Oct 15, 2010
ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN GONE WRONG
Public just couldn't bear marketing stunt
Police still probing if video clip has violated public nuisance laws
By Victoria Vaughan
THEY are meant to be stealth stunts that give people a tickle or make them think, but guerilla marketing can backfire, as the Ulu Pandan 'bear' incident has shown.
Yesterday, the police were still investigating if the video clip of a 'bear' rummaging through a dustbin at a bus stop at Ulu Pandan Road had violated public nuisance laws, which carry a maximum fine of $1,000.
A police spokesman told The Straits Times that companies should ensure that public safety, security, and law and order are not compromised by their events.
Even in cases where a police permit is not required, companies should ensure the event is conducted in a socially responsible manner and does not cause danger or undue alarm, the spokesman said.
The Secret Little Agency, which was behind the clip, said police had contacted it to verify its role in putting a man in a bear costume to pull off the stunt.
The firm had used the 'bear' to market a Philips Electronics shaver, but the incident is proving to be a public relations nightmare for both companies.
Mr David Ong, senior PR manager of Philips Consumer Lifestyle in the region, said that while Philips agreed with the marketing strategy, 'the execution was poor'. The company is 'monitoring consumer sentiment closely' for any negative impact, he added.
On Wednesday, 12 zoo employees, one armed with a tranquilliser gun, spent more than an hour scouring the area, with four policemen on hand. This was after three volunteers from the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society had trekked through the forest in case a dangerous animal was on the loose.
A day after residents and PR gurus alike criticised the stunt for wasting time and resources and causing alarm, experts were also mulling over the wisdom of guerilla marketing in Singapore.
The term was coined by advertising executive Jay Conrad Levinson in 1984, and describes the use of unconventional methods to gain publicity for a product, event or company.
Mr Tim Clark, a communications lecturer at the Nanyang Technological University, said that guerilla marketing should take consumers by surprise and move them to want to share the advertisement with others. If it goes 'viral', it is deemed successful.
Guerilla marketing also relies on small budgets to create a big impact, and a successful campaign should get the 'right people talking about the product in the right way', he said.
The 'bear' stunt failed on both counts, he added. People who were not interested in shavers talked about it, and they talked about it derisively.
'Was it relevant to Philips' shavers? If the only relevance was the suggestion that narrowly avoiding being mauled by a bear was a close shave, then that seems to me to be a rather lame pun,' he said.
He added that local context matters. Singapore does not have a practical joke culture, so people were alarmed rather than amused by the 'bear'.
The agency should also have learnt from a recent failed marketing stunt by SingPost, say marketing gurus.
SingPost had its post boxes covered in graffiti to publicise a post-box art project, but all it did was get people alarmed that it might be a case of vandalism. The police then warned SingPost.
But guerilla marketing can be effective if done properly, said consultant Joel Fu of online marketing firm Conversion Hub. 'The perception is that Singaporeans overreact to issues. This could be an advantage in guerrilla marketing since we only need a smaller stimulus to get an equal amount of response,' he said.
Golin Harris regional managing director of South-east Asia Christina Cheang said guerilla marketing must also not squander the credibility of the company. In this case, it 'tread a fine line', she said. 'A lot of people think any publicity is good publicity, but the campaign smacks of irresponsibility in the way it treads on public safety... This joke went too far.'
In any case, at least one company is now steering clear of this form of marketing. A SingPost spokesman noted that while viral marketing can be effective when properly done, SingPost has no further plans to use this tool.
She said: 'We have stopped using the agency that managed our viral marketing campaign involving street art on our posting boxes.'
[email protected]
Additional reporting by Jalelah Abu Baker
ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN GONE WRONG
Public just couldn't bear marketing stunt
Police still probing if video clip has violated public nuisance laws
By Victoria Vaughan
THEY are meant to be stealth stunts that give people a tickle or make them think, but guerilla marketing can backfire, as the Ulu Pandan 'bear' incident has shown.
Yesterday, the police were still investigating if the video clip of a 'bear' rummaging through a dustbin at a bus stop at Ulu Pandan Road had violated public nuisance laws, which carry a maximum fine of $1,000.
A police spokesman told The Straits Times that companies should ensure that public safety, security, and law and order are not compromised by their events.
Even in cases where a police permit is not required, companies should ensure the event is conducted in a socially responsible manner and does not cause danger or undue alarm, the spokesman said.
The Secret Little Agency, which was behind the clip, said police had contacted it to verify its role in putting a man in a bear costume to pull off the stunt.
The firm had used the 'bear' to market a Philips Electronics shaver, but the incident is proving to be a public relations nightmare for both companies.
Mr David Ong, senior PR manager of Philips Consumer Lifestyle in the region, said that while Philips agreed with the marketing strategy, 'the execution was poor'. The company is 'monitoring consumer sentiment closely' for any negative impact, he added.
On Wednesday, 12 zoo employees, one armed with a tranquilliser gun, spent more than an hour scouring the area, with four policemen on hand. This was after three volunteers from the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society had trekked through the forest in case a dangerous animal was on the loose.
A day after residents and PR gurus alike criticised the stunt for wasting time and resources and causing alarm, experts were also mulling over the wisdom of guerilla marketing in Singapore.
The term was coined by advertising executive Jay Conrad Levinson in 1984, and describes the use of unconventional methods to gain publicity for a product, event or company.
Mr Tim Clark, a communications lecturer at the Nanyang Technological University, said that guerilla marketing should take consumers by surprise and move them to want to share the advertisement with others. If it goes 'viral', it is deemed successful.
Guerilla marketing also relies on small budgets to create a big impact, and a successful campaign should get the 'right people talking about the product in the right way', he said.
The 'bear' stunt failed on both counts, he added. People who were not interested in shavers talked about it, and they talked about it derisively.
'Was it relevant to Philips' shavers? If the only relevance was the suggestion that narrowly avoiding being mauled by a bear was a close shave, then that seems to me to be a rather lame pun,' he said.
He added that local context matters. Singapore does not have a practical joke culture, so people were alarmed rather than amused by the 'bear'.
The agency should also have learnt from a recent failed marketing stunt by SingPost, say marketing gurus.
SingPost had its post boxes covered in graffiti to publicise a post-box art project, but all it did was get people alarmed that it might be a case of vandalism. The police then warned SingPost.
But guerilla marketing can be effective if done properly, said consultant Joel Fu of online marketing firm Conversion Hub. 'The perception is that Singaporeans overreact to issues. This could be an advantage in guerrilla marketing since we only need a smaller stimulus to get an equal amount of response,' he said.
Golin Harris regional managing director of South-east Asia Christina Cheang said guerilla marketing must also not squander the credibility of the company. In this case, it 'tread a fine line', she said. 'A lot of people think any publicity is good publicity, but the campaign smacks of irresponsibility in the way it treads on public safety... This joke went too far.'
In any case, at least one company is now steering clear of this form of marketing. A SingPost spokesman noted that while viral marketing can be effective when properly done, SingPost has no further plans to use this tool.
She said: 'We have stopped using the agency that managed our viral marketing campaign involving street art on our posting boxes.'
[email protected]
Additional reporting by Jalelah Abu Baker
