RAPAPORT... J. C. Penney Company launched "Beware of the Doghouse," a really viral marketing campaign that allows women to put their men in the doghouse for giving a gift that isn't, shall we say, so cool.

The new website, Beware of the Doghouse, was created as a way for women to encourage the men they love to purchase affordable diamond gifts from The Jewelry Store inside JCPenney. The campaign taps into Facebook Connect, letting visitors put their Facebook friends in the site's "doghouse."

"Diamonds have always been a girl's best friend," said Beryl Raff, executive vice president of fine jewelry at J. C. Penney. "But men don't always remember how much women enjoy receiving diamond jewelry for the holidays."

"This interactive campaign not only allows women to comically reprimand their husbands or boyfriends for bad gift-giving, but it also reminds men that diamonds can be the perfect gift and are very affordable at JCPenney," she said.

The fully integrated marketing campaign includes print, online banners, an online film, blogging and other viral marketing efforts. It was created by Saatchi & Saatchi New York in collaboration with Razorfish. The campaign is centered on the site, Bewareofthedoghouse.com, where women can choose from a variety of ways to show the men in their lives what it is like to be in the Doghouse, and how to get out.

A short film called "Beware of the Doghouse"  features a husband who gives his wife a dual-bagged vacuum cleaner for their anniversary and thus is banished to the doghouse. As the plot unfolds, the husband falls into the depths of doggie-dom and finds other men paying for their bad choices, being forced to learn how to fold laundry and express their feelings as they eat out of dog dishes. The men lament the bad gifts they gave their wives or girlfriends and plot their escape.

Visitors to Bewareofthedoghouse.com can either send a warning or put those they love into the doghouse by simply providing the person's name and email address. Visitors also have the option of adding a photo and a brief summary explaining why the individual is being banished to the doghouse. Facebook users can also easily select doghouse candidates from their Facebook friends list or post a warning on the candidate's Facebook wall. Once the doghouse candidate is selected, women are invited to choose their preferred diamond gift -- one of six affordable pieces from JCPenney's Jewelry Store. This gift serves as the ticket out.

Doghouse candidates receive a "You're in the Doghouse" email directing them to Bewareofthedoghouse.com to find out why the landed there...and then they are instructed on how to purchase diamond jewelry. "After the gift is purchased -- or at the mercy of the women who have banished them -- women can let their loved ones out by accessing the site and selecting the 'Let Him Out' option," according to the description released by JCPenney. "Once complete, the recipient will receive a 'You're out of the Doghouse' e-mail, linking them to jcp.com where they can learn how to stay out of the doghouse forever."




NC