February Coffee & Case Studies Recap

By Gina Micek

Jessica Hack, Brand Communication Manager at 3M, Brit Ryan, Art Director and Madeline Hasler, Account Executive at OLSON respectively, presented their case studies to a sold-out crowd at the popular MIMA Members-Only Coffee & Case Studies event held at Antenna in February.

Case Study 1: Jessica Hack – Command™ Brand Solution to combat everyday nail problems

Command™ Brand damage free adhesive strips save walls from nail holes and paint stripping, but nails continued to dominate as the “go to” method for consumers. Jessica’s team came up with a bold plan to shift entrenched consumer behavior. The campaign – “Stop Hammer Time!” brought in iconic 90s’ rapstar MC Hammer in a 360° campaign – TV, digital, PR – uniquely bringing customers through the sales funnel and giving them insights to make different choices at the retail store.

3M MC Hammer Campaign Launch Video

The highly engaging integrated campaign created a new season – picture hanging season – by informing consumers how Command™ solutions could be life changing during the three times a year when picture hanging was most prevalent. While MC Hammer felt like a “sell-out” to some, the campaign itself was hugely successful.

The process included awareness (intro videos), education (FAQs) and inspiration (influencers) as people went through the funnel and focused on key accounts to make conversion at the store. Jessica’s team worked with retail in new ways – bending guidelines – to install special displays and placement. Using research from the customer service line, the team addressed consumer concerns throughout the campaign. Bloggers and influencers were also brought in as the campaign progressed to compliment the inspiration.

MC Hammer Goes to College Video

Case Study 2: Brit Ryan, Art Director & Madeline Hasler, Account Executive, OLSON

Belize Tourism Board wanted to raise awareness for new direct flights from Toronto and Denver. OLSON sought to create a campaign to showcase Belize’s unique and authentic sites as well as differentiate Belize from standard vacation fair such as Sandals resorts. Belize, a place where the Mountain Cow is the national animal, the tallest buildings are the Step Pyramids, the official language is English and the areas to visit aren’t overly industrialized.

The budget for “A Curious Place” campaign was small. Originally, Belize Tourism thought a limited campaign with traditional out-of-home media would be enough. The OLSON team knew to be most effective with earned media, maximize consumer engagement and make the best use of the budget, required a creative solution. They consistently asked themselves with every decision, “is this authentic to Belize?” They wanted to create something that didn’t feel like an ad but allowed consumers to experience the culture.

Partnering with Street Factory Media, OLSON built the world’s first drum-controlled billboard on the streets of Toronto (later Denver). People could play the handmade, authentic Belize drum and change the footage on the board. The quicker a person drummed, the faster the footage played.

Belize Tourism Board – #TorontoToBelize Drumming Experience – Toronto to Belize Drumming Experience

OLSON used PR and social to create a secondary experience, and a few lucky drummers won airfare to Belize, which gained buzz through the hashtag #TorontoToBelize.

The successful campaign resulted in hundreds of participating drummers, 59,000 social impressions, and$2.5M in earned media impressions.

Brit and Madeline emphasize that making experiences over ads wins. The location of the billboard and collaborative PR relationships with airlines and other participants was key. OLSON could then kick-off the out-of-home campaign with better results.

Coffee + Case Studies is a quarterly event open to Members. The goal is to discuss specific case studies executed by industry thought leaders who are pushing the envelope on interactive marketing. Join us each month for our MIMA event series, Meet-ups and New Member breakfast.