American Swiss creates a buzz with innovative web campaign

The popularity of the sassy billboards has evolved into an internet campaign in which anyone can try their hand at copy writing by submitting their idea of a great billboard line and standing a chance of winning R1 000 or, better yet, having their line used for the outdoor billboard campaign.

Developed by Techsys Informatics, a web-based agency in Cape Town specialising in e-marketing and web development solutions, the campaign extends the marketing footprint by allowing consumers to engage with the brand in an interactive and playful way that rewards them for their time.

“We believe that this connection with the browser further strengthens the American Swiss brand. The campaign is a conscious shift in marketing towards new media avenues. Financial markets may be facing a recession, but no one said we're in a creative recession,” said Adrienne Kleinman, Managing Director for American Swiss.

The simple process of submitting a billboard also allows the consumer to forward the design to a friend or post it on to Facebook to attract votes. New social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter have proven themselves excellent avenues to innovate and grow the brand of American Swiss. The added benefit of using these platforms is the vast research possibilities into specific groups of people, cultivating a greater drive into new avenues of advertising and marketing.

Managing Director: Techsys Informatics, Andrew Walmsley, concluded: “After just seven days of launching, a whopping 86 215 people have interacted with the site. This is a phenomenal result in such a short space of time. It appears that the potential of this campaign is huge.
This sort of result convinces me that there is a definite need for this type of new media within the community.”

How to access ‘Whose billboard is it anyway?':

• Log onto: www.createyourownbillboard.co.za or www.americanswiss.co.za

• Click on the ‘Create your own' tab

• Enter a slogan or catchy phrase in the empty space provided

• Select a jewellery item and click on ‘preview design'

• Once you're happy with your billboard, click on submit design

• The screen will prompt you to register

• Once registered, your design will be added to the rest of the billboards. At this point you will be able to forward your design to a friend or post your billboard on to your Facebook page to drive votes

• Remember the Top 10 designs with the highest number of unique votes stand a chance of winning R1000!