engage their customers in a way that focuses not only on the product but on their feelings about the organization. “The other thing that was very impressive was the way they could bring integration across the mix. They are very confident in how advertising connects to the insight that’s connected to the PR and the corporate affairs way of thinking and, even on a local level, how it could really work.â€
Among GlobalHue’s best creative, Quinn offers, was the development of the Walmart back-to-school campaign last fall. How it was received across markets surpassed the company’s expectations. “A ruler is way more than a way to measure,†the commercial starts, showcasing a variety of children using a ruler in learning and playful scenarios. “It just needs to be in the right hands.â€
“Not only did they test well in the African American community, they tested well in the general market. They had some really powerful ideas and insights around what back to school could represent to moms that went beyond saving money on rulers and pens and paper, and made a couple of ads that were very aspirational when it came to what education and school mean in the larger context of life and what moms would hope education would lead to. They managed to pack all of that into 30 seconds.†It was a message that tied together the education expectations of the audience and the Walmart slogan, “Save Money. Live Better.†It’s a lifestyle treatment and theme that runs through many of GlobalHue’s creative messages.
Ralph Gilles, president and CEO of Chrysler’s Dodge division, expects to apply GlobalHue’s expertise particularly through online strategies to expand his company’s reach more strategically into the African American consumer market. “Through nontraditional marketing, they’ve brought some really good ideas to us that go beyond television through local events and [other creations] that will help us open up the conversation.â€
Coleman understands that all retail marketing is local. To stay competitive, GlobalHue just completed a $750,000 proprietary study across all ethnicities in all major consumer categories as well as developed software that allows them to quantify sales on a local, market-by-market basis. “Most research centers around national and, in some cases, regional,†explains Coleman. “We can really get down and pinpoint things locally. Whether it’s a store, a retail outlet, a telecom outlet, an automotive dealership, it’s on the ground where it happens. And so we believe you have to be able to measure where it happens.†Coleman is excited about their broadening online strategy but also tight-lipped: “We want to exploit it as long as we can before competition figures out what it is.â€
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