Brands do not only provide people with goods, they also create jobs and help people build their careers, either by hiring or by motivating them. In fall 2011, Starbucks launched the Jobs for USA platform to support small businesses and people behind them, and this year Benetton, the recognized leader in sharing positive power across the globe and encouraging people to have a brighter attitude, helps the enemployed youth.
festivals and competitions
IKEA makes textiles one of the core components of its collections and focuses on fabrics in its campaigns. Recently, the furniture retailer launched two promotions at a time—in Australia and Hong Kong—dedicated to the creative use of textiles, DIY and home comfort revolving around applying different prints and colours. Both campaigns include an interactive component, encouraging consumers to experiment with textile and find new affordable ways to express their personalities through vibrant patterned fabrics and bring new life to their homes.
Converse, which celebrates creative independence and is committed to helping emerging musical talents to speak (or, sing and play) out, is bringing its unique experience, Converse Rubber Tracks, to a new land. The Brooklyn-based studio of the brand, where aspiring musicians can record their tracks free of charge, is arriving in Montreal, Canada next week, September 17-22. The “Converse Rubber Tracks in Montreal” pop-up studio will be opened as part of the POP Montreal International Music Festival.
Bacardi is mixing of one its best flavours, Japanese culture and tattoo aesthetics all together. The rum brand is relaunching Bacardi Dragonberry with a campaign, which pays homage to one of the most prominent characters in the Japanese art, a dragon, with a modern twist through tattooing. The brand tapped Japanese Tattoo Master Horitaka to create a unique dragon tattoo design, ‘the mark of a master,’ which could be won by a lucky Bacardi fan.
To inspire international creative community, Stolichnaya Premium vodka has rolled out an online project at www.ORGNL.TV. The brand has been playing off the idea of ‘being original’ in its previous campaigns including the search for the most original Britains and the spring digital initiative too. This is a hub showcasing the creative process of noted art, music, and fashion experts and offering people to upload their own videos to the website to share their own creativity with others.
UNIQLO is rolling off a new cross-platform advertising campaign to spread the word about the launch of two new stores of the brand in the USA. The latest marketing effort dubbed «The Faces of the People» features celebrities from all the fields, who embody the light, casual and playful nature of the apparel label. The new campaign stars both well-known human faces and Maru, beloved YouTube cat sensation from Japan, which got featured in a in a new online game, “UNIQLO Lucky Cube with Maru”, which offers users a chance to win nice prizes from the brand.
Virgin is offering an unprecedented gift to its most devoted fliers. The company, which opened a gateway to space in October 2011, will award a traveler who earns the most frequent flyer points from booking its flights until August 7, 2013 with a free trip on the Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo shuttle. The project titled “Virgin America Presents Mission: Galactic” is a great opportunity to rocket into the space without paying a cent—the points are collected for flights consumers were on.
Hyundai Australia has launched an action-packed promotion to support the launch of the new sporty coupe, the Veloster SR Turbo. The auto brand tapped Australian champion boxer, Lauryn Eagle to front an online story titled “Sexy gets Angry”, which is to evolve based on consumer’s ideas. The key element of the promotion, developed by Innocean Worldwide, is a clip, which merges video and comics, to tell a story about a bold girl, who reacts to unexpected things which happen to her. The campaign also includes outdoor, print media and digital marketing elements, highlighting the bold attitude of both the car and athlete (by the way, she will be managing Twitter promotion herself).