Coty
Situation
International fragrance company Coty tapped interactive agency Syrup to create an interactive Web site to promote the launch of fragrance line Harajuku Lovers, which was designed in partnership with singer Gwen Stefani. A Harajuku is a Japanese girl known for creating unique fashion styles.
Approach
The Web site, HLFragrance.com, features a section dedicated to the “Harajuku Girl posse,” which encourages fans to record, upload and share videos of themselves singing karaoke to the Stefani song, “Harajuku Girls.” The videos are then instantly shared and made visible to everyone visiting the Web site. The site also allows users to display their videos on social networking sites and download wallpapers for mobile devices.
“Online video creation and viewing was the central focus of this campaign,” said Rob Holzer, CEO of Syrup. The videos, he added, “kept people engaged and connected with the brand.”
Results
The site, which launched in October, has had more than 2 million page views and 300,000 unique visitors. Facebook referrals account for 7% of the traffic. Harajuku Lovers launched as the No. 1 fragrance in the US.
-Bryan Yurcan
Alltel
Approach
Wireless carrier Alltel wanted an easily navigable shopping site offering its products. When in-store research showed shoppers are drawn by phone appearance and investigate details afterward, e-commerce services provider Allurent optimized Alltel.com to highlight phone aesthetics first.
Results
Allurent’s Flash-based selector tool launched in October and produced a 25% higher conversion rate than the HTML version.
-Kevin McKeefery
Buffalo State College
Approach
Hoping to get on the radar of art teachers in New York State, Buffalo State College’s Visual Art department mailed visually interesting postcards to 4,000 qualified names. Four versions were created using images from alumni artists.
Results
There were 200 page views of BuffaloState.edu/visualarts within two weeks of the first card mailing in February 2008. Inquiries from prospective students for the college’s visual arts programs increased by 24%.
-Dianna Dilworth
PRIVATEVIEW
Victoria Azarian
Senior partner, creative director, Ogilvy & Mather New York
I love the site and the interaction for Gwen Stefani’s Harajuku Lovers fragrance campaign. The vibrant color palette and illustration style make me wish I was a teenager again so I could unapologetically douse myself in Harajuku Lovers perfume. I particularly enjoyed the karaoke sharing portion of the site. Syrup nailed the audience and its desire to express themselves, which is reflected in the results. Who knows, I just might run out to Sephora and pick up a bottle anyhow.
Based on Alltel’s television campaign, I was expecting a little more humor and maybe a dig or two on the competition from its Web site. However, the simple navigation and tasteful product shots I found instead make for a good Web site that is reminiscent of apple.com. And compared to some of the competition’s sites, this one stands out design-wise. If Alltel ever makes its way to New York City, I’ll certainly check it out to see how easy the buying process can be.
Sending arty postcards to art teachers, who in turn can pique would-be art students’ interest in Buffalo State College, is a smart angle to take. The photography from this effort is actually quite good and the design fresh. However, conceptually it falls a bit flat. And once you turn over the card, the copy reads like a creative brief. I know how difficult it is to get your message across on a postcard, however, the campaign could benefit from some more thoughtful copywriting.
