by Ginny Soskey
We often harp on print advertising here at HubSpot. Marketers can spend lots of time designing something visual … only to have it interrupt (and potentially piss off) its “target audience” and then not have any definitive metrics to prove that the ad even worked in the first place.
But sometimes, print ads can surprise us and actually be part of an inbound framework.
This week, I’ve been at Content Marketing World. On Tuesday morning at Jay Baer’s keynote, he mentioned this ad … and I got so excited that I had to share. Not only because I love Nivea (especially its chapstick), but also because it’s a digital spin on an old-fashioned type of ad.
Basically, Nivea included a solar-powered charger in a magazine ad so that people could charge their cell phones and devices while on the beach. Before I give anything else away, here’s a quick video that describes the campaign in just 90 seconds:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=UYy1GmJgFXA
This ad rocks because of one really awesome reason: It bridges the digital and print divide to actually become a useful piece of content. How often have you been out and about and needed to charge your phone? It solves an actual need that Nivea’s buyer personas have in a visual, tangible, and digital manner.
The ad also accomplishes something that is near-impossible to do with print media: relevancy through its integration with users’ physical location. The whole point of the ad is to be a tangible resource that affects your actions — it seamlessly integrates with your beach activities and makes it easier for you to stay out in the sun. How often can you say that an ad not only impacts your day-to-day living, but also makes your life easier? Not often — which is why this ad is so brilliant.
We’ve talked over and over again on the blog about helping your audience — not shilling your product. This ad takes “helpful” to a whole new level through the technological integration with your physical world. Though we may not have the budget to buy solar panels for top-tier magazine ads, Nivea’s ad is a truly inspiring example of solving for the needs of your customers. So go on — get going helping them!