Sheetz
Situation
When Sheetz, a gas station and convenience restaurant chain, wanted to raise awareness of its made-to-order coffee, it tapped Smith Brothers Agency and Harmelin Media for an integrated campaign.The company, which has 350 locations in six states, targeted professional men and women in a five-mile radius around each of its stores.
Approach
Between April and July of last year, Sheetz sent out 2 million direct mail pieces to HR managers with various deals. The mailer also suggested Sheetz as an alternative to other chain coffeehouses.
“The goal was not only to reach workers, but to drive word-of-mouth marketing and buzz within the business,” says Michael Bollinger, director of client services for Smith Brothers. Radio, TV, outdoor and online marketing also were used.
The ads, which featured beat poets, had a bohemian tone. The campaign tagline was “Coffeehouse Coffee Without the Coffeehouse.” Consumers were urged to create their own beat poetry videos and upload them to Sheetz’s YouTube channel for a chance to win a prize.
Results
More than 65 unique videos were uploaded and specialty coffee sales more than doubled after the campaign.
-Mary Elizabeth Hurn
AT&T
Approach
AT&T partnered with agency Worktank to build awareness for its International Roaming service and several internationally ready smartphones. Last summer, Worktank targeted US travelers planning trips to popular destinations with strong AT&T service using rich-media ads on several travel Web sites. An Amazon.com landing page, e-mails to Amazon.com customers and search engine marketing completed the picture.
Results
The campaign scored an interaction rate of 21.71% based on 21 million customer impressions. The click-through rate was 0.19% for the rich media portion.
-Chantal Todé
Jameson Irish Whiskey
Approach
Pernod USA’s Jameson brand of whiskey recently teamed up with HipCricket for a second annual mobile marketing campaign centered around St. Patrick’s Day. Posters in bars as well as print and online messages featured the tagline “Keepin’ It Green” and encouraged consumers to opt in for the ability to send and receive Jameson branded Irish toasts March 17. Participants also had a chance to win a t-shirt.
Results
The campaign saw 9,108 mobile toasts sent during the sweepstakes, which ran from February 17 to March 18.
-Dianna Dilworth
TJ Bennett
Creative director, Hill Holliday
While the art direction on the Sheetz work is certainly bold, which feels appropriate, it also feels a bit disconnected. I’m not entirely sure why the people are in black and white. And the font choice is not quite right. Are these pieces supposed to feel youthful? Or hip? It’s unclear. But, at the end of the day, you can’t help but notice these pieces, which is good. The messaging, while a bit flatfooted on some of the work (although the copy on the direct mail piece is pretty solid), certainly comes through strongly.
The AT&T campaign is nice overall. It feels a little safe: Nothing new, but still engaging. Looking at each ad, I am inclined to interact with it. And that’s kind of the whole point, isn’t it? The messages of international roaming and more global coverage come through clearly. But I wonder if I’m left with any lasting effects from these. They are a bit like empty calories. Will I remember the message 20 minutes after I’ve interacted with it? I’m not so sure.
The Jameson campaign feels a little flat to me overall. When it comes to spirits marketing, I expect to feel the brand personality in every piece of communication. I don’t get that from these. I think the stadium cups come a little closer to hitting the mark, although the art direction feels a bit simplistic. The posters have a slicker feel, but they don’t have the personality that I’m looking for. An Irish whiskey should do St. Paddy’s day a little better.
