Social Media Marketing: Vellant- The Book with 186 Co-Authors

A Romanian bookstore found a unique approach to market itself and gain respect in the literary world. Vellant used their Facebook page to ask online fans to contribute to an unfinished book. The Facebook campaign turned into a popular art project that resulted in a finished book with 186 authors. It received press attention from all forms of media outlets around the world.

Guerrilla Marketing Strategy: Fitness First Gym

One of the new laws in the Health Care Bill requires restaurants to place detailed nutritional facts next to all menu items. In Germany, a fitness club beat us to the punch. Working with local restaurants near their gyms, Fitness First printed the total amount of calories and the hours required to burn them off directly on food receipts. Customers were then able to use their receipts as a voucher for a free workout session at one of Fitness First's 19 gyms in Berlin.

Mobile Event Marketing: Nokia & the World's Largest Sign

Nokia is not only a phone provider; they're also the world's leading Global Positioning System (GPS) manufacturer. In an attempt to attract attention to and encourage use of their often overlooked service, Nokia created the world's largest interactive signpost in the middle of London. Consumers were encouraged to text in recommendations of local attractions and hotspots, and recommendations were displayed on the massive sign, complete with information on the specific distance to that location. The signpost was complemented by a website featuring a map of all recommended locations, and real-time updates were also available via the program's Twitter feed.

Event Marketing: Yahoo's "Fancouver"

During the 2010 Winter Olympic Games, Yahoo! set up a "Fancouver" lounge in Vancouver, B.C.. Pumped-up Olympic fans of all ages were invited to surf the web, browse e-mails and keep up to date with Olympic action, all while enjoying a hot cup of cocoa in the lounge. To top off the event, Wii giveaways were announced throughout the lounge daily.

Brand ambassadors working the event were selected based on their personal social media reach. Team members were given "social media breaks" to update their various social networks with Fancouver facts and announcements, an innovative way to extend reach of the event to various online communities!

(Thanks to Event Marketer Mag for the video clip!)

Response Advertising: VW, Danskportteknik

The recent Toyota recall has sparked a series of ads from different companies in attempt to capitalize on the mistake of the Japanese corporation. The first ad comes from a garage door company from Denmark which uses a bit of dark humor to attract new customers, while the VW ad is more subtle in their approach but speaks to the same issue.