FRUSTRATED ABOUT HOW TO ATTRIBUTE CREDIT FOR SALES AND brand-building success? You’re not alone. It’s a hot topic given the amount of money spent on digital media and continued media fragmentation.

There’s a way to do it called media mix modeling

Is there a more cynical, fickle consumer than a kid? Kids can be hard as nails, changeable as a chameleon. How do you get them excited about something as commonplace as a padlock?

Master Lock wanted to drive preteens and early teens to seek out and buy Master Lock combination locks in the critical back-to-school season. They needed a promotion that would shake up the trade and create the image of a vital, innovative company. It had to get attention and be exciting. We found an answer in the extreme sports phenomenon. Kids strongly relate to the energy and fun of these unusual sports that are exciting to watch and even more thrilling to play. By their nature, these individual sports allow lots of personal expression, both physically and visually.

The cornerstone of the Get X-Treme! program was a partnership with Sports Illustrated For Kidsmagazine. The magazine’s proven ability to reach the target and its brand equity made it a natural. Specially packaged locks featured an exclusive SI For Kids booklet of extreme sports information, games, and a free three-month trial subscription. To enhance the locks’ appeal, colorful “lock wrap” stickers were created for kids to customize their locks.

Master Lock ads tying the locks to extreme sports and safety were created to run adjacent to SI For Kids advertorials that introduced a trivia-based X-Treme Sports sweepstakes. Kids answered questions via bound-in postcards for a chance to win snowboards, surfboards, mountain bikes, and in-line skates. The graphics from the lock wraps were carried through packaging, P-O-P, and ads, visually linking all the elements and announcing the promotion.

Sales volume exceeded projections by 25 percent. More than 20 million kids ages 8-14 were exposed to the promotion through the SI For Kids ads and sweepstakes advertorials, and 40,000 entries were received by mid-September.