Today, when products are introduced into the market they have a slim-to-none chance of actually being “new” and are most likely a spin-off of an already invented product. Technology allows for advancements in product designs and features, but even with these improvements, competition is tough against those with brand recognition.

For a new product to be successful in today’s market, advertising and marketing are relied on heavily to differentiate the brand from the rest. In order to achieve brand differentiation, advertisers are looking to connect their brand or product with consumers on a personal level. Interactive marketing is one of the trends to achieve brand differentiation and to persuade the buying habits of consumers.

Experiential marketing is compelling because it is consumer education. Consumers learn about brands by engaging with the products in a practical environment. Experiential marketing reinforces brand recall through a wealth of media and creative approaches. Creativity is the driving force in designing experiential marketing campaigns because it is the route to effectiveness. Developing innovative marketing campaigns to emphasize product attributes is the way to make a break through with an emerging product.

Toilet paper is one market segment that uses interactive marketing to introduce products into the market. This category relies heavily on interactive marketing because product attributes: ultra soft, extra-strength, quilted, double roll differentiate the different toilet paper brands and strongly influence consumer purchase decisions. Two brands with competitive interactive marketing campaigns are Charmin and Cottonelle.

For the past two holiday seasons, Charmin offered residents and visitors of New York City a clean and comfortable bathroom experience by creating 20 Charmin restrooms in the heart of time square. The Charmin website is also an interactive experience with song downloads, games and coupons. The Charmin website can be viewed at www.charmin.com.

Cottonelle’s Website promotes the campaign, “Be Kind to Your Behind.” It allows consumers to customize a personal cottonelle web page and submit a pledge to be kind to their behind. To view cottonelle’s Web site you can go to www.cottonelle.com.

Take a look at these two sites and you will find something fun and different, and you might even bring home different toilet paper from the store that will either remind you of a comfortable bathroom experience or being kind to your behind.

Interactive marketing can communicate to the consumer through many approaches. The key ingredient in a successful interactive campaign is creativity. Creativity will result in a compelling and memorable brand experience for the consumer.

Kelly Magnus
Jour 3279
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