Hasta La Creative!

What was all over the advertising headlines last week seems to be a ploy to increasing Web site traffic. On September 21st, Togo’s announced their new campaign launch, “Pastrami Money-Back Guarantee.” It stipulated that if you try the new sandwich during its promotional month (9/23-10/20) and you don’t feel it is better than the “other guys,” you’ll get a full refund. Who wouldn’t go for that? Don’t we wish all food establishments offered this service?

What’s the price for requesting a refund, though? Let’s say, for example, the pastrami sandwich was indeed worse than the “other guys.” What then? According to the refund rules, the requirements to receive a refund seem to be more cost-per-effort than merely swallowing the five or so bucks and moving on with your life.

Refund Process:

1. Go to the Togo’s Web site.
2. Print out redemption form.
3. Fill out redemption form.
4. Find the “original Togo’s store-identified cash register receipt (copies not accepted) showing purchase of a #9 Hot Pastrami Sandwich between 9/23/09 and 10/20/09″ to include in the envelope.
5. Find the “original competitor’s store-identified cash register receipt (copies not accepted) showing purchase of a Hot Pastrami Sandwich between 9/23/09 and 10/20/09″ to include in the envelope.
6. Write a letter with your name, address, and a brief description of why you did not like the sandwich.
7. Mail to: Togo’s Pastrami Guarantee PO Box 2859 Carmichael, CA 95609-2859.

NOTE:
*Properly submitted and eligible claim entries will receive a check in the amount of the purchase price of a Regular #9 Hot Pastrami Sandwich from the original Togo’s receipt submitted (tax not included). Large and family-size purchases will receive the suggested retail price of the Regular #9 Hot Pastrami Sandwich. The suggested retail price for a Regular #9 Hot Pastrami Sandwich is $5.59 (tax not included).

Are they serious? Why don’t they require getting the redemption letter notarized? I’ll just skip the sandwich altogether, thanks. Just writing the steps above made me hungry for Jimmy John’s anyway. Nobody loves pastrami this much — nobody!

If Togo’s wants people to go to their site, then offer a better incentive, not a 1980’s rebate procedure. It’s almost as if Togo’s just crawled out of a bomb shelter and decided to increase sales. In this age of ADD Tweeting, are they really expecting successful product promotion? Sorry, Togo’s, if you can’t get with the zero’s, get back in your shelter.

Rena Prizant is a Copywriter, Ad Creative, SEO Gal, and mammal in the Chicago area. Visit www.RenaPrizant.com or @WriteLeft.

Justin Timberlake is not one to let the grass grow under his feet. An extremely popular solo artist, he’s also launched several “brand extensions” of himself that have been well received by critics, fans, and the public. His first new venture was Tennman Records, which began in 2007. Then, in February of 2009, he and best friend Trace Ayala announced William Rast, a clothing line that “is an extension of you.” Unlike most new designer lines, William Rast not only gained notice, but also received praise from the fashionistas.

His latest venture? 901 Silver Tequila.

901 Silver is either named in tribute to the area code in which Timberlake grew up (Memphis) or for “that moment when your evening ends but your night is just beginning.” However, more than the Timberlake name is attracting attention. The tequila has been reviewed favorably by those who know tequila. According to the NY Daily News:

Timberlake’s new tequila, called 901, passed the sip test – and then some – among three New York tequila aficionados with very discerning tastes.

What makes 901 Silver Tequila unique is the method they chose to kickoff the first major promotion. Known as 901at901on901, and translated to 9/01, at 9:01, on www.901.com, it’s an invite to the public to creatively craft  ”The Big Idea” to aid the launch of this relatively new brand. The winner will become Executive Vice President of Big Ideas for 901 Silver Tequila.

To the victor go the spoils, which include the lengthy job title, a trip to Vegas (round-trip airfare for two, hotel stay and, of course, two tickets to the Justin and Friends concert), VIP access to all parties, $25,000 in “bonus” money, plus the chance to show off his or her creative skills among an elite group of people.

According to Kevin Ruder, President of 901 Silver (Timberlake is CEO):

We like to incorporate consumer feedback as part of our normal business practice at 901 Silver. We’ve turned that premise into a contest.

The following video outlines the challenge:

The contest ends on November 30th and the winner will be chosen by a panel of experts on December 4, 2009.

Jeff Louis: Media Planner, Brand Project Manager, blogger, and aspiring writer. Please leave a comment, follow him on Twitter or check LinkedIn for his profile. As always, thanks for reading.

Sometimes the past is fulfilled with wonderful memories of friends, music, good times and lots of laughter. Or, the past should remain exactly where it is, especially when remembering how you dressed, your bodily piercings, and that mullet with the spiked top that would never go out of style. If you remember the mullet, do you recall these lyrics?

Buying bread from a man in Brussels He was six foot four and full of muscles I said, “Do you speak-a my language?” He just smiled and gave me a vegemite sandwich”
By: Men At Work, “A Land Down Under

What in the heck is Vegemite, anyway? Until writing this post, I didn’t know, nor care. Then I found out that Vegemite is actually produced by Kraft Foods, and that Kraft has developed a new Vegemite formula and has rolled it out in Australia…

My first thought: “Would this be the next huge marketing FAIL, akin to the New Coke Formula back in 1985?”
Knowing absolutely nothing about the product, I had to do some research. What is Vegemite?

Vegemite is similar to the British product Marmite, which is a tacky paste, brown in color, with a salty “beef broth” or “meaty-like taste.” Marmite is usually spread on toast or biscuits but can also be mixed with hot water to make a drink. Marmite is made out of yeast extract saved after the beer brewing process. During World War I, the flow of Marmite to Australia was interrupted and an Australian cheese company, Fred Walker & Co., commissioned an Aussie scientist to come up with similar replacement.

Vegemite was introduced with great fanfare (including a national naming contest) in 1923. The naming campaign was a big success; the product flopped. Despite various marketing efforts, Vegemite sales remained poor. Kraft purchased Walker & Co. in 1926 (forming the Kraft Walker Cheese Company) and in 1928, changed the name to Parmite, which killed Vegemite’s tiny though hard-won market share. Vegemite never recovered.

So, with plenty of Vegemite on-hand, the Kraft Walker Cheese Company started giving it away with Pontiac automobiles and cheese products. Sales responded positively; then, the British medical association proclaimed that Vegemite was a great source of Vitamin B. Sales increased more. By World War II, Vegemite was in 9 of 10 Australian homes, had become part of a soldier’s daily ration kit, and was even carried by Aussie’s traveling abroad due to lack of availability in other countries. Today, Vegemite is one of the most well-known global brands and outsells Marmite in Australia by huge margins.

Kraft tried to extend the brand with a cheese and Vegemite “single,” but failed. However, marketing contests, such as limerick and song competitions, boosted sales. Then, following the war, the baby boom hit and Kraft jumped on Vegemite’s Vitamin B content for infants;

“…baby care expert Sister Mc Donald, said in the Women’s Weekly that “Vegemite is most essential”, further cementing Vegemite’s reputation for nutrition and wholesomeness. Infant Welfare Centres were recommending babies have their quota of Vitamin B1, B2 and Niacin. Vegemite had them all!”

By the 1950’s, Vegemite was to Australia what apple pie is to America, aided in part by consumer-oriented campaigns initiated by J.Walter Thompson.

On July 7, 2009, Kraft released a ’second’ Vegemite. The new Vegemite is a mix of Vegemite and cream cheese, is less salty, spreads much easier, and supposedly tastes better. To coincide with the release of the new recipe, Kraft is running a competition to give the new flavor a name, hearkening back to the competitions that worked 50 years ago. Kraft recently launched a comprehensive marketing campaign to name the new Vegemite, drawing on the successes of past campaigns that involved the public.

In fact, the new campaign mixes both traditional and Social Media, including an interactive website that includes fun facts, the naming contests, and the history of Vegemite. The new Vegemite can be found on Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter. Below is the one of several commercials. This one has been extended to be 48-seconds long:

And, just as in the early days, J. Walter Thompson was chosen for creative expertise. While some wait to see if this brand extension will be a coup or a pile of crap, early research shows that Vegemite has more brand affinity than Coca-Cola, Starbucks, and Nike (globally);

The research analysed 1.5 billion posts across 38 languages within social networking sites, blogs, message boards, and online news. The results discovered 479,206 mentions for Vegemite, with brand affinity found more often than any other product globally.

If this was an election, the early results would show that the new Vegemite is a serious contender; however, all the votes haven’t been cast. Based on my research, I believe that the new Vegemite will most certainly take space in Australian kitchens.

Jeff Louis: Strategic Media Planner, Brand Project Manager, blogger and aspiring writer. To contact Jeff, leave a comment here, or find him on LinkedIn or Twitter.

Last summer, the price of gas skyrocketed through the roof. At one point, in Chicago, the cost to fill up my little car was $4.60 per gallon for premium. Thankfully, the price cooled down as the recession heated up, leaving lower prices for gasoline and less buying power for the dollar. Hmm.

Although prices have risen somewhat this summer (at least here in Chicago), it doesn’t seem to have quite the impact. This is partly due to the absence of media coverage that pounded the cost of gas into our heads every day, just to let us us know how bad the situation had become (and I’d like to thank the media for that). This year, the media has moved on to focus on the economy, Iran, Obama, and other “newsworthy” items.

Yet, with the economy slumping, travel plans for the summer are being cut short, or just cut out altogether. Don’t the economic forces know that now is when we most need a vacation? Obviously not. However, there’s one company that does.

Chevron announced the Summer Road Trip Giveaway taking place now at stations nationwide, and ending on July 12, 2009. Entrants not only have a chance to win free Chevron gas for a year, but also new cars, hotel stays, GPS units, and Chevron gift cards. There are 40,000 prizes in total, which means that plenty of them remain.

To enter, go to a local participating Chevron station and pick up a game card and register to play online. After entering the game card code, the winners will be notified via e-mail. In addition to the instant prizes, entrants can also join in the Chevron Car Hunt Contest. Using online clues, users are to track down hidden “virtual cars” in various cities. The person that tracks down the highest number of virtual cars in the least amount of time is eligible to win a 2009 Chevy Corvette 1LT Coupe.

For updates on the Summer Road Trip Giveaway as well as prize winners, follow Chevron on Twitter or go to chevrongiveaway.com. More information on Chevron is available at Chevron.com.

Jeff Louis: Strategic Media Planner, Project Manager, and New Business Account Coordinator. His passion is writing. Reach out and touch him: www.linkedin.com or www.twitter.com.