SMP partners Microsoft with John Lewis

A SMP product story

Edited by the Marketingweek Marketplace editorial team May 6, 2009

The aim of Microsoft's promotion Big Snap 2, which ran from 20 October 2008 to 5 January 2009, was to encourage background searching using Microsoft Live Search.

For this campaign, Microsoft wanted to identify and recruit an appropriate retail brand, the appeal of which would attract a wide audience.

Marketing agency SMP partnered Big Snap 2 with John Lewis Partnership (JLP).

Each time a unique search was made using Microsoft Live Search, two playing cards were turned over with prizes on.

If they both matched, then that prize - vouchers for John Lewis, Peter Jones or Waitrose - was awarded.

Users could make unlimited searches on Big Snap 2, but could only claim one prize per 24-hour period.

A separate .com URL was also launched to capture the amount of users that used Big Snap 2 and entered the website as a result of any marketing-related activity.

The campaign incorporated various media channels, including a comprehensive media schedule spanning Microsoft's own network.

Adverts were featured across all MSN-branded websites, including two complete takeovers of the MSN homepage and banner ads featured in every UK Hotmail-account inbox.

In addition it targeted other websites such as Loquax, NMA, Retailrightnow and The Mirror.

Emails were sent out to the John Lewis database, consisting of 1.6 million consumers.

Absolute radio, which rebranded from Virgin Radio during the campaign, ran several competitions for the first week of Big Snap 2.

Full-page adverts also ran in the London regional papers Metro, Londonlite and Londonpaper, to direct consumers to the Big Snap 2 website.

Big Snap 2 enabled Microsoft's hit rate to peak at more than one million searches in one day, the highest number ever achieved.

Big Snap 2 delivered a real consumer benefit and reward at low cost to host (Microsoft) and partner (JLP).

Overall GBP183K of John Lewis vouchers were issued over a period of 11 weeks.

In addition, each time a prize was won, the site would update in real time and show the prize-pool status.

At its peak in November 2008, Big Snap 2 recorded figures that were 921 per cent higher than figures recorded in September 2008 via marketing entry point.