Increase Online Sales :: Fila and Web 2.0

Fila is the latest retailer to reach out and touch the consumer in an effort to increase their online sales.

Starting a campaign/contest titled "How Do You Fila?" they have asked the average guys and gals of the world to submit photos of themselves wearing Fila to demonstrate how they use the product.  The ultimate goal is to gain some direction in their new marketing efforts.

The idea is good, but already, it's getting old.  Sloggi did it with "Show Me Your Sloggi,"  Pepsi is doing it to find new packaging for a Mountain Dew by-product, and even the restaurant chain Chick-fil-A has launched a campaign to find their biggest fan.

Much like the Sloggi campaign, Fila is promoting primarily through the internet and asking people around the world to "be the judge" and vote for their favorite photos. Using a rating system of 1-5 "F-boxes," you are asked to consider the following things:

• Originality
• How well the photo represents the entrants "How do you Fila?" Caption
• Visibility and prominence of the Fila logos on both clothing and footwear
• Photogenic beauty of the entrant
• Photo quaility and clarity

According to the website, 2 men and 2 women will become the next Fila models, set to start working on the 2008 spring campaign. Fila and the Fila photographers will chose these 4 winners from a group of 24 publicly chosen finalists.

Voting for the first round has just ended, but according to this article, it sounds as though the second phase of the contest - where they will take 24 down to 4 - will involve video of some sort; a pairing with YouTube perhaps? One can only guess.

For a company that has always lagged behind Nike and Reebok in the marketplace, Fila's attempts to increase brand awareness and to increase their online sales is a noble one.  Will it work? I don't know.  Based on what the submitted photographs show though, it appears that their most loyal fans are using their product in different ways than they do their Nike's and their Reebok's; maybe that's where Filas new marketing strategy will be focused.