Optimus Prime who? This tech product is as great as the Transformers robot… just like a pocket autobot!

Thursday: Gorillas of Guerilla Marketing FROM THE DESK OF MILES EVERSON: Are you looking for some fun and unconventional marketing tactics that will help generate buzz about your brand? Look no more! Guerrilla Marketing is here. I’ve been in the business industry for over 3 decades now and personally, I believe this type of marketing is one of the most effective ways to raise awareness about your brand and capture your target market’s attention. If you’re serious about trying the unconventional side of marketing to connect with a lot more prospects, I advise you to conduct guerrilla marketing campaigns every once in a while. Keep reading to know how this mobile communications company provided its customers around the world with an optimized experience through a new product. CEO, MBO Partners Chairman of the Advisory Board, The I Institute

Optimus Prime who? This tech product is as great as the Transformers robot… just like a pocket autobot! LG Electronics is a South Korean multinational mobile communications company. With cutting edge technology and innovative design capabilities, the brand manufactures products for the Home Entertainment, Home Appliances, and Air Solutions industries. LG also produces handsets that provide an “optimized experience to customers around the world.” One example of these handsets? The Optimus 3D, which was released in 2011! The phone model is a 3D-enabled Android mobile device and is known as “the world’s first full 3D mobile phone.” Curious about why the LG handset is called “3D?” It’s because the Optimus 3D’s technology conveys depth perception to a phone user by employing stereoscopy and other forms of 3D depth techniques. [Stereoscopy: A technique for creating or enhancing the illusion of depth in an image by means of binocular vision.] How did LG raise awareness about its new product? Through the “Optimus 3D” campaign! With the help of experiential marketing and product sampling agency, Hotcow, LG built a fun and playful brand activation that centered around an “experience roadshow” to generate interaction with consumers in the UK. Since the Optimus 3D offers a “personal and immersive experience,” the campaign team created a message that stood out for LG’s target market. This led to the tagline: “Playing By Yourself Just Got Better!” The campaign consisted of 4 touch points from July to mid-September in 2011: Play Pods Six “Play Pods” that each looked like a big LG Optimus 3D phone were set up at Canary Wharf in London. Consumers were invited to participate in a 3-minute gaming experience using the new handset in a darkened environment.   Play Mobile Over a span of 50 days, a roaming branded truck with 8-demo handsets visited a total of 150 High Street, event, and park locations across the UK. The vehicle was specifically designed by the campaign team for consumer interactions “on-the-road!”   Play Team This 72-day on-foot brand activation delivered “quick hit” interactions with consumers for 2 minutes. Each LG staff was armed with 2 Optimus 3D handsets strapped to their belts, enabling them to roam around and approach people to play mobile games “on the spot” in high footfall locations, including pubs, bars, and High Streets.   Play Hub For 26 days, the Play Hub visited 5 high footfall locations in the UK, including Canary Wharf, The Ultimate StreetCar event at Santa Pod, and Manchester Piccadilly Gardens. The hub consisted of 4 zones designed to highlight the features of the new LG Optimus 3D: bQuick Zone – LG “gurus” conducted Optimus 3D demonstrations to explain the product’s features and benefits in greater detail. Game Zone – An “Asphalt 6” driving game with leaderboard and prizes. Photo Zone – A stage set that imitates US Route 66 with a real-life Harley Davidson Fat Boy motorcycle. Photos taken in this zone were uploaded on the LG UK Facebook group. Movie Zone – A cinema-style setup with an LG 3D Movie Premiere. Indeed, the campaign was a memorable “3D” experience for a newly released handset! Was LG’s “Optimus 3D” Campaign Effective? The brand’s experiential marketing was integrated with PR and digital elements. Social networking happened on site and photos of the activities were uploaded on Facebook.com/LGUK. Results of the campaign: Over 3 million consumers were exposed to the new LG Optimus 3D. Around 192,948 people interacted with the brand and product through direct and indirect engagements. About 90% of consumers said they had little or no awareness of the handset before their “LG Optimus 3D” campaign experience. Thanks to the fun brand activation, these people were made aware of the features and benefits of the new product! 63% of those who got involved in the campaign loved the experience and purchased their own LG Optimus 3D handset. Woah… talk about having consumers immediately buy your products. That’s one solid “achievement unlocked!” According to Sally Durcan, Hotcow’s managing director: “The LG Optimus 3D is now more playful than anything out there in the marketplace―it allows you to do all the normal stuff just better. The phone is the ultimate personal experience enabling you to get completely absorbed in your own world, be that travelling to work or lying on the bed or couch.” Meanwhile, LG UK and Ireland’s head of mobile communications marketing, Alex Windle said: “Glasses-free 3D on your phone is truly amazing, but our customers need to see it to believe it.” What’s one of the best ways to build a connection between your business and target market? A fun, LIVE experience. Take note: Even if the campaign was conducted in 2011, at a time when technological advancements were gaining momentum, LG and Hotcow were able to effectively promote the cutting edge technology of that time. Sometimes, it’s not enough that consumers simply know the features and benefits of your brand’s products or services. Your target market also has to see or experience how awesome your offer is. By creating exciting and engaging Guerrilla Marketing campaigns, you’re not just telling people good things about your product. You’re also enabling consumers to experience the “magic” for themselves. One benefit your brand can get from these kinds of campaigns? A memorable interaction with your target market that generates great brand recall! Hope you’ve found this week’s guerrilla marketing insight interesting and helpful. Follow us on LinkedIn.     Stay tuned for next Thursday’s Gorillas of Guerilla Marketing! Do you want to learn about how one campaign opened the minds of the public for a “world of hybrids” and people who are different? See it in next week’s article!