Category: Experiential Marketing

Putting the "Social" in Social Media

A brand is more than a name and logo. It has an image and a personality, just like a human. As marketers, we must figure out how to transform our inanimate brands into interesting, interactive beings. Our task has been made easier by the emergence of social media as a channel for interacting with customers and other people. But, we must remember that social media is only a channel, a means of connecting us with an audience.

In a recent blog post “Social Can’t Succeed without Experiential,” Buddy Media Chief Creative Officer Bryan Boettger brings out the point that brands need to be real, not just live. Yes, social media gives us “live” engagement with people, but as long as we are interacting from behind a keyboard the authentic nature of a brand may remain hidden. Boettger uses the presidential debates to make his point, saying they are live but not very real as the candidates are busy posturing and reciting talking points. In contrast, coverage of the recent event in which Red Bull was associated with Felix Baumgartner’s jump from the edge of space gave an unscripted, real glimpse into this extraordinary feat and the sponsor.

We crave control in brand communications – need to manage image, tick off brand proof points – there is no room for unscripted interaction with stakeholders, it seems. Such a mindset places image over authenticity. Boettger contends that there is no substitute for brand experiences. Reliance on digital experiences is like projecting a fake persona. An image can be created that no one gets to know or understand if all communication is carefully guarded.

Event and experiential marketing can complement social media by giving people a channel for tactile interaction with your brand. Being “social” requires putting ourselves in situations sometimes in which we do not have complete control. It reveals our core personality. Be real, and allow your brand to be real. Be prepared to put the “social” in social media.

    Want to Market Experience? Create One

    “Experience” is a word that is top-of-mind with marketers today. Offering experiences is seen as a solution to how we can attract and engage people to pay attention to brands and stay connected with them. Clutter and intense competition plague most industries, and developing experiences around brands is a strategy for achieving brand differentiation. Sounds great, but it is easier said than done.

    Some categories lend themselves to being marketed as experiences- services, sports, and entertainment are three that come to mind. But, how is experiential marketing utilized when a natural link to creating experiences does not exist? The answer is simple: Create an experience to attract people to your brand. Cars.com has developed a customer experience that relates its brand to something highly intertwined with driving cars- music. The connection of music and cars is done through three branded custom channels on music streaming service Pandora. The three stations tie in to significant musical experiences people have related to cars: 1) Road Trip, 2) Car Songs, and 3) Tailgate.

    The Cars.com program on Pandora illustrates the difference between exposure and engagement when marketing to an audience. It would have been simple for Cars.com to buy ads on Pandora, plastering its brand name across the site. Of course, we would have largely ignored Cars.com, just as we do most of the ads that are directed toward us online. While we focus on delivering great experiences at the point of consumption such as when people are visiting Cars.com, it is important that we explore other experiential points to interact with our audiences. Cars.com has succeeded in establishing additional experiential contacts that will “drive” development of brand relationships.

    Marketing Daily – “Cars.com Sets Up Custom Channels on Pandora”

    What Marketers Can Learn from College Football

    I love college football! It does not matter what teams are playing, the pageantry and competition of college football are irresistible. I do not watch much TV these days, but I could easily give 12 hours on a Saturday to watching games. And, as the 2010 season kicked off recently, I noticed that I was not alone. The anticipation that college football fans had for the season to begin was infectious.

    As I took in all of the excitement about the new college football season, I inevitably did what I have been trained to do: ask what marketers can learn from this phenomenon. Wouldn’t it be amazing if the passion that people have for their favorite team was held for other brands? Get fired up for Tide! Paint yourself UPS brown. Unlikely to happen, I agree, but what does college football teach us about stoking the emotions of consumers? Three lessons are worth noting:

    1. Experience – College football is far more than games. It entails pep rallies, tailgating, homecoming, meeting old friends, and making new memories. It is not a transaction, it is an experience. What can you do to create experiences that engage customers with your brand? To build and sustain relationships with customers, look beyond the transaction and consumption of the product or service and extend it with experiences. Birthday cards for customers, customer appreciation events, and employee recognition programs are examples of ways to create experiential contacts with stakeholders.

    2. Tradition – The most successful college football programs in terms of attendance, licensed merchandise sales, and overall fan interest have a history of greatness when it comes to appealing to fans. Alabama, Texas, Ohio State, and Notre Dame are examples of programs with winning traditions and legendary players and coaches that span generations. The lore of these programs adds to their appeal today. How can tradition be cultivated in your organization, externally with customers and internally with employees? Do you have a legendary product? Ad campaign? Logo? Other marketing asset that can be leveraged to build a bridge to the past?

    3. Stories – The on-field product in college football is supplemented with intrigue and drama in the form of stories involving personalities on the field. Whether it be the walk-on player who goes on to earn a scholarship and be a star, or the coach who returns to his alma mater to lead the program back to glory, college football is replete with stories that create warm, fuzzy feelings. The feel good story at the beginning of the 2010 season is Boston College linebacker Mark Herzlich, who missed more than a year battling cancer to return to the starting lineup. In the same vein, what stories can be told to draw customers closer to your brand? Testimonials from customers who have been positively impacted by your product or service are one way to make this happen. Similarly, employee testimonials about their commitment to customers and the organization can have an impact on the internal market as well as resonate with customers.

    Let’s face it, not many products match the glamour and intensity of college football. But, we can glean inspiration from the best of what the sport offers and energize our brands and employees. May you (and your favorite team) score many touchdowns on whatever field you play.

    From Events to Experiences: It’s All About Engagement

    A February survey of 300 marketing executives revealed that the desire to engage customers through event marketing is still great, even in a recession. Event marketing was tabbed as the best approach “that best accelerates and deepens relationships with target audiences.” Furthermore, 29% of the executives surveyed said they would place a greater emphasis on experience marketing in the next 12 months.

    Event marketing is typically thought of as a form of experiential marketing, so what’s the difference? The difference comes down to the level of engagement created between brand and audience at an event. A mere presence at an event in the form of signage or even a booth or exhibit does not elicit strong consumer engagement. While event marketing can generate brand awareness and perhaps sales leads, it often falls short without a strategy to engage and involve event attendees.

    Interactivity bridges the gap between exposure and experience. Examples of ways to engage event attendees include multimedia exhibits, games, and celebrity appearances. Event properties often seek sponsors to support their events. Offering prospective sponsors benefits limited to exposure is outdated. Awareness can be measured, but it does not always lead to the cash register ringing.

    The extent to which a brand can have meaningful interaction with an audience at an event, the more memorable the experience will be and the potential to create favorable brand attitude is greater. It is the experience people have with your brand that they will remember long after an event is over, not your name or logo on signage.

    Link: Brandweek.com – “Event Marketing’s Importance Increasing”