On the ‘most depressing day of the year’ relevant brand experience will win again. Read more from Georgina Denny, our Brand Provocation Manager.
As brands look to leverage special dates and events, along comes the joyful event called Blue Monday, happening on Monday 18th January. Whether it’s a round of value promotions, tweeting inspirational messages or posting photos of kittens on social media.
Once again, the ones that stand out are those that create meaningful brand experiences being more memorable, engaging and effective, as well as being more likely to lift the January blues!
One that caught our eye last year was by Vaillant heating suppliers. As part of their Warmth Week campaign they set up a facial recognition enabled hot drinks machine in Victoria station that dispensed free coffees and hot chocolates to consumers when they smiled, bringing warmth and good vibes to commuters all day long.
Other notable past Blue Monday activations have been the Hilton Hotels ‘Vacation Care Centre’, which was a real 20 meter sandy beach on the South Bank complete with palm trees, branded marquees and sun loungers. Consumers were invited to brighten up the day with light therapy, enjoy a cup of hot chocolate and play beach ball and Frisbee with Hilton models
This year Celebrity Cruises have got the right idea. On Monday, its usually seafaring ‘Lawn Club’ will be brought to Waterloo station. Members of the public will be provided with grassy surroundings, on hand butlers to assist with the morning commute and free refreshments throughout the day, as well as a chance to win a luxury chauffeur driven commute home that evening. Not too shabby for any Monday.
It will be interesting to see who will cut through the noise this year. Bringing consumers a little dose of joy in the form of a real life, relevant interactive experience is what it will take to allow a brand to start 2016 as a champion of optimism on this gloomy day.