As I promised, here you can read my insights about the running promos of this summer. I needed some time to collect the materials for this post. And I mean it, my fingers are not enough to count the online promos of FMCG companies running at the same time and are based on some kind of a code redemption via online.

However the platform is the same (buy product, get a code and redeem it for rewards), the solutions and online media strategies worth to consider.

I will go in alphabetical order, but to keep this post’s short normal length, I won’t go into deep analysis, will focus on the specialties.

 

I. 7up.hu
Pepsi co’s 7up brandsite after last years’ ‘upload your photo with Fido‘ activation (not very original, is it?) stresses the mental refreshment 7up can gives you by short quizzes you may take. If you are good enough, you can register for the prize drawing. They created a full flash site with a poor navigation and not very exciting additional services like message wall, or a v-card with your photo. The campaign creatives are also very common display ones.

 

 

Special note: Oops, no code redemption. Don’t see why product consumption is not needed to participate in the promotion. Drink Sprite and win 7up prizes then! (jerk!)

Promotion period: 3 months (June-August)

 

II. Coke.hu
Coca-Cola continues a promotion started last year concentrating on giving music content and daily/weekly prizes for cap code points. Seems that music is an international platform but this year the promotion is extended with dedicated Coke Light and Coke Zero prizes. The content supply is wider therefore and structuring it with customizable skin is a good idea. Coca-Cola may talk to different target groups with this.

 

 

Special note: It is interesting that Coca-Cola doesn’t communicate the promotional prizes, they rather focus on the music content in communication as well.

Promotion period: 10 months – March-December

 

III. Magnumcsokimisztikum.hu
Very nice design and good concept. But Unilever Hungary has very well organized former activations so I am sure their agency has an easy job to sell a good online conception for them. I have two concerns though:
1. For the target audience navigation is a bit complicated. I wouldn’t develop a full flash site for supporting such a complex promotion with story and video uploads.
2. The domain is too long to remember. If you place it in print/TV copies, no one will remember it. It requires therefore continuos online support to get the users coming back.

 

 

Promotion period: 4,5 months – April-August

 

IV. Momentcity.hu
Momentcity by Nescafé has started last year and was renewed this spring. Momentcity 2 pretends to be an entertainment portal by offering music and video content, chat and online games besides a webstore where you can buy goods for points collected with Nescafé product codes. Navigation on this site is really slow due to the big flash files that make the experience poor. However, I guess it offers the biggest content supply, I don’t think it can be successful on a long-term basis as returning/loyal users will get bored with the navigation process.

 

 

Special note: In movie section I have found embedded Youtube videos as Momentcity content. I am sure Nescafé has the rights to do that, isn’t they?!

Promotion period: 4 months – April-July

 

V. Sportszelet.hu
It is a special Hungarian chocolate brand that is on the market for more the 50 years. They also had a promotion last year with user video uploads (like 7up) but this year the promotion mechanism is not any better, really. Tough, the execution is again very entertaining. Both the text and the design. My advice for them is to try harder, work more on the conception, because design and format is just not enough in such an ad noise.

 

 

Promotion period: 5,5 months, April-October

 

VI. Tictactuti.hu
This is a very special one. They are one of the early birds that believed internet is a good channel for brandbuilding. They started a community back in 2005. They had an advantage then but couldn’t live with it. They chose a wrong platform by kept trying to build and maintain a community:
1. Community market has become very tough, even in Hungary. A brand with same community services cannot compete with communities belong to a media owner.
2. Tictac as a freshmint candy brand of Ferrero will never have such a strong engagement that can fanatize people to be the member of that community.
3. A community needs continuos animation that requires a big budget. From small money you cannot build and keep a community.
Anyway, this summer the portal has got a facelift, but they are still pushing this community thing. According to their own counter there are 8 thousand registered members, which means they have a lot to do, especially if they want to keep these members.

 

 

Promotion period: N/A

 

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The extra one is Pepsi. But not because they had such a special promotion. The reason is that their movement how they acquired their own medium and linked the brand to football is brilliant. They now have to work on how they crosspromote the brand content and football-related one, as it wasn’t ideal over their promotion period. Using this synergy is important for them as Coca-Cola’s online activities has been very impressive.

Just in case you want to see Pepsi’s promotional online message:

 

 

I have to add that this list is very subjective, and doesn’t contain all the promotions running online in Hungary (eg: no beer code collection promotions covered, however there are running at least two at the moment). But, as Hungarians are playful people, with strong traditions in promotions, advertisers has to follow the afterlife of their activities here and everywhere else. There is also a new market growing, changing, selling and buying the codes. Funny.

As a summary, have a look on the promotions ranking – according to Google (the ones that are not on the shot below have no data available).