Launch PR

Winn Dixie promotes Primo’s sustainable water bottles this Independence Day

This Independence Day, one company is encouraging consumers to honor their country the green way!  While many Americans will be sporting their finest reds, whites and blues this weekend, supermarket chain, Winn-Dixie will be encouraging shoppers to go green by drinking Primo water. Primo is the first U.S. based company to offer water bottles created from plants, not oil.  Winn Dixie will be celebrating the nation’s holiday by giving away a free case of Primo water bottles to any customer who purchases one of Primo’s three- to five-gallon water jugs.

While the Fourth of July is a time to celebrate our nation’s heritage, it should also be a time to appreciate the soil on which our country was built.  Primo prides itself on utilizing renewable resources, harvested by local farmers, to transform plants into plastic.  The developing process harnesses 65 percent less energy and generates 80 to 90 percent less green house gases compared to bottles derived from crude oil. 

Making the move towards sustainable, innovative technology is one important way we can preserve the beauty of our homeland.  Primo water bottles make for a valuable resource, especially since Americans love their bottled water. To me, this seems like a smart, eco-friendly bottled alternative, especially since old habits can be hard to break.

Interested in watching how the bottles are made?  Check out this video:

Planet Green by Discovery discusses, promotes global warming awareness 24/7

On June 4, Discovery Communications LLC re-branded its Discovery Home channel as Planet Green, a 24-hour television network showcasing fun and stylish eco-friendly living. Discovery invested 50 million dollars in original programming for the channel, which features actor Leonardo DiCaprio, chef Emeril Lagasse, reporter Bob Woodruff and TV personalities Maria Menounos and Adrian Grenier.

Rapper Chris "Ludacris" Bridger and rocker Tommy Lee Jones helped launch the channel in a May 28 concert that concluded the taping of their upcoming show, Battleground Earth: a reality series that will follow their efforts to "green" their tours, concerts and lifestyle. The concert was an all-out Hollywood affair, and featured the Blue Man Group, Pamela Anderson, Mariah Carey and others.

“This is a little edgier than things we've done in the past," said Annie Howell, SVP of communications and public affairs for Discovery Communications in an article in PR Week. "We wanted to make sure that we didn't do just a traditional launch."

In addition to the concert, Discovery partnered with The New York Post to give away 250 Planet Green bicycles. On launch day, The Post joined Discovery’s other networks and turned its masthead logos green. The network has been carrying out “Random Acts of Greenness,” distributing T-shirts, subway passes, reusable shopping bags and beach balls to sports attendees and pedestrians who “exemplified green living,” in various cities around the U.S.

The switchover was announced in 2007, and in the past year, the new station has received a significant amount of press.  Still, some think the channel is only capitalizing on a short-term fad. Do you think green media is here to stay?

NEW COMMUNITY TRENDS: A Meet-Up, Brought to You by Huggies

Launch Date: March 2008

Advertising agencies and public relations firms are using a variety of online tactics to create two-way communication between the brand and consumers and consumers and the brand. New media techniques being employed include social networking, blogs, community Web sites, and word-of-mouth marketing.

The Kimberly-Clark Corporation, maker of Huggies and Pull-Ups, has signed a sponsorship agreement with MeetUp, a Web site that facilitates groups of people with shared interests to plan meetings and form offline clubs in local communities.

Kimberly-Clark's efforts are targeted at mothers of young children who might use brands like Huggies and Pull-Ups with the company paying the monthly fees that organizers of affinity groups usually pay to MeetUp.

So as not to over-commercialize, Kimberly-Clark worked with MeetUp members and organizers to understand whether they would want a sponsorship and what they would find valuable from a sponsor. “It’s very transparent. We asked them what they wanted, and we’re providing that,” said Brad Santeler, director for media and relationship marketing at Kimberly-Clark.

Kimberly-Clark intends to devote about 35 percent of its overall marketing spending this year to nontraditional media, a trend that is increasing across brands large and small.

American Express has signed a similar sponsorship agreement with MeetUp on an initiative aimed at entrepreneurs and small business owners.

Would you attend a sponsored MeetUp or Upcoming event?

Is Drinking Tap Water Cool Again?

These days, consumers are inundated with bottled water choices. There’s water that hails from the hills of Tuscany, trickles down the majestic French Alps or filters through the volcanic highlands of Fiji.

There’s bottled water that’s infused with fruit essence, water that’s enhanced with nutrients and water that strengthens performance on or off the court. There’s even water that’s purified with minerals but originates from public water sources.

All of these options beg the question, is bottled water really healthier for you than tap water?

A recent article in ADWEEK addresses the backlash against the bottled water industry for contributing to today’s environmental qualms.  Though plastic water bottles are 100 percent recyclable, 75 percent end up in the garbage.

According to the article, Americans spend nearly $12 billion a year on bottled water, even when studies show it’s no safer than tap water, which is regulated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

One campaign challenging the cleanliness and prestige associated with bottled water is the “Tappening” which launched last November with a mission to make tap water cool again.  The Tappening Web site refers people to a national tap water database where viewers can determine the quality of the tap water they drink. It also sells reusable hard plastic and stainless-steel water bottles including one that reads: “I bottle my own water.”

The Tappening campaign is capitalizing on viral buzz and celebrity seeding (reusable bottles were given to Cameron Diaz and Scarlett Johansson), as well as exposure from the Associated Press and Good Morning America. In the first 36 hours of business, 39,000 reusable bottles were sold.

The cause is also being taken up by initiatives such as The Tap Project, an effort to curb bottled water buying in restaurants, and the IUOW Film Competition, which answers the question: how do we use water responsibly?

Maybe it’s the convenience of grabbing an ice cold bottled water on-the-go or the prestige of drinking from one’s favorite brand. Or maybe there’s still a fear of drinking from the tap and the perception that bottled water is cleaner and healthier. Will campaigns like The Tappening get you to go tap?

NEW SERVICE POST: You Tube Mobile

(Practically) all mobile users can rejoice.

YouTube recently announced that it is opening up its ever-popular service to run on millions more phones which are capable of using high-speed wireless links. YouTube Mobile will initially be available in 17 countries in 11 languages, and will run on phones from Nokia, LG, Motorola and Sony Ericsson.

You Tube’s announcement comes at a great time since this week’s Mobile World Congress Conference in Barcelona has served as a launch-pad for many feature rich phones that are compatible with You Tube’s technology.

Many of the phones launched this week feature touch-screens, navigation capabilities, high-end digital cameras, multimedia capabilities, and high-speed broadband support (for example the LG KF700, shown here). You Tube, which is a top online destination amongst nearly all online market segments, can now enjoy an even greater audience since all these technological advances make it ever easier to access the popular website.

YouTube launched its mobile website in June 2007, following the expiration of an exclusive Verizon Wireless contract that prohibited the service to be used by other carriers.  Immediately following the contract termination, YouTube went live, streaming hundreds of the most popular videos in mobile format and began offering its service to iPhone and Helio users.

In preparation of the launch, YouTube revealed mobile plans to top advertisers at the OgivlyOne Digital Media Summit in 2006, and conducted blogger outreach to media outlets such as GigaOm and AdAge, to quickly spread the word of the mobile venture.

YouTube (and its parent company, Google) doesn’t have any initial plans on profiting from the service. It’s depending on the establishment of a large mobile user community before monetizing. However, Google’s Eric Schmidt described his ambitions to leverage Google mobile advertising opportunities in The Future of Mobile Technology session at the World Economic Forum in Davos last week. It would not surprise me to see big brands interested in getting sponsored videos in the hands of millions of mobile users and Google interested in creating this new revenue stream.

Additionally, YouTube is testing software that will make it easier for mobile phone users to upload videos from phones onto YouTube.com, allowing for limitless real-time UGC communication possibilities.
It will be interesting to track the effect of making this media truly portable. Imagine the viral effect of being able to show and share great videos online and offline while you’re on the go and hanging out with your colleagues or friends.

Will you YouTube on the go?

NEW PRODUCT TREND: Caffeinated Candy

For some, Valentine’s Day evokes many emotions brought on by a special someone, secret admirers, red roses, and cute conversation hearts.

But if you’re not paying attention, you may get more buzz than you bargained for, as the newest trend in candy is the addition of caffeine and vitamins to the ingredient list. Last month, Mars brand Snickers launched their new Limited Edition Snickers Charged, with 60 milligrams of caffeine, taurine and other B vitamins. Other candies boast ingredients such as electrolytes and ginseng. While reaction to taste is mixed, recently there has been a surge of critical attention given to the marketing of the amped candy.

A timely Wall Street Journal article notes the many challenges faced by candy marketers, including concern for diabetes and obesity among children. Overall, sales of sugar confectionary dropped by 4% from over the past five years, while sales of energy drinks rose more than 400%, according to the article.

To stay competitive, the candy market has mimicked not only the ingredient lists of popular energy drinks, but the edgy promotions as well. For some critics, names and packaging are too suggestive of illicit drugs (a candy called “crackheads”?), and many feel that caffeine is unsuitable for children, the primary market for candy companies.

Opinion Polls & Market Research

NEW PRODUCT POST: Taco Bell Fresco Menu

I was recently surprised to find an advertisement for Taco Bell in Glamour. In fact, I did a double-take; not only was I surprised to see the familiar fast food chain among ab-flattening articles, I was surprised at the ad itself, which was clean, green and touting the new lean menu options.

In response to the many consumers who will likely resolve to lose weight in the New Year, Taco Bell has announced the launch of a new Fresco menu. That’s right… healthy food from Taco Bell, the same fast food eatery that established the need for “Fourthmeal,” a late-night feast between dinner and breakfast.

The most interesting part of this launch is that the low-fat fresco style has been available at Taco Bell for a few years, but has not been embraced by patrons. Its 1995 Border Lights menu, featuring items with 10 grams of fat or less, also failed, despite spending $75 million in marketing.

Taco Bell’s latest healthy alternative push is indicative of a trend of fast food chains branding and spotlighting their healthier menu offerings. Starbucks is doing something similar by recently branding their long-offered non-fat latte with sugar-free syrup option as “Skinny Lattes.”

Recognizing that past promotions have been inadequate, the fast food chain has created a centralized marketing communications campaign. In addition to traditional menu boards in restaurants, tray liners, and posters, print ads will play a large role in the Fresco Menu launch. Placed in women’s and fitness publications, the ads feature the headline “It’s Your Choice,” and compare Fresco Menu items to popular hamburgers.

While the success of the campaign has not yet been measured, one thing is for sure: when Taco Bell advertisements start appearing in health magazines, someone has been thinking outside of the bun.

NEW PRODUCT POST: Salem's Haunted Passport

Launch Date: October 1

On October 1, Salem, Massachusetts launched Haunted Passport, a discount benefit program to city visitors. The program will be in effect through April 30 with hopes of encouraging visitors to America’s leading Halloween destination, particularly for their renowned October celebration. With interest not only in driving tourism to the destination, but also in developing a relationship with tourists, for one fee of $13, Salem offers you seven months of discounts at more than 75 Salem businesses, which is valued at $350 in savings.

The passport program will undoubtedly increase Salem’s tourism and traffic to local businesses. Now that Salem’s primary holiday season—Halloween—is a wrap, the passport promotion extends tourism beyond October 31 and makes it a year round endeavor. In fact, Salem already draws visitors year-round with its wicked history. With the added promotional bonus of a discount card, we think tourist season is bound to expand further. Travel and tourism are among the world’s largest industries—encompassing transportation, lodging, provisions and services for  travelers. For local merchants, the Haunted Passport will mean new customers, new promotions, new advertising, and new opportunities. 

Will Salem be your travel destination this year? Haunted Passports may be purchased online.