I was shopping at Eddie Bauer a few weeks ago and grabbed a promo piece from their front cash. The postcard size piece was advertising their "Return to Everest" social media campaign where chosen legends of American mountaineering would climb the mountain and post their experiences on a daily blog.
The campaign site is called First Ascent and also serves as a place to showcase the Eddie Bauer products that were being tested as part of the ascent. The visuals are gripping, and the storytelling approach combined with use of social media makes for a highly entertaining and effective campaign.
Reading the posts makes us feel as if we're part of the expedition team, as we enter a world of high adventure and high stakes towards the summit of Everest. The posts read like excerpts from a mountaineering novel, and readers are invited to post comments on the blog. There are also great video clips to bring the reader into the high altitude climbing experience. Talk about being drawn into the product or brand!
The experience is both inviting and entertaining, yet also serves as a backdrop to sell the Eddie Bauer product. What an interesting and effective combination of print and interactive media, with some interaction at the store level. For the technologically inclined, there are also direct links to the campaign on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.
Stories are a great way to showcase a brand. The experiences of real people matter to us, and make us feel as if we're part of their adventure.
Can you think of any other cool campaigns that could have been tied into this one?
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