The Swinton Mystery Tipper campaign began in March 2008 with the objective of generating insurance leads for Swinton Taxi Division.  Not only did it smash this objective out of the park, but it also won several marketing awards including a DMA Gold in the Financial Services category.  So when we were tasked earlier this year with improving upon it we were a little apprehensive, but netherless we accepted the challenge withgusto and started to devise a bigger and better Mystery Tipper campaign….  but would the awards follow!?

A brief overview

For those of you who are not familiar.  The Mystery Tipper is a mysterious blonde decked out in a mac and trilby who travels across towns and cities in the UK, handing a £1,000 tip to a cabbie who has a ‘Mystery Tipper’ sticker in their cab. Cabbies get a sticker after requesting a taxi insurance quote from Swinton Taxi Division. Easy, effective and successful, The Mystery Tipper’s appeal is its simplicity. that and the lure of a big tip.

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A few years ago our Mystery Tipper picked up an array of marketing awards… and after a couple of years of continuing to deliver some impressive results for Swinton’s Taxi Division she has been nominated by the lovely people at the DMA Awards in the category of ‘Best business performance or improvement’. Needless to say we’re all really chuffed here at Red C towers and have already begun polishing those shoes and ironing those gowns for the award-ceremony!

The Direct Marketing Association Awards don’t just reward great looking creative. They reward excellence in results and delivering business performance through insightful, inventive and innovative marketing strategies that feed into great looking creative that then go on to deliver stunning results for clients.

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I don’t have a great track record when it comes to April Fools.  Two years ago I greeted my wife by covering my head with tomato ketchup and lying motionless at the bottom of the stairs.  My wife finally started talking to me again on April 4^th.

Last year I had the brilliant idea of playing a prank of Julian.  I called into the office with a fake voice and informed reception that Julian’s precious and beloved Saab had been hit by another car in the car park.  Although Julian fell for it, I have a horrible feeling the last laugh will belong to Julian given his new lofty status as MD!  I’m not expecting a pay rise anytime soon.

Anyway, despite not quite hitting the mark with my April Fools activity over the past two years I’m happy to say that 2011 was different.  As I’m happy to report that I’ve been involved in two April Fool scams for Jessops that have created quite a buzz!

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Who’d have thought a Swedish furniture shop could provide the ideal location for a gripping melodrama?

I thought it was just somewhere couples went to have arguments.

Ikea Heights is a spoof soap opera filmed entirely at the Burbank store in California without the store’s permission. It’s really well done too. Customers are milling around in the background, busy deliberating whether the BILLY or the FLÄRKE bookcase would better complement their lounge decor… blissfully unaware of the scandal and intrigue unfolding around them.

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Integrated agency Red C has won a three-way pitch to expand the role of online marketing for AGA Rangemaster Group, which celebrates the 300^th anniversary of its foundry this year.  The agency has been appointed to work on a number of brands including AGA, Fired Earth, Divertimenti, Falcon, Rayburn, Rangemaster and newly acquired Mercury.

“Each brand represented a very different challenge,” explained Red C Managing Director Adrian Rowe.  “For example, AGA already has a strong social media presence thanks to its passionate customer base and iconic status, whereas Falcon, which benefits from a strong commercial heritage, is aiming to raise its profile with those with a passion for cooking.”  The agency recommended a different blend of PPC, search engine optimisation, social media marketing and e-mail programmes for each brand.

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Those lovely people at Marketing Week have run a feature about the IDM Business Performance Awards 2009.. and as Red C picked up Bronze in The Diamond Award… our award-winning work for the Mystery Tipper gets a lovely feature.

The IDM Business Performance Awards have been celebrating the most effective and influential marketing for the past 12 years, recognising the strategic contribution of direct, data and digital marketing to business. The most coveted prize in direct marketing, the BPA Diamond becomes ever harder to win as the standard of entries raises the bar each year.

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Hot on the Web 2.0 agenda, Red C launch their first podcast. The podcast, recorded and edited in house will be the first in a series for Home Learning College who will use them to create a more content rich site for their students.

With businesses continuing to focus their budget and attention online, there is increased call for improved website content, not just for aiding natural search rankings, but to provide a more unique and fulfilling user experience.

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