Book retailer Waterstones has today launched a spoof video on its blog, seemingly in reaction to an announcement by online rival Amazon that suggests drone technology is being tested as a potential future delivery method for customer orders.

UK-based Waterstones posted a video (see below), which indicated that it was looking at using owls to fulfil customer deliveries. It came a day after Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos appeared on NBC’s ’60 Minutes’ show, where he said that Amazon could in the future deliver its orders by air using unmanned drones.

Appearing in the video, a spokesperson for Waterstones said: « We’re excited to announce the Ornithological Waterstones Landing Service (O.W.L.S.), a brand new way to receive your favourite books.

« O.W.L.S. consists of a fleet of specially trained owls that, either working individually or as an adorable team, will be able to deliver your package within 30 minutes of you placing your order. »

It got the Essential Retail team thinking about other innovative uses of digital marketing from the retail industry.

Here’s a collection of recent light-hearted campaigns:

Macy’s: The US department store Macy’s and One Direction promote Black Friday 2013 deals.

Last week Macy’s ran an advert starring pop group One Direction, where a shop assistant mocks the band members’ hair styles.

Oddbins: Mother Christmas takes over the Oddbins Twitter feed.

Declaring that Christmas 2013 is cancelled due to Father Christmas’s involvement in « an antler-based accident », Oddbins’ Mother Christmas character has been generating interest in the wine retailer’s brand by announcing special offers, tweeting each day on the retailer’s Twitter page and blogging on the company’s website.

Pizza Hut: Paddy McGuiness stars in tongue-in-cheek digital campaign.

Fast food specialist Pizza Hut recently rolled out an online advertising campaign starring comedian Paddy McGuiness in a reality TV show style attempt to highlight the company’s focus on improving customer service.

BQ: The DIY retailer uses hit Alfred Hitchcock film Psycho to promote itself online.

Is it a murderer in the bathroom of just someone’s husband looking to fix a broken tile? BQ uses the power of film to get its message across in a campaign from 2011.

Let us know what you think in the comment section below, or share your favourite tongue-in-cheek digital ads with us on Twitter @EssRetail.