Camping it up

Out shopping in Notting Hill this weekend I came across another brand participation gem - this time it was footwear / lifestyle brand Camper who were taking brand engagement to a different level.

Interestingly Camper hadn't spent 10's of thousands designing an interactive exhibit, instead they'd spent a couple of quid on two marker pens (black and red) and decided to save themselves the bother of designing the shop interior by getting their customers to do the job for them.

The result was incredible, with a mixture of messages and amateur drawings filling the walls creating a giant red and black international blur . . . of course it was more incredible once I'd added my masterful message to it!

Interesting things re: brand participation that came out of this experience are:
1) Control: although there weren't any strict rules set by Camper to govern my participation with their brand there were a few non-explicit rules: a) only red and black marker pens were provided (these are Camper's brand colours) b) because of the environment you felt obliged to do something similar do everyone else - again keeping "on brand".

2) Barriers: participation is a choice thing, and it isn't for everyone all the time. You kind of have to feel in the mood, and there's also a real sense of "self-awareness" in participating in something like the Camper wall - i.e. is my entry going to be as funny / original / meaningful as someone elses? This self-awareness can also create additional personal barriers for people.

3) Word of mouth: because of the extraordinary experience, and because I was proud of my work I felt compelled to tell people about what I'd done and extol the virtues of Camper. From this perspective brand participation and word of mouth marketing go hand in hand.

4) Emotional engagement: because of the level in which I engaged with the brand, I do now weirdly feel alot closer to the brand - to the extent that I visited their website, but not to the extent that I bought a pair of their shoes (a taste thing!). I do, however, quite fancy staying at their hotel in Barcelona!

All super interesting . . . however, perhaps not as interesting as the message I wrote on the shop wall . . .