Dec. 1, 2000: Leaving Footprints Out There

Littlefeet's tag line, 'Out There,' sums up the company's offbeat marketing and advertising campaigns. Established in April 1999, San Diego-based Littlefeet markets SPICE™, a low-impact wireless network that enables voice and data communications to wireless network operators around the world who in turn use it to meet their customers' voice/data requirements.

Targeting decision makers within the wireless world, Littlefeet is trying to build brand awareness and get their product into the marketplace via a global ad/marketing campaign. To accomplish this, Littlefeet has rolled out a cornucopia of print ads, brochures and giveaways that scream to be noticed. One attention grabber is Littlefeet's logo - a bright orange foot, which relates to the footprint of a signal.

Two diverse ads touting SPICE have been running in national trade publications. The first depicts a cracked egg with the headline: "Which is correct to say: "The yolk of the egg are white," or "The yolk of the egg is white"?' The second ad shows a broken dog collar with copy underneath that reads, "How far can a dog run into the forest?" The ads attempt to peak readers' interest, challenging them to think creatively to solve a problem. The ads are also designed to showcase Littlefeet's 'out there' thinking and position them as progressive-and different. Both ads employ minimal copy - the offbeat headlines and visuals are really designed to grab your attention.

Since SPICE is about the size of a skateboard, that too has been used as a promo device. At a recent wireless trade show, finger-size skateboards that also double as key chains were given away. Topside depicts the orange and white Littlefeet foot logo; the bottom features 'Wireless Madness," a kitschy cartoon reminiscent of a Roy Lichtenstein painting that shows what could be in store for wireless customers who don't use SPICE.

The company also hands out bottles of hot sauce called "Untethered Spice Sauce," which features 'Robust Tower-Free Flavor.' Users are instructed to "simply sprinkle some SPICE throughout your network and say good-bye to coverage and capacity problems."

Although a Littlefeet spokesperson declined to comment on how the branding campaign has resulted in specific sales, she said feedback from network operators has been "great."

Marketing expert Neal Leavitt discovered sprinkling Tabasco brand hot sauce throughout one's network causes more problems than it solves. He can be reached at neal@leavcom.com

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