Clarks are going social
Clarks, the famous footwear brand, have recently started advertising on Whatsapp – an unlikely move. Unlike Instagram, who now allow brands to advertise on its platform where it is easy to see how advertising can occur, it is hard to see how brands can successfully advertise on Whatsapp.
Clarks rolls out Whatsapp campaign in bid to align brand with ‘subculture’ | Marketing Magazine http://t.co/GUxMBdMObo
— Cirkle (@cirklepr) March 30, 2015
The method involved
Clarks are using three different characters to enrich their campaign, titled “From Rats to Rudeboys”. These characters are titled “mods”, “the rudeboys” and “the enraged”, all of which people will be able to add as friends on the platform and receive updates from regarding the history of the Desert Boot. This has the promise to be interesting and reach out to a larger audience, but is Whatsapp the correct platform to do this on?
Why Clarks hopes ‘calculated’ WhatsApp risk will improve brand perception: Clarks has decided to take a “calcu… http://t.co/VFBVB8YOYw
— PETER MOLYNEUX (@WEIGHTPERFECT) March 31, 2015
How fresh can a desert boot be?
Clarks have described this venture as a calculated risk, although some would say that it is a lot riskier than that. Firstly, although the company wants to be seen as “trendy” and “more 21st century”, just how much will people care about the history of a desert boot? And how often will the characters be sending messages to other users? Clarks need to be extra careful with regards to how many times they send the messages, as this could be something that could start to aggravate their target audience, instead of appealing to it.
Super cool integrated campaign from Clarks using #Whatsapp in a bid to align the brand with subculture. Check it out! http://t.co/W1FoddZKfD
— Matt Rowbotham (@matt_rowbotham) March 31, 2015
What are they planning to achieve?
Even without the obvious risks mentioned, the measure of success for the campaign seems to be uncertain. Through telling people the story of the desert boot, are they urging people to buy this product from their stores? Or is this merely a method to show the public that they are not just another shoe store? Regardless of these aspects, Clarks know that this is very different to anything that anyone has tried before, creating the perfect opportunity to gain expertise before others.
Great campaign! @clarksoriginals use Whatsapp; consumers can ‘talk’ to the original wearers of Clarks #DesertBoots https://t.co/FX6uW8VEnO
— Life of a Marketer (@marketer_tweets) March 31, 2015
