COMUTANET’S INTERACTIVE PROMOTIONS
EMBRACED BY ADVERTISERS

Pieter Groenewald, Managing Director of ComutaNet discusses Interactive Promotions as a leading medium for advertisers and marketers to get up-close and personal with their target markets.

Breaking away from advertising clutter is becoming increasingly more challenging for advertisers and marketers as new media opportunities constantly present themselves. One way to ensure your message stands out from the crowd is to use direct, face-to-face communication to target consumers through ComutaNet’s Interactive Promotions. This brand-activating medium is readily embraced by advertisers and marketers, and boasts a proven effective track record.

“There is a huge demand from marketers to change from a shotgun to a pinpointed rifle approach,” says Pieter. “Brands benefit from this media type as only specific targeted audiences are called to action. Over the last two years Interactive Promotions has thrived. It is strategic and quick turnaround times mean that active campaigns can be put together within a week.

Interactive promotions are redefining the traditional boundaries, becoming increasingly creative and exciting. It used to be an ‘add-on’ feature to a campaign, now the interactive element is the ‘big idea’.

They remain attractive because the responsibility and ownership always stays with the client, who stipulate if they would like to target women only, children only, hawkers etc, even schools are approached from time to time. Early mornings and late afternoon peak periods allow promoters free time during the day to visit other sites like schools and shopping centres to provide further leverage for the client.

Another advantage is that there is no wastage as these promotions are directed at the specific target market and in the local vernacular – an option not many media owners have privy to.

Feedback has consistently been positive from both clients and commuters, with the trust factor between our permanent promoters and consumers growing daily. The human interaction element is unsurpassed and employing people from the commuter environment means the trust is strengthened even more. These are real people, advocating real products and services relevant to the promoters themselves and therefore highly credible to the audience.

Having access to the necessary tools to make promotions stand out from the clutter is a further benefit. A campaign can easily be further enhanced by using it in combination with some other Comutanet media solutions, like Rank TV and Star Radio, maximising exposure and reach, therefore ensuring the required rate of return on investment.

Many clients have had great success with this medium. It is particularly well suited to new product launches, educational processes on HIV/AIDS, introduction of products from financial institutions and insurance companies and of course FMCG products.

ComutaNet ensures that there are never more than two promotions on a given day as this distracts commuters from the purpose of the promotions. We are also careful not to place competitive products together at any given time.

Interactive Promotions are far more work intensive than booking television, radio or print ads, but if used correctly can be very beneficial to the client. As many commuters are in a rush to get to their place of work or home, we are cognisant that a positive message needs to be presented timeously and use this to our advantage by for instance serving cups of tea or soup at 5am while commuters are waiting for transport in winter time. When there is this kind of added value to a promotion, we see an increased attendance because they are able to take something away with them, whilst adding to the experience.

Commuters feel that advertisers and ComutaNet care for them, not only because the advertised services are pertinent to their lives, but they don’t see an advertiser blindly promoting a product. As extremely brand loyal consumers, who don’t have the money to frequently trial unknown brands, advertisers are recognising the value of engaging with this market through interactive promotions which allows a full sensory experience for its audience.

In this environment there is no other solution that reaches this market more effectively on a face-to-face basis, leaving behind a lasting impression. What more could an advertiser ask for?

NEW FREEDOM USE COMUTANET’S INTERACTIVE PROMOTIONS TO PENETRATE COMMUTER MARKET

Kimberly Clarke, a leading South African manufacturer of various cosmetic products briefed commuter media experts ComutaNet, to promote its New Freedom “Wings” sanitary towels. To interact with consumers and introduce the new colour-coded packaging of the product, ComutaNet assembled an innovative, interactive, promotions and sampling campaign at major taxi ranks nationwide.

The campaign aimed to educate and create awareness of New Freedom within the economically active commuter market. To ensure that the campaign effectively broadened New Freedom’s customer base and successfully reached the commuter market, ComutaNet used New Freedom posters to brand its strategically positioned kiosks at major taxi sites throughout eight provinces in South Africa. Well-trained female promoters, suitably dressed in New Freedom t-shirts, were encouraged to interface with commuters on a one-on-one basis. Young women between the ages of 25 to 45 were targeted, with a view to inform them about the benefits of the improved New Freedom “Wings” pads.

To entice commuters to participate in the promotion, two vibes were created daily to attract commuters attention and over the campaign period, 200 000 samples, in addition to leaflets, were handed out throughout 30 taxi sites during peak traffic hours. Commuters’ interest was further elevated through education sessions held at kiosks, where consumers were asked questions about the product and correct answers earned extra samples. The promotion received an overwhelming response from commuters and a high level of interaction was achieved.

“This campaign serves as an example of the success that can be achieved when clients use our brand activation offering to engage with their target market. It allows the client to identify how consumers feel about the brand, and drives sales in targeted areas most other mediums cannot reach. The audience response to the New Freedom campaign has been positive and participants appreciated the free samples to test before purchase. These interactive promotions enabled New Freedom to market “Wings” to customers in an innovative, yet cost-effective manner”, concludes Brian Lindquist, Marketing & Sales Director of ComutaNet.