The latest burst follows the launch of an interactive banner on Yahoo that called on web surfers to blow on the words 'the competition' (Media, September 19), which then disappeared to reveal The Economist.
In keeping with the title's irreverent tone, Ogilvy's immersion marketing unit had smartly-dressed men walking the city's business district with knives sticking out of their backs. The men carry briefcases in The Economist red, printed with 'Ignorance kills' or 'Survive office politics'. The businessmen are part of a focused brand awareness campaign to create high impact in today's cluttered advertising environment, according to RedCard regional project director Robert Doswell.
The second execution, breaking at Media's press-time, is the print and outdoor 'Brain' campaign. Minus a tagline, the creative features a brain, made up of rolled-up issues of the publication. One of the inside folds of the brain shows The Economist header against a background of the title's trademark red.
The 'Doormat' blitz features an actual doormat in The Economist's red, with a direct call: 'Don't be one'. The doormats have been placed in bars at a top entertainment district, at offices of KPMG consultancy and Ogilvy & Mather.
A fifth execution is in the works. RedCard CEO David Mayo said the latest batch of creative came from one of the shop's monthly "hamster" sessions, in which Ogilvy and RedCard staffers gather to generate ideas. "The Economist pays RedCard for ideas each month and the nature of the contract we have with them is that they can only veto 80 per cent of the ideas presented - this means they are committed to running at least 20 per cent. It's a unique contract with staggering creative results."
The stepped-up marketing offensive follows the title's success in pushing its regional circulation past the 100,000 mark for the first time as rivals Business Week and Financial Times step up product and marketing investments.