MSQ and Hyperactive land brief for MyBlu vape launch

Blu, the Imperial Tobacco vaping brand, has appointed of MSQ Partners and experience agency Hyperactive to launch its new MyBlu brand in the UK following a competitive pitch.
The agencies have been tasked with the creation and delivery of the integrated launch of the brand, which uses liquid pods instead of refill cartridges; a factor the company claims to makes the product perform better.
The strategic and creative lead will be taken by Stack, with media planning and buying headed up by sister agency The Gate. The group has teamed up with Hyperactive in order to deliver the campaign, which is scheduled to go live this summer.
As well as a significant nationwide outdoor advertising presence, activation activity will be carried out in most major UK cities between June and September, involving pop-up stores, events, brand ambassadors and sampling teams.
Blu marketing manager Pete Blackman said: “We needed an agency solution that could deliver an ambitious yet intricate integrated launch campaign for us. MSQ Partners showed us smart consumer insight coupled with creative and effective use of all of our media channels, and together with Hyperactive we have found the right mix of skills to launch myblu.”
Stack chief executive Ben Stephens added: “This is a young but rapidly evolving sector and Blu have significant ambitions for their position in it. As a result, we are adopting a mainstream marketing strategy for the launch of MyBlu in a sector that has largely relied on tactical sampling to-date.”
The agency will be keen to avoid a repitition of the original Blu launch “blow job” ad, first aired in November 2013, which had the dubious honour of becoming one of the most complained about TV ads of all time.
The ad kicked off with a sultry model saying: “I want you to get it out, I want to see it, I want to feel it, hold it, put it in my mouth, I want to see how great it tastes,” and racked up 1,156 complaints to the Advertising Standards Authority.
A revised ad, launched six months later, was also banned.