Category: Best Use of Branded Content & Sponsorship
Advertiser: NIKON
Product/Service: COOLPIX
Media Agency: MEDIACOM, London, UNITED KINGDOM
Associate Director: Louise Brown (MediaCom)
Associate Director: Phil Jameson (MediaCom)
Group Partnership Manager: Georgina Broadhurst (Channel 4)
Interactive Partnership Manager: Jade Raad (Channel 4)
Group Account Director: David Amstel (Doner)
Media placement: TV BROADCAST SPONSORSHIP - CHANNEL 4, E4, 4OD - 1ST MARCH 2011
Insights, Strategy & the Idea
Our marketing problem was distribution. We solved it by leveraging teenage obsession with celebrity.
Nikon’s strategy is based around the insight that photos you take and share tell a powerful story about the character that you want to project. This led to the “I am..” campaign idea, which used this simple adaptable slogan to showcase the stories behind photographs.
We needed to get this idea to resonate amongst the young audience for Nikon’s Coolpix range of compact cameras, and secure retail distribution for the range (this would make or break our Christmas). So we created an innovative partnership between Nikon Coolpix and two other parties:
• CHANNEL 4'S HOLLYOAKS SOAP OPERA - one of our target group’s favourite programmes, and a great fit with the Nikon campaign idea due to its young photogenic cast of characters much loved by the audience
• ASDA, one of the UK’s biggest supermarket chains.
Creative Execution
Buyers of Hollyoaks-branded cameras could win a part in the show.
Nikon have seven colours in their Coolpix range. We matched a Hollyoaks character to each one. Asda got bespoke packaging for Coolpix featuring the characters. Every camera had a pre-loaded personal message from that colour’s character thanking the purchaser for buying the camera and giving them the chance to win a walk on part in the show. And because everyone loves the chance to meet a celebrity we sealed the deal with Asda by taking their buyers to meet the cast at Channel 4.
And the character tie-ins with colours from the range gave us the perfect platform to bring the “I am…” campaign to life on screen with our Hollyoaks sponsorship, through credits that related to each character. For example one break-bumper linked the slogan “I am full of mysteries” to the enigmatic character Warren.
Results and Effectiveness
Sales increased by over 300%!
We improved important sales-driving brand metrics such as “the brand for you” and “stylish design”.
Sales through Asda increased by 332% over the course of the campaign.
Nikon Coolpix doubled its market share.