Cogeco Data Services has launched a new multi-faceted marketing campaign to increase brand awareness. The promotion will feature print, radio and out-of-home advertising, as well as sponsoring events geared towards the IT specialist. OgilvyOne handled both the creative and the media planning.
The print advertising includes QR codes containing a link to the company’s website (which IT folk can activate by snapping a pic and downloading for decoding). Additionally, QR codes on invitations to the company’s sponsored events feature a message from the company.
The strategy behind the campaign is to create brand awareness within the IT community. ‘It’s to address the lack of brand awareness, but it’s also to talk about our differentiators. One is to provide services to medium to large businesses, [such as] bandwidth and data-centre services,’ says Virginia Brailey, VP of marketing and communications for Cogeco Data Services.
To reach IT professionals, Cogeco has placed ads in trade publications such as Network World and CIO, as well as banner ads on those publications’ websites. It is also sponsoring a radio contest on 680 News, which invites listeners to nominate their IT VIP as their ‘unsung hero.’ The winner of the radio contest will receive a trip to the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, while those doing the nominating have a chance to win an iPod Nano.
The OOH portion of the campaign features ads in office elevators and light projections on buildings and billboards, as well as mobile light projections. The projections will be replicated in the print ads, and are designed to highlight Cogeco’s all-fibre networks.
Finally, Cogeco has created the ‘IT Club’ online, which offers members sneak previews of products and information, as well as invitations to sponsored events, starting with a keynote address by Wired editor-in-chief, Chris Anderson on March 31st, to be followed by a red carpet event for IT professionals. The campaign will run through September.
