Amatokin - Case Study

Case Study: Amatokin, Cosmoprof Bologna

In Bologna, Kaboom combined our meticulous preparation and our personal commitment to
our client to achieve success in a highly competitive environment that was distinctly unfriendly to
street team activities.

Situation
The Amatokin brand has achieved some market success, mainly through online advertising campaigns and
celebrity endorsement. Amatokin is a wrinkle-reducing skin cream that boasts the use of inert stem cells as a central
component. The producer, Basic Research, has tried to elevate Amatokin in the consciousness of retailers throughout
Europe.

Problem
As part of its global promotion efforts, the producers brought Amatokin to Cosmoprof Bologna, the premiere
European cosmetics trade show. Kaboom Advertising was hired to put an friendly and beautiful face on Amatokin,
raise brand awareness and drive retailer traffic to the Amatokin booth. Key challenges included differentiating the
Amatokin brand, attracting retailers in competition with nearly 1,000 other products, and generating buzz around
Amatokin throughout Bologna.

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Amatokin - Case Study (Solution)

Solution

Working with our client, Kaboom developed a creative strategy and two primary tactics:

1. Creative Strategy
a. Amatokin is a beauty cream. We personalized the brand by hiring models and
students from the local university. All were selected for intelligence, language
fluency, and sense of humor, along with attractiveness.

b. We naturalized the Amatokin brand by ensuring that it was present throughout

Bologna prior to the event. The brand with little shelf space became ubiquitous
along the bus and bike routes most Bolognese take each day.

c. We created brand stickiness by placing it on water bottles, something all trade

show attendees needed and wanted with them throughout the event. Rather than
being stuffed in a bag, like a card or handout, water bottles are generally carried
and used throughout the day, extending brand awareness and associating the
product with something healthy and refreshing.

2. Out of Home Advertising

a. We wrapped 15 Bologna city buses in the Amatokin ad. All buses circled the routes
directly from the main tourist and convention hotels to the convention center. For
retailers staying in the heart of Bologna, the buses were a constant reminder of
the brand.

b. Kaboom placed Amatokin art on 42 bus stops and city lights advertising standards
around the city, including every available bus stop proximate to the convention
center itself.

3. Street Team Activities

a. To create buzz about the Amatokin brand and drive traffic to the booth, Kaboom
coordinated 6 street teamers clad in branded shirts to deliver branded water bottles
to the more than 8,000 participants in the trade show, each day for four days. Each
street teamer also passed out a small information card. All street teamers were
trained to deliver brand points in English and Italian and to answer questions from
attendees.

b. Kaboom employed four more street teamers mounted on branded Segways. These
Italian models were chosen for their friendliness and elegance. The traveled
throughout the convention center, attracting attention to the brand and engaging
attendees in discussions about aging, wrinkles, and the Amatokin brand.

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Amatokin - Case Study (Evaluation)

Evaluation

The Kaboom Touch

At Kaboom Advertising we take pride in inventing creative solutions to difficult problems.
Working in Bologna posed a series of distinct challenges. Officially, street team activities are
illegal in Bologna, including the activities we proposed. We were able to rise to this challenge
by sending an advance team to coordinate with city officials and convention staff. However,
when we arrived at the event, some resistance to our activities remained. Kaboom staff was
able to quickly locate the key decision-makers and provide adequate financial incentives to
gain their cooperation.

Another challenge was posed by the out of home advertising network in Bologa. Again, our
advance scouts reviewed each and every location prior to posting, and were able to shut out
the competition from the area adjacent to the convention center by leveraging our ad buy
with personal, face-to-face contact with ad buyers.

The Amatokin branding strategy for Cosmoprof Bologna was an unqualified success. Sales
executives repeatedly praised the campaign during the event and in-house evaluation com-
mented that there “was no way any attendee was not aware of the brand.” In other words,
brand awareness and buzz about Amatokin was very high. No other brand achieved com-
parable positioning either in town or throughout the convention center before or during
the event. The Amatokin brand was ubiquitous and positioned as both friendly and alluring.
Mission complete!

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