Giant scented candle helps stressed holiday shoppers to unwind
Bath and body well-being brand creates a 3m-high candle and lights it in a busy Christmas shopping precinct to encourage people to ‘reset’.
WEIRD MARKETING
Customers offered a free wedding inside a giant mobile hot dog
By our News Team | 2023
Fun-loving American sausage brand shuns mundane marketing promotions in favour of the weird and the absurd.
Some marketing promotions leave you admiring their slick and sophisticated presentation. Others…well, they just leave you scratching your head.
Oscar Mayer, a US meat producer known for its hot dogs (‘weiners’ in American slang), as well as for its off-the-wall promotions, recently attracted widespread attention when it offered loving couples the chance of a free wedding in Las Vegas.
Photo credit: Oscar Mayer via Businesswire
The catch: They had to be happy to get married in a chapel designed to look like a giant hot dog on wheels!
Known as the ‘Wienermobile of Love’, the not-very-subtle yellow and orange vehicle has been part of the brand’s promotional strategy for some time, with the Oscar Mayer PR team saying they “receive thousands of requests each and every year to be part of couples’ big days”.
A wedding ‘seen through meat-coloured glasses’
For the latest promotion, which took place on the weekend of 15-16 April, couples were invited to apply for “a once-in-a-lifetime experience: a wedding [seen] through a pair of meat-coloured glasses”.
“Weddings are often described as the happiest day of couples’ lives, but getting to that point is not always a cakewalk. Between rising costs, large guest lists and oh-so-many opinions, 72% of couples report feeling stressed about planning the big day,” the company says in a breathless press release.
“Oscar Mayer is bringing some much-needed relief by providing couples the chance to trade in the hoopla of a traditional wedding in favour of something stress-free and fun: an elopement to the Wienermobile outside the iconic Little White Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas.”
Apart from its odd taste in wedding arrangements and its 8m-long hot dog on wheels, Oscar Mayer is also known for other out-of-the-ordinary promotions – including a musical quartet that plays ‘weiner’ (‘sausage’) whistles and a wonderfully odd wiener cake.
“Oscar Mayer has a legacy of sparking smiles and bringing levity to the everyday, particularly when things have gotten too serious,” the company states.”
You can watch a TV news report on the Wienermobile wedding promotion here.
Corporate social responsibility credentials could help maintain sales
Data from 2008 recession indicates that, in another recession, the amount spent on higher-priced Fair Trade goods may actually increase.
‘Best Global Brands Report 2023’ finds that brand growth is slowing
Interbrand study says lack of growth mindset, weaker brand leadership and poor forecasting are among the key reasons.
Grey announces appointment of new President of its South African operation
Tlali Taoana has experience in strategy, marketing and executive roles, and will expand the capabilities of the business.
African Marketing Confederation struts its stuff on the global stage
AMC President flies the flag at the World Marketing Forum in Thailand, then welcomes Tunisia as the confederation’s 11th member.
Why sponsored online listings may be detrimental to your brand
It doesn’t always pay to advertise online. Consumers tend to view sponsored listings with suspicion and prefer to click on organic listings.
Can AI and chatbots really deliver customer service excellence?
Organisations must harness the power of AI to free up their people to do what no robot can do – truly connect with customers.
Advantages of digital-native brands setting up physical brand stores
Multi-channel retailing has become crucial to the sales strategy of any brand, including digital-natives that started as online-only.
Exciting new European adventure awaits high-achieving African marketer
Hloni Mohope is to move from her KFC South Africa role to become Chief Marketing Officer for the brand in Central and Eastern Europe.
African sneaker brands are showing some fancy footwork
Can they get a foot in the door and take market share from the big global sneaker names? African brands think they can.
UK marketing body highlights thought leadership at AMC Conference
Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) reports on conference presentation urging marketing leaders to change their world view.