New Product Launch
April 6, 2009
AC/DC’s 1980 hit “Back in Black” is apropos of the return of the Australian rock band to the Billboard charts in 2008. After all, prior to the exclusive launch of its latest album, Black Ice, at Wal-Mart on October 20, the band had not released a studio album in eight years.
To promote the launch of Black Ice—which featured a specially priced CD, an AC/DC Xbox videogame and an assortment of licensed merchandise sold only at Wal-Mart stores—the retailer tapped Arnold Worldwide. In turn, Arnold crafted a buzz-building promotion featuring AC/DC mini shops and a mobile tour with events in New York and Los Angeles.
The “Rock Again” in-store shops, unveiled at more than 3,000 Wal-Mart locations nationwide, featured demo stations for the AC/DC Live Rock Band Track Pack game and were merchandised with Black Ice CDs, AC/DC apparel and cross-promotional pallet programs from Sony, Pepsi, Doritos, Amp Energy Drinks and Sirius Radio.
The tour, meanwhile, unleashed “Black Ice Cream” trucks as the first venue to sell the new album starting at midnight on the release date. Listening stations drew fans to preview the CD and demo the Xbox game on a custom-built stage. Angus Young look-alikes emceed the event and handed out AC/DC tickets and merchandise to winning game contestants.
And the results? Black Ice debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard chart and remained at the top for two consecutive weeks. At 784,000 units sold in its first week, it was the second-highest ranked album of the year in that category and will easily go on to double platinum status.
Partners, too, got into (the) black: Wal-Mart recorded a 75 percent increase in AC/DC licensed apparel and a jump in sales of Doritos XXL Nacho Cheese (up 38 percent), Pepsi soft drinks (up 14 percent) and Amp Energy Drinks (up 154 percent) during the promotional period.
Persuading consumers to reconsider their meager money savings habits in 2008 was a tough marketing challenge. Wachovia decided to do something big and fun to promote its new Way2Save program, which it sought to position as a more lucrative and user-friendly alternative to “Keep the Change” from rival Bank of America.
Synergy Events launched a 12-city “Way2Save Challenge Tour” whose feature attraction was a giant structure dubbed “The World’s Largest Money Machine.” Three stories high and built to resemble the set of Hollywood Squares, the structure housed individual swirling money machines to grab the attention of onlookers, who could have their picture taken and walk inside the machine for a chance to enter instant-win games with a maximum $10,000 prize.
Wachovia drove traffic to the main event by conducting grassroots educational efforts at its branches, malls and sporting events, which were additionally used to leverage its sponsorships of NASCAR, the NHL and PGA. Actors like Mario Lopez and NFL players Derrick Brooks and Andre Davis were included in a subsequent media blitz.
The numbers added up well for Wachovia: The tour generated 658 million media impressions, and more than 1.3 million Way2Save accounts were opened by the end of 2008.
What better way to a woman’s heart than donning a body spray scented like . . . chocolate? To generate interest in new Dark Temptation (DT) by AXE, a brand launched in August 2008, Unilever and Walton Isaacson developed a multi-partner promotion around the theme of “Win the Sweet Life.” A sweepstakes touted on the DT Web site (axedarktemptation.com) dangled cash and other “sweet” prizes including a stay at The Palms in Las Vegas and courtside tickets to L.A. Lakers games. Promo partners included Six Flags, Game Stop, Voodoo Music Festival and college fraternities. The result: DT sold out at U.S. retailers in the three-month launch window.