Hollard has leveraged the marketing power of ‘surprise and delight’, with an innovative and engaging Street Network bus shelter campaign that uses the element of sound to grab the attention of bus commuters.
The South African insurer has employed this method with its ‘Starts with Hello’ campaign, rolled out on shelters on Oxford Road, outside the Hollard head office in Parktown, Johannesburg.
The sound is emitted via fitted speakers within the bus shelters and the audio runs through the various ways and words with which to say ‘hello’ in a number of languages.
As the campaign says: “Our better future starts with hello. Hello is a little word with a huge impact. It has the power to make someone’s day, spark a connection or inspire a conversation.”
“Hollard continues to push the creative boundaries and explore the possibilities that street furniture offers as a marketing tool, and it’s been a pleasure to partner with them on this project,” says Mariette Erasmus, General Manager of Street Network. “Specifically, they’ve used one of the best attributes of Out of Home and street furniture, that of localised special builds in conjunction with pinpoint geographically targeted audience selection.”
Not only does the Hollard ‘Hello’ campaign make effective use of sound, but it also taps into a valuable marketing tool identified in the respected Harvard Business Review described as ‘surprise and delight’.
The article points to the fact that “surprise and delight are two key ingredients for a successful marketing strategy. They are powerful tools to create memorable experiences among customers.”
It goes on to say that “one of the most powerful marketing strategies companies can leverage is surprise and delight, as it plays on the strong emotions and memories that can be created through unanticipated happiness. When businesses decide to cut through the predictability of everyday life and offer unique experiences, they will be sure to generate increased loyalty and customer retention, which in turn bolsters their bottom lines.”
Music to the ears of Hollard and hats off to the insurer for a creatively engaging and innovative campaign that is not only sure to get South Africans saying ‘hello’ to each other, but also ensure greater awareness and engagement with the Hollard brand.
