Who said iPads were useless

Very cool hologram like type effects from Dentsu London

Making Future Magic: iPad light painting from Dentsu London on Vimeo.

Green outside of the box packaging by PUMA

Integrated Campaign Drives Sales; Earns Top Media Coverage for Babolat

The results are in, and Amélie hit another winner with the 2010 Advantage Babolat campaign. Our online communication efforts earned a 28% conversion rate for the campaign microsite, meaning that efforts to drive traffic to the promotion’s landing page worked well. In all, the “Put Yourself in Roddick’s Shoes” promotion contributed to a strong sell-in of Babolat products for the semester: shoes were up 41.9%, racquets increased 44% and bags jumped to 69%. The culmination of the campaign was a media event in New York City to kick off the U.S. Open. Our PR efforts resulted in coverage from national outlets such as CNBC, local media such as the New York Daily News and top tennis industry media including Tennis Channel and TENNIS magazine, garnering over six million impressions. Check out our website for more details on how we executed this successful campaign for our client.

Watch a video from the event: Andy Roddick Hits with Advantage Babolat Winner

Oldie but Goodie

This one is when Steve Jobs unveiled the “Think Different” campaign was being unveiled. He was truly on to something…

What Can We Learn From The Kulula Airline Rebranding?

You may have already seen the emails, or maybe read about the story on snopes.com. It’s true, it’s awesome and it’s something we should all take note of. First, take a look at the redesign of the Kulula planes.

As you can see, there is an honesty and a sense of humor here that is refreshing, especially in the airline industry which has become a place of paranoia, depression and increased charges on, well, everything.

But Kulula doesn’t stop at the new airline livery, which comes in many different forms (even Camo). The airline has taken this “real honesty” approach onto the planes via the stewards, stewardesses and even pilots. A few examples:

“Ladies and gentlemen, we’ve reached cruising altitude and will be turning down the cabin lights. This is for your comfort and to enhance the appearance of your flight attendants.”

“There may be 50 ways to leave your lover, but there are only 4 ways out of this airplane.”

As the plane landed and was coming to a stop at Durban Airport , a lone voice came over the loudspeaker: “Whoa, big fella. WHOA!”

“Welcome aboard Kulula 271 to Port Elizabeth.  To operate your seat belt, insert the metal tab into the buckle, and pull tight. It works just like every other seat belt; and, if you don’t know how to operate one, you probably shouldn’t be out in public unsupervised.”

“In the event of a sudden loss of cabin pressure, masks will descend from the ceiling. Stop screaming, grab the mask, and pull it over your face. If you have a small child traveling with you, secure your mask before assisting with theirs. If you are traveling with more than one small child, pick your favorite.”

“Kulula Airlines is pleased to announce that we have some of the best flight attendants in the industry. Unfortunately, none of them are on this flight!”

Another flight attendant’s comment on a less than perfect landing: “We ask you to please remain seated as Captain Kangaroo bounces us to the terminal.”

“Ladies and gentlemen, if you wish to smoke, the smoking section on this airplane is on the wing.. If you can light ‘em, you can smoke ‘em.”

And an actual, rare recording of the announcement:

What can we learn from this? Well, it shows us that making a difference in the way you treat your customers, and the way you present yourself as a company, can have a significant impact. Not just with good PR, but with genuine good feeling among the consumers. People now want to fly Kulula airlines because of the experience. When was the last time you wanted to fly United or Frontier? You just do. It’s a necessary step, like a taxi, that gets you from one place to another. But it’s usually a decision you make based on the cost of the flight and the time in the air.

Kulula is changing that. I, for one, would be willing to pay an extra $50 for a seat on this airline just to experience something more light-hearted and original. The sense of humor, and the treatment of the passengers, makes it obvious that Kulula actually gives a crap. You are a person, not a dollar sign in a cramped seat.

Bravo, Kulula. We hope this energy and enthusiasm spreads to the rest of the stagnant airlines.