From Burger King’s multiple initiatives to Cadbury’s brand overhaul and BBlunt’s digital engagement, here are the marketing activations that Ritwika Gupta liked this week:

1. Burger King

Burger King has launched three new marketing activities for people who are stuck at home during the coronavirus pandemic. The first initiative urges mobile users to scan a QR code that appears in their TV commercials. This is called the “QR Whopper” giveaway. So, there is a scannable code floating around the TV screen during three Burger King commercials. If one is able to spot and scan the code with a smartphone, he or she will be brought to a website offering coupons for a free Whopper with a purchase through its BK App. The second one asks people to share screenshots of video calls with friends. This is called Burger King’s “3 for $3 Challenge”. Here, a customer needs to post a screenshot of a video call with at least two friends for a chance to win an electronic gift card that covers the cost of its “3 for $3” menu. To enter, customers can post the photo on Twitter or Instagram and use the hashtag #BK3forFreeChallenge. The third marketing push invites people to use images of Burger King’s billboards during their video conferences. In return, Burger King will give out buy-one-get-one codes for its Whopper sandwich. To participate, fans need to download one of the billboard images from Burger King’s Twitter account and use it as the background in their video conferences. After they upload a photo on Twitter showing they used one of the backgrounds, tagging Burger King and the hashtag #HomeOfTheBillboards, Burger King will DM them a buy-one-get-one-free code. Fans can redeem the code on the Burger King app.

I think all the three marketing initiatives are interesting, interactive and obviously geared towards people who either watching TV or video-chatting online. By showing the QR codes in TV commercials, Burger King can also track which spots triggered the greatest response, helping it to hone its media spending for future TV campaigns. These activations will also help Burger King increase its mobile app downloads at a time when apps are competing for consumers’ attention. These will also create buzz on social media. So, on the whole, with these stunts, I think Burger King has once again found a way to stay relevant and increase their visibility during this crisis.

Campaign: ‘QR Whopper’ , ‘3 for $3 challenge’ and #HomeOfTheBillboards

2. BBlunt

Looking for ways to manage your outgrown hair during this lockdown? Don’t know where to start? Well, start by stopping! Salon and beauty brand, BBLUNT launched a nationwide marketing campaign called the #GrowOutChallenge. This is to encourage Indians to work with their grown-out hair rather than cutting them at home, without professional supervision. Celebrities like Dia Mirza, Jennifer Winget, Mrunal Thakur and Tara Sharma Saluja joined the challenge and promised to grow out their mane till they can go back to their favorite stylists. Other personalities who participated include casting director, Nandini Shrikent, designer Arjun Bhasin and Spoorthy Shetty, CEO at BBLUNT. Well, I think this is a simple and fun challenge, which is also relevant to the brand. The current Covid-19 situation has led to people trying their hand at varied things including cutting their own hair at home. Therefore, it does not come as a surprise that there is a spike in haircuts going wrong! After all, not all of us are professionals. BBlunt believes that experimenting with one’s hair needs to be done under professional guidance to avoid any hair mishaps. As part of this campaign, BBLUNT Founders, Adhuna Bhabani and Avan Contractor have extended their support by sharing tips on the brand’s official Instagram handle on how to maintain grown out hair and avoid hair mishaps at home. To supplement the efforts, the brand will also share some personal hair tricks and tips regularly on their social media. At a time when salons are shut and beauty products and services are not easily available, I think it remarkable that a brand like BBlunt is leveraging social media to speak to consumers and stay relevant. During this period, I am sure a lot of people will have queries on how to take care of one’s hair and manage fading hair colour or outgrown hair. So, it is wonderful to see BBlunt undertaking a new marketing initiative like this to drive consumer engagement and address queries on their digital platforms.

Campaign: #GrowOutChallenge

3. Cadbury

Cadbury has revealed a new global brand identity, which aims to put a “distinctive and modern twist” on the brand’s heritage. It is the first major brand overhaul for the company since the 1960s. The updated look for the Mondelez-owned chocolate maker features a redrawn wordmark, new iconography and “modern” typography. The redrawn logo takes inspiration from the signature of founder John Cadbury’s grandson, William. It is lighter and more cursive. Cadbury’s “Glass and a Half” icon has also been redrawn. The new Dairy Milk logotype features an all-caps, bolder and heavier typeface which has been recrafted from the original packaging for the chocolate bar from 1905. The brand also chose to include the logo of the Cocoa Life sustainability programme on the front of each bar.

Cadbury has one of the most recognisable logos in the world. So, when I first read about the revamp, I was a bit skeptical. Why was it even necessary? However, when I saw it eventually, it did impress me.

I like the new logo majorly because it highlights the brand’s great history while giving it a more modern look and feel. Design wise – I think it is more elegant, refined and cleaner. It is one thing to just stand out on supermarket shelves but nowadays, you also need to be prominent on digital channels. I think that this makeover will give the brand a stronger presence online. It is, overall, just more attractive. At the same time, thankfully, the revamp is not a major one. Consumers may not even notice it. Therefore, Cadbury has been able to strike a balance between including a few new elements and at the same time, retaining their classic look.

This new logo will first be launched in Australia this month, followed by South Africa and Malaysia later this year. The UK and Ireland will begin to see the new identity at the beginning of 2021.

Campaign: Cadbury New Logo
Agency: International design studio, Bulletproof