In autumn 2011, Timberland launched
a new communication campaign : « Nature needs heroes » around its historical product Earthkeepers.
A very successful campaign. Proof by
images.
1. Printed ads, with judicious choice
for their location (specialized sports magazines, business magazines : for a
sportive and higher-middle class customer target – Earthkeepers cost
around $160.00)
2. TV ads (broadcasted during live sports
programs, during prime-time and after-prime time)
3. Facebook and iPhone apps, with an
aim of financing the plantation of 1 million trees in Hawaï.
On Facebook, you can create your very own virtual forest (https://www.facebook.com/apps/application.php?id=142508765793833&ref=ts&sk=wall). The device for phones is more sophisticated : every time you move from a place to another (by foot or bike), you can launch your application, which records the distance you conquer. And, when you reach a certain number of
km, Timberland sponsors the plantation of a tree !
4. 3D devices in shops
5. And, on top of all of that : an
interactive website to articulate all the communicational devices together.
The theme of the campaign is the
need of heroes for nature. The consumer becomes that hero : he is the one to
buy recycled products, therefore he is the one who saves the nature. This positioning
is very successfully translated into the communication disposal : the
consumer, via Facebook or iPhone application, saves Nature. I find this 360-degree communication very subtle : they don't directly incite the consumer into buying Earthkeepers. Instead of that, Timberland accompanies two central tendencies in consumer behavior :
- The tendency towards "green consumption".
- The takeover of consumers over firms : consumers are the one who decide, not the firms, leading to a new type of marketing (participative, interactive, but never directive)
A U-turn from Timberland’s
2008 TV Spot, which placed nature and not the consumer at the centre.
No comments:
Post a Comment