Go on a Christmas Hunt in Cool Germany with Lufthansa India

Lufthansa India executed Facebook logout ad today. Typically brands look for engagement on the logout banner through pictures or video on click, but in this case the banner led users to Lufthansa’s official website and Facebook Page. 

The Facebook brand page is replete with great imagery and their new ‘Christmas Hunt in Cool Germany’ promo related posts. The new campaign showcases the best Christmas markets in Germany and the brand has engaged travel blogger Shivya Nath for this purpose. As a part of the promo, Facebook fans can guess the price of gifts that Shivya selects everyday from Germany’s famous Christmas markets and if they get the right answer, they can walk away with the gift and also stand a chance to win a free ticket to Germany. 

The promo application on Facebook also gives fans short bytes on popular German travel destinations. Shivya is covering her German travels on her blog ‘The Shooting Star’.

This seems more like a social media activation since there is no reference to the contest or the blogger engagement promo on the Lufthansa India website.

Nice, topical and well executed.

Social Media Activation: Gillette India

Gillette is taking to social media for the latest ‘New Year Resolution’ promo. A new Facebook application lets fans take the pledge to shave and also share it on their timeline. The brand is currently promoting the new Fusion Power Phantom range and this promo is also targeted towards the product. There are daily prizes to be won including iPhone 5S and Phantom Razors with the big prize being a trip to Paris! 

Gillette India (@gilletteindia) has been leveraging Promoted Tweets with brand images, once a fortnight to support the campaign. 

Promoted Tweet on 30 October 2013

Promoted Tweet on 15 November 2013

On a separate note, in my opinion Promoted tweets should always carry outbound links to the brand’s owned digital properties, in addition to the campaign communication. This provides a second layer of engagement in case the user is interested or looking for more information. I find way too many abrupt Promoted Tweets with just copy and imagery. These should be used as any other digital media placement, with clear end actions.

Brand Storytelling: Siemens on YouTube

Who says B2B marketing cannot be interesting. Eventually a brand needs to work towards creating awareness and one way to achieve this is by sharing success stories and creating digital media assets, as demonstrated by Siemens. The integrated technology company with businesses across domains has been doing just that.

In a great example of brand storytelling, Siemens’ latest campaign profiles the work they have done for developing propulsion and electrical systems to power the Mumbai rail network which in turn also helps the Mumbai Dabbawallas to work with precision. The brand has created a short video ‘On the Dot’ which tells the story of this successful food network and what it takes to be the best. They also executed a Masthead banner on YouTube which led users to this video. I loved the great 'video illusion' animation on the banner. Check out the ad below.



The Siemens brand channel on YouTube is well laid out and brings together similar brand stories from their operations across the world. The channel also has thematic, corporate and solution specific videos from across verticals. The central carousel highlights key content.

This is a great example of using stories for creating a B2B brand. 

Rich Media Watch: Club Mahindra on Yahoo! India

Club Mahindra executed an engaging rich media takeover on Yahoo! India on October 23^rd. Users could flip through the pages of a travel picture book and view imagery, information, traveller testimonials and brand video.

Contextual and nicely done. View the video capture of the ad below. 

F1 Series: Vodafone Super Fan Campaign

The F1 India GP buzz took some time to pick up this year, but with the race weekend coming up in less than a week, brands are increasingly leveraging their association with the sport.

Vodafone executed a slick home page takeover on Yahoo! India today for its F1 Super Fan campaign. The rich media was nicely done with a hint of interactivity, where the user is asked to plug a Vodafone 3G dongle into the race car, post which the car zips through various Yahoo! sub channels creating visual interest. Check out the video below.



Vodafone is using the McLaren Mercedes association by promoting its 3G USB stick with ‘superfast internet access’ communication, which is a great fit. 

Super Fans get to experience F1 up-close with access to the Pit Lane & Vodafone McLaren Mercedes garage in addition to meet & greet with the team drivers. In a smart move, the brand is only allowing their 3G dongle buyers to participate in the contest. Participants need to answer 4 questions in good time on the promo microsite to stand a chance to win the Super Fan title. 

You may remember that Vodafone used the Super Fan campaign first for IPL 2013.

Check out F1 related digital brand activations from 2012 here.