Marketing takes new spin with Burt's Bees promotion

NEW YORK — In what appears to be a marketing first, natural personal care brand Burt’s Bees is reportedly introducing promotional messages that appear as appointments in electronic calendars on computers, smartphones and tablets, according to a New York Times article.



The calendar promotion, whereby consumers are asked to click on a link that will automatically add a series of eight weekly calendar items, is to promote the brand’s Brightening Line of skin care products.



The new products are not mentioned for the first three weeks, according to the NYT report. Instead, those who have opted in will see, for example, an appointment at 12:30 p.m. for a “Meeting to Discuss Your Beautimousness,” with Burt’s Bees listed as the location.



The sales pitch becomes increasingly overt throughout the eight weeks and, according to the NYT, by the eighth week consumers will be encouraged to claim a free sample and download a $3 coupon for one of the products, which retail for from $10 to $20.



According to the NYT article, Lauren Aplin, a brand manager at Burt’s Bees, said that the calendar represented a small part of the promotional budget for the new brightening line and it would monitor the response closely.



“We really wanted to use this as an opportunity to test and learn,” Aplin was quoted as saying, “and to see if it resonated with consumers.”