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Is Your Marketing Campaign Risky Enough?

The provocative headline sits atop a piece by M.P. Mueller, who spins an interesting Election Day tale about how her Austin-based boutique ad agency created a promotion for Cow Wow, a liquid compost product made from dairy cow waste, that has garnered a lot of attention for a relatively modest cost. Not that there wasn't a lot of angst along the way -- at the marketer, the agency and also at other entities drawn into the execution of the idea.

The concept was to create two six-foot clay heads with the likenesses of Texas gubernatorial candidates, Rick Perry, the hirsute Republican incumbent, and Bill White, the balding Democratic challenger. Both feature heads of ivy nourished by the "power of poo." Voters are asked which candidate has the better hair?

The promotion was almost scuttled twice but finally saw daylight in a scaled-back version that has achieved the goal of creating awareness for Cow Wow. "The takeaway here, I guess, is that taking calculated risks can pay off," Mueller writes. "It's getting harder and harder to differentiate your brand, and the essence lies in being different."

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