Zouk's Solution for Anti-Drunk Driving

There have been hundreds of anti-drunk driving campaigns that have been released in the past few years but very few have been as impressive as this one in my opinion. Working with local marketing agency DDB, popular Singapore nightclub Zouk turned to RFID (radio-frequency identification) technology in an effort to tackle the problem of nightclub goers driving home under the influence of alcohol. In a recent study that was carried out in the city state, there were 2141 cases of drunk driving, a few of which proved fatal. 

To reduce this frighteningly high number of drunk driving cases, a "Pee Analyser" was created and fitted into the popular club. The "Pee Analyser" would issue a warning to club-goers if they were over the legal alcohol limit by detecting the amount of alcohol in their urine.



How did it work?

As drivers arriving at the club hand their keys over to the valet, they are given an RFID parking card. When the card is activated, not is it capable of identifying the driver, but it is also capable of recording the driver's alcohol level. It does this by way of a urine testing device fitted to each urinal. The urinal-based testing device is paried with an RFID reader that detects, tags and reads information from the cards. This means that if a driver's urine contains too much alcohol, a message will flash up on the screen in front of them saying "Maybe you've had one too many to drive; call a cab or use our drive home service". To avoid complications, the device instantly resets itself after use, to avoid mixing up readings from previous urinal visitors, as explained by the creator. 

Famous Faces

According to a recent study that was conducted across hundreds of celebrity-endorsed brands, it has been proved that the average sales for most brands increases by around 20% upon commencing an endorsement deal. Celebrity endorsement has the power to instigate and inspire, enlighten and enrage, entertain and edify the consumer. Its inherent benefits are that it can be leveraged across multiple channel experiences (and potentially services), cuts through advertising clutter, creates a brand narrative and allows for channel-specific optimization. Whilst there is the undeniable risk that companies take on when choosing a celebrity-endorsement approach (we only have to think of Tiger Woods to understand how it can go pear-shaped), celebrity endorsement is ultimately always worth investing in if you have the right person. It is an expensive but easy option for companies.

As outlined by Ad Age’s Dean Crutchfield, there are a number of ways in which your company can benefit from a solid, healthy endorsement: 

-It gives companies the opportunity to create new markets and/or tap into an activation base of fans.

-It gives companies the ability to spark sales by enticing consumers to learn more about the brand.

-It gives companies the means to promote a unique, relevant and sustainable brand attribute that might be hard to attain otherwise.

-It gives companies the option to build reciprocity into the partnership by supporting the celebrity endorser’s brand.

-It establishes greater grounds for innovating the product/service offering.

-It allows companies to challenge preconceived notions about their brands

Here are some of the all-time favorite celebrity-endorsed products:

HOPE SOAP

I am loving local campaigns at the moment! I think our country is producing amazing work that is not only incredibly creative and cool, but resourcefully effective too. 

Dubbed the "Hope Soap" campaign, this one was produced by Y&R in partnership with Safety Lab. It was born out of a need to help combat the hygiene crisis in the small township of Blikkiesdorp in the Western Cape. The idea was quite simple. Get children to improve the state of their hygiene by inspiring them to wash their hands more frequently. Put a small toy inside a see-through bar of soap and make them want to keep washing to get to the toy! It was an ingenious way to make hand-washing a fun activity that children looked forward to, creating a positive connotation of the action. 

The campaign was loved around the world and was awarded the only two Silver Lions for South Africa in 2013. It won the awards for the Best Use of Guerrilla Marketing in a Promotional Campaign, and for the Public Health & Safety, Public Awareness Messages-category. Graham Lang, Chief Executive Officer of Y&R South Africa comments on the agency's achievements saying "it is great to see South African work feature at Cannes, we are very proud of our work and we want to share it internationally".

Work like this brings important issues to light and aids in bettering the way people live. It is inspiring and moving to see how effective campaigns can be in stimulating change, especially in a country where the simple action of washing hands can save lives. As an industry we strive to add value to people's lives, and the "Hope Soap" campaign is a brilliant example of how a small change can make a big difference. Lang comments saying "it goes to show that South Africans can find a solution to any problem".

Stalker Strategy! Elmsta 3000 Horror Fest

Created by Saatchi&Saatchi in Stockholm, this has got to be one of the creepiest, yet coolest, and most privacy-violating marketing stunts ever! Set up to entice horror movie-goers and club members to attend the annual Swedish horror film fest, Elmsta 3000, a series of chillingly creepy messages were sent out, making invitees feel as if they were being watched. They received pictures taken outside their own homes, and clipped warnings of death. The simple stalker tactics worked wonders and the results were great. 

This isn't the first of the brilliantly created invitations for the Elsmta 3000 film festival. For over four years now Saatchi&Saatchi have been creating the most innovative and exciting pieces of work to draw people to the festival. Here is a brief  look at some of their previous campaigns: 

"An invitation for a Swedish horro film festival. This pillow was sent out to the members of the festival. Time and date was printed on the tag."

"All members of the film festival "Elmsta 3000 horror rest" got an envelope with their own face printed on it."

"To open the envelope you pulled a strong and cut your own throat. On the red paper the time and date of the festival was written."

"An invitation for Swedens scariest film festical. Festival theme - Zombie films. An envelope with holes in it were sent out to the members of the festival. Inside the envelope there was a fold out poster with bullet holes everywhere, except for the head. (The only place where a zombie can be killed. A classic case of zombie panic)"