When DYMO wanted a memorable banner campaign to drive sales, LBi responded with a "fuel-efficient" campaign that still delivered plenty of horsepower.
The growth of animated banner content has transformed the way brands approach the creativity behind their media buys. No longer simple web billboards begging a click through, interactive banners exert a more powerful pull on the naked eye and push product content from destination sites (corporate .coms) to the actual terrain consumers are crossing, producing higher awareness of product attributes and better qualifying subsequent site visitors.
Earlier this year, DYMO approached LBi for a unique banner solution for its home page that could also be resized and repurposed for a variety of media placements. Just prior to LBi's engagement, Deutsche had launched an advertising campaign for the company, and DYMO asked LBi to be sensitive to the Deutsche work but also extended the team significant creative latitude to pursue its own digital vision.
After conducting of review of existing creative assets to ensure its creative directions proved complementary, LBi conducted what Art DirectorAlex Kurth described as an "anthropological study," of the product itself—the Label Writer line of label printers—its physical and functional characteristics and consumer target audience.
In contrast to traditional DYMO advertising, which highlighted DYMO products more or less as tools in the hands of customers, LBi attempted to personify the product itself, an approach that capitalized on its aesthetic appeal, a key but underutilized market differentiator of the brand. The team drew a conceptual parallel between the functional efficiencies of the LabelWriter and its corresponding aesthetic symmetry—its efficient and elegant design mirrored the streamlining effect the product had on essential business functions.
Thinking about the daily frustrations of business that the LabelWriter could address, the team noticed that one of the most frustrating tasks was going to the post office and dealing with shipping issues. The team realized that by eliminating the trip itself, the DYMO was itself "fuel-efficient." What's more, the smooth, pearl-gray lines of the product bore a striking resemblance to the contours of a sportscar. Its functional qualities struck the same parallel: efficient, fast, easy to use. Even DYMO's naming conventions suggested a conceptual link: the 400, the Turbo, the Twin Turbo, and so on. In its "anthropological" dig, the group had unearthed a hidden affinity between the brand and a popular cultural icon.
The resulting Flash banner led with the lines, "It's small, fast, fuel-efficient. It can also park on your desk." At that point the LabelWriter veers in from off-screen and screeches to a stop—just like a racecar. The payoff: "LabelWriter's get more done with less interruption." Other ideas included, "From 0 to 20 in 60 seconds," indicating how many labels the product could produce in a minute.
LBi conducted an "anthropological study" of the product itself—its physical and functional characteristics and consumer target audience.
Within the banner image itself, several hot spots continued the sportscar connection by highlighting the "engine" of the LabelWriter and its functional strengths: its thermal printing technology, postage printing capabilities, and software compatibility. Light, transparent circles and bright brand color backdrop the product, forming an optimistic backdrop to the interactive showcase.
In banner ad formats on sites where DYMO has purchased media, the banner is minimized to reveal just textand a glimpse of the top of the LabelWriter, which resembles the sleek styling of a roof or a wheel well. The headline invites user to click by suggesting that what looks like a sports car can actually "park on your desk."
Clicking on any version of the banner brings users to a dedicated landing page on the DYMO site. The page offers an interactive merry-go-round of five key DYMO products within the Home Office category, each product zooming to the front of the pack when clicked, and each seamlessly linked to related product pages within the DYMO site. Hovering over any product reveals a product 'persona' with quick-hit product features and a nickname that captures the functional essence of the product.
Clicking through any product deposits users at a point of purchase with greater knowledge of product selection and individual features, essentially delivering more qualified users, the client's central objective.