It's not a purple cow, but methinks an R2-D2 mailbox is going to get people talking.To promote the upcoming release of a new series of Star Wars commemorative stamps, the Post Office is changing the look of the standard blue mailbox seen across the country, to bear a striking resemblance to R2-D2, the popular android from the Star Wars series. The R2-D2 mailboxes are appearing at 300 locations across the country.
There's several things I like about this promotion;
1 - The stamps are due to go on sale in May, and the R2 mailboxes came out on March 15th, so they will have at least two months to help build buzz. I found out about the mailboxes from a Star Wars fan that let me know about them after reading about their launch on a Star Wars fan site.
2 - It's an obvious purple cow. People are going to notice it, and talk about it, and again, they will do so for the next 2 months.
3 - It's a reminder. When we go to the post office, we are often in a hurry. We might see the mailbox as we leave one time and wonder what's going on. The next time as we rush in, the R2 mailbox catches our eye, and we decide to see what the deal is when we get inside.
4 - It creates buzz at the point of purchase. Get people excited at the cash register!
And besides, it gives a touch of color and personality to the post office, which is definitely a good thing! If you want to see if there's one in your area, click here for the listing of all locations across the country.
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The Viral Garden, Marketing, Star Wars
8 comments:
Yeah... You'd figure something like this would be worth a mint to the Post Office, yet our rates are still going up in May...
I wonder how many of those get stolen in the first week
My friend told me that were posting warnings all over the Star Wars boards that it is a federal crime to steal the boxes ;)
What a great idea - simple but buzzable.
And of course, the big city of Des Moines will be one of the lucky cities!
Drew
They've reskinned the USPS website as well. Here's a few screenshots:
http://adverlicio.us/united_states_postal_service_usps_com_star_wars_website
http://adverlicio.us/united_states_postal_service_usps_com_star_wars_website_screenshot_0
Enjoy!
I saw these all over in NYC last week. They're subtle, but once you notice them they make you smile. You're right it's unexpected, breaks the rhythm of the day and give the USPS some needed buzz.
Doesn't anyone else notice the obviously nefarious subliminal use of color here? Those "Bushies" are freakin' everywhere. The empire is blue and the rebels are red. Where did this idea come from? Even the main villian -- that Darth guy -- had a red face. The subliminal (and disturbing) political message makes me want to scream. Where will these guys stop? Double plus ungood.
Great point, the Star Wars movies were made in Hollywood, and we all know how conservative Hollywood is...
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