London, 23 May 2012: In celebration of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, LIDA, the direct and digital marketing specialist, has created an interactive Facebook app, called ‘MINI Royalty’ as part of the MINI CRM programme. Targeting existing MINI customers and fans, it will offer their followers the chance to wave from a specially designed MINI ‘Royal Balcony’.

Scheduled to launch exclusively on Facebook this week, the app is designed to engage MINI fans as it plays on the idea that MINI customers are, in fact, royalty to MINI and deserve a place in the spotlight.

Keeping to the Jubilee theme, customers are encouraged to take and upload a photo or film of themselves performing their best Royal wave, where they will be added to a digital ‘Royal Balcony’ so they can wave to the world. To boost customer interaction MINI fans can share their wave and the app with other Facebook users, whilst their Royal wave will also appear in their Facebook newsfeed.

Fans are also incentivised with daily majestic prizes like VIP tickets to the Goodwood Festival of Speed, and suitability regal weekly prizes including clay pigeon shooting, champagne afternoon tea for two.

To further promote the activity, MINI will distribute emails – created by LIDA – to existing customers inviting them to take part. The brand also aims to maximise awareness and amplify the message via Facebook advertising.

Sarah Walker, social web and community marketing manager at MINI, says: “With this communication we are looking to develop an engaging dialogue with our customers that reaffirms their passion for the brand. We wanted to leverage MINI’s British Heritage to tie into the Queens Jubilee.”

Nicky Bullard, creative direct at LIDA, added: “The MINI Royalty app is a fun and intimate way to show just how much MINI’s customers mean to them.”

LIDA is responsible for MINI’s entire CRM programme, from prospect acquisition to customer retention, across direct, digital, social and mobile channels.

LIDA, the direct and digital marketing specialist, has designed and developed a new campaign – scheduled to launch today - to promote the latest IKEA limited edition product range called ‘True Blue’ collection.

The unique Indian-inspired home ware appears in 13 different stores across the country. It’s a new direction for IKEA, and the first time that the Swedish company has created an Indian-inspired range, with all the products sourced from India. It’s another great example of their continual search for design inspiration to bolster their already impressive product design credentials, whilst keeping right on-trend with this season’s hottest interior design colour – blue.

For the launch, LIDA have created a bespoke microsite which displays a curtain that draws back to reveal the assortment of merchandise. The top of the page features a designers blue colour wheel where customers will be able to see their ‘true blue’ match and select a preferred shade of blue, which then brings up specific IKEA products in that colour, continuing the ‘True Blue’ theme.

The site displays a pinterest button which will direct customers to an IKEA ‘blue’ pin-board which will also showcase the new collection. Members will be encouraged to share the offers on IKEA’s Facebook page, which also has a blue takeover.

Targeting the 1.3 million IKEA FAMILY Members, an email will reward their customers with a special online preview of the new range. The creative leads with the tagline: ‘Sneak peek for IKEA FAMILY members,’ and shows a closed IKEA True Blue curtain, reinforcing the exclusivity of the offer. It aims to drive people to preview the products on the microsite.

Markus Weichselbaumer, Relationship Marketing Manager for IKEA, said: “Decorating your home can be a lifelong journey. It’s this very thought that led our IKEA designers to India to collaborate with local suppliers in creating something very special indeed: a mix of quality design with Indian craft and colour.”

Nicky Bullard, Creative Director at LIDA, added: “We wanted to give our audience a reason to come into the store and create a sense of excitement around these limited products. The use of the curtain plays on the sneaky online preview concept of the exclusive products.”