proximity#ttp takes Gold at Echoes

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The event, which this year was hosted by Saturday Night Live host Jay Leno, honours the world's best interactive and direct marketing campaigns. According to the organisers, The Echoes stand for “great work that worked great” and which has raised the bar in terms of strategy, creativity and results.

Since no other competition looks at the direct marking discipline in such totality, a Gold at the Echoes is a considerable achievement in the global marketplace. “We're very pleased with the international recognition that this campaign has received,” says Stuart Stobbs, creative partner at proximity#ttp. “Hummerville reflects the way in which marketing can change consumer behaviour and proves that original thinking wins in the end.”

The site www.hummerville.co.za was an online “living” questionnaire that took the form of a game, where players had to travel around South Africa in a virtual Hummer. By completing various fun tasks and answering questions, they could locate the town of Hummerville, where they could win one of six real Hummers.

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“The game marks a departure from boring questionnaires,” says Stobbs. “The information gathered was extremely useful for Cell C, but the process was fun for the participants as well. We felt that the kind of strategy that went into this campaign exhibited creative thinking of an international standard, and it's fantastic that The Echoes agree!”

The campaign took home a number of awards at the Loeries earlier this year, including a Gold Loerie, a Silver Loerie, a Bronze Loerie and a Craft Certificate. The next phase of Hummerville, called Create Me, has been launched, and can be seen at www.createme.co.za.

“We're very proud of the recognition that this campaign is achieving, because we feel that it exemplifies the kind of thinking we offer at proximity#ttp,” says Brendan Wade, proximity#ttp's new managing partner. “For us it's not just about advertising, it's about finding creative solutions to client's business problems - in this case, how to get the customer to participate enthusiastically in a process designed to gather information from them.”

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Everyone at proximity#ttp is also vocal in their praise for their client, Cell C, who allowed them the freedom to express their creativity in the campaign. “The success of this campaign is that all three collaborators - proximity#ttp, Gloo and Cell C - worked together in a seamless and transparent way,” says Audrey Price-Dix, senior manager of direct marketing at Cell C.

“That in itself is an achievement, and it's what helped to make the final product a unique portrayal of exactly what Cell C is as a brand by being cutting edge, challenger and different.”