Executive Rewind: An Entertaining Example of Marrying Your Marketing & PR Strategies

Today, the media and the public are aware of almost everything going on in your business. 

So why not take advantage of it?

For instance, your marketing media strategy and tactics just might have news value, getting you additional, and “free”, coverage in trade, business and even general media.

Case in point: Sodastream, the Israeli company that makes carbonation machines for home use. A major tactic of their marketing is attacking the bottled water industry as being anti-environmental. Take a look:

That’s just one of the ads over which the International Bottled Water Association (IBWA) has sent Sodastream CEO Daniel Birnbaum a flury of cease and desist demands. But, to no avail. Birnbaum refuses to back down:

Birnbaum’s overriding message is very clear, especially to an important business and investment audience. And he takes full advantage of saying it on a popular business network: Sodastream is an environmental sparkling water company.

Sodastream also is a classic guerilla marketer, the proverbial David unafraid to take on Goliath, the bottling industry AND some of its best known members:

Birnbaum has embraced a very popular and topical issue to use as a creative shield, the environment. And Sodastream is having fun at the expense of the bottlers. You’ll enjoy this spot from April 1st of this year:

April Fools!

Making the most of edgy and creative marketing, Sodastream has harvested a huge amount of free (a/k/a “earned”) coverage. And company CEO Birnbaum is excellent at the follow-through, selling his message and having fun at the same time.