Chicco, an Italian purveyor of baby products, and its agency McCann Erickson, selected Aerva to provide a full technology platform to drive user-generated baby videos from the Chicco website to the American Eagle LED board in Times Square as part of an innovative campaign to increase Chicco brand awareness in the US.
As part of the “Babies Introduce Chicco to the US” campaign, parents submit videos of their babies saying the brandname Chicco, pronounced “KEE-ko,” to the Chicco website chiccousa.com/timessquare. Aerva’s platform of digital out-of-home, mobile and social media allows for a timely and risk-free execution of the campaign, which uses user-generated content (UGC) managed through the Aerva content management system. The videos are displayed on the chiccousa.com website and on the American Eagle LED board in Times Square. Aerva’s technology captures the best “Keepsake Photograph” and sends it back to the parents, allowing them to then share the photo on Twitter and Facebook.
The campaign runs through March 13, 2011 and will play the baby videos twice an hour for 10 minutes each hour on the giant billboard at Broadway and West 46th Street. Universal McCann and OAG handled the media placement for the campaign.
To promote Aerva’s digital interactive campaign, McCann is doing other outreach through print advertisements, web content, mom bloggers, and through online ads that include a special webcam banner through which the videos can be uploaded. This has given the campaign a presence in social media networks like Facebook and Twitter. The Chicco campaign, which carries the theme “If you say it right, it makes you smile,” has seen this strong global brand grow substantially in the US and currently sells products in chains like Babies “R” Us, BuyBuy Baby, Toys “R” Us and, as of last month, Target.
Aerva collaborated closely with the American Eagle LED board team as well as Hush, a design company, for the Chicco minisite. All the videos are displayed on the American Eagle billboard and are projected onto a 15,000-square foot screen, 25 stories high, for all of Times Square to see. A camera pointed at the billboard captures a photo of the video playing and emails it to the parent for them to see their submission in action.
Aerva also provides metrics to the brand and its agency
on UCG submissions and percentage accepted/rejected.
About Aerva
Aerva is a pioneer in digital media technology, enabling real-time interactivity between mobile and social media applications and digital display networks. Founded by MIT alumni, Aerva provides the simplest to use, most powerful and most cost-effective solution to activate small and large digital campaigns and events or create interactive display networks. The company’s software technologies, AerWave (for digital signage) and MoApp (for mobile and social media applications), are highly scalable platforms that have been driving many campaigns and display networks in the US and internationally. The company provides technology and manages networks for many customers in a number of industry verticals, such as retail, schools/universities, sports bars, clubs, restaurants, corporate enterprises and sports/entertainment venues.
About Chicco
Chicco USA, Inc. retails toys, furniture, and accessories for children. It offers car seats, highchairs, strollers, backpacks/carriers, and walkers/rockers. The company also provides ride-on, dolls/accessories, outdoor, and bilingual toys. In addition, it offers feeding kits, humidifiers, breast pumps, nightlights, pacifiers, sterilizers, and accessories online. The company was founded in 1958 and is based in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Chicco USA, Inc. operates as a subsidiary of Artsana S.p.A