FMBX News

Kraft takes Mikado on a theatrical tour

Kraft is building on last summer's  ‘more than a little bit tempting’ Mikado campaign with a new, even more tempting experience which will tour the country over the next few weeks.

Once again, Kraft has asked Closer, the live engagement agency within the Billington Cartmell Group, to devise an innovative and outrageous experiential campaign tailor-made for Mikado, the ultra-thin chocolate biscuit sticks specially designed to be eaten on-the-go.

Trevor Smith, Mikado senior brand manager, has already praised last year’s experiential work, describing it as “extremely creative and well thought-through.”  He explains that Closer’s 2011 drive will be even more engaging:

“While last year’s campaign tempted consumers to engage with a massive Mikado box which ‘responded’ with a range of different ‘surprises’, we are going even further this year. The experiential is part of a layered and integrated marketing approach which will not just boost awareness for the Mikado brand itself, but will also drive traffic to the Mikado Facebook and Twitter platforms.”

The centre of the campaign is the experiential tour which will visit 40 UK cities and towns, letting consumers experience the temptation of Mikado for themselves, with the chance to win a holiday for four to New York.  The tour will then be maximised through an interactive application via Facebook and Twitter enabling Mikado fans to interact with the tour on a whole new level.

Two Mikado teams will tour the UK, encouraging people to ‘give into temptation’ and providing samples and MONP (money off next purchase) incentives.  Closer has created three pieces of sound-activated ‘brand theatre’, each involving a different conceptual stand, different theme and different themed characters.

• ‘Keep off the grass’:   a park scenario featuring a patch of Astroturf with a pack of Mikado in the centre and a ‘park keeper’ trying to prevent people from reaching the snack

• ‘Do not eat the art’:  a mini-art-gallery featuring a massive ‘arty’ Mikado pack with jaws that try to ‘bite’ anyone who tries to grab Mikado.  A sleepy curator will sit next to the ‘exhibit’ and engage with people who take part.

• ‘Crime scene’:  a crime scene with a print of a dead body, crime tape and a huge Mikado box acting as a vending machine while a SOCO officer in CSI-style gear tries to foil consumers’ efforts to get their hands on Mikado.

There will be daily tour prizes, as well as prizes for consumers who visit the stands and say ‘special passwords’ which will be given out daily through Facebook and Twitter.

Consumers who interact with the team will be filmed and a selection of videos will be uploaded onto the ‘Win with Mikado’ Facebook application where fans can further engage by tagging themselves in the videos.  At the end of the tour, the ten best ‘brand interactions’ will be put up to a public vote with a once-in-a-lifetime holiday for four in New York going to the winner.

People will be encouraged to vote with daily prize draws (offering music vouchers) for all voters on the site, and their details will be retained for future brand communication.

Jo Sasso, account director at Closer, says:  “Mikado is a fantastic brand which has built a unique reputation and loyal following in a very short time – and it’s great to be involved in its second major tour.  This time, the ‘Live Temptation Tour’ will be even more involving thanks to the varied content and the innovative digital elements.”

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