Pelikan pen shifts gear to cut through clutter

<P>SINGAPORE: German stationery company Pelikan will roll out its first full-scale ad campaign this month, departing from its traditional use of retail-based marketing. </P> <P><BR>Linda Him, sales and marketing executive at Pelikan, said the company decided to increase the budget of its advertising and promotions department, in an effort to raise its profile in the market. <BR>The campaign features print ads for the Textmarker 400 highlighting pen, which  recently won an award for product design. Local agency Molotov created the ads, entitled 'What's up'. </P> <P><BR>"The purpose of the ads was two-fold," said Molotov CD Alistair Christie. "Firstly, to draw attention by making the ad simple, bold and more conceptually-driven than informative. It was hoped the reader would retain recognition of shape and brand when it came to making a purchase." </P> <P><BR>"We didn't want another boring stationery ad cluttered with product and information," said Carlyn Law, consultant, Sixth Sense Communica- tions. "Pelikan was a great client to work with as it was willing to try new ideas." </P> <P><BR>The ads target primary and secondary school children, and will run in various education and consumer lifestyle magazines. The release will be supported by point-of-sale posters and mobiles. </P>