Not So Outside Of The Box Ads

I am disappointed in the fact that companies sponsoring Outside The Box Festival, being held in Boston, did not create creative ideas to connect with customers.

Here's why:

1. The festival is FREE. Which means that you have a lot of people attending the festival. Why not take advantage of that?

2. The name of the festival is called "Outside The Box." This is ideal for companies to be creative. 

3. This is the first one. There are not a lot of sponsors this year.  Next year it will be more competitive, so this was a great opportunity for these companies to stand out while facing less competition. 

I am not saying that these companies should have been in consumers faces trying to shove information, products etc. down their throats. I am talking more about coming up with creative ways to interact with consumers without interfering with their plan. Here's my take on some of the campaigns at the festival:

1. The Mini

What they did: They put a replica of a mini car facing down. On the hood it said "Not Normal," and on the lower front and side it said "#mininotnormal." (See images below)

"mininotnormal" at Boston Common

"mininotnormal" at Boston Common

What they could have done: They could have taken this a step further. Asking people to create "Out Of The Box" pictures and use the hashtag for a chance to win prizes. In other words give them incentives to be creative. Or they could have brought the car down and hired 4 local artists on the first day. Each artist would draw one part of the car. Then the rest of the week, those walking by could take a picture of their favorite design and share it on their social media sites using the "mininotnormal" hashtag. On the last day, the winning artist is introduced. 

2. Hailo

OTB app sponsored by Hailo

What they did: They are sponsoring the OTB app and having their ads at the bottom of the app. 

What they could have done: They could have hired couple go-carts to give free rides (especially kids, elderly and those handicapped) around Boston Common and City Hall Plaza. The person driving the go-cart would have a Hailo branded t-shirt as well as coupons to use Hailo taxi. 

In addition, on the OTB app, they could have provided a map of the Boston Common as well as City Hall Plaza with information on where the go-carts are stationed and their route. Right now, the app says that both maps are "coming soon." That's a big no-no especially since we are already in the fourth day of the festival.

These are just few ideas to showcase numerous possibilities. This is a great event to connect with consumers and allow them to engage with those brands in a none invasive fashion.
Here's a complete list of sponsors: Prince Lobel, Geico, WCVBTV, Boston Herald, Nordstrom, Empire Loan, Timbre, Winn Family, 92.5, Min, Hailo, and Winn Companies.

Remember ENGAGEMENT is important in conversion and brand image. What are your thoughts?

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