Whilst Jack Daniels has been spending the big bucks on its marketing campaigns, especially in the run up to Christmas, my award for the “best marketing idea from a Kentucky Bourbon producer” has to go to ‘Makers Mark’.

Not blessed with the huge marketing budgets of their larger rivals, the company has chosen to embrace the loyalty and vanity of its customers to conceive its ‘Brand Ambassadors’ campaign.

The idea is fiendish in its simplicity. If you sign up to become Makers Mark Ambassador they’ll engrave your name on a barrel of their whiskey! For me, the proposition was too intriguing to ignore. I went onto the website and discovered that the benefits of being an ambassador didn’t end there. I’d also be sent updates on the aging process of my batch and be given the opportunity to buy a bottle once it had reached maturity, brilliant! All I had to do to attain ambassador status was to give my personal details, easy. Then promise to spread the word of Makers Mark far and wide, which I do anyway.

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As I approach the end of my placement year with Red C, I would like to emphasise how much I have enjoyed being part of such a dynamic and innovative company. Being at the forefront of marketing development and seeing an idea put into practice is an experience any marketing enthusiast would envy. The knowledge and skills I have acquired will undoubtedly prove to be a valuable asset in my final year at University.

From the moment I started my placement to the final week I genuinely felt part of the Red C team, rather than just a student having to be kept busy for the duration of her placement. The friendship, co-operation and genuine concern for one another became apparent as soon as I started working at Red C and something I will always remember.

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So imagine this. You’ve been tasked by a major TV Network to promote an animated series with a guerrilla marketing campaign. Your idea is a winner, and involves you sending some electronic devices (that resemble a character from the Aqua Teen Hunger Force) to several major cities so that some hired help can place them in places that have a high footfall.

Then you wake up on the morning of day one of your campaign to hear that a member of the public has spotted one of your devices and thought it weird enough to report it to the police. The police then call the bomb squad asking for help in identifying a device. They then shut down part of a major highway and the public transportation system while they disable what they think is a bomb with a smaller explosive filled with water.

It gets worse!

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N Brown Group, whose catalogues include JD Williams, Oxendales and Simply Be, has turned to Red C to rebrand High and Mighty, which they purchased out of Administration in 2009.

The new look for the clothing retailer sees the brand repositioned as a place that understands that it is the clothes that make the man. As well as a new logo and positioning, Red C has been involved in producing all store messaging, from window graphics to in-changing room advice guides.

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Holiday Cottages Group (HCG), the UK’s number one holiday cottage rental agency with more than 10,000 properties in the UK, is launching its first TV campaign in three years. The advert will premiere on Boxing Day and run throughout quarter one.

Holiday Cottages Group has reported sales of domestic holidays are up by 12 percent on 2008 and following this success it is looking to strengthen its position further in 2010.

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Long hair, stubble, drives a fast car… no it’s not a rock star, it’s one of Manchester’s coolest and nicest Photographer’s, Tim Ainsworth. It’s been a while since he’s done some work for us… probably a few years, but we’re pleased to say he’s delivered a fantastic looking job for us for Swinton’s Cashback Plus.

The concept for Cashback Plus involved creating a clean graphic world populated by all the things Swinton can get you insurance for… the main idea being that the more insurance you take out with Swinton… the more Cashback you’ll get.

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Red C’s Mystery Tipper campaign for Swinton’s Taxi Division has been selected as one of the finalists for the overall Diamond Award, at this year’s IDM Business Performance Awards.

The IDM Diamond Award is the most coveted prize in direct marketing. It celebrates the long-term contribution direct marketing can make to the success of a business. So it’s fair to say we’re pretty chuffed to be nominated. Read more…