Giant corporations and smaller companies always strive to be innovative to boost their business and continue success. Since each of the market leaders does a great job in this field, measuring and comparing their ‘innovative’ achievements can be rather tough, still Information Week, the technology magazine, studied their activity and published a list of the American companies, which use innovations in their strategies in the most effective way. While a multinational technology company, PACCAR, which manufactures premium commercial vehicles, tops the 2011 InformationWeek 500 list, the second position is taken by Levi Strauss, followed by other consumer companies including Procter & Gamble, Walgreen Co. and Colgate-Palmolive Co, which take the 8th, 29th and 50th place correspondingly. The companies were ranked based on how they use technologies and fresh approaches to engage consumers in the most meaningful and entertaining way.
Author: Anna Rudenko
Johnnie Walker, which launched a massive campaign to celebrate Chinese visionaries and pioneers earlier this year, has introduced another installment of its ‘Step inside the circuit’ initiative, unveiled in January. The campaign was created to highlight the brand’s partnership with the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes F1 team and pay tribute to the drivers with a series of short black-and-white films and a range of consumer engagement pieces like the ‘Step inside your ultimate drive’ extension, developed by iris Singapore and launched in July, or the new ‘Go Face to Face’ Facebook application.
Cadbury, the official treat provider of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, is announcing a new phase of the Olympic sponsorship campaign, which continues its Spots V Stripes initiative. As part of the new extension dubbed ‘Keep Team GB Pumped,’ the £8m campaign running on TV, digital platforms and experiential media, Cadbury launches consumer engagement activity and introduces themed versions of its favourite products as well as Olympic mascot shaped chocolates and Bassetts Jelly Mascots this month.
Marks & Spencer has tapped Ryan Reynolds and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley for a series of prints to promote a new Autograph collection, which is due hit stores tomorrow, September 1. The Hollywood A-listers joined the team of models, actresses and actors, who front the M&S ad campaigns—the apparel manufacturer frequently introduces new faces and axes previous celebrity packed promotions with no regrets, like it was in mid-July.
Ahead of the world premiere of the new MINI Coupé at the IAA International Motor Show, BMW is launching a campaign to engage more fans of the tiny car before the launch of the new two-seater model, the latest one in the MINI family. The marketing initiative dubbed ‘Another Day. Another Adventure,’ developed by Amsterdam-based agency BSUR, is rolling out across TV, radio, print, outdoor and the social media platforms, inviting drivers of the small cars to live their life to the max.
Technology giant GE comes on the heels of Honda’s ‘Dream The Impossible’ documentary series and a range of similar initiatives by other brands, announcing the release of 30 documentary short films built around the theme of “the incredible human power of ideas and invention.” For the new project, the company teamed up with CINELAN, the publisher of three-minute non-fiction videos headed by Morgan Spurlock and Karol Martesko-Fenster, and a roster of celebrated documentary filmmakers.
The Italian coffee brand illy, which infuses coffee with art in its bespoke Art Collection, is extending the range of artist cups and saucers with a new limited-edition piece, created by celebrated Bombay-born sculptor Anish Kapoor, who’s been living in London for 40 years. The artist, known for his giant projects such as his huge Leviathan intallation in Paris or Cloud Gate in Chicago, this time switched to tiny sizes, but still applied his unparalleled approach and signature style to designing the cup. Just like most of his creations, the new illy coffeeware has a metallic touch and is dedicated to blending emptiness/fullness and external/ internal in one piece.
dENiZEN, introduced by Levi Strauss primarily as a brand for Asia-Pacific region, but later taken to the U.S. as well, has launched a new program targeted at ambitious young people, willing to spread the word about their start-ups. The brand is calling individuals and groups from China, Singapore, Korea, Pakistan, India and Mexico to come up with their inspirational and optimistic projects, which can benefit community in various areas, including filming, art, technology, music, sports or games. The most entertaining and smart entry will be selected by three judges and realized with the help of dENiZEN—so, it’s really worth trying.
Coca-Cola is encouraging consumer experiments with its tastes by presenting its new Coca-Cola Freestyle application on Facebook that enables the brand’s fans to mix and share their favourite beverages online. The launch of the new project, which is rolling out both online via the above-mentioned hub and in the real world, comes ahead of a the bigger U.S. campaign dedicated to Freestyle dispenser machines (the marketing initiative, developed by Ogilvy & Mather, will be kicked off in 2012, AdAge reports).