Okay, fine, I'll admit it: I'm from North Dakota. And on this recent trek home, I've been impressed by the by the ads from our local communications company, Souris River Telecommunications. SRT is a co-op based in Minot that serves north central North Dakota with cable, high-speed Internet (even in places where no respectable high-speed Internet should be), landline phones, and cell phones.
Odney Advertising's recent promotion encouraged customers to submit stories about how SRT has improved their day-to-day life. Winning entries were chosen to receive five years of free SRT service (!!!) and their stories featured in the new SRT ad campaign. Check it:
Coming from a telecom giant like Qwest or Comcast, these ads wouldn't mean much. But Odney realized that SRT is local at its core. It's true that SRT is ridiculously cheap compared to most cell phone providers (like 2000 anytime minutes per month for $20 cheap), and it's true that customer service is phenomenal (like driving 60 miles to repaired storm-damaged lines on a Sunday phenomenal), but Odney knew that its most important value is its local pride. Personally, I know two of the winners, and undoubtedly so do most other SRT customers. The "hey I know her!" factor is strong here, so it's smart to take advantage of that in local ads. Plus, this week several local newspapers had substantial stories on area winners and the promotion.
So congrats, Odney, on creating a great campaign when every brand wants to jump, usually unsuccessfully, on the "submit a viral story" bandwagon. You got the right combination of local relevance, viral/word of mouth, and consumer engagement, and topped it off with a truly worthwhile prize!
More at mysrtforlife.com.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
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