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UL activates readers of People, OK! with mobile

Underwriters Laboratories ran print ads featuring actress Keri Russell of "Felicity" fame in People and OK! magazines with a call-to-action urging readers to send in camera-phone pictures of the brand's logo.

A mobile sweepstakes was the centerpiece of the creative idea and execution plan, which was powered by marketing agency MS&L and image-recognition-based mobile company SnapTell. Through the "Just Look for UL Sweepstakes," consumers were encouraged to enter the contest by submitting camera phone photos of products bearing the UL Mark to or via MMS to short code 707070.

"The strategy for the ?Just Look for UL' campaign was to target new moms online and off-line to start a Safety Movement among a new generation of mothers who'll help spread the UL message," said Webster Lewin, senior vice president/director of digital innovation and strategy for MS&L, New York.

Underwriters Laboratories is known among manufacturers as a leader in product safety standards development, testing and certification. Yet, despite its strong B2B reputation, UL lacked awareness among the broader U.S. consumer population.

While baby boomers and their elders were familiar with the UL Mark seal of approval, younger generations had little to no awareness of UL and didn't understand its role in helping safeguard their homes.

UL needed to make the UL Mark relevant to consumers using multiple media channels.

Specifically, UL's objectives for the "Just Look for UL- Safety at Home" campaigns were to generate awareness and understanding among its target demographic of the UL brand and its commitment to safety.

UL also wanted to create demand and a new generation of consumers who only buy products with the UL Mark and start a "safety movement" by encouraging a new generation of mothers to spread the UL message.

The core target was first-time moms.

The strategy was to leverage a community of mobile consumers who could participate by finding the UL Mark in a wide variety of places.

To meet these objectives, MS&L created a digital program rooted in finding and recognizing the UL Mark.

In addition to mobile email and MMS to a short code, consumers could enter by completing an online form at http://www.safetyathome.com, the campaign microsite built by MS&L.

For five weeks, consumers looked for the UL Mark in their homes, in stores, in media outlets and at public events and sent images of the UL Mark for a chance to win daily digital camera giveaways and a grand prize of $10,000 worth of UL-certified products.

As part of an integrated multichannel approach, MS&L created online banner ads promoting the sweepstakes, which clicked through to the entry page at Safetyathome.com.

The agency also developed supporting print ads that ran in People and OK! and an online tutorial that educated consumers on exactly how to submit their entries via camera phone.

UL realized that in order to demonstrate the breadth of home electrical products that are UL-certified, consumers must first learn how and where to find the UL Mark.

To achieve the campaign objectives, UL engaged influencers by integrating many different online and offline platforms, including magazine business response cards, or BRCs, flash animation video, online influencer outreach, online banners, including targeted Facebook ads, and holiday/seasonal events.

The MS&L-designed ads were placed in issues of People and OK! These ads all included the BRCs that became one of the main mobile contest drivers.

The image-recognition technology from SnapTell helped the campaign achieve a match rate of more than 98.5 percent for the UL Mark, which appears on a wide range of electrical products in a number of sizes, colors and other variations.

The technology allowed MS&L to offer customized responses to mobile entries sent via mobile email as opposed to MMS, both of which confirmed the entry and drove consumers to the microsite for more safety-related content.

Online, MS&L created a flash-based animation that became the signature tutorial of the Safetyathome.com microsite. It took the visitor through each step of submitting a mobile entry to limit the number of failed camera phone entries.

The banner ads appeared on a number of sites, including Facebook, Parents.com, The Ellen DeGeneres Show Web site, AOL, Amazon.com, BabyCenter.com and CafeMom.

Results
The variety of entries received ranged from kitchen appliance boxes to office supplies to living room decorations to the insert cards from the magazine ads.

The scavenger hunt for the UL Mark became the driver that encouraged some consumers to enter multiple times with different photos of the UL Mark.

Consumers were connected and engaged as they regularly searched for the UL Mark at work, at home and on the go.

Out of the 85,400 combined online and mobile entries, 11 percent of all unique sweepstakes entries were submitted via camera phone.

The results of the "Just Look for UL" mobile program created consumer awareness of UL and the UL Mark, according to MS&L.

By leveraging mobile applications, UL was able to connect with its target consumer and extend the safety movement to the hands of new mothers.

Mobile image-recognition provider SnapTell helped enable the mobile sweepstakes entry.

"The image recognition technology from SnapTell enabled us to validate camera-phone entries to ensure that they were actually pictures of the UL Mark," Mr. Lewin said. "It also enabled us to promote Safetyathome.com content to each person that sent in an entry."