Sanyo Recharges Brains

Yesterday I wrote about how next-generation gaming consoles are allowing for meaningful marketing by brands that figure out how to add value to the gaming experience. Over the weekend I discovered a current-generation advertising platform that hosts an added-value game for readers.

While enjoying my Saturday ritual of coffee, bagels, and The Week magazine, my eyes stopped at a crossword puzzle in the middle of the issue. A crossword puzzle is fairly unusual in this magazine, and while I’m not really a crossword guy, seeing it here with the headline “Recharge Your Brain!” certainly earned my attention. I soon discovered that this puzzle was actually a paid advertisement by Sanyo in support of its new line of ready-to-use rechargeable batteries under the sub-brand “eneloop.” Far from being a gimmick, this was a legitimate crossword puzzle that sent readers to theweekdaily.com/eneloop for answers.

Overall, I think it’s a pretty clever marketing idea for a new product coming into a crowded category. The idea of a free crossword puzzle as a way to recharge your brain certainly opens people’s minds to learn about a new type of rechargeable battery. It got my attention and made me respect the brand in a way that “just another battery print ad” could never do. There’s also a nice tie to positioning Sanyo rechargeable batteries as “smarter” than the existing competition.

I do wish Sanyo would have gone farther with its “recharge your brain” idea. A trip to its website leads the interested consumer to just a regular piece of brochureware. For very little cost, Sanyo could have invited readers to participate in other mental challenges or to sign up for something like a daily trivia contest. The brand could have invited people to challenge their friends–thereby spurring word-of-mouth.

But at the end of the day it took a lot of guts for Sanyo to launch its new battery with a national print ad that gives more than 90% of its space to consumer enjoyment.