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Durex Play Press Launch

 
We helped condom brand Durex roll out the purple carpet at 24London recently for the press launch of its new 'Play' range of pleasure-enhancing massage oils and lubricants.  Our 'Durex Sensory Play Booth' allowed blindfolded journalists to experience the multi-sensory thrills of the products in suitably memorable fashion. Guests were fed a selection of sensory food before moving into the nearby bar area for Durex-themed cocktails and canapés and a PUBic Quiz compared by Radio 1 DJ, Scott Mills.

BEcause is currently touring the UK with an experiential recruitment roadshow for The Royal Air Force (RAF). Overseen by the Central Office of Information (COI), the roadshow provides tailored information and career advice to potential recruits in seven major UK cities. Inside an RAF marquee, designed around the strapline 'Creating a team for any challenge', potential recruits can take part in engineering, intelligence, fitness and logistics challenges. The experience reflects the different careers available in the RAF and demonstrates how different skills come together to create a dynamic team.  Outstanding performers receive challenge related prizes and members of the public can enter into a prize draw to win a flight in an RAF aircraft. In a separate 'Lifestyle' section, RAF recruiters are on-hand to give first-hand advice on life in the RAF and kick-start the application process.

Prior to the roadshow, Brand Ambassadors visited each city to raise awareness of the forthcoming experience. Here, members of the public are blindfolded, whilst their partners guide them through an obstacle course using a set of verbal commands.

BEcause has just returned from this year's London Triathlon where we created an experiential campaign for Yakult located directly on the finishing line at the ExCel in London's Docklands. The campaign, entitled 'Working on a Healthy Society' educated competitors and spectators about Yakult's healthy credentials.

We created an interactive Yakult walk-through experience consisting of three individual zones; the 'Digestive Health Zone', the 'Relaxation Zone' and the 'Healthy Office Zone'.  In the 'Digestive Health Zone' visitors played two interactive games designed to highlight the importance of maintaining good digestive health - the 'Do You Know How the Digestive System Works?' game and the 'Eat Well Plate' game. In the 'Relaxation Zone', complete with astro-turf grass flooring and bright blue sky, visitors had relaxing head massages and listened to music on comfy beanbags. In the final 'Healthy Office Zone', designed to feel like a real office, visitors were given tips and exercises to help them stay healthy at work.

Here at BEcause, we've always been hugely committed to the training and development of our employees, so we're delighted to report that we've just gained the coveted "Investors in People" accreditation.  Well done to all the team!

 
Meanwhile, we've been working with Perrier again this month, this time celebrating the 6th Birthday of trendy London nightspot Boujis at a glittering event held at Syon Park.  Brand Ambassadors in glamorous Perrier-green cocktail dresses welcomed guests at the green carpet event and served bespoke Perrier cocktails to the exclusive crowd of London's movers and shakers.  The night formed part of an on-going campaign to position Perrier as the "in" soft drink for discerning adults. 

BEcause is heading out on a tour of county shows and outdoor events this summer with an experiential roadshow for outdoor clothing brand Rohan UK. Inside a Rohan-branded tent, two machines will demonstrate the unique functions and selling points of Rohan's 'technically clever' clothing. A UV ray machine will demonstrate how Rohan clothing protects the skin from harmful rays, whilst a water repellency machine will prove the waterproof capabilities of the fabric. Our trained Brand Ambassadors will also be challenging visitors to find items hidden in the security pockets of a Rohan clad mannequin. Outdoor leisure fans can enter a prize draw to win a place on the "Rohan Challenge" taking place next Spring. Winners will be taken on a series of adventures including mountain biking, trekking and rock climbing throughout the UK.

BEcause has created a revolutionary experiential showcase for Sony at  Heathrow Terminal 5. We've designed the experience to be both visual and sensual - a place where consumers are encouraged to immerse themselves in new and future Sony products.

One of the main products showcased is the Sony Cyber Shot Camera featuring Smile Shutter Technology; automatically taking photos once everyone in the frame is smiling. Visitors to our experience zone are invited to have their photo taken and watch it become a personalised e-card for them to email to friends around the world. Photos are also uploaded onto the Sony PS3 photo gallery allowing them to become part of the experience zone itself.
 
Elsewhere we've set up displays of future Sony products including the amazing Sony Rolly dancing mp3 players and the beautiful Oled wafer thin high resolution screens. Business products, entertainment technology and Walkmans are also on show where hands-on discovery is encouraged under the guidance of our experienced Brand Ambassador's.

BEcause has just completed a campaign for Gallo Family Vineyards at this month's Affordable Art Fair (AAF) in Battersea Park, London. We created a Gallo-themed bar and lounge area in the centre of the venue, where art-lovers could relax and sample one of three Vines from Gallo's Turning Leaf portfolio. Visitors to the fair on opening night were treated to wine tasting tips from one of Gallo's leading sommeliers. This was the 6th time that BEcause has created a campaign for Gallo at the AAF.

BEcause has hit the road in a campaign for The Department of Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform to educate workers and employers about the new national minimum wage rates.

The campaign, overseen by the Central Office of Information (COI), will provide tailored information and advice to local people in 30 towns and cities for nine weeks. On each day of the campaign, the converted double decker 'Route 552 – Are you on board?' bus will visit three strategically-positioned 'bus stops' for two hours at a time.

On board, visitors can sit and relax whilst using laptops to access online information via the campaign's website. Brand Ambassadors will discuss individuals' needs and help them find relevant information.  Visitors can also use free on-board mobile phones to call the national minimum wage helpline.
 

BEcause Experiential Marketing  masterminded an exclusive event for drinks brand Perrier at trendy London nightspot Boujis. The event, part of a new campaign to position Perrier as the alternative soft drink for adults, featured bespoke Perrier cocktails and music from world renowned DJ, Dimitri from Paris. Guests were greeted on a green carpet by glamorous Brand Ambassadors who handed them a branded green poker chip to exchange for a complimentary Perrier cocktail. Inside the club, where the Perrier theme continued, Brand Ambassadors chatted to clubbers about their drinks preferences before serving them their preferred Perrier cocktail.  


Managing Director Sharon Richey featured in The Observer as one of 500 dazzling individuals in the UK who have achieved outstanding success in their field. And Joss Davidge was named as one of the 100 most influential individuals in live events by Event Magazine.

We are delighted to announce that BEcause Experiential Marketing has beaten off stiff competition to be named 'Brand Experience Agency of the Year' at the 2007 GRAMIA Awards, organised by The Grocer. We also won the Golden GRAMIA for 'Best Brand Experience' for our Superdrug Backstage campaign.

 

This latest awards success comes just a few weeks after scooping 'Experiential Marketing Agency of the Year' at the inaugural Impact Awards, supported by Marketing and P&I.

 

And to round off a memorable month, we also picked up two Awards at the Brand Experience Awards, including Runner Up for a third 'Experiential Agency of the Year' title.

Activity is now underway on our latest campaign for Pampers. Brand Ambassadors are touring supermarkets nationwide, recreating part of the brands latest TV ad campaign to highlight the superior absorption properties of Pampers Baby Dry nappies versus competitor brands. The live experience is being supported by price promotions and free gifts and runs until September.

Building firmly on our recent success at the Sceptre Awards we were delighted to find that we have been shortlisted in three categories at the Impact Awards 2007 (and two categories at the Event Awards). We are the only agency shortlisted in both consumer and trade categories.

Our campaigns for innocent, Scottish & Newcastle and Pampers have been selected as contenders for the Consumer Campaign of the Year, Trade Campaign of the Year and Experiential Agency of the Year.

From 1st March 2007, LoewyBe is rebranded to BEcause Experiential Marketing.

Although LoewyBe has served us well, we feel the time is right for a more expressive and intriguing name and identity.

We believe Experiential Marketing is the answer to all kinds of marketing challenges.

The name "BEcause" gives us a fresh creative platform from which to communicate that message, whilst emphasising how Brand Experience (BE) directly 'causes' changes in consumer perceptions and behaviour.

Looks aside, it's very much business as normal here at BEcause.

Our vision remains to be recognised as the leading experiential agency in the UK.

Shoppers and train commuters were treated to another quirky marketing initiative from innocent Drinks recently, when the UK's number one fruit smoothie brand laid real grass in the middle of shopping centres and train stations for an experiential sampling campaign by BEcause (formerly LoewyBe).

The initiative ran at eight strategic locations around the UK, tapping into the nation's New Year health resolutions by promoting the healthy properties of the fruits used in innocent smoothies.

Shoppers sampled product and interacted with Brand Ambassadors on a theatrical set featuring the natural smell of fresh grass, displays of fresh fruit and product, and picnic-style seating. A competition offered consumers the chance to win a year's supply of innocent smoothies by writing a short description of how they would make 2007 better.
 
The campaign exceeded its sampling target by 20%, with the feedback from consumers and venues alike extremely positive. Lisa Hall, Promotions Manager at Bluewater Shopping Centre, commented:

"When the innocent promotion visited Bluewater, it provided guests with a great opportunity to experience all the different tastes and flavours of the brand. The staff were highly professional and interacted well with everyone that visited the area. The display worked well within the space compounds and visually offered a point of difference in the mall helping to draw people over."

BEcause went walkabout this month when we staged a huge sampling campaign for Foster's Twist on Australia Day. Teams of Brand Ambassadors dressed in branded Foster's Twist uniforms toured 125 outlets across the country, offering chilled bottles of the amber nectar to customers at their tables at discounted rates.

The activity was the latest phase in a series of pioneering on-trade brand experiences that we've been coordinating for S&N - all designed to drive trial and persuade drinkers to add new S&N brands to their regular repertoires.