IMAGINATIVE COMPANY MARKETING CAMPAIGNS

HALF.COM

Halfway between the equator and North Pole, Halfway, Oregon,

renamed itself Half.com in 1999 at the height of the dot-com

bubble. Website Half.com promised $110,000 and 20 computers

for a local school to the city which renamed itself after the

company for a year.

A STICKY SITUATION

Snapple attempted to break the world record for largest Popsicle in

2005 while simultaneously advertising the beverage company.

The 17.5 ton Popsicle was approved to be revealed despite an

absurdly hot day in New York City. As the Popsicle was unloaded

from the tractor trailer, it spewed melted, sugary popsicle-liquid

all over and around Union Square Park, coating the streets

and commuters shoes and cars.

THE UBERCOPTER

After plenty of push back from cities and a not-so-great passenger

safety record, car-hire company Uber launched in the Hamptons

in time for July 4th, 2013. Catering to the posher area, Uber

offered flat-rate trips for riders from the Hamptons to New York City,

via helicopter. A ride in the helicopter cost $3,000 and could

seat up to five passengers.

ELLEN'S OSCARS SELFIE

Remember Ellen Degeneres’s selfie taken at the 2013 Oscars?

There’s more behind it than meets the eye. Cell phone maker

Samsung paid $20 million for their products to be used throughout

the show. Ellen’s selfie, they claim, was unplanned, but Ellen spoke

about breaking the record during rehearsal.

BURGER MADE WITH PRIDE

In another brilliant marketing campaign by Burger King, anybody

who popped into a Burger King along the San Francisco Pride

Parade route in 2014 received their burger with rainbow-colored

wrapping. Upon opening it, eaters found the message

“We are all the same inside.” Burger King’s marketing strategy

was highly commended by the LGBT community and

picked up by a host of news sources.

A PRESIDENTIAL ENDORSEMENT

ProShade, makers of a visor which protects your face from the

sun, offered the National Park Service $4 million to add a visor on

top of the four Presidents’ heads of Mount Rushmore. As any

recent visitor of Mount Rushmore can tell, the NPS declined

their request.

TRICKING YOUR COMPETITORS

Package delivery service DHL used science and advertising to

pull off a brilliant stunt. Wrapping packages in a foil which turns

black in cold weather, the company subjected the packages to

freezing temperatures and then gave them to rivals to deliver.

When the packages arrived to their warmer locations,

the message was revealed – “DHL is faster”.

ORDER UP!

Flying is rarely an easy endeavour, but Morton’s Steakhouse set

out to make one passenger’s trip easier. Before taking off,

author Peter Shankman tweeted at the steakhouse chain,

“Hey @ Mortons, can you meet me at Newark airport with a

porterhouse when I land in two hours? K, thanks. :)” Morton’s

sprung into action and when Shankman walked out of the

arrivals area, a uniformed waiter greeted him with silver

cutlery and a hot porterhouse steak.