Taking fashion to the streets – electronically

April 11, 2006

Taking fashion to the streets – electronically

Auckland’s fashionable Two Double Seven Shopping Centre is using the electronic version of the time-honoured sandwich board to promote its retailers’ 2006 winter fashion offers.

Friday night revellers in Auckland’s trendy bars and restaurants in Ponsonby and the Viaduct Harbour have been treated to the sight amongst them of fashionably-dressed models wearing video screens perched above their heads.

It’s a brand new advertising medium for New Zealand called Pixman and the Westfield managed shopping centre is the first local advertiser to bring it to consumers.

And while you could be excused for thinking advertisers are spoiled for choice, marketers are revelling in a new medium that combines the advantages of human contact with modern electronic communication.

North American advertisers have had Pixman for several years now. They love the way the nomadic medium combines a range of compelling elements that marketers worship – sight, sound, colour, movement, personal contact and product sampling.

Called nomadic because of its extreme portability, Pixman is a ‘go anywhere’ advertising medium featuring wireless, internet-capable video units.

Two Double Seven marketing manager Marina Berber loves its portability.

“When we were planning our winter campaign we were looking for something really different. Using Pixman we can take our messages right in to the heart of consumerville,” Ms Berber says.

“It really is a modern take on one of the oldest forms of advertising. With Pixman you can take your electronic message where billboards could never go such as pedestrian precincts and into areas where your target audiences are,” Ms Berber says.

“There are big advantages of course – you are using models who can interact with consumers and the pictures are moving and colourful and you can add sound to attract attention. We think it’s a great ambient advertising medium.”

The Pixman medium is just one part of a winter promotion campaign by Two Double Seven in support of new season ranges being offered by its retailers.

“The old reliable colour brochure doesn’t get the cut through we need,” Ms Berber says, “ so we set about designing a campaign that was different, innovative and highly visible.”

The centre commissioned a 60-second movie for its website at www.twodoubleseven.co.nz and use on the Pixmans. It emailed the web-site link to the 13,000 opt-in customers on its database as well as putting it on a 40,000 postcard drop.

Other elements of the campaign include conventional posters, billboards, adshels and newspaper and magazine advertising.

Customers are drawn to the web-site by a watch-and-win competition with a $2,000 wardrobe as a prize. Those who visit the centre and purchase any item worth more than $10 can enter the draw for a $10,000 Two Double Seven shopping spree.

ENDS

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