Tampax targets niche social marketing site

Not all marketers are making a beeline to MySpace to dip their toes in to the world of social networking, nowadays many are choosing to tackle niche networks.

by Helen Leggatt

When planning social networking strategies, the giants, with members in their millions, are usually front of mind. Savvy marketers are leaving these chaotic masses behind and looking to niche networking sites to ensure they are reaching their target audience.

Last month saw Anheuser-Busch launch their “Clink” campaign on social networking site MingleNow.com, a site for clubbers, was the right demographic fit for the brewer.

Now Tampax has sidestepped the likes of MySpace and have chosen to run their latest social networking campaign on Takkle.com, a site aimed at the high school athletics crowd. The campaign, a cheerleader “battle”, encourages girls to sumbit a 3-minute video clip of their best routines. Takkle.com users will vote on a winner who will receive $10,000 worth of cheerleading prizes.

Girls who sign up for the contest will be able to use a Tampax sponsored group on Takkle.com and will also be added to BeingGirl.com’s member base. BeingGirl.com is Tampax’s education and information site for teen girls and currently has over half a million members.

The Tampax branding is very discrete on Takkle.com, and it was hard to spot any in the video promoting the battle, which is already attracting views on sites such as YouTube, blip.tv and metacafe.com. It’s intentional, explains Flavia Mason, assistant brand manager for Tampax (via AdWeek), “"It's not about selling the tampons. It's about creating content that's relevant to teens."