Top 10 IMC campaigns of 2010 (Part 1)

By Carrie Griffith

From ground-breaking viral to deep consumer insights to epic failures, here is our look at the integrated marketing campaigns that made the top of our list in 2010. Check back tomorrow for the the second part of the list!

Most Buzz Worthy – Old Spice: Man You Could Smell Like
To gain relevance and credibility with younger men, Wieden and Kennedy created the “Man You Could Smell Like” campaign for Old Spice. Old Spice tapped into a deep human insight—guys want to be manly—by using a humorous, hyper-masculine character to challenge a man’s most basic insecurities and help him “navigate the seas of manhood.” The Old Spice campaign infiltrated conversations both online and offline, with an 800% increase in Facebook interaction, 140 million YouTube views, and 120K Twitter followers. Did I forget to mention that sales of Old Spice actually increased in 2010?




Brand-Breaking Viral Campaign – Smirnoff: Bros Icing Bros
“Bros Icing Bros” started as a website and launched into a viral drinking game that swept college campuses across the nation. The rules of the game encourage underage binge drinking, which seriously threatened Smirnoff’s brand image. Controversy continues to surround the campaign’s origin—was it a consumer-generated phenomenon? Or was it a calculated risk taken by Smirnoff to boost sales? In response to allegations of questionable guerilla marketing tactics, Smirnoff took down the website (which now states: “We had a good run Bros…”), but the game lives on.

Cause Marketing Campaign – Pepsi Refresh Project
In lieu of a multi-million dollar Super Bowl campaign, Pepsi invested millions to engage consumers in an authentic and meaningful way. With the help of TBWA\CHIAT\DAY, Pepsi launched the Pepsi Refresh Project, which provided a consumer-driven forum for everyday people to post their “Do Good” ideas. To date, Pepsi has granted more than $1.3 million to individuals and organizations that posted ideas on the website. To learn more, check out Vitamin IMC’s conversation about the Pepsi Refresh Project with Medill IMC alum David Dreyer of TBWA\CHIAT\DAY.

Consumer-Centric Campaign – Domino's: Pizza Turnaround
Domino’s Pizza tastes like cardboard and ketchup… and the company execs will be the first to tell you! In its Pizza Turnaround campaign, Domino’s took the side of the brand haters and publicly admitted that its 49-year-old pizza recipe was gross. With the help of Crispin Porter & Bogusky, Domino’s positioned its brand as a partner by listening to and involving consumers every step of the pizza reformulation process. Most marked the campaign strategy as brand suicide, but in a recessionary year Domino’s achieved double-digit same-store sales growth of 11.7% in the third quarter.




Stereotype Buster – Toyota: Swagger Wagon
When you hear the word “minivan” what thoughts immediately come to mind? For most, negative associations arise that usually involve avoidance of owning/driving/riding in one. Among the 20-30 something audience, the minivan is the antithesis of cool. Toyota took a unique approach to combat the stigma that surrounds owning a minivan by turning the stereotype on its head. The Swagger Wagon campaign makes minivans cool by featuring a quirky couple rapping about their family, day-to-day life, and minivan. While the commercial does not position the minivan as a choice car, it encourages families to laugh and be proud to drive a minivan.




What integrated marketing campaigns made your top 10 in 2010? Please share in the comments! And be sure to look for Part 2 of our list tomorrow.


Carrie Griffith is a student in the Masters in Integrated Marketing Communications program at Northwestern University’s Medill School and is Vitamin IMC's director of online initiatives. She can be reached at carriehinkle2011@u.northwestern.edu.

The dreaded stats class and more: An inside look at the first quarter of IMC

Wondering what Northwestern's IMC program is all about? Follow Gwynne Rowe's (IMC '11) posts throughout the coming year as she provides a student's perspective.

By Gwynne Rowe

Whoever said grad school would be easy? I’m not sure if anyone ever said that, but if they had, they certainly weren’t a master’s student in Integrated Marketing Communications at Northwestern. My first quarter at IMC has been the most academically challenging and rewarding program that I’ve ever taken on. During orientation and pre-orientation, current students warned of the rigors of the IMC program. However, I took their advice somewhat lightly, having enjoyed good grades and the other perks of undergrad maybe a little bit too much!

As the first week – I take that back – as the first days of classes passed and I suddenly had enough homework and reading to keep me busy from dawn until dusk, I realized I should have taken those now-5th quarter students’ advice more seriously. While everyone was worried about Statistics before classes started, we were now also faced with Finance. Finance! As someone who had enjoyed a college career virtually math-free and three years in the work force successfully dodging numbers (for the most part), I was suddenly confronted with Finance. Why hadn’t anybody warned me about that?

The workload wasn’t the only thing that was different from undergrad. I was now surrounded by extremely bright peers from many cultural, educational and career backgrounds. Instead of sitting passively back in class, my classmates engaged with each other and the professors. And—the best part of IMC—everything that I was reading, discussing, and learning was extremely valuable and interesting to me. Sometime after the panic of midterms had passed, and the shock of walking out into fresh air after leaving the library at 11:30 at night wore off, I realized how much I had already learned and how the concepts from each class were coming together to form the base of my IMC education. Several projects, papers and presentations later—it was finals week. Like midterms, I was still anxious and panicked at the prospect of final exams. However, unlike midterms, I felt better prepared and even slightly confident!

Now that I’m on winter break, I don’t think I’ve ever enjoyed doing nothing so much. There were times when I doubted myself and didn’t know if I would make it this far, but with the support of my fellow IMC’ers and the professors who told us again and again not to panic, I made it. Now I’m ready for next quarter. I have a game plan, and I know what to expect – I hope!

Gwynne Rowe is a student in the Masters in Integrated Marketing Communications program at Northwestern University’s Medill School and can be reached at gwynnerowe2010@u.northwestern.edu

From Neanderthals to IMC

There's a tectonic shift happening in the marketing world. Next week, Forrester will release a report that recommends doing away with "brand manager" and changing the title to "brand advocate". This recommendation signifies a larger shift in acceptance of the changes the digital era has brought as we see more and more companies embracing the customer-centric IMC approach. This Ad Age article is a must read for any IMC thinker and has some great insights by Denuo CEO Rishad Tobaccowala, who shared similar remarks to us last week during the Medill Marketing Conference. Let us know your thoughts below. What will branding mean in the next few years? How do you see the digital era changing the marketing world?

--Stacy Cohen

Exciting News from Vitamin IMC

Hello Vitamin Fans,

Vitamin IMC recently celebrated 6 months of blogging and gaining over 500 followers on Twitter. Thanks to all of you for your support! Keep the comments and tweets coming -- we love hearing from you!

Also, we are excited to announce that Vitamin IMC is featured in the current issue of Medill Magazine. Check out the article to learn about the creation of Vitamin IMC.

And remember, don’t forget to take your vitamins!

-- Marina & Stacy and the Vitamin IMC team

Can Break-Dancing Babies Refresh the Evian Brand?

This week, Evian is launching a global advertising campaign entitled "Live Young" aimed to counteract the effects of the recession. Because of its premium price, Evian sales have been hit hard and it only holds 0.6% of the bottled water market. The campaign centers around adorable break-dancing babies who demonstrate the benefits of Evian's minerals in a video that is on a path to become a viral hit.



Complimenting the video is an interactive website with interviews, music, wallpapers, and links to Facebook profiles created for a few of the babies. Although Evian is bound to make a splash with this cute and amusing video, the rest of the campaign may fall a little flat. What would better help Evian's effort is if they provided additional tips on how to "live young" on the website. Consumers may be initially drawn in based on the premise of the video, but interacting with babies is not going to forge a strong association of Evian with living young in consumers' minds. Evian should consider partnering with a healthy living organization to provide tips on other ways to keep your body healthy and feeling younger. This will help position Evian as a lifestyle brand, more than just the bottled water brand that has minerals.

And they should also consider expanding their social media strategy. Being friends with a cute baby isn't going to convert consumers to loyal advocates. What would be better is to create a fan page for the campaign that incorporates more information on ways to live young and encourages interaction and user engagement. Letting consumers share ways that they live young will keep the campaign around for a longer period of time.

So what do you think? Will you buy Evian now with your anti-aging creams? Or is this just another cute dancing baby video?

--Stacy Cohen

General Mills' Innovating Marketing

Many CPG organizations are still set in their old marketing ways. IMC is not always a mentality or common practice. One CPG that is paving the way with innovation in marketing is General Mills. Just yesterday, Mashable and AdWeek talked about how General Mills is getting the word out through MyBlogSpark - a network of bloggers (many of them mommy bloggers) who get access to new General Mills products and review them on their blogs.

In our Marketing Mix class, we got an insider perspective on how General Mills continues to innovate and expand their marketing efforts to meet consumer needs. Our class was also tasked with three projects: extending CRM to social media, online coupon yield management, and email subject and content optimization. The results and recommendations will be presented in June. VitaminIMC had a chance to sit down and chat with out guest speaker, IMC alum Geoff Johnson ('97), Director of Household Marketing at General Mills. Here are his thoughts.

Incorporating IMC at General Mills
It's easy to fall into the trap of 'what we want to do to the consumer' instead of focusing on the benefits to them. Understanding IMC helps maintain that consumer focus. From my degree I learned the importance of data and analysis. For example, the first time I encountered decile analysis was as a student at Medill. By using that tool to analyze the entire General Mills portfolio, I was able to uncover valuable insights.

Effect of the recession on marketing efforts at General Mills
Everyone has to eat, and the recession has forced people back into the home (instead of eating out). But consumers are still hurting. We're focusing on the value of our products for consumers by providing solutions such as helping to plan for leftovers, coupons, and turning meals into family time.

The post-recession marketer
You need to focus on goals and what works. It's also important to have break through ideas that differentiate you and connect with the consumer in a compelling way. There will probably be hyper competition post-recession and those that have their game on now will be able to create a long term advantage.

Advice for new IMC graduates
Be curious and don't be afraid to ask questions. Share your ideas and don't be part of the status quo. The people that are able to do this are the most successful in an organization.

-- Marina Molenda and Stacy Cohen

Yum! Visits IMC

Did you know that on one street corner in Shanghai, China, there are four Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurants? Were you aware that in a country with India’s population (approximately one billion people), there are only 300 Pizza Hut restaurants? Jonathan Blum, senior vice president and chief public affairs office for Yum! Brands Inc., shared these interesting facts and more with Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) students at a Professional Speaker Series event in the Medill IMC program.  

Blum explained the history of Yum! Brands Inc. and how the company spun off from PepsiCo in 1997 with the brands Taco Bell, Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC), Pizza Hut, Long John Silver’s and A&W Restaurants. Students learned of the incredible growth of the company, especially with its current international expansion to approximately 112 countries including Russia, China, Vietnam, Brazil and India. Blum also spoke of IMC tactics his company is executing to both domestic and international consumers during these tough economic times. For example, recent Kentucky Fried Chicken ads emphasized the value of the KFC products, a concept that is particularly important to consumers who are watching their wallets. Additionally, Blum emphasized the importance of conducting thorough market research in arriving at consumer insights and understanding purchase behavior. It is through these market research processes that Taco Bell decided to create its Fresco line, to appeal to the health conscious consumer through its low fat, fresh products.  

Prior to joining Yum! Brands Inc., Blum worked in the White House during President Jimmy Carter’s administration. He obtained his law degree and worked in an advertising agency, but never felt like he ‘found his niche’ until he joined Yum! Brands Inc., which he claims is “fun and slightly left of center.” Yum! recently posted a twinternship position for Pizza Hut that will focus on new and emerging social media. 

About his job, Blum says, “I love that I get to roll up my sleeves and do what I love every day.” Blum’s passion for his work, his ability to adapt with the times, and keeping the consumer at the core of all activities serves as a reminder to us all of the importance of creating a customer centric marketing approach grounded in thorough research.

--Guest Contributor: Divya Chopra, IMC Graduate Student

To Tweet or not to Tweet?

*image from http://misterseniorblogger.com

In a recent Ad Age digital newsletter article entitled, “Top Ten Reasons your Company Should Hold off on Twitter,” B.L. Ochman argued that Twitter isn’t for everyone.  Don’t let the negative headline mislead you – these are insightful tips on best practices for Twitter users.   

The IMC principles of listening and conversing with customers are emphasized in several of Ochman's points.  Social media applications are meant for conversations (pull), not one-way messages (push).  Using defunct marketing tactics in a modern space is like an old dude using corny pick-up lines at a bar full of young women.  You’re not going to get anyone’s number and you might get slapped in the face. 

 
Egocasters take note: The Golden Rule applies in Twitter as it does in real life.  Tweet with others as you would like others to tweet with you – if you expect people to listen to you ramble on but you don’t care to hear their response, they’ll stop listening.  Remain open to feedback and welcome commentary – and respond to others’ tweets as well! Also, see what people are saying about you to determine how your presence (or lack of presence) on Twitter could help build a relationship with your customers.  You’ll receive a warmer welcome if you’ve done your homework. 

--Guest Contributor: Kate Floyd, IMC Graduate Student

OfficeMax Case Study: IMC done right

Ideas are the fuel that drive marketing ROI – great ideas can overcome a challenging market problem or a small budget. Great ideas are exactly why OfficeMax has built a brand that is seen as fun, innovative, and caring about its customers. Did you ever think an office supply store would be the one to create the single most successful viral marketing campaign in history? Do you know anyone that hasn’t Elfed themselves?

OfficeMax’s CMO, Bob Thacker, spoke to our Brand Communication Decisions class and discussed how OfficeMax’s recent campaigns show the power of creativity. By understanding the needs of their consumers and appealing to their hearts, OfficeMax saw great success in its Schooled, Elf Yourself, and Power to the Penny campaigns. Viral marketing can be a solution for small budgets. And if done right, you can benefit from the powers of social media – everyone else will do the marketing for you. Brands can see great returns from creating campaigns that really connect with their consumers. Even in this economy, OfficeMax is continuing to fund it’s a Day Made Better program which make surprise donations of supplies and gifts to teachers across the country. 

Thacker told us that advertising is a party crasher and “if you’re going to crash a party, you’d better bring a bottle of wine”. Advertising needs to be memorable and enrich the experience of consumers. It’s no longer about what marketers can sell to consumers – it’s now about how marketers can help consumers. 

OfficeMax clearly understands this. Recently the brand revamped its look, products and advertising because of research showing that women are the primary purchasers in the office. By infusing excitement and style into everything from the layout of the store to the website to its catalogs, OfficeMax has moved away from the common perceptions of work space as dull and boring and is off to a great start with its Life is Beautiful, Work can be too campaign.  

Thacker’s words are a lesson to all marketers. The recession poses a challenge to marketing and the only way to overcome it is with creativity and a little heart. A bouncing rubberband ball can’t hurt either.  

-- Stacy Cohen

Conversation Starters

Great marketing communications is really pretty simple if you stop and think about it. Develop a conversation-starting piece of media that convinces someone to take action and wham … you're finished. Clock out and take the kids for a bike ride through the zoo. Repeat as necessary.

Problem is that there's no universal standard for creating stellar conversations today. We do know one thing for certain, word of mouth product, service or political perspective recommendations score higher than anything else in the marcom practitioner's tool bag. With a host of new social media options evolving on almost a daily basis, new conversation starters would seem to be a no-brainer. But that's not what I've found.

As director of programs for IABC Chicago, I opened a luncheon session the other day to 75 Fortune 150 communicators by asking how many were involved in emerging media - blogging, Twitter or podcasting - on some regular basis. Only a few hands went up. I should have been shocked, but I wasn't because I'd heard almost the same answer in the graduate IMC class I teach at Northwestern when I asked 23 new students the same question.

If conversations about products and services are so effective at changing behavior - and I believe they are - why do so many communicators still understand so very little about the value of social media?

One reason is that no one is quite sure where social media fits in the traditional corporate structure. Should the brand manager be Tweeting or is that the role of corporate communications or marketing? Or should they all be blogging too? And how do you control the conversations with a variety of departments chiming in?

The big guys upstairs are also afraid of social media simply because it is so well … social. They're afraid that dipping their toes in the social media stream means opening themselves up to critical feedback - it does - when all they want to really do is sell products. To them, the best solution is to do nothing right now.

Here's why I think that's rather short sighted. People chatting all over the place - as in all over the globe - about a product or service is much more likely to result in a positive conversation than a negative one. The most important element corporate communicators and marketing folks miss, however, is that these conversations don't need us to happen. They're taking place right now with no input from any of the company people.

Sure there's a good chance someone might rather buy a BMW than a Ford, but Ford on Twitter participating in the conversation anyway. They understand that taking part, as risky as that might seem to some traditional marketing folks, is a far better alternative than standing on the sidelines hoping conversations convince people to buy.

Finally, it's work to stay on top of the new media game.

You need to be open-minded about the possibility of new ideas and new methods of convincing people that your product or service should be the choice right now. That means reading, quite a bit in fact, to learn more and develop new strategies. It means subscribing to blogs and reading them to better understand where they might fit into your business. But you don't need to participate in blogs, Twitter or any of these in order to watch and listen.

There is much to distract a business from social networking right now. But the poor economy won't be a great excuse a year from now. The smart communicators are learning the skills and developing strategies now that will help pull their companies out of the slime as the recession ends.

So can you afford to ignore social networking as a marketer? Only at your peril.

--Guest Contributor: Robert Mark
Robert Mark is an adjunct lecturer at Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism and CEO of Evanston-based CommAvia. He's is the past-president of the Chicago chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators and publisher of the Webbie-award winning aviation blog Jetwhine.com.

IMC in the (White) House

Last week AIGA Chicago hosted “Designing Obama” where Sol Sender and Scott Thomas (SimpleScott) discussed the creation and evolution of the Obama logo and Web sites.

The break from traditional design and tactics used in political marketing truly set the campaign apart from competitors and predecessors. While the logo development process was interesting, the most fascinating aspect was the successful use of IMC principles.

A strong focus on the consumers (supporters) led to the “we” instead of “he” philosophy and drove marketing tactics.

The logo was a tangible way for supporters to connect with the campaign. Everyone became manipulators of the logo. It was easily recreated, transferred, and transformed allowing consumers to express their individuality as well as their support for Obama—and supporters took full advantage of it. The campaign Web site even provided the logo and downloads for assisting with creating items such as t-shirts and promotional materials.

The campaign effectively used the Web and social media to not only connect with supporters, but to empower supporters and connect them to each other. The BarakObama.com Web site provided value added content for supporters including educational materials and tools for becoming involved. My.BarakObama.com was a social network site where supporters created profiles, accessed resources, create personalized fundraising pages and blogs, and utilized simple tools for connecting with other supporters. Other social media tools such as Myspace, YouTube, LinkedIn, and Twitter were also utilized.

Additionally, analytics were used to track performance and refine the Web sites. This data uncovered design preferences and usability issues and were used to enhance the sites. Analytics are key to the success of any IMC campaign and the Obama team clearly illustrated that.

For those of you that missed the presentation and are lucky enough to be at SXSW, SimpleScott will be on the panel “Designing Change in America” on March 17.

--Marina Molenda

Tropicana Needs Some Vitamin IMC

There's been a backsplash in the orange juice world. Today NPR and the New York Times reported on the consumer outrage against the new packaging for Tropicana. It appears that Tropicana overlooked the strong emotional connection their core consumers (those who are passionate about and loyal to the brand) had to the original packaging. 

As marketers, we think the re-

design brings a fresh, modern look to the packaging. As consumers, we understand the backlash because in this economy, consumers are seeking the comfort of their favorite brands. When times are uncertain, consumers look for stability and familiarity, not radical changes. 

As IMC students, we understand the necessity of consumer-centricity when developing brand strategy. Brandweek's report of the survey Being Consumer-Centric: A Retailer and Manufacturer Update says that "most retailers (75 percent) and consumer products manufacturers (58 percent) rank consumer centricity as a top-three success factor." The report also says that "the limited availability of team resources is the largest impediment to consumer-centric success for both retailers (37 percent) and manufacturers (43 percent)." To solve the problem of limited resources, retailers and manufactures need to turn to integrated marketing communications experts in order to develop effective campaigns and maximize ROI.

Clearly Tropicana is consumer-centric because they re-desinged the packaging based on consumer research, and are now swtiching back to the original design based on consumer feedback. In Tropicana's case, it appears the issue arose from not putting enough weight on the opinions of its most passionate consumers. Even though they represent a small fraction of their consumer base, Tropicana understood the importance of keeping them happy because these are the people who will be talking about the brand the most. Tropicana can teach marketers a lesson on the importance of understanding how your consumers feel about your products. Marketers need to monitor what is being said about their brand while also bringing their core consumers into the conversation to develop effective campaigns.

Give us your fresh squeezed thoughts on this issue by taking our poll and leaving your comments below. 

--Marina Molenda and Stacy Cohen

UPDATE: Tropicana received a second hit from its rebranding blunder. Sales from January to February dropped 20%. Read more details at AdAge.

Twestival: Meet and Tweet For a Cause

Last night communities of Tweeters met in over 175 cities around the world to raise money and awareness for charity:water, an innovative non-profit dedicated to providing clean water to developing communities in desperate need. What started as a small gathering to benefit a local charity in London last year has evolved into a global fund raising event that is 100% volunteer organized. Early reports are predicting $1million was raised. Vitamin IMC attended the Chicago Twestival at Catalyst Ranch, a cool and funky converted loft that oozed creativity from every corner. 

Meeting other twitter users face to face was a great opportunity to network, share ideas and discuss the endless capabilities of Twitter. We'll explore these capabilities ourselves and how Twitter can be used as a marketing tool in an upcoming post. 

Referred to as the Live Aid of the tech world , Twestival's success highlights the power of social media. Not only does it allow you to share and connect with other users, but it can also be used to mobilize its users to effect social change. Social media is an important aspect of developing an IMC strategy, and as shown by Twestival, when used properly can yield great returns. We expect to see more events like Twestival in the future as the true value of social media is realized by more people.

So tell us, did you attend Twestival? What do you think about the power of social media?

--Stacy Cohen

Breakfast of Champions: Beer vs Cereal

With commoditized products how does a marketer develop a message that creates a sustainable relationship and a competitive advantage? The answer lies in a hot topic we've discussed this quarter: developing an authentic message that resonates with core customers. Authenticity isn't a new concept, but is gaining attention and importance in marketing. Joseph Pine from Ted.com explains it like this: "Authenticity is becoming the new consumer sensibility. The buying criteria for consumers to decide who they're going to buy from."

To illustrate this, let's see beer and cereal go head-to-head. What do these challengers have in common besides being the 'breakfast of champions?' Both face the challenge of differentiating themselves in very crowded markets. In the fight for consumer attention and loyalty, who will win the authenticity title?

Budweiser has connected with consumers through several knock-out (KO) campaigns such as the Budweiser Frogs and "Waasuup!" Its current campaign for Bud Light attempts to use a single word, Drinkability, to represent the essence of the brand and differentiate it from other light beer. Do consumers, especially Bud's core consumers, feel the same way? A one-word slogan can be a powerful move if it is the essence of your brand and your core competency. However, if it's something that can be copied by competitors or is a feature inherent in all products in your category, then the power is diluted. Compounding the problem is an unclear message that leaves consumers confused instead of connected. Saying your beverage has Drinkability is like saying this brand of cars is driveable or that brand of pizza is edible. Additionally, while Drinkability is featured prominently on the landing page for Budlight.com, once inside the site there is an array of different messages. In terms of authenticity, Pine would probably call Bud's new campaign a "real fake."

Kellogg's new campaign for Rice Krispies uses real families and shows how the product is part of everyday moments and childhood memories. While a commercial is a created/simulated experience, the authenticity comes from consumers internalizing the message by relating to the experience and drawing on their own personal memories with Rice Krispies. RiceKrispies.com continues to reinforce the message. Visitors can read about memories from other people and share their own and download recipes that can be used to create new memories. Additionally, the site has games to play with children and tips on cooking with children. The campaign hits hard with a clear, authentic, and consistent message reinforced by a Web site that provides relevant, value-add features that help consumers connect with and experience the brand. KO!

And the authenticity title goes to: cereal!

--Marina Molenda

VitaminIMC - What Marketing Doctors Are Now Prescribing

A new year brings reflection on industry trends. 2008 saw a rise in social media use and also a shift in the marketing world. In 2009 we will see the effects of this shift. Traditional views of marketing are being challenged so it is important now more than ever to grasp the idea of customer centricity. This idea lies at the core of integrated marketing communications (IMC). By focusing on understanding customers, marketers can create strategies that will increase ROI and continue to build strong brands. Marketers also need to adapt to changes that Web 2.0 has brought about. When properly implemented, social media use can be of great value to marketers and a key route to building relationships with your consumers.

Already in 2009 we've seen companies putting IMC into practice:

On New Year's Eve, Nivea launched the "Kiss and Be Kissed" campaign to create an emotional, rather than functional, connection with its consumers. From product sampling in Times Square, to pamphlets on the art of kissing, to an interactive Web site urging viewers to submit their own photos of affection, the campaign seeks to build a relationship between Nivea and their consumers in a category where this is not commonly done.

Kellogg's revamped its Special K Challenge to better reflect the needs of its consumers. The "Wake-Up Call" campaign highlights the importance of using consumer insights to drive brand strategy and innovation. To better meet the needs of their consumers, Kellogg's expanded the Special K product line to offer more variety for meals and snacks. They also changed their advertising messaging to target the trigger points of consumers ready to begin a weight management program.

Pepsi is harnessing the power of social media to make the final decision on which spots it will run during the Super Bowl. Brandweek reports that Pepsi execs are waiting to see which brands get the most buzz on the internet and are closely tracking the blogosphere to decide which brands to highlight in Sunday's big game.

How successful marketers will be in 2009 will depend on how well they can incorporate IMC strategies and philosophies to build relationships with their consumers. The use of social media and the internet will be an extremely useful tool, but other outlets need to be used as well in order to truly understand your customers. The best way to ensure marketing success is to remember to take your vitamins, especially the essential nutrient of vitamin IMC!

-- Stacy Cohen