Stephanie's Marketing World: events

Tuesday, 11 November 2014

Back to student life, event management and experiential marketing

I'm in a bit of a strange position at the moment, I finished my placement year at IBM and my summer internship at Vet's Kitchen back in August and since then I've come back to university to finish my degree. I'm in a weird place as I really miss the real marketing world of work and I find that studying now at university isn't really challenging or testing me so I can't wait to graduate!

However whilst I'm studying I am working part-time Freelance with a number of marketing agencies and experiential agencies representing so many different brands! This has given me the chance to really get experience in executing marketing campaigns and it's so interesting to see the strategy and planning behind them (the area I want to get in to)!

Here are a few of my favourite campaigns I've worked on recently:

Diet Coke:

Cheeky sampling day in Swindon & Chippenham pic.twitter.com/utGwHHWOSI
— Steph Clark (@stefclarkx) October 2, 2014

I worked with Diet Coke on their 'hunk' campaign which you might remember from a few years ago.... The background of the hunk campaign can be found here

They released a new TV ad with the strapline "Diet Coke Break" and featuring a lovely hunk! They then executed a Diet Coke sampling campaign and we set up in Swindon town centre with our hunk in-tow! He had photos with members of the target audience aka 17-30 year old females which were shared on social media and they were free to enjoy their Diet Coke break!

I really liked the campaign as it really translated from TV advertising to the brand experience, an important concept when bringing brands to life and translating the brand image across channels.

Kraken Rum:

I love my job 😆 pic.twitter.com/IzdRohCOO4
— Steph Clark (@stefclarkx) September 20, 2014

We were given the exciting chance to work with Kraken rum, a brand which has recently launched in the UK on working on their nightclub tours.

The Kraken is a mythological creature resembling a giant squid which lives 3000 feet beneath the sea. By playing on this brand 'story' we were able to engage nightclub goers with the brand and it's heritage. We also had our deep sea diver character which allowed a photo opportunity which could then be shared on social media, in addition we gave samples of the rum and provided discount codes for an 'Ink Bomb' at the bar. Then the 'Ink Dolls' provided a fire breathing performance assisted by a celebrity DJ and our very own deep sea diver!

I thought the way that the brand told a story was very impressive and allowed a talking point around delivering the shots and ultimately allowed the target audience to remember the brand. The brand is already huge in the US and they are fastly becoming one of the leading rum brands in the UK. Their website is absolutely brilliant and paints a perfect picture of the brand here.

Macmillan Cancer Care:

Come and run the marathon for @macmillancancer outside the arndale 😊 pic.twitter.com/EN7mWUHRHi
— Steph Clark (@stefclarkx) September 13, 2014

Macmillan set up a marathon track along Manchester's Market Street and encouraged members of the public to run a small percentage of the race which would all ad up to the 26 miles in a marathon. To run they were to donate £3 by text and their photos were shared on the Twitter page.

The event was an absolute success and we raised hundreds of pounds for the charity, engaging lots of people and creating a buzz around the city! I think it was a great way to encourage donations and create awareness of the brand without having pestering fundraisers or simple collection bins. It was a really creative idea which I thought was really effective!

Vanarama:

#vanarettes at Bristol rovers today!!! pic.twitter.com/bzIKXzaCJG
— Steph Clark (@stefclarkx) August 9, 2014

Vanarama are the new sponsors of the Conference league and for the first match of the season we wanted to create a huge buzz around the brand as it was appearing on BT sport so it was a great opportunity for the brand to gain some coverage!

We positioned ourselves as cheerleaders spelling out the letters in Vanarama and engaged with fans, cheered for the cameras and gave out merchandise.

The brand also offered a deal that with every purchase of a Vanarama van, £100 would go back into their club so it was great to speak to fans about the offer. The campaign had a lot of reach and highlighted the brand in a great light for the start of their sponsorship!

As you can see, experiential marketing is an amazing industry to work in and can be so varied from sampling to brand awareness to sponsorship! It has given me exposure to the marketing world and how these campaigns are executed and the thoughts behind them! I can't wait to continue working in the industry!

Stephanie

Friday, 20 September 2013

Working 9-5....at the largest IT company on the planet...

Hi,

I haven't really posted much about my Marketing Placement at IBM since I've started as I have just been getting to grips with my role, understanding IBM's strategies and where my team fits into the overall picture.
I think working with a large organisation is not only a rewarding experience which is full of opportunities, but can also be a hindrance in terms of understanding how such a small part of said organisation can actually make an impact.

I think I have been very lucky in getting the role I have though, as liaising with clients coming from the biggest companies in the UK is a unique experience- one which I may never be able to experience for the rest of my career (fingers crossed I do though!)

Today, all of the new marketing IT's (Industrial Trainees) got to visit one of IBM's locations near Winchester. I have visited a couple of times before for meetings, but I never got the full tour....

Today we got to hear how much IBM as an organisation has changed from the organisation it was 100 years ago to what it has become in the 21st Century today. It was phenomenal to realise how amazing the company I work for is. It has evolved from selling huge pieces of hardware, where computers needed entire buildings just to home them, to the microchip and barcode that we use everyday, and more recently to the unbelievable technology we see used for analytics, vast quantities of data and mobile technology. Who knows where we might be in another 100 years! (Not that any of us will be around to see- sad times)

When I tell them where I work, people always ask me "What do IBM actually do?" "Do they just make computers?" "I had an IBM photocopier back in the day". Well simply, IBM has moved away from these kinds of products years ago- to a far more innovative, smarter way of thinking, and rather than serve users who have simple business needs for IT, which IBM still provide- they now use technology, knowledge and data in order to create a "smarter planet" which is a huge initiative at IBM.

Today, we got to see some of these amazing projects which IBM are involved with. IBM Hursley- the location we visited, has a huge laboratory in which most of the IBM products are developed and is also home to some UBER geeks who have developed life changing/saving/enhancing technologies!

We got to visit the IBM Hursley Innovation Centre where lots of amazing IBM inventions are showcased! (May be sounding a bit geeky at the moment) We saw a piece of technology which translates sign language from a webcam into text and visa versa, with a robot who is fluent in sign language.

We saw a piece of technology used by the military which tracks snipers and can give an exact location...this kind of technology saves lives!! See why I am proud to work here :-)

We also saw an aeroplane chair that measures your heartrate without the use of straps or wires, which helps airlines help passengers adjust to their new time zone and can help reduce stress levels on board. Then we saw a mind controlled car- something which is being used in video games soon!!

But- the most interesting thing for me personally that I saw in the Innovation centre was something which usually I would say I had absolutely no interest in- Analytics. As part of the Smarter Analytics programme, IBM helped an Italian Council reduce it's social security budget by monitoring elderly CO2, methane, smoke levels etc. with a small sensor in their homes- which meant a computer could be alerted immediately whenever one of these levels were dangerously low or high- and immediately send a warden round, rather than constant checks. This piece of technology has saved hundreds of lives- from fires, gas leaks, trips and falls and O.A.Ps who have fallen unconscious etc.

This is obviously a breakthrough piece of technology which has revolutionised care homes in Italy- but has also helped the council save money and time as less human checks are needed. Now, to me this was very interesting, but the way IBM adapts such technology to meet the needs of other clients is the thing that really draws my attention so such an innovative organisations.

Whilst you can monitor the gas and electricity levels used in peoples homes- something gas companies have been able to do for years- they can tell when consumers perform certain activities, for example; cook, shower, boil the kettle etc. and by analysing such data- IBM have worked out a way of determining exactly which TV shows everyone in the nation is watching according to their energy usage.

May not sound that revolutionary- but this type of data, available in vast quantities, could be worth MILLIONS to advertisers. Once an opportunity like this is spotted- IBM act upon it and that is why I am proud to work for such a forward-thinking organisation!!

Some pics from the innovation centre:

Sam's rear end.....not the best snap!

Trying on the brain controlling device

Vicky and Rachel in the Innovation centre

The sniper launcher in it's initial stages

Brain controlled car in action!

Vintage IBM PC!

Beautiful IBM typewriter I fell in love with! Gorgeous vintage- I want one in my house!

After visiting the innovation centre, we had a history lesson on IBM Hursley- a huge Edwardian mansion- and the only property that IBM owns in the UK. The place was stunning and I wish I could work here everyday!!!