• by Aaron Baar , October 16, 2009

 

The new effort uses an interactive microsite and game to leverage word-of-mouth positioning and encourage engagement with the brand. At the site, www.remingtonfaceofsuccess.com, users can enter a sweepstakes to win a trip for four to Las Vegas, and then play an interactive game where they use their best looks and lines to try to pick up women.

Remington Products, the maker of men's electric razors and styling tools, is looking to attract men to its brand by appealing to their desire to attract women, via a new campaign running through the holidays.

The new effort, from agency Eric Mower and Associates, uses an interactive microsite and game to leverage word-of-mouth positioning and encourage engagement with the brand. At the site, www.remingtonfaceofsuccess.com, users can enter a sweepstakes to win a trip for four to Las Vegas, and then play an interactive game where they use their best looks and lines to try to pick up women.

At the microsite, players create an avatar with various hairdos and facial hair styles. After choosing their best look, they get a chance to put their skills to the test on five female characters, ranging from hardcore rocker chick to the girl next door. The goal of the game is to increase "face time" with the girl via pre-programmed pickup lines. Win or lose, a "wingman" character at the end of the game offers advice, such as changing their looks or pickup approach. Users are then encouraged to post their scores.

"If you are talking to that audience that's into gaming, there are elements within a game that people expect to see or have," Kim Hegel, manager of marketing communications and trade marketing for Remington, tells Marketing Daily. "How do we keep them interested? There are different things within the game. "We wanted to make sure the scripts tied into the characters were what they liked because it is a branding and it is an education site."

The company has also created an extensive social media effort to attract users to the game and continue interaction with the brand. A Facebook page provides constant updates on the sweepstakes, while the women have Twitter feeds and MySpace pages offering dos and don'ts for guys.

"This audience likes a two-way street, where there's interaction with the product and interaction with the brand on Facebook or Twitter. They also like to be entertained. The traditional methods tend to lean toward a one-way conversation," Hegel says. "If you don't speak on their mode, I don't know [that] they're going to listen."

Testing guys' ability to pick up virtual girls is becoming a bit of a marketing trend. Convenience store chain 7-11 has taken a similar approach through an online game, "Wake up with a hot Brazilian," as a promotion for its coffees. Meanwhile, PepsiCo.'s AMP brand has come under fire recently for creating an iPhone App that gives tips to young men trying to pick up different types of women.

"I think that there's a couple ideas out there at the same time that could mean just trend-watching or intuitive decision making," Hegel says. "For us, it was an entertaining fun way to combine what we offer and what we can do, and we thought it would work well as a game."