In 2007, Microsoft came up with a new service called CoolHotmail, which would allow existing/new hotmail users to get a unique e-mail ID that reflected their personality. They could select a personalized email ID from a broad list of categories based on: Where I Live, Who I Like, Who I Am, What I Like and I Don’t Fit. The PRactice was given the task of creating buzz around CoolHotmail and generating sign ups.
The campaign kicked-off with a press conference to launch the concept. This was supported by a media campaign on TV and Radio. The PR campaign then moved online, targeting the blogging community and social networks like Orkut, Facebook, and Minglebox.
The team targeted communities online with the relevant CoolHotmail email IDs to generate more sign ups. For example, the Bangalore community on Orkut was targeted using the bangalorerocks.in email id. In addition to this, viral videos were created and hosted on online video sharing websites. The use of traditional and new media helped create a lot of interest in CoolHotmail.
The result was an exponential increase in sign-ups (over 100%). CoolHotmail received 45 pieces of coverage on print and online media, as well as 72 blog articles.
