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There are just two days left to get your entries in for our new digital marketing and ecommerce awards, #TheDigitals, so to give some last minute inspiration I've rounded up six examples of effective multichannel marketing campaigns.
It follows a recent post that flagged up five great examples of email marketing excellence.

To avoid any accusations of bias, these are all examples that fall outside the eligibility period for the current awards, but should give an idea of the type of campaigns and projects we are looking for.

#TheDigitals are the new awards that recognise the best in digital marketing and ecommerce. Award entries must be submitted online before the deadline March 13, 2013.

Award categories cover both industry and platform specific areas. There are special categories for best new technology, rising star (free to enter) and the overall Grand Prix winner. Further information on categories and entry requirements is available at thedigitalsawards.com

So without further ado, here are the six effective multichannel marketing campaigns...

First Direct

In an effort to bring more transparency to its marketing First Direct ran a campaign that involved visualising brand mentions from social media, but in a change from the norm it displayed both positive and negative comments.

The online bank created a dedicated microsite that showed data harvested from sites including Twitter, Facebook and MoneySavingExpert.

The aim was to target London commuters, so the data was visualised through a variety of digital formats including Underground track projections, big screens at 26 major Network Rail stations, digital escalator panels and LCD screens at Underground stations, as well as static tube car panels.

Online, First Direct launched a series of direct response adverts and brand adverts across a significant amount of digital media.

The campaign messages were refreshed on a daily basis, and incorporated live streaming of the data visualisations from the campaign microsite. Direct response adverts were also run in the press.

First Direct also drive engagement by inviting visitors to comment in their blogging area, Talking Point. The comments were then fed into visual displays, which were then posted on over 8m other websites.

Econsultancy

As we can't enter The Digitals, this seems like the perfect forum to pat the Econsultancy marketing team on the back.

For the launch of our inaugural JUMP conference for multichannel marketers we partnered with Royal Mail and agency Fortune Favours the Brave for a direct mail piece integrated with an online personalised website. The interactive campaign is an example of personalisation on the fly.

Invitations were sent through direct mail, with a personalised URL, and a magnifying glass. When the user visited the URL, this initiated a conversation that was personalised according to the user's name and preferences.

As part of the interactive online campaign, users were asked to choose between two different options (e.g. "coffee or tea"), which meant the copy could be personalised in real-time.

The online campaign also measured the time on site, resulting in highly personalised messaging.

In total, 867 delegates were sent the direct mail promotion and there was a 33% response rate. Some 21% of respondents requested bookings, and there was a 56% conversion rate.

The campaign was highly praised by delegates who felt it was innovative and cleverly executed.

Gatwick Airport

Gatwick was the first airport in Europe to offer 24-hour Twitter support and use mobile barcodes across information points. It is also the first airport worldwide to roll out a mobile and retailer review site via Qype.

In 2010, Gatwick worked with the Rabbit Agency to introduce many new initiatives to support customer service, including:

1. Using Twitter as a real-time customer service support tool. Passengers are encouraged to tweet via information screens. Gatwick uses Twitter as a 24-hour support tool, and operations staffs are trained in how to respond to Twitter comments and concerns while passengers are still present in the airport.

2. Turning construction hoardings into public information points. The free space on construction hoardings was transformed by installing giant mobile barcodes.

Passengers were encouraged to scan the codes using the Stickybits application and were subsequently presented with a mixture of images and videos showing how the airport was being transformed.

The barcodes are also integration points into location-based networks, including Gowalla, Foursquare and Facebook Places.

3. Integration with ratings and review sites. Gatwick has also integrated the location- based service, Qype, into its website so that passengers can rate the facilities and retailers at the airport on their mobiles, or via the web at home.

￼These initiatives have led to widespread media coverage in the offline press, including The Sunday Times. The programme has also resulted in more than 100 pieces of online coverage ￼internationally.

Fifty pieces of online coverage appeared after the first giant barcode was put up. From October to November 2010, Gatwick Airport saw an increase in online buzz of 57% with 85% of all online comments being positive.

Marks & Spencer

Through the use of immersive kiosks and iPads in-store, Marks & Spencer introduced a sell-by-sample concept, which allowed customers to see the best flagship store womenswear ranges in smaller stores, where previously they would have had to travel to a larger store.

The product samples were supported by large screen interactive applications that showcased the latest trends and allowed customers to build outfits and place orders while being assisted by specially trained advisors. The initiative aimed to drive awareness of Marks & Spencer's brands.

Prior to launch, Marks & Spencer conducted extensive testing, and numerous customer journeys were designed based on differing goals, needs and familiarity with different technology, considering both in-store and personal devices.

The kiosk was one of the first 32" large format, interactive, transactional touch screen applications, which allowed customers to complete large screen orders as well as browse through the entire womenswear and lingerie catalogues.

Customers could see full product details, read product reviews, see alternative images and discover online stock availability.

Style advisors were also equipped with iPads, which provided the same virtual basket and scanning technology of the kiosk, but more mobility allowing an order to be placed anywhere in the section, and an alternative for those less keen to self-serve.

Customer reaction to the concept was extremely positive and early sales figures suggested there was also a halo effect of seeing the best of Marks & Spencer presented in such an engaging way in local stores.

Topshop

Topshop's " Wish You Were At Topshop " campaign connected the retail floor with the online space by using Instagram and iPad technology in-store.

The objectives of Topshop's campaign were:

Engage customers in-store by offering them a novel, exciting experience.

Increase customer and prospective customer engagement on Facebook.

Increase content (particularly images) on Topshop's Facebook page and Instagram feed.

Use social media and social media technology in a new and exciting way.

After receiving free style and make-up sessions in-store, shoppers were invited to create a digital "Wish You Were At Topshop" postcard using the photo-sharing app, Instagram. The shoppers' images were captured though an iPad, set with an Instagram filter.

Once the photos had been captured, shoppers were given a copy of the postcard to take home, and were also able to upload the image onto Facebook and an online Topshop gallery.

The campaign helped to create an interactive in-store environment and helped drive footfall in retail locations, as people were tweeting, blogging and posting messages on Facebook about the campaign.

The results of the campaign were:

Coverage of the "Wish You Were At Topshop" campaign by 640 blogs, giving a potential reach of 1.3 million views.

An increase in Topshop's Facebook page views and unique views, as well as over 2,000 comments.

The campaign also helped to generate a year's worth of activity on Topshop's Facebook account in just four days.

Total reach for the campaign exceeded 7.5 million.

2,595 unique images were created on Instagram.

House of Fraser

In October 2011, House of Fraser opened the world's first internet-only store in Aberdeen, a virtual store that holds no stock but allows customers to place or collect online orders there.

The store offers customers an engaging brand experience, with iPads, free coffee and comfortable sofas, as well as a convenient local service without the presence of a full physical store.

House of Fraser's Aberdeen store combines other services, such as next day Buy and Collect and Order in Store with an experiential offline environment, where customers can receive concierge-level service.

The retailer identified areas that had a strong penetration of online shoppers but no physical store. Aberdeen and Liverpool were identified as the two main cities that fitted this profile, ideal locations to trial the concept.

Sales advisors are available to assist customers and offer personal shopping advice. Customers can also collect and try on online purchases within the fitting rooms and make returns in the store.

Houseoffraser.com's virtual internet-only stores add an additional layer of engaging customer experience to a useful and convenient service. Collecting items via a virtual store allows customers to further engage with the House of Fraser brand at the customer collection point and also make returns or order additional items if they need to.

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Six examples of effective multichannel marketing campaigns - Econsultancy

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There are just two days left to get your entries in for our new digital marketing and ecommerce awards, #TheDigitals, so to give some last minute inspiration I've rounded up six examples of effective multichannel marketing campaigns. It follows a recent post that flagged up five great examples of email marketing excellence.

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How to nail the 'omnichannel' challenge | CIM

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As marketing communications broaden into content marketing, the power of a good brand story is more important than ever. But with so many channels over which to share the good news, getting your story straight can be complicated. Here, Student.com's head of communications, Paula Keve, shares her strategy.