OKRP, Groupon Think You’re Definitely Cooler Than Your Rich Neighbors

By Patrick Coffee 

Groupon, the former investors’ darling that famously fired its own CEO and allowed him to write a funny internal memo about it, has returned to the air for the first time since 2014 after picking O’Keefe, Reinhard and Paul as its agency of record.

The angle in the Chicago shop’s first effort for its new client is that Groupon helps you, the consumer, experience your given environment a bit more fully.

How does Groupon help one become a bit more authentic than one’s neighbors? Because rich people can buy stuff all they want … but they rarely do things because they’re too busy sitting around and complaining or launching presidential campaigns.

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In case you missed it, this new work is an attempt to re-position Groupon in the market. Former COO Rich Williams, who came to the company from Amazon and got promoted to CEO late last year, promised to spend $150-200 million above previous estimates for marketing this year in order to remind consumers that it’s no longer about the email blasts offering $5 off a big-ass bowl of guacamole at your neighborhood Mexican joint.

Instead, Williams says the refreshed company is all about “get[ting] people to come to its site and search for deals on products and services on a daily basis.”

OKRP president Nick Paul says, “Today, experiences are what really matter to consumers and Groupon excels at connecting them with local places and people that create real and memorable moments.” From the press release: “Aspire to collect memories … not conspicuous consumption.”

Beyond the anthem spot above, OKRP also recently created a campaign playing the same theme off the 30th anniversary of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Executives said it did better than expected.

Further entries in the campaign will be customized for specific holidays and product categories while expanding to include print, radio and, of course, digital. Mediavest | Spark and TwoNil are on the media beat.

We can at least agree that the new work is a far cry from Tibet.

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