Video cards to change the face of greetings cards

Video cards to change the face of greetings cards

There was a time when sending a recorded video greeting meant having to load a plastic tape into a machine, but crystal-clear messages can now be sent without a cable or tape in sight. Cravendale are using it as part of their campaign featuring The Muppets.



Video greetings cards that allow people to record personal messages for their friends and loved-ones are being snapped up for £25 each.

The cards, made by Your Video Card, consist of a 6cm (2in) LCD screen and a discreet USB port that can be used to transfer images from a computer, or recharge the screen’s battery.

Users can buy a card, or record their message on the company’s website.

‘Say you can’t make it to see a relative for Christmas, recording a message has more impact than sending a normal, boring card, which I think people are sick of,’ founder Christophe Gras said.  ‘It is high quality, compact and, so far, the feedback has been really positive.’

Businesses have also latched on to the idea. VideoPak, part of communications company Amstore, is the first in Britain selling them to corporate clients.

It has shifted about 10,000 to companies including Harrods and Renault. And, with screen sizes constantly shrinking, it may not be long before video business cards are being handed out.

Marcelo Bustamante, of VideoPak, added: ‘The technology we have now is superior to when we started. One day, video cards will be used in mass marketing. We hope to be there at the start.’

Yorkshire-based Cravendale dairy is using the cards in a new advertising campaign that features the Muppets.

The dairy’s Sam Dolan said: ‘We’re famous for doing things differently and this was the perfect way to preview the advert without using traditional routes.’

Loyalty my arse

Craig Smith, planning director at Wax Communications believes that, in so much as brand loyalty exists consumers are as brand loyal as ever. But with attention spans getting ever shorter brands can drive switching by offering new experiences. He looks at how even the most loyal coffee drinker can be encouraged to switch their allegiance by constantly being offered something new and exciting.

Read the full article here www.promomarketing.info/features/opinion-loyalty-my-arse/16446

Want free music with your snacks??

Well you're in luck because United Biscuits & Wax's latest promotion, Snack Tracks, is now live! 

Running across a range of savoury snacks, and in partnership with Universal Music Group, consumers can now get a FREE music download with every promotional pack they purchase!  With music ranging from pop and R&B to alternative and classical, consumers can use their pack code and time stamp to choose a free MP3 track from over 100,000 songs in the Universal Music catalogue and easily download it to their computer, MP3 player or phone.

 

The pack design incorporates a silver foil flash and is a radical departure from anything done at UB before.  A massive thanks goes to Chris, James and the team for creating this brilliant design.  UB are thrilled with how the packs looks and think they'll have great standout on shelf.

This is one of UB's key pieces of activity this year and they're excited that they were able to secure a shipper in Tesco for the first time ever for snacks on the strength of the promotion.  

Jen

Check it out at www.snacktracks.co.uk. 

  

 

Walkers Guess The Flavour

Walkers have unveiled their latest promotion which takes a new twist on their previous flavour based activity.

The public are being asked to try Mystery Flavour crisps and Guess The Flavour for a chance to win £50,000. There are 3 Mystery Flavour crisps so £150,000 up for grabs in total.



A launch event last week, hosted by Gary Lineker, was attended by the good and bad from reality TV, with a heavy TOWIE presence http://on.fb.me/y3Totb

Guess The Flavour is an interesting twist and a logical progression from Do Us A Flavour. Whether it captures the people’s imagination in the same way remains to be seen but it is pretty certain that Walkers will secure additional siting within retail outlets which alone should see sales increase.

The promotion runs until 9 March and all correct entries will be placed into a draw. A correct entry must be identical to the Mystery Flavour name e.g. Red Chilli and Sage.

Clues for each of the Mystery Flavours will be revealed during the promotion.

Entries can be made via walkers.co.uk, text or on Facebook http://on.fb.me/wVIqHs and people’s entries are used as part of dynamic content on the sites.

Actimel 'Free Helping Hand'

We all enjoy a Helping Hand from time to time. Whether it's that little something to get your day off to a great start, a Helping Hand with your beauty regime (especially in winter), or even extra help with life's daily tasks, Actimel can help.

Actimel are giving away millions of Helping Hand gifts to make life that little bit easier. With everything from cleaning to car washing, gardening to mini manicures up for grabs, you’ll have a little extra time to enjoy to yourself.

Find more at.

https://www.rewardprocessing.com/helpinghands/default.aspx

Get buying your promotional packs and see what you get!

Gary

I've heard of paper flowers but....

..I’d not heard of seed paper.

They can do business cards that grow into mint! A3 posters that grow into daisies! Complement slips that turn into £50 notes when planted (this last bit isn’t true).

Apparently there are literally hundreds of uses for seedpaper – yes 100’s. The site only shows 11 but that’s a start I suppose.

Still, there’s got to a way to use seedpaper for a big consumer campaign surely?? Looks like some brands have got involved already for DM but not in a high profile way.

Perhaps we’ll change that....

Matt

www.seedpaper.co.uk

Whiskyblender

New service that blends personalisation with the gift of whisky: Whisky Blender.

The process is quick and easy.  Enter The Lab within the Whisky Blender website, choose the amount of each blend that you’d like to combine and watch your virtual bottle fill up. Blend choices range from the clouds of burnt heather roots in the Burnt Puddin' and the fresh and soft, but pronounced, buttery vanilla of the Vanilla Fudge to the medium-sweet and honeyed apples, ice-cream and pineapple of the Banana Split. After finalising the blend and personalising your unique 70cl crystal decanter, just sit back and wait for it to be delivered (which should be within the week).

Bottles, depending on your chosen blend, cost between £30 to £50.

Although I’m not a whisky drinker, if I were, I’m certain this would activate me, as it gives the chance to become your very own whisky expert blender as well as providing an extremely thoughtful present.

http://www.whiskyblender.com

Marie

Innocent Smoothies 'Win a healthy new year'

Innocent Smoothies have jumped on the promotional bandwagon with ‘Win a healthy new year’. They’re giving away loads of free gifts with every pack & there’s a daily prize draw to win a range of healthy treats from spa holidays in exotic locations and gym membership to surfing in Cornwall and dinner parties.

Free gifts with every pack include 50p off coupons for 250ml, 750ml and 1.25L innocent smoothies, 50p off coupons on innocent Veg Pots and over 1million Virgin Active Day Passes.

Find out more at: 

http://www2.innocentdrinks.co.uk/healthy-new-year

Here’s to a healthy year!

Puns

Mercedes Benz

A Mercedes-Benz will bring you through the winter in style. However, even a 4MATIC drive cannot protect a professional racing driver from the other drivers ...

A little bit late as well but their Christmas campaign was very sweet as well.....

Lucy

New Snickers ad featuring Joan Collins and Stephanie Beacham

 

The new ad for Snickers, featuring Dynasty actresses Joan Collins and Stephanie Beacham, has been unveiled by AMV BBDO.

The pair replace Mr T as the face of the chocolate bar, and introduce the new tagline ‘You’re not you when you’re hungry’.

Set in a changing room, Collins accuses a team-mate of stealing her deodorant. She is given a Snickers bar to eat because she is ‘acting like a diva'.

Yesterday, Katie Price’s Twitter account was ‘hijacked’ by Snickers as part of the campaign, with followers becoming confused about the tweets on the Eurozone debt crisis.

Clever and a nice angle after the success of 'Mr T'.

Chris.

Lurpack - Healthy doesn't have to be humdrum

Colourful ad, great camera work and a catchy little song.

Delicious!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=eMNTzAVmfA8

WAHACA SPOON AMNESTY!

Dining at delicious Wahaca last week I spotted this lovely piece of 'spoon
amnesty'. It instantly caught my eye, initially I thought it'd be something
for charity...
As I got reading though I realised that they're actually just asking for
THEIR spoons back! Turns out in the last 5 years 20,000 of their specially
designed spoons have been stolen! The cheek! Although I must say I was
tempted, they're really cute and would be perfect for jams! For every spoon
returned they're offering a free plate of tacos no questions asked!
I've never seen this done before and just like their blatant-ness and the
creative/copy is really good. Whether or not it will work is another
question, I'm not sure I'd hand in my spoon for some free tacos...
PS: Can I also recommend the Cactus Fondue and the Horchata - a refreshing
dairy-free almond and rice milk with a touch of cinnamon. Delicious.

Anna

The co-operative smart car!

An amazing shopping trolley smart car spotted in Brixton!

Activated to Snack Healthily - Graze.com

Having had my eye turned by the big FREE message (the simplest offers are always the best), and, it being January and all, being on the look out for ways to shift the Xmas belly, I came across Graze.com.

Their intro offer of a FREE first delivery (you pay 50% for the second then full price after that if you keep going) has been advertised in Metro and in flyers inserted into Amazon deliveries (I get a lot of those).

I got my first pack last week and although not a fan of seeds and pulses it was delicious! I suspect I’ll keep going with it until I realise it’s costing me a fortune and head back to Gregg’s!

Still, for the healthy-minded among you try it out – the least you’ll get is 2 graze boxes for the price of half of one! Not bad....

Matt






https://www.graze.com/

Activating Frenchmen!

Although on our many Wax visits to galleries and exhibitions we always show great respect to the museum as a peaceful place in which to absorb the artistic mastery on display, we are also big fans of powerful guerrilla marketing that causes a proper stir, sets the internet buzzing and plants brands firmly into the consumer consciousness.

It’s unlikely that the Director of the Musee D’Orsay in Paris is going to be shopping in Etam any time soon, but if Parisians weren’t talking about the retail brand before, then they certainly are now....



http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/9009223/Lingerie-publicity-stunt-in-Paris-Musee-dOrsay.html

Camden Town app

At the forefront of cutting edge style and design, Camden has always been a place that has attracted those who seek out all that is innovative and interesting; indeed the area has hosted some of the most internationally iconic musicians, artists and fashion designers.

This is a great app, slick, simple and a perfect example of how to use digital technology to make the most of our actual surroundings and local areas.

Produced by Camden Council (yep) it’s the definitive guide to the best of Camden Town, with insider tips on what's on, where, when and how to get cheap deals using your limited edition money off Camden Wedge card (highlighted on the map in red).

Together with a few well placed 6 sheets (spotted on the way to the office) this seems like a promising campaign and once I take advantage of ‘Cloud 9’s' offer (below) this weekend I can honestly say I’ve been activated. 

Chris 

Clever LG Viral

Clever LG Viral and pretty brave.   Pip
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYX5fFxcXWU&feature=share