 |
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
 |
|
 |
|
Just for fun, the Kaleidoscope team will provide individual impressions of a current marketing campaign. We will use the following rating to assess the work. Please let us know if there is a specific campaign you would like us to rate.
The Good – something to be proud of – we couldn’t have done it better!
The Bad – not sure what the deal is here!
The Ugly – strategically lame and creatively rancid! |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Yvette’s Critique:
Rating: Good
I love this innovative incentive campaign
with an edgy spin from Virgin Mobile. Virgin
attracted the three top brands of Xbox,
Pepsi, and truth® to the program. Opt
in to watch one of their 30-second ads, fill
in a short questionnaire on the ad, and you
will receive one minute free airtime from
Virgin Mobile.
The commercials are content-rich and
brilliantly targeted to Virgin Mobile's
young “20-something” consumer. It’s easy to
watch for 30 seconds, and hey, you get
something in return. And I do like the way
you can easily opt out of the streaming
video at any time – no-one’s forcing you:
stay and you’ll be rewarded, leave – no
problem (but no reward) – what a way to get
someone to hear your message.
Sir Richard Branson is the colourful
Chairman of the Virgin Group which includes
megastores, planes, trains, and soft drinks
in addition to Virgin Mobile. He announced
recently that $3 billion from the Virgin
transportation and airline sectors would
fund a fight against global warming. Memorably in
June 2006, Branson rappelled from a
helicopter through the roof of the Docks
Entertainment complex in Toronto to announce
Canada’s first-ever 2-day Virgin Festival.
Such escapades are routine for this
adventurous, rebellious spirit who has been
involved in a number of world
record-breaking adventures and has crossed
the Atlantic by boat and balloon, and the
Pacific by balloon.
Launched in Canada in 2005, Virgin Mobile is
a partnership between Richard Branson’s
Virgin Group and Bell Mobility. Virgin
Mobile offers customers no contracts to
sign, no hidden fees and no monthly service
charges. Virgin USA launched in 2002. |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Kate’s Critique:
Rating: Good
Although I think it is a neat concept – I
think it is just another method of reaching
a market and it, too, will get tired.
Currently it is new and exciting but you are
still very aware as a consumer that you are
being forced to watch an ad. With the amount
of time this demographic typically spend on
phones, I’m sure that the deal of getting
“free” minutes for their cell phone service
will appeal greatly to the young Virgin
customer. I wonder how long they will
appreciate being exploited so blatantly; I
think that this audience is savvy to being
marketed to and I am not so sure they will
continue to find this worth it. Branson and
his team are always pushing the boundaries
and this is consistent with their brand.
Ultimately I think it comes down to 2
things… 1 – how reliable is the technology
(I had to link to the site 4 times before I
could get it to read – I normally don’t have
the patience for this) and 2) how watchable
is the ad. If the ad amuses (in any
advertising medium), I think that people
will watch, if not, they will resent being
marketed to and will change channels. Given
our rating options, I have to rate it a GOOD
for being innovative. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
