You can propose or accept through FB!

People in the history have tried different ways to get attention and propose to their loved ones. Some have tried banners flying in the sky, others got their message flashed in a stadium during a break. Here is a new addition to that. Using FB to get the message to your loved one. Yes, that is possible! The biggest advantage of FB is that you can target an ad to a specific audience.

And she exactly did that. Read this article in Metro News

"After hearing a social media expert talk about how you can micro-target advertising messages on Facebook, Judi Brown decided she would accept Matt’s proposal digitally by creating a Facebook ad that would be guaranteed to be read by him.

‘Yes I’ll Marry You Matt’ was the headline Jodi used in the Facebook advertising campaign along with a picture and a short blurb about how she felt.

....It took Matt just five minutes on the day the campaign was launched to notice it on his Facebook page.

She says the campaign ran just for the one day, and seven people including Matt saw it an average of 12 times each. At the end of the day, the campaign cost her three cents in total — for every thousand times the ad showed up, the price was one dollar.

Now, isn't Social Media an effective way to get your message across to the right audience for a small investment. Advertisers, this article is some good inspiration to try Social Media advertising.

Love for LUSH!

As the lady at the store explained me how to use the “Mask of Magnaminty”, my husband looked at me and asked "Can I eat this?" His question was a valid one as LUSH products are technically edible. He did not dare to try that though.

LUSH,a brand known for fresh handmade bath and beauty products,is extremely popular worldwide. They have over 600 stores in more than 400 countries. From Saudi Arabia to Sri Lanka, and from Bangalore to Toronto, LUSH has a strong loyal fan base.But what makes these products special? They are 100% organic and handmade. What excites most individuals at a LUSH store is that the products are full of bright colors and great scent. To top that, the reps at the store are extremely knowledgeable. They are polite, take personal interest and know the stuff.

LUSH is a great example of a high quality product with some unique selling tricks. It has some innovative marketing and branding strategies. Sample this – a product called “Bath Bombs” are solid balls made of sodium bicarbonate that fizz with different scents and colors when dropped in the bathtub. Isn’t that cool?
I have hardly seen any ads of LUSH in the print and television media but I have heard many women talk passionately about it. And LUSH makes sure that there is lot to talk about it. They do not sell products older than four months. The soap bars are sold "naked" i.e. free of wasteful plastic packaging. They also promote recycling of containers.

And my favorite part - each LUSH product has a sticker with the date the product was made and the name of the person who made it. I think that this is a great way of employee motivation. Imagine if I worked at LUSH and made a face mask and the package had my name on it.! BTW, the mask that I bought was made by Adam. Thank you, Adam!

Roll up the Rim to Win

As soon as you finish your coffee (or even before that), you roll up the rim and check if you have won something? If you are lucky, in the best case, you could be winning a Toyota Camry or in the most likely case - a free coffee. Yes, am talking about Tim Horton's "Roll Up the Rim to Win" contest. Every now and then, I see folks in Toronto finishing their coffee and rolling up the rim to see if they have won anything. Recently, a stranger at the subway station asked me if I had won anything just as I had just finished my coffee and had rolled up the rim.(Unfortunately, the message read “ Play again”).

A promotional event something like this is bound to create some excitement. I found out that Tim Horton’s has been running this promotion for the past 26 years!. When they started this annual contest, the prize was just a box of Timbits. And every year since then, the prize has grown bigger and better. This year, Tim Hortons is promising $60 million in prizes. It is believed that about 80% of the prizes are redeemed every year. The company claims that he chances of winning are 1 in six. The excitement runs so high that there were recent reports that thieves have been stealing the Roll Up the Rim cups. Perhaps, this was the easiest way for the thieves to win a prizes that include Toyota Camry Hybrids and Panasonic 3D TVs.

I was curious to know if anyone had won a Toyota Camry yet. I googled and read that an Ottawa rapper had won it recently. Good, makes me believe that these promotions are for real! :)

Personally, I think this is a great marketing campaign. The loyal customers would feel good if they won something (even a free coffee) and the not so regular drinkers would hope for a big prize and try it out. And all this should ensure increased sales for Tim Hortons. Perhaps not!. This is what Tim Horton’s reported last year as it could not meet shareholder’s expectations. (I find this difficult to digest.)

Anyway, I’ll keep purchasing a few more Tim Horton products till the contests last and hope that I get a big prize. Owning a Camry or a 3D TV as prize would be nice ! Keeping my fingers crossed!