understand how different senses can influence consumer’s behaviour – and we know it works. Recently, we’ve seen this with McVities Lickable Lift and Gregg’s Smelly Bus Stops – and now Magnum’s Design sensory Experience. Consumers will be given one of the new ice creams to enjoy inside a pod. As they eat, their pleasure measurements will be captured and turned into visual animations and colours that will be projected onto the surrounding walls of the Pod, until the experience finishes and a personalised ‘Pleasure Portrait’ is created.

For consumers, this gives them a novel and exciting way to experience something in a new sensory way. For brands, it allows them to challenge their category and achieve standout by holding their audience’s attention through a new platform of brand experience.

Our experiential campaign for Aero really demonstrated this, with the smell of Mint Aero enticing festival go’ers into the inflatable disco and the bubble machine a DJ adding to the sensory experience.

Until next time…

#TrendingatTribe

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Here at Tribe, we’re always on the hunt for innovative and creative ideas. Here’s what has caught our attention last week…

Stunt to promote a new TV channel in Belgium

Everybody has been talking about the viral ad which has launched the TV channel ‘TNT’ in Belgium. A big red ‘push’ button was placed in in an average Flemish square in an average Flemish town, with a sign with the text “Push to add drama” inviting people to use the button.

With over 10million hits on Youtube this is hugely successful viral campaign generated high levels of exposure from around the world

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=316AzLYfAzw

McVitie’s create a likable lift

McVities have created a lickable lift for one lucky office block in London, to promote their loveable tasty treat, Jaffa Cakes.

1,325 Jaffa Cakes and four weeks of painstaking planning cumulated in this lift that can take its passengers to heaven (Floor 16) and back.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/4253755/Office-workers-set-to-get-a-lift-from-Jaffa-Cake-elevator.html

Tipp-Ex hunter and bear makes a return

I didn’t know people still used the archaic item of stationary known as Tippex… yet their hugely successful hunter and bear viral campaign makes a massive return.

The interactive Youtube experience pushes the boundaries like never before and has become a bit of a cult following amongst the social media community.

‘Tippex original goal when they first launched the online campaign was to -’ raise short-term brand awareness and to be on top of customers’ shopping lists’. The campaigns resounding success gained 10s of millions of views on Youtube and acres of publicity.

Let’s hope they reach the same level of success this year.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQtai7HMbuQ&feature=player_embedded

#TrendingatTribe

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Unless you have been living in Sibera for the last couple of months you cannot have failed to hear about the iPhone app “Instagram”.

Instagram describes itself as “a fast, beautiful and fun way to share your photos with friends and family”, using filters to “transform the look and feel” of your mobile phone image, before you share it on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Flickr etc.

As Instagram says itself, “It’s photo sharing, reinvented”.

I will be the first to admit that when I first heard about Instagram, I wasn’t overly impressed – I didn’t really see the difference between Instagram and other such photo apps such as Hipstmatic.

But then – my addiction began!

Using the smart filters and concepts of Instagram, my everyday photos are transformed into relatively professional looking ‘images’, and it seems I am not the only one to think I am now a certified photographer. My Instagram feed is filled to the brim with treasures of the everyday mobile phone snapper, from an office desk to someone’s lunch, the pleasure of turning that mundane image into something more visually beautiful is very rewarding.

So what does this have to do with experiential?

Experiential is all about turning the mundane into the spectacular; bringing a brand to life via an interactive and memorable experience, and taking something the consumer sees as ordinary, to turn it into something inspirational.

We worked with Cadbury earlier this year, taking the humble Cadbury’s chocolate bar, and turning it into a magical, GIANT chocolate fountain!! It amazed and delighted everyone (including us), and as the chocolate flowed, it turned an everyday shopping
trip for consumers into something more like a trip to Wily Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.

Here at Tribe, we love coming up with that concept that makes the everyday less ordinary and more extraordinary, just like Instagram!

 

……..and just a few Instgram photos from around our office to show off!

 

p.s. Happy Easter! x

 

#TrendingatTribe

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Sampling campaigns aren’t new to Tribe Marketing and this week we got to get our teeth (pardon the pun) into Low Salt Bacon!

After months of planning, our team gathered at the crack of dawn in central London,  armed with a very brightly coloured routemaster bus and as much low salt bacon (and bread) as we could carry. We set about cooking a tasty treat for the overworked and underfed commuters who grace the Capital.

As more and more consumers made their way through the slog of the daily commute, the waft of bacon had become too much, and the lure of key messaging that low salt bacon could be healthy as well as  tasty dawned on the hungry passers-by. A steady queue formed in the sunshine and we could only smile as the view turned from stone-faced commuters to jolly bacon butty eaters –  with everyone from construction workers to city bankers grinning from ear-to-ear at a bite of bacon indulgence (we even spotted a personal trainer, or two, tucking in)

To really cut through and engage with your consumer you not only have to ensure you are in the right location with a high proportion of your target demographic, but you need to create an experience with a team that will connect with them – and you often have less than a minute per person to do so!

In our fast paced society, everything is “on the go”- to give up 5 minutes while on an errand is something we just don’t do anymore. So to really engage with your consumer and to build advocates who will then go on to purchase your product follow our Top 5 rules below.

  1. The Right Staff – make sure your ambassadors truly represent your brand
  2. The Right Experience – make it engaging and memorable, draw your consumer in
  3. The Right Environment – who are you trying to target? Make sure they are there!
  4. The Right Time – when will they be the most receptive to your experience?
  5. The Right Measurement – EM can be measured! Ensure you gather valuable data

It doesn’t work for everyone (or every campaign) but sometimes all you need is to put a bit of Pork On Your Fork.

#TrendingatTribe

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Our Tribe are always on the hunt for  innovative and creative ideas, so to show you what we have been looking at this week we created  #TrendingatTribe.

Make sure you check us out every Friday for the latest in industry news and innovation!

Mr Kipling gives out Cakes to Go

Premier Foods and JCDecaux are debuting a new outdoor advertising format that will see free Mr Kipling cakes dispensed from specially converted poster sites.

The dispensers will distribute up to 500 Mr Kipling Angel Slices every day when consumers touch a button. The vinyl-wrapped posters will also emit the cake’s aroma to
tempt consumers to interact with the site. The posters, which will appear in 19 sites across the UK, will be supported by an experiential campaign, with an interactive “Cakemobile” touring the UK from 27 March to 9 May.

PR activity will be fronted by Gavin & Stacey star Joanna Page who switched on the first dispenser on London’s Tottenham Court Road this week.

The campaign was created to promote the brand’s “snap pack” format and remind consumers that they can eat its products on the go. The move marks a change in advertising tack from Mr Kipling, as it undertakes more experiential advertising and is a
great example of engaging consumers in a fun and tasty way. Someone pop the
kettle on and we will see you down there!

Diet Coke recruits Jean Paul Gaultier

Diet Coke has signed designer Jean Paul Gaultier as its creative director as it looks to put more weight behind its marketing strategy to target fashionistas.

The French designer has appeared in a series of short films alongside Diet Coke’s puppet brand ambassadors as the drinks brand looks to bring more fun and humor to its fashion-focused marketing approach.

As with other Diet Coke and designer collaborations, Gaultier will also be designer a series of limited edition bottles to be sold in Harvey Nichols. Previous designer partnerships have included collaborations with Karl Lagerfeld, Patricia Field, Manolo
Blahnik and Johnny Rocket.

‘Homeless Hotspots’ for SXSW

At the annual tech start-up conference in the US the “Homeless Hotspots” campaign has caused quite a stir!.  13  homeless men wore a white t-shirt that said  “I’m _____, a 4G hotspot” and carried a wireless internet device  so conference goers could  access a 4G  wireless network for a long as they wanted with a PayPal donation.

The campaign caused some very harsh internet reactions from around the globe, with many consumers and tech journalists disgusted that humans has now become mere devices for hire.

The agency behind the concept BBH, have  defended themselves saying: “Basically the seed was to try to help the homeless during SXSW”. Our goal is to reinvent the newspaper model (e.g. The Big Issue)”.  They stressed that they’re not advertising ything – except perhaps BBH itself – and that the money goes directly to the homeless participant.

Arguably, Homeless Hotspots is a full blown PR disaster for BBH causing missed reactions. While they tried to establish their charitable actions, it is obvious that some important voices are missing from the conversation — the voices of the Hotspots themselves.

What do you think?

 

BA to open pop-up restaurant – in a plane cabin

With the trend for the pop-up restaurant proving more popular than ever, British Airways have jumped on the band wagon by annoucing that they are to open a pop-up plane
cabin in the middle of Shoreditch.

The pop-up venue, called BA2012, will debut on Shoreditch High Street in April. Visitors can try BA’s new ‘Olympics-inspired menu’ created by Michelin-star chef Simon Hulstone. As well as a three-course meal, visitors will also get to see the work of two
talented artists commissioned by BA as part of the “Great Britons initiative” — a short film by Prasanna Purwanarajah (mentored by Richard E Grant), and artwork by Pascal
Anson (with tips from Tracey Emin).

Here at Tribe, we thought this showed real imagination from the minds at BA who have really upped their game in recent months with new advertising and Olympics motivated PR. The plane cabin restaurant will provide a truly memorable experience for consumers – although with tickets priced at an eye watering £50, you might not find us getting ‘on board’ just yet!

 

Educating the next generation!

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I was in email dialogue with one of my old university lecturers last week who was keen to see if Tribe would be interested in taking on some placement students (something we do on a regular basis). The conversation moved onto Marketing degrees and what’s included in the current curriculum – I was not surprised to learn that Experiential doesn’t get highlighted in any of the university’s Marketing degree’s, instead the focus remains firmly fixed on the more traditional forms of Marketing.

The lack of education is a real concern, especially as Experiential is one of the fastest growing disciplines. How can we possibly educate the next generation of marketeer’s on the marketing mix without including Experiential – one of the key components?! At a time when graduates are struggling to find jobs our industry is growing at a rate of knots, there is already a shortage of experienced / qualified candidates within Experiential with agencies scrambling to get the best of the best rather than the best of the rest.
We have spent the last 10 years educating clients on why they should include Experiential in their mix, maybe we need to spend the next 10 educating higher education authorities on why Experiential should be an integral part of their Marketing Degrees – surely it’s a no brainer!

#TrendingatTribe

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We’re always on the lookout for the next innovative and creative idea here at Tribe, so to showcase the next big thing and what has made us smile this week, we have introduced our weekly #TrendingatTribe Blog

Make sure you check us out every Friday for the latest in industry news and innovation!

The Big Innocent Village Fete

For 2012, Innocent Smoothies is rebranding their annual Fruit Stock festival into the Big Innocent Fete. Held at Regents Park , the event will run one week before the start of the Olympics and will host a farmers market, music, comedy, and even ferret racing!

Innocent are the official Smoothie and Juice partner of the Olympic Games and are cleverly leveraging the partnership as an opportunity to generate international brand awareness. With the huge influx of international tourists over the Olympic period, Innocent are providing them with the opportunity to celebrate “Everything that is great about the British summer time” with an authentic British experience. Very topical for 2012. We’ll see you there!

http://www.fruitstock.com/

More Fanta Less Serious

Fanta have launched an Integrated Campaign to support the creation of its exciting new fruit flavours – Mango and Passion fruit, as well as improved recipes across the range.

The campaign will run under the ‘More Fanta, Less Serious’ umbrella and will be supported by experiential, PR and an interactive Facebook game, which will give the core audience of teens the chance to win loads of great prizes.

http://www.facebook.com/fanta

The fun and interactive gaming experience encourages users to ‘like’ and share brand information that could potentially reach millions of Facebook users. With masses of sampling expected to happen this summer and a strong PR and TVC drive, the campaign will drive to be the number one choice amongst teens.

Ultra Book Pop Up theatre

Intel have come up with a unique experience to demonstrate the ultra thin design of their new ‘Ultrabook’ laptop.

A choreographed team of 60 individuals created a Pop Up Theatre ‘flashmob’ using the Ultrabook laptop. They cleverly created backdrops for a number of real- life situations, including hailing a cab, providing an orchestra for a busker and a late night basketball game.

The video clips have taken Youtube by storm and are a truly innovative and creative way of demonstrating a new product in a hugely competitive industry. A great example of how a very simple idea can bring a product to life

http://popuptheater.intel.com/

Fashion and Football from Harvey Nichols

Manchester City football team is hoping to attract a well-heeled football fan with the new Harvey Nichols corporate box at the Etihad.

The 8ft x 11ft hospitality box has been custom designed providing up to ten guests with a personal shopper, cocktails and access to beauty therapists. There will also be a sommelier and “hospitality team” on hand should you wish to buy any of the products on show.

The Harvey Nicholas corporate box is a great way to engage a different type of consumer and is the perfect marketing ploy to those fashion savvy wives down to see their hubby’s favorite team. Maybe football really is the beautiful game?!

http://www.thedrum.co.uk/news/2012/03/06/harvey-nichols-unveils-concept-box-mcfc-s-etihad-stadium

Finally…..

Paddy Power Stunt

Paddy Power caused a stir this week when they sat a giant jockey to an ancient hill carving in Oxfordshire, ahead of the Cheltenham Festival.

The firm said it added 200m of canvas to the Uffington Horse under the cover of darkness (using night vision goggles) to complete it in 6 hours using tiny tent pegs.

Unfortunately it was only around for a few hours before being made to take it down.

Paddy Power proving that a quick stunt is still a great way to gain coverage!

http://blog.paddypower.com/2012/03/08/how-did-paddy-power-do-the-uffington-white-horse-stunt-video/