Duck Brand Duct Tape
Company: Duck Brand Duct Tape
Campaign: Stuckatprom.com
The Stuck at Prom campaign offers a prime example of how a brand can use WOM to capitalize on a trend it had nothing to do with creating. For years the DIY crafting community has been fashioning accessories and clothing from duct tape -- duct tape bracelets, duct tape wallets and eventually even duct tape prom dresses.
In 2001, Duck, a manufacturer of duct tape, decided it might as well get some publicity from the trend, so it started sponsoring an annual competition. Couples who fashioned their prom garb purely from duct tape could enter to win $3,000 for themselves and their schools.
Nineteen hundred couples have entered the contest since it first started seven years ago. Stuckatprom.com also allows users to email their friends and create T-shirts and flyers promoting their contest entries. Beyond WOM publicity, a variety of newspapers and magazines also cover the contest each year.
