Truly Twisted Marketing

I'd like to introduce you to Marketing and Merchandising Diva, Mandy Mercado. 

And, no, that's not a whip in her hand.

By day, she's an average online merchandising pro but with a "click" of her mouse and implementation of the Mercado software platform she magically transforms into a sexy, sleek, superdiva - able to add cross-sell items with a single keyboard stroke, able to set up promotions with a mouse click…she's…well…she's Super Mandy!

Mandy is the creation of the Mercado marketing team led by Randi Barshack (VP of Worldwide Marketing) and she's causing quite a stir.

Not only is there a full-fledged comic book of Mandy Mercado's adventures, the campaign includes a metal lunchbox packed with all sorts of sweat treats and a mug that displays the cartoon as hot liquid is added.

Even Mercado partners, CoreMetrics, Omniture and Power Reviews got in on the action. Each with a cameo showing in the comic book of their own superhero creation.

I  caught up with the brains behind the campaign, Randi Barshack, and she shared the inside scoop with me on the why's and how's of this ultra cool campaign. The campaign, Barshack explained,  is a series of 5 comic book episodes. Each one created to go out over the early winter months culminating in the final episode timed perfectly to coordinate with a new Mercado product launch.

You can check out all the episodes by following these links: Episode 1; Episode 2; Episode 3; Episode 4; Episode 5. 

The series with the lunchbox and coffee mug really kept Mercado on the top of the minds of the prospects and current customers who received them. And the feedback, Barshack said, has been very positive. They wanted to create something that was high touch, nostalgic and fun. For example, the lunchbox was filled with all sorts of candy everyone loved as a kid - pop rocks, jaw breakers, m & m's. The mug was sent during the busiest time of the year for online retailers (Christmas) with hot chocolate and a note saying "thought you might need a break right now…"

The timing and the execution of the mailers were coordinated to raise awareness of the new product launch, speak to issues ALL online business owners face and offer up usable information in a quirky and unusual way that was memorable.

All in all, it worked…fabulously. And, while Barshack couldn't give me a specific return on investment, the campaign did do exactly what it was intended to do…create buzz, create a memorable presence in the minds of the 400 or so prospects that received the campaign and open the door to ultimately increase sales.