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.
A Similar But Different Take On A Feature Film Debut
Similar But Different is not only the moniker for the directorial duo of Dani Girdwood and Charlotte Fassler but also in some respects an apt description of their feature filmmaking debut, My Fault: London (Amazon MGM Studios). The movie, which premiered last week on Amazon Prime Video, has on one level some select elements similar to what we’re accustomed to in the young adult (YA) universe--which helps make it familiar, comfortable and relatable--yet at the same time My Fault: London brings a new, decidedly different dimension to YA entertainment, uniquely meshing action-adventure, mystery, music, romance and humor. The film captures the feel of the underground London culture, lending an authenticity and contemporary vibe that’s a departure from the norm when it comes to the adaptation of YA literature. This mesh of similar but different has served the film well in that there was some target audience skepticism initially over the notion of doing an English adaptation of the popular, fan-favorite Spanish-language novel “Culpa Mia,” the first of the “Culpables” trilogy. Thus it’s most gratifying for Girdwood and Fassler to see the social media response after the release of My Fault: London, with many viewers enthusiastically embracing the film. My Fault: London introduces us to Noah (portrayed by Asha Banks) who’s uprooted from her U.S. hometown, having to leave her boyfriend and friends behind to move with her mother (Eve Macklin) to London. Mom has a new rich husband (Ray Fearon) in London and their new residence is a mansion. There Noah meets Nick (Matthew Broome), her new stepbrother. They have an immediate mutual dislike for each other which blossoms into something quite different over time. Along the... Read More