Samuel T. Cooper, a retired minister who wanted to help lumberjacks suffering from blisters and infections caused by their shoddy wool socks, founded Jockey International, Inc. in 1876. Consumers learned they could trust him, and his tiny hosiery business grew and then expanded into underwear. Today, the company is on a mission to help consumers suffering from uncomfortable ill-fitting underwear and has launched its first viral marketing campaign to help highlight Jockey undergarments as a solution that will put an end to the dilemma.
A humorous new website, http://www.stopsquirming.com/, developed by Periscope, Minneapolis, showcases the comical and sometimes outrageous ways that men and women try to alleviate discomfort caused by ill-fitting underwear that shifts, bunches or rides up.
StopSquirming.com features videos of common squirms caused by uncomfortable undies, such as the “Bus Change” squirm, which involves burrowing your hands into your front pockets pretending to dig for change while fixing underwear that is bunching or creeping. Site visitors can also upload videos of their own signature squirms, view funny squirm videos posted by other participants and vote on their favorite squirms.
The viral marketing campaign seeks to generate buzz and build brand awareness with a new, younger consumer base. “We wanted to reach out to a new, younger demographic and generate a sense of online community around the Jockey brand,” explains Patty McIntosh, internet marketing manager at Jockey. She added that Jockey wanted to show these consumers that the company’s undergarment fare isn’t just for their parents. Jockey can be young and hip and has a personality and a sense of humor.
“We knew that this site would give consumers the opportunity to interact with and shape the brand–it would tie them more tightly to Jockey. We wouldn’t have been able to achieve that kind of engagement from a traditional TV spot,” said McIntosh.
To add to its stickiness and give visitors a chance to try the Jockey product, the site featured The Under-Aid giveaway (which ended Aug.31). It gave users a chance to win three free pairs of Jockey underwear. To win, consumers had to visit the site within a certain time period each day and click on the giveaway button. The contest time varied from one day to the next. To receive advance notice of the giveaway time, visitors had the opportunity to sign up for Citizens Against Squirming. Once signed up, consumers received a daily e-mail three hours before the giveaway notifying them of the contest time for that particular day.
In another key section, StopSquirming.com gives consumers the opportunity to protect their friends from embarrassing underwear situations by sending a “Grundy Grievance–” email that lets them know that they need new underwear. Along with a personalized message, users can choose between three different wacky Grievance Counselors to deliver one of five tailored video messages about underwear offenses ranging from saggy skivvies to ugly undies.
Good Clean Fun One of the main concerns throughout the project was the type of videos consumers might post. The client wanted to keep the site centered around good, clean fun and didn’t want to post videos that weren’t in line with its brand position.
“At the same time, having a site with consumer-generated content is always a challenge because, if you monitor it too heavily, consumers may feel that you’re not giving an accurate representation,” related McIntosh. “There are several well known such examples over the past couple of years where that kind of activity has completely backfired on some companies. Still, when the site is about underwear, that brings an entirely new level of sensitivity.”
To address the issue, the site lets visitors know up front that their video will be monitored before posting. A self-policing aspect was also built into the site. If a visitor comes to the site and sees a video or posted comment that they find offensive, they can report it. At that point, Jockey will take a closer look and determine whether or not it should remove that item. McIntosh said this system has worked well for them.
To promote the site, Jockey is running banner ads on YouTube, MySpace, RealMedia 24/7, the Clear Channel Network website and a few other social networking websites. In addition to the banners, it has engaged in e-mail campaigns to announce the site launch and has partnered with its retail stores for some in-store promotions.
“But we realize that the website isn’t enough to start a relationship with a new audience–we have to go out and meet them. Earlier this year we participated at a weekend-long event at a snowboard park in Colorado. Later this month we will be participating in CollegeFest, a two-day music festival and back-to-school trade show for college students,” said McIntosh.
Director Angie Bird Joins Scheme Engine For U.S. Representation
Scheme Engine has added director/photographer Angie Bird to its roster for U.S. representation spanning commercials and original content.
Bird crafts deeply human and charismatic portrayals of community, empowerment and the rituals of celebration across commercials, elevated documentary and short film. A former agency creative, Bird has a body of brand work consisting of cinematic lifestyle campaigns for Nike, Dove, Allstate, Procter & Gamble and the YMCA, among others. Prior to joining Scheme Engine, Bird was most recently represented in the U.S. for commercials by production house Curfew.
Two years into her career, Bird back in 2016 won a Cannes Young Director Award for “Mean Tweets,” a provocative campaign for Raising the Roof, that challenged stereotypes of unhoused individuals with striking humanizing portraits. The project earned honors at the Clios, and Webbys and was shortlisted at Cannes.
Her Gillette campaign, “First Shave”--a heartfelt examination of masculinity in the trans community--earned three Cannes prizes and won honors at the Clios and The One Show.
As a director invested in films that ignite conversation, and inspire action, Bird embraces challenging, overlooked stories, bringing to light complex, authentically heroic characters faced with cultural stigmatization and gender-based discrimination. She co-wrote and directed "Short Life Stories" for White Ribbon and Canadian agency Bensimon Byrne--a shattering call to dismantle transphobia, following the journey of a transgender woman as she steps into her authentic life. The campaign won six awards at One SCREEN 2024, including Best in Region: North America and Best in Show
“I’m inspired,” affirmed Bird, “to create stories that champion the... Read More