Of course, brands need to be useful – solve peoples problems – but should digital marketing be useful too? We think so – we’re fans of branded utility – marketing designed to serve and support people rather than merely interrupt people.
So here is another set of 20 examples, taken from PHD’s Anjali Ramachandran wondrous – if a little dated – wiki on branded utility, of brands choosing to market themselves by being useful to people, rather than being a nuisance…
- Orange GlastNav Augmented reality app to help Glastonbury Music Festival revellers plan and navigate around the event
- Guinness Moments of Greatness Mobile app with navigation and translations for visitors to the Hong Kong Rugby Sevens event
- Charmin Sit of Squat Mobile app with crowdsourced map of public conveniences rated by cleanliness
- J&J Baby Center Website for moms and moms to be
- Uniqlo’s Uniqlock Downloadable screensaver clock
- Bugaboo’s Day Trips PDF Day trips for parents and kids in strollers
- Plum’s Plum Vision Online Baby TV from the Organic Baby food brand
- Bank of America’s Keep the Change Savings service – card payments rounded up to nearest dollar, and balance transferred to account
- Halifax Share Price Alert – investor email alert service
- Michelin Driving Guides – maps, and routes branded website and books
- Clear Channel City Bikes – Norwegian city bikes
- IKEA SXSWi Lounge – Branded hospitality lounges
- IKEA BoKlok – IKEA homes to furnish with IKEA products
- Sears Catalog Homes – Kit houses from Sears to furnish with Sears products
- Starbucks Music Kiosks – Doomed CD burning booths in the coffee shops
- British Airways Metrotwins – Social network sharing travel recommendations (now a Facebook App called Perfect Days)
- Target Gift Finder – find recommended gifts by age/sex/occasion
- Lucky At Your Service – Store finder app from Lucky magazine showing where to find advertised products
- Nike Goal – Live soccer match updates (Italy)
- MINI Road Assist – Roadside assistance app from MINI
