Ogilvy Action has launched a highly engaging and innovative digital initiative to promote national pub chain Wetherspoon to a student audience, in partnership with Bacardi Brown-Forman Brands (BBFB).

The campaign will position Wetherspoon as the perfect destination for students’ weekly “Big Night Out” with its “Unlock Your Night @Wetherspoons” app.

“Wetherspoon Unlocked” is a mobile augmented reality app, available for iPhone and Android that allows consumers to discover or “unlock” unique food and drink offers hidden on POS sited within 280 participating Wetherspoon pubs. POS will also be placed on actual university campuses to drive student awareness of the activity and encourage downloading of the app.

Accessed through a QR code, the iPhone store or Android Market, the app harnesses the latest Aurasma augmented reality technology to deliver real time value-added offers to consumers whilst they are in the pubs.

Food and drink offers are represented by different brightly coloured geometric shapes on stickers and bar mats within bars, encouraging customers to find out more about the promotion. The POS carries intriguing messages such as “look closer”, “be curious”, and “question everything”, aimed at attracting the interest of an audience of early adopters.

The app will also allow consumers to tag videos and pictures of their Wetherspoon “Big Night Out” to objects within the bar which can then be accessed by their Facebook friendship groups on subsequent visits to the pub. Content can also be directly tagged and updated to twitter and Facebook through the app.

To drive awareness of the campaign Ogilvy Action teamed up with student website, Studentbeans.com and Campus Media, delivering a far reaching and highly targeted communication plan incorporating eCRM, online advertising, campus POS and the use of student ambassadors.

Commenting on the campaign, Jason Wall, director at Ogilvy Action said: “Wetherspoon and Bacardi briefed us to increase student footfall to their outlets whilst positioning Wetherspoon as an ideal destination for a big night out. We know that this audience has a wide variety of options for socialising and that the best nights out are full of shared, spontaneous experiences.

“Creating talkability and providing genuine social added value were key elements that we needed to deliver within the campaign. Students tend to be early adopters so we also knew that we needed to harness the latest digital technology and allow for social media sharing.  We believe we have built all of these elements into our Wetherspoon Unlocked campaign.”

Jonathan Fearn at BBFB added: “With current consumption habits increasingly taking people away from drinking in pubs, particularly within the student population, we were keen to develop a campaign that supported Wetherspoon as one of our key trade partners and encouraged people to look to them as a perfect venue for their nights out.

“We know that students are traditionally early adopters of technology and keen to embrace campaigns that add to their nights out with friends and facilitate social sharing. By utilising the latest augmented reality technology, we have been able to develop a mechanic that delivers unique offers, whilst also providing the platform that allows groups to tag and upload digital memories of their nights out to physical items in the pubs, in addition to directly linking through to Facebook and Twitter accounts. We believe our campaign has all the right ingredients to get our target audience talking and visiting their local Wetherspoon to check out our activity for themselves”.

Wetherspoon’s chief executive, John Hutson, said: “Our pubs are extremely popular with students and we are confident that they will embrace the promotion. It is a fun and innovative way for our pubs to interact with students and for students to benefit when they visit their local Wetherspoon.”

Wetherspoon Unlocked will roll out from 12th September targeting 280 of the company’s pubs, which have a student base. Search Wetherspoon Unlocked to locate the app on Apple and Android app stores.

Originally posted on the Field Marketing and Brand Experience website.

Ever had a 1 day music festival in your offices while you were still at work? Ogilvy have!

It’s more than a week since the magic that was ‘Lab Day LIVE’ brought together the music and advertising industries to look at the new opportunities emerging for brands as the music industry business model evolves.

After a morning conference of talks and panels by some of the best industry experts, the afternoon showcased live music on 3 festival stages in the very heart of Ogilvy’s London offices at Canary Wharf. It was epic!

#labdaylive was trending for London on twitter and the live streams got 15,000 hits from a staggering 82 countries.

The site is hosting the conference footage on the ‘Speaker’ tab and the archived stream of the music footage on the #Music’ tab:  http://londonlab.ogilvyeurope.com

Check out the Winkball video wall see to what the exhibitors, delegates, artists and attendees had to say about Lab Day Live – http://www.winkball.com/walls/OPkJqC4irqDM/ogilvy-lab-day

Davey, an Australian national, has worked at OgilvyAction since 2007 as regional business director for Asia-Pacific based in Hong Kong. Here she also worked on Unilever, developing global/regional activation, retail and promotional campaigns for brands including Dove, Lux, Comfort, Pond’s and Rexona.

In 2009 she moved to OgilvyAction in Singapore in the same role, but with added regional responsibilities for Kodak, Kimberley Clark and Coca-Cola. Here she also held the managing director role building local OgilvyAction business.

Before joining OgilvyAction Davey built her career in traditional advertising and integrated roles. She spent much of this time with Nitro (later SapientNitro) based in Australia and then China, working on global brands including Mars Petcare and Snackfoods, Telstra, Unilever brand Walls, Lipton and Skippy, Expedia and Coca-Cola.

Davey says: “Moving from a traditional advertising background to an activation and shopper marketing context and role has really changed my perspective on how critical the retail environment and brand activation are to campaign success. It’s a massively exciting space to be working in and I look forward to bringing my experience to the challenges of working in a completely new market.”

Andrew Reeves, OgilvyAction adds: “Davey is a great new addition to the team. She has worked across some of the biggest, best blue chip FMCG brands in the world and has been the lead suit on D&AD winning work as well as IPA and Effie awarded campaigns.  Determined, driven and hard-working with extensive experience of Unilever internationally, we are extremely fortunate to have her join us in London.

He continues: “She is the latest addition to the senior team that has been put in place over the past 12 months to drive the business forward, and we now have a formidable top team that includes Crispin Haywood as director of shopper marketing and Jason Megson as head of experiential.”

Household & Petcare – Gold Winner!
“Say it with Scotch® – Pass the Parcel”

Digital Promotions – Silver Winner!
“Say it with Scotch® – Pass the Parcel”

Service Partner Awards – Gold Winner!
Mosaic – For its contribution to The “Say it with Scotch® – Pass the Parcel” campaign
Nominated by: OgilvyAction

Check out the website for the big picture;
http://www.theipm.org.uk/The_Institute_of_Promotional_Marketing_Awards/list_of_IPM_Awards_2011_winners.aspx

View the full case study here:
http://www.haystackonline.com/page/21376/agencies/ogilvyaction/3m-scotch-pop-up-tape-pass-the-parcel

Having worked in the digital industry since its inception in the 1990′s, Boyle has been with OgilvyAction since 2005. In his position of Head of Digital for the EAME region, he has played a key role in delivering successful solutions for clients such as Kraft, Kodak and Motorola, and has been particularly invested in immersing the company in the world of digital activation.

“I am very excited to take on this new role at OgilvyAction,” said Boyle.  ”As the traditional media landscape continues to rapidly change, I believe that the impact of digital technology on the activation and shopper marketing arenas is and will continue to be explosive. Add to this the emergence of what can best be described as a digital ‘super-generation’ over the next two or three years, brands will need to find new and different ways to engage with consumers.”

As Global Digital Director, Boyle will primarily focus on implementing OgilvyAction’s robust digital plan, particularly focusing on the agency network’s 15 hub offices.  He will also sit on the Ogilvy Group Global Digital Council, and chair the OgilvyAction Global Digital Leadership team.

Steve Harding, Global CEO of OgilvyAction commented, “Today’s consumer is now increasingly willing to embrace mobile and digital engagement from brands and each day we read how this is increasingly influencing how people shop.  To become a leading global activation network we must immerse ourselves in this space in order to best serve our clients.  Hugh has pioneered our expertise and business growth in digital activation. His timely transition to a global role will enable us to successfully promote our digital services, such as digital in-store technology and mobile within the areas of shopper marketing and activation.”

OgilvyAction, the brand activation arm of the Ogilvy Group and expert in consumer activation marketing, has appointed Jason Megson as head of experiential.

Megson will lead a team working on a client portfolio that includes Ford, Kodak and a number of other key OgilvyAction and Ogilvy Group clients.

Megson’s career takes in stints at DraftWorldwide, Closer, and BEcause Brand Experience. Most recently, he was deputy head of experiential at BD Network, where he had overall departmental responsibility for key accounts including Coca Cola, Beverage Partners Worldwide, Virgin Media, HJ Heinz and Arla Foods.

Megson said: “OgilvyAction London is the largest office in the OgilvyAction network and has a significant global portfolio driven by impeccable activation credentials. The opportunity to head up its experiential team and further develop its potential, in part through the digital expertise at the agency, is an irresistible challenge. Digital is embedded in the OgivlyAction culture, which is a key advantage given that it is already shaping the experiential landscape.’

OgilvyAction COO Andrew Reeves added: ‘Jason’s arrival adds another heavyweight to the OgilvyAction team. Experiential is a core part of the OgilvyAction offer and there’s no doubt that clients will benefit from Jason’s immense experience in the discipline.’

During the course of the past 12 months, OgilvyAction has promoted Paul Garner to executive creative director and strengthened its senior team with the appointments of Mike Nicholson, Crispin Haywood, and Steve Abrams as head of strategy and insights, director of shopper marketing and client services director respectively.OgilvyAction, the brand activation arm of the Ogilvy Group and expert in consumer activation marketing, has appointed Jason Megson as head of experiential.

Megson will lead a team working on a client portfolio that includes Ford, Kodak and a number of other key OgilvyAction and Ogilvy Group clients.

Megson’s career takes in stints at DraftWorldwide, Closer, and BEcause Brand Experience. Most recently, he was deputy head of experiential at BD Network, where he had overall departmental responsibility for key accounts including Coca Cola, Beverage Partners Worldwide, Virgin Media, HJ Heinz and Arla Foods.

Megson said: “OgilvyAction London is the largest office in the OgilvyAction network and has a significant global portfolio driven by impeccable activation credentials. The opportunity to head up its experiential team and further develop its potential, in part through the digital expertise at the agency, is an irresistible challenge. Digital is embedded in the OgivlyAction culture, which is a key advantage given that it is already shaping the experiential landscape.’

OgilvyAction COO Andrew Reeves added: ‘Jason’s arrival adds another heavyweight to the OgilvyAction team. Experiential is a core part of the OgilvyAction offer and there’s no doubt that clients will benefit from Jason’s immense experience in the discipline.’

During the course of the past 12 months, OgilvyAction has promoted Paul Garner to executive creative director and strengthened its senior team with the appointments of Mike Nicholson, Crispin Haywood, and Steve Abrams as head of strategy and insights, director of shopper marketing and client services director respectively.

Photo: Geoff Caddick/PA Wire

OgilvyAction, the brand activation arm of Ogilvy Group UK, has created a tactical Royal wedding-themed outdoor campaign for 3M’s Post-it Super Sticky Notes.

The creative shows a giant Post-it Super Sticky Note with the names of the Royal couple hand-written with a heart, accompanied by the words ‘May you stick together forever. Congratulations’ – a light hearted connection between the product and the Royal wedding. The product strapline is “Holds Stronger and Longer”.

The campaign is live now for two weeks and appears in high-visibility sites across London. Locations include a 48-sheet outside Fulham Broadway station and a 48 sheet on the New Kings Road. These sites have been chosen due to the traffic and footfall numbers expected in the locations.

OgilvyAction has worked with 3M since Jan 2010 working across a range of its office and home/leisure products, including Scotch Tape and Post-it Super Sticky Notes.

Helene Manga, brand manager at 3M, says: “OgilvyAction came to us proactively with this initiative. As soon as we saw it we knew we couldn’t say no to the campaign. The Royal wedding is spreading cheer throughout the nation as millions, even billions of people across the world gear up for this wonderful celebration. OgilvyAction has placed Post-it Super Sticky Notes at the heart of the event with a humorous campaign that has as wonderfully light touch.”

Jason Wall, business director at OgilvyAction, adds: “Post-it Notes are an iconic product that everyone knows and loves. Given their status as a household name it made absolute sense to develop a tactical campaign that would reinforce the ubiquitous nature of the product and teasingly link them to the Royal wedding, through the Super Sticky messaging.”

The Unbowleivable Dudes team from OgilvyAction won the Spring 2011 IPM Bowling Tournament, making that two successive wins for OgilvyAction.

The tournament was held at the All Star Lanes in Brick Lane, London, and saw nine teams fight it out for the coveted Golden Pin.

OgilvyAction, the brand activation arm of the Ogilvy Group and expert in consumer activation marketing, has developed an innovative B2B direct mailer for 3MGTG, the out-of-home digital specialist.

The gatefold mailer incorporates screen technology around half a centimeter thick to present three short-form videos. The VideoPak is being sent complete with sound card and showcases 3MGTG’s expertise across events, retail and media.

OgilvyAction’s mailer targets display and graphics specialists in the events, retail and media sectors across six markets – UK, Dubai, Italy, Netherlands, Sweden, Germany and France. The mailer will drop from late March to a 3,000-strong audience of B2B professionals.

Andrew Hicks, EMEA market development manager at 3MGTG, said: ‘We offer turn-key solutions that address clients’ business needs through the innovative application of digital technologies. We wanted to communicate our leading edge capabilities in digital-out-of-home presentation and OgilvyAction’s execution not only enables us to do that, it also gives us considerable cut-through.’

Gloria Chan, account director at OgilvyAction, added: ‘The digital ‘installations’ that 3MGTG create are awe inspiring and have real WOW factor. They make a stir, create a buzz and are conversation pieces in their own right – as well as answering specific business needs. Its unique content needed a unique format to show it at its best, and the video mailer is the perfect vehicle to convey that message unequivocally.’

The mailer forms part of a new business drive following 3M’s acquisition of a stake in GTG last year.

Ogilvy Group UK has launched Ogilvy Digital Health, a consultancy that combines the healthcare marketing communication expertise of Ogilvy Healthworld UK with the skills of the digital team at brand activation specialist OgilvyAction.

Seamlessly blending experience and expertise from both agencies, Ogilvy Digital Health specialises in developing digital communications solutions for the healthcare sector. The agencies have a longstanding history of working in partnership to engage healthcare audiences through digital platforms. Ogilvy Digital Health will be led by managing partners Caroline Howe and Simon Stebbing (below).

While Ogilvy Digital Health is a new entity, both agencies have a strong heritage in their respective fields of expertise. Ogilvy Healthworld has an unmatched depth and breadth of experience in healthcare communications; while OgilvyAction has unparalleled marketing experience built with leading consumer and B2B brands.

“Ogilvy Healthworld is well-versed in successfully communicating health messages via a range of platforms, and knows how to navigate the complex regulatory environment of healthcare,” says Simon. “OgilvyAction’s large digital team has unrivalled experience in activating audiences via social media and digital technologies. Ogilvy Digital Health brings these disciplines and skills together so clients have access to best-in-class health and digital marketing expertise – and all under one roof.”

Caroline adds: “Ogilvy Healthworld has been delivering award-winning digital work for its pharmaceutical clients for some time. Ogilvy Digital Health will further drive and develop the digital healthcare capabilities of clients to reach both consumers and professional audiences. Clients will have ready access to both skill sets, seamlessly.”

The move aligns two teams that have already been working closely together with clients including Pfizer, GlaxoSmithKline, Lundbeck, Roche and Bayer. To date, Ogilvy Healthworld has carried out strategic and concept work rooted in healthcare knowledge, with OgilvyAction providing the strategy, design and implementation from the digital aspect.

“Digital is becoming an integral part of communication strategies across the board,” says Paul O’Donnell, chairman, Ogilvy Group UK. “In healthcare particularly, clients are looking for a partner who not only understands effective communication with both professional and consumer audiences, but who can also navigate a complex regulatory environment. OgilvyAction and Ogilvy Healthworld bring years of knowledge and expertise to Ogilvy Digital Health to strike the right balance between technology and healthcare for clients.”

The new agency has full access to Ogilvy Healthworld’s PR, medical education, advertising, clinical trials recruitment and digital communications practices as well as the Group’s progressive Digital Labs’ network, which contains cutting edge technology to help clients develop digital marketing solutions across all online media and channels.