FREE SWEETS?! How did this brand use popsicle sticks to create a clever and impactful campaign? [Fridays: Gorillas of Guerrilla Marketing]
♩♫ “Brush, brush, brush three times a day.
Brush, brush, brush to keep the cavities away!” ♩♫
Does this jingle sound familiar?
It reminds us about proper dental hygiene to avoid cavities and other gum diseases, all while using a specific toothpaste brand.
COLGATE
… is a brand that almost everyone knows. It mainly provides its consumers with oral hygiene products such as toothpastes, toothbrushes, mouthwashes, and dental floss.
First introduced in 1873 by the Colgate-Palmolive company, Colgate became one of the top brands in the dental industry.
Today, Colgate is considered as the leading brand in oral hygiene and continues to provide people around the world with a wide variety of dental care products.
One of the reasons why this brand maintains its top rank is the all sorts of innovative campaigns they execute to promote their products.
One stunt of theirs…
THE COLGATE TOOTHBRUSH POPSICLE STICK
Did you know that there’s such a thing as an “Oral Health Month?”
Though the exact month varies per year, guess who often participates in it? COLGATE!
During the Oral Health Month, people are given the chance to take part in dental-related activities that create awareness about the importance of oral hygiene.
People in the industry mostly watch out for the numerous conventions held during this time.
Different companies usually give free samples of their products to people who attend these events.
Colgate, on the other hand, did something quite unexpected, different, and ironic.
In the 2009 Oral Health Month event in Thailand, Colgate gave ice cream popsicles, cotton candy, and lollipops to everyone who attended, especially to kids.
Doesn’t this plan defeat the whole purpose of the event?
Isn’t the event supposed to promote proper dental hygiene?
Don’t sweets contribute to the cause of cavities and tooth decay?
The ice cream popsicles, cotton candy, and lollipops all had one thing in common. They were all on sticks.
The secret surprise?
Those who received and finished eating the sweet treats were left with a toothbrush-shaped stick that revealed a message:
“Don’t Forget”
+ the Colgate logo
Clever, right?
Attendees of the event were treated with sweet treats and Colgate got to promote its brand together with a witty reminder on oral hygiene.
Colgate celebrated Oral Health month by bringing these sweets to multiple schools in Thailand to promote oral health care awareness.
Surely, a lot of kids enjoyed Colgate’s campaign!
Quite a smart and innovative move for Colgate!
Through this guerrilla marketing campaign, the brand reached a lot of people, especially the younger generation, about the importance of dental care.
The stunt also contributed to strengthening its position as a top-of-mind household brand.
We know that it’s a must to brush our teeth at least 2 to 3 times a day but some kids don’t always remember that.
No wonder Colgate chose to target kids and remind them about brushing their teeth!
About The Dynamic Marketing Communiqué’s
“Fridays: Gorillas of Guerrilla Marketing”
Jay Conrad Levinson (1984) said that Guerrilla Marketing “works because it’s simple to appreciate, easy to execute, and inexpensive.”
Guerrilla Marketing is unconventional.
Looking beyond the traditional ways of advertising, marketers, and advertisers need to spice things up in order for their brand to have campaigns that not only make an impact but also stick to their target market’s mind.
Guerrilla Marketing usually aims to have direct contact with consumers.
This type of direct contact should spark an emotional reaction that leads to consumers effectively remembering the brand.
It’s about making a big impression and making that impression last a long time (if not forever).
Guerrilla Marketing is inexpensive.
The effect of this is being able to create a buzz around the brand, and the strategy used to market it. Almost everything is passed around through word-of-mouth.
Word-of-mouth is one of the greatest outcomes and it usually doesn’t cost anything.
This is every business’ or brand’s dream!
Every Friday, we publish tips, examples, and other useful content on unconventional ways of marketing and promotion.
Learn more about how to grab your target market’s attention and make an amazing first and lasting impression without having to spend a lot of money.
Businesses don’t really need to spend much for a guerrilla campaign. You do not need a big budget to be successful. You just need creativity and a good imagination.
Hope you’ve found this week’s guerrilla marketing insight interesting and helpful.
Stay tuned for next Friday’s Gorillas of Guerrilla!
Cheers,
Kyle Yu
Head of Marketing
Valens Dynamic Marketing Capabilities
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