by Oresti Patricios (@orestaki) We love campaigns that use new media (sometimes along with ‘old’ media) in innovative and interesting ways. Smirnoff has raised the bar with a multi-channel campaign that promotes one of its more club-oriented products — Smirnoff Ice Double Black with Guarana. Yes, guaraná, that caffeine alternative that all students and ravers know and love.
The strength of this campaign is how it uses social media to offer something of added value that appeals to the exact target market; it also uses mainstream media to create awareness.
The TV campaign launches the service offering, which is basically this: download the Smirnoff “Explore the Night” app for Android or iPhone, and you can order a cab to take you to your club. Free of charge.
Taking a cab is a great idea if you’re planning on imbibing alcohol. It’s not always easy to get someone to be the “designated driver”, so cabs and services such as Uber provide a valuable service in keeping drink-impaired drivers off the road. This campaign capitalises on this, and offers a free service that is sure to add value to the brand.
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As the publicity material states, “Some rides will be special” — in other words, participants could win an opportunity to have a memorable experience, such as a night-time helicopter ride around Cape Town, or a super VIP luminescent spray-paint party in a warehouse . No prizes for guessing the target market.
The TV commercial is a fast-paced montage set to a clubby piece of music: beginning with a close-up on the cellphone app announcing, “Your cab is here,” four 20-something friends pile into a London-style cab and are transported to a wide range of wild experiences. First up is a ‘Bronco Party’ where they ride a mechanical bull; then a club where the DJs are 
dressed as astronauts and the floor is inflated, like a jumping castle; then running through a park and playing with illuminated frisbees; then a karaoke bar; then what looks like skittles being played under a highway bridge; and finishing off at a classy club.
The final shot is of the group 
watching the sunrise over the city. The music ends and the soundtrack is of morning birds.
JWT Cape Town originated the ‘Explore the Night’ concept back in 2013, and the taxi-cab concept was an extension of this, as a way for people to explore the nightlife of their cities responsibly. TV production credits for the TV ad go to Egg Films under the direction of Jason Fialkov, and the online content was created by Little Big Productions in Cape Town.
The music was composed especially for the campaign, and it’s really catchy — in fact, many tweeters and Facebook commenters have been asking for it to be released as a song. The lyrics were written by the JWT copywriters, and the music was written and the recording produced by Craig Ormond at Big Leap Studios in Cape Town.
Getting back to the campaign. What’s in the small print? Well, you have to allow Smirnoff to post to either your Twitter or Facebook timeline, for a start. Secondly, there is no guarantee that a cab will be available when you want one. And, finally, you have to purchase a can of Smirnoff Ice Double Black with Guarana at your destination to qualify for the next leg of the cab ride, be it to another club or home. Considering a cab ride could cost in the hundreds, it’s not a bad price to pay.
On the web, the campaign has a presence on Facebook, Twitter, www.mycitybynight.co.za and its own dedicated site, www.explorethenight.com.
One of the launch publicity stunts that the organisers did was to ‘kidnap’ 5FM drive time DJ Roger Goode, and take him on an “explore the night” ride. Of course, his cellphone was patched into the studio so that listeners could follow what was going on.
The cabs are noticeably marked with the Explore the Night logo, and a tie-in with 5FM has gotten people out on the street looking for cabs that are ‘untraditionally’ decorated — with glitter, post-it notes or splashes of dayglo paint.
In addition, for the duration of the campaign, special events are being organised with three or more venues hosting different DJs, for those who want a little variety on their clubbing menu. Once again, the purchase of one can of Smirnoff’s guaraná-based drink supplies participants with a wrist band that entitles them to a free ride to the next venue.
Using social media for this target market is a no-brainer, but what makes this campaign inspired is the unique aspect of the free cabs, with an Uber-style app. Pulling the whole thing together with other channels such as TV and radio gives the campaign added impact.
It’s an exciting time in marketing, when we see creative people use their imaginations to come up with cross-channel campaigns that really deliver. As the media landscape changes, I’m looking forward to more brands using new media in interesting ways to effectively target their markets.
Ad of the Week, published on MarkLives every Wednesday, is penned by Oresti Patricios (@orestaki), the CEO of Ornico, a Brand Intelligence® firm that focuses on media, reputation and brand research.
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