Promo - March 2008 - (Page 19)

The Players 2,000 Wal-Marts to show off its 2008 lineup of the highly collectible Littlest Pet Shop pets. Each of the 4,000 ambassadors received a booklet with details about Hasbro, the pets and related products, as well as an overall description of the campaign. “We had to get these people up to speed, as if they were a Hasbro employee,” says Jay Zemke, vice president of strategic development for Bard Advertising, which developed and executed the campaign. Once the hires received the packets, they were directed online to learn more about each segment outlined in the booklet. When they were up to speed, they had to prove it. Each rep called a specific phone number to answer questions to make sure they understood everything they needed to know. If all the questions were answered correctly they received a pin code to activate a $20 Visa card they could use to buy items they might need if, say, a standee came apart and they needed some duct tape. The temp staff also had to learn specifics about the pets, such as the new VIP, or virtual interactive pets, that come with a code on its collar and can interact with the same pet online, Zemke says. Two reps worked most stores, but a third was needed at 100 of the Wal-Marts to staff a photo station where families could get their pictures taken against a photo backdrop of the pets and later claim it online. Those reps required additional training for how to operate the cameras. “Every new pet is on the shelf,” says David Henderson, director of customer strategic marketing for Hasbro Inc. “At the end of the day our goal was to show the families everything that is new with Littlest Pet Shop.” Finding the right person for personalized experiential campaigns can be time consuming, but well worth it, experts say. “They are the face, the execution, the fulfillment of all the brand is trying to put out there.” says Ira Jaffe, vice president of EventNetUSA. l P W For more articles on experiential marketing, go to http://promomagazine.com/eventmarketing/ Newsletter Web RSS Webinar Conference Podcast THE SEARCH 1. Mine the in-house database for a match to the job’s skill set 2. Send an e-mail blast to advertise the job to appropriate segments of the database 3. Place in-market ads 4. Post ads on job boards 5. Network online 6. Contact a staffing or casting agency Kids and mom help out making pancakes using an Aunt Jemima mix. To better connect with consumers, Spanishspeaking brand reps also live the Hispanic life. Promo / WWW.PROMOMAGAZINE.COM / February 2008 19 http://promomagazine.com/eventmarketing/

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Promo - March 2008

Promo - March 2008 Editor's Note Girls' Club New Eco Regs? They're Not Going Anywhere Spreads Easily RFID Ramp-Up From Backyard to Broadcast Commentary VROOOM! Stuff We Can't Do Here Yet Q&A: Measuring Up Free Ink The Agency Center Resource Center Promotions 2.0 Index of Advertisers

Promo - March 2008

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