Axe effect: Spell extends to the Net  ( June '1,2001, FE)

IN a bid to promote its client Hindustan Lever Ltd’s (HLL) Axe brand, Linteractive, the interactive wing of Lowe Lintas & Partners, has charted an orchestrated online and offline promotion strategy. “Chase your path — Axe Voodoo Call Of the Dark,” reads the introduction to the Website — Axeeffect.com — which was recently hosted and designed by Linteractive. On June 16 this year, Linteractive plans to host a ground event in Voodooland, an island near Kerala, in an attempt to drive traffic to the new site. For the purpose, Linteractive has joined hands with MTV, informs Mr Chandradeep Mitra, head of Linteractive.

According to Mr Mitra, for Axe, Linteractive has created a Website which integrates mass media activity, a contest/ promotion and an exclusive brand event (the Axe Voodoo Call of the Dark Party) through the Website.

Says Mr Mitra: “Our core strategy is to build a brand experience around the site through ground events such as this. To attract Netizens, we have used both flash and HTML sites. Through Web-based initiatives and mass media campaigns we want to attract traffic to the site.” In the interactive communication business, the USP of Linteractive is its brand and marketing focus, says Mr Mitra. “Our emphasis on strategy and ideas, and our ability to integrate our offering with other brand communication activities, both online & offline,” explains Mr Mitra.

Linteractive which became operational in January this year presently offers services which include interactive marketing communication strategies and the ability to plan, create, execute, deliver, host and manage, monitor the most appropriate interactive solution through one or combination of mechanisms such as: * Websites/intranet/extranet * Microsites/sponsored sections/channels * Banners/interstitials * e-promotions/contests * Branded applications/devices/services * e-mail marketing * eCRM * CD-Rom/interactive kiosks, etc.

Mr Mitra says Linteractive is currently working with a number of clients, both FMCG and service/durables. “But since most of our projects are work-in-progress, we aren’t able to reveal the details till they’re complete due to confidentiality reasons.

Among our completed projects are three assignments for HLL, for the brands Axe and Lifebouy,” adds Mr Mitra. For the recent Lifebouy relaunch, the agency created a site exclusively for the HLL salesforce to achieve three objectives: * it was a virtual sales conference with all relevant info on the new marketing mix (product, packaging, advertising, POP, etc.) * it provided an online system for incentivising and rewarding the salesforce * it provided, for the first time, an opportunity to the management to track & review at micro-level the sales performance on a real-time basis across the entire nation. As for its future plans Mr Mitra says: “We have plans of growing and are exploring various partnership options, but can’t say anything more yet.” The agency is in an advance stage of discussions with Britannia Industries, sources say. Mail this story Print this story