Several items of interest this week…and first up is the news that Cadbury will be reintroducing the Wispa this year some five years after the product was axed from its brand offerings. The return follows a successful spell as a limited-edition product last year.
Of more interest to us is the story behind this reintroduction – Cadbury claims it followed a Facebook campaign last summer (ah, the power of viral marketing on the internet) but industry insiders say that the campaign itself was planned by Cadbury as a way to inspire nostalgia in consumers after it was hit by the salmonella scare last year.
Frankly, in our opinion, if this latter story is true then we’re hugely impressed by what is clearly a superb bit of stealth inspired viral marketing by Cadbury.
Carling too have done well this week earning some brownie points and column inches with the news that, in their roll as sponsors of Glasgow Rangers FC, their logo will (as of next season) no longer appear on child-sized replica kits – a full two years before a self-imposed industry ban comes into effect.
Whilst we’re in no way cynical we do note that the timing of the announcement is in line with the impending release of the 2008/09 season kit (which Carling have, it must be said, pointed out) and effectively gets the drop on all the other drinks sponsors without allowing them adequate time to react and follow suit. Clever and responsible.
Next up is the news that the IAB have announced that online ad spend is set to pass television spend for the first time in 2009. Current figures show a massive 38% year on year growth for 2007 (to £2.8 billion). There are a lot more figures in the report but the central point is that the face of advertising looks set to change forever.
Finally Swedish-based hygiene company SCA is set to launch a new range of male products. The Tena for Men range has been developed for men with varying degrees of bladder weakness and is thought to be the first time such a range has been targeted specifically at men.
The delicate matter of promoting such a product has been elegantly handled by SCA who have formed partnerships with the Honda Superbike Team (including bike branding and merchandise) and Orchid, the male cancer charity which funds research into testicular and prostate cancer (prostate problems contribute to bladder weakness in men).
SCA says that it is hoping to raise awareness of male bladder weakness in the UK where an estimated 3.5 million men suffer from the problem. The link ups with such high profile partners as a major sporting marque and a cancer charity look set to make such a delicate issue slightly less taboo.
And that’s the news!