Archive for the ‘Advertising’ Category
National Senior Games spot
If you stepped out to the kitchen for a beer during last night’s Browns-Packers game you might have missed it, but Adcom did a 10-second spot for the National Senior Games, which will be held in Cleveland next year. Take a look.
How digital apps can drive e-commerce and m-commerce sales
With e-commerce spending reaching a double-digit share of all retail spending, online B2C marketers are devising push-and-pull strategies to grab the attention of consumers. These methods must provide assurance and convenience, while also standing out amongst other similar techniques in practice.
One way to do this is through digital applications, a slight shift from e-commerce to m-commerce. Not all shoppers are ready for this yet, but they soon will be and smart brands will be waiting for them when they arrive. Below are 3 ideas to drive online sales.
1. Blend Physical and Digital Interaction via a Unique Social Spectacle
Launch a provocative digital-based spectacle that causes consumers to gather in a physical space to engage with your brand and, ultimately, make a same-day purchase. Here’s how you do it:
- Connect the event with a phenomenon or cause (not related to the brand) that resonates with the target group.
- Include a digitally-based spectacle that consumers can interact with only through their mobile devices; the same tools they can then use to make a purchase.
- Bring consumers closer to the brand with a promotional offering they can’t resist.
Once they make the purchase on a mobile device via a digital application, allow customers to pick the most convenient route to obtain their goods (i.e. delivery or pickup).
While congregated, consumers can mutually influence one another’s purchases through group think, engendering effective social shopping.
If executed adeptly, the spectacle will wow the masses, including media. More importantly, it will induce multiple and instantaneous online purchases.
South Korean big-box retailer Emart did this with its ‘Sunny Sale-QR Code’ campaign. The stunt boosted sales and earned lots of free publicity.
Continue reading How digital apps can drive e-commerce and m-commerce sales
Using employee expertise to market
Les Paul knew how to sell guitars.
Certain retail businesses are more likely than others to attract knowledgeable salespeople. The cashier at Target ringing up your car floor mats, laundry detergent, flip flops and deodorant is not likely to be particularly enthused about or expert on any of the items.
On the other hand, the guy selling you a new Harley-Davidson Super Glide Custom is almost certainly a biker. You wouldn’t want to buy one from someone who wasn’t. He’s selling bikes because he loves them and loves riding and wants to share that passion with you.
Employees who are passionate about what they sell – whether it’s tropical fish, quilting supplies or snowmobiles — can help your marketing. Guitar Center, the national music store chain, hires musicians in each of its 220+ stores and it’s not unusual for customers to turn to the clerks for advice about everything from guitar strings to the relative merits of Zildjian vs Paragon cymbals.
Questions turn into discussions turn into swapped advice and news about whose band is playing where this weekend and who’s looking to add a keyboard player to their lineup. As a result, the stores become more than just a place to buy a new pedal or mic stand; they become resources and hangouts for musicians.
Guitar Center has taken the next logical step by posting the photos, bios and expertise of employees at each store online and inviting people to email them questions. By positioning their employees as experts and not merely salespeople, the company accomplishes the following:
- It establishes itself as an authoritative resource.
- It humanizes itself in the eyes of consumers who can see online that Jeff is a guy who really knows recording equipment.
- It lets music-loving customers see what they have in common with the salespeople and, by extension, the brand.
- It creates goodwill by offering free advice to people who aren’t in a store.
Well played, Guitar Center.
You are surrounded by content
The problem with undertaking a content marketing campaign is that you need content and plenty of it. It’s natural for you, particularly if you’re new to this sort of marketing, to worry about where it’s going to come from.
It could be right under your nose, unrecognized and underused.
Traditionally, it’s been difficult for Halloween haunted houses to distinguish themselves. Haunted Warehouse, Haunted Factory, Haunted Laboratory — they all have costumed ghouls, chainsaws and things that go bump in the night. Their marketing largely is limited to websites and garish ads in the local alternative weeklies. But Nightmares Fear Factory in Niagara Falls, Ontario, got a brilliant idea on how to use something it had plenty of – scared people.
The haunted house rigged a camera to take photos of people at their most frightened and posts them on Flickr and its website. The photos are hilarious, popular enough to trigger remix memes and sell Nightmares better than any ad could. And it took a minimum of effort to create and push it out to the world.
In some cases, content produced for internal use can also be sent out to consumers. Maytag created 3D instructional animation to teach salespeople the differences between regular washing machines and High Efficiency washers. But modern consumers like to do their own research and not rely on salespeople so, after tweaking the videos to make them more consumer-friendly, Maytag posted them on Lowes.com.
Sometimes what a company has to offer is expertise and a venue. Commercial plumbers and pipefitters are the most loyal customers of RIDGID Tools. They like to talk to each other about tools, jobs, customers, problems etc. So RIDGID established a forum where they could talk, comment and ask questions. RIDGID moderates the forum and sometimes weighs in with answers or explanations, but it’s largely self-policing and self-perpetuating.
Forum users provide the content and RIDGID benefits from having a website where its customers go to get answers and swap stories.
While content marketing sometimes does mean starting from scratch, there is often an easier way. Just look at what you are already doing.
Comparing digital media device use by male and female shoppers
Shoppers are better armed than ever. An increasing number use smartphones and tablets in stores to not only read product reviews, but to consult with friends about purchases. Below is a comparison of in-store digital media device use by gender.
Stay tuned for more insights.
Super Bowl commercial preview
There was a time when you would have had to actually watch Super Bowl XLVI to see the commercials. This year, the best ones have leaked out all over the Internet. In fact, there have even been commercials supporting the main commercials.
Ferris Bueller is back. So are the Coca-Cola polar bears. In case you haven’t had the chance to see the commercials, here are links to some of the best:
- Volkswagen, “The Bark Side”
- Honda CR-V, “Matthew’s Day Off”
- Chevy, “Happy Grad”
- Acura NSX, “Transactions”
- Suzuki, “Sled”
- Audi, “Vampire Party”
- Pepsi MAX, “Check-out”
M&Ms will also be making a splash first quarter with the introduction of their sixth computer-animated mascot and second female M&M, Ms. Brown. Ms. Brown and the M&Ms crew have been promoting her anticipated arrival on the M&Ms Facebook page to drum-up excitement.
Other advertisers, like Coca-Cola®, are also incorporating social media into the mix. For instance, the Coca-Cola® Polar Bears will throw their first-ever Polar Bowl Party via Facebook. According to the CokePolarBowl Facebook page, fans can watch the game with the famous polar bears, receive highlights, learn how to do a polar dance or two as well as chat with friends.
No matter who wins, Super Bowl XLVI is sure to be an exciting advertising game!
Who Loves You Baby? 5 Creative Keys to Emotional Appeal
This post authored by Mike Derrick
Creative Director, Adcom Communications
As a creative director, I find one of the most important things for writers and art directors to understand is the difference between the creative strategy and the creative tactic. Strategy of course is far more important…it’s the foundation to all messages and is what truly creates brand appeal. A tactic is a specific “hook” used to attract the audience…but it can’t move them to take action. Yet, it’s very easy for Creatives to base campaign ideation on narrow tactical concepts (i.e. let’s use humor) which is not the root of why one is motivated by Brand X over Brand Y.
So to help you identify an effective strategy from a tactic, I’ve come up with this simple test. Begin your strategic thinking by completing the following sentence in a deeply meaningful way.
“I like this brand because it’s ____________.”
Now, I know what you may be thinking. “What if I like the brand because it’s humorous?” Ah ha…but recall a funny ad…and then consider why it is funny to you and perhaps not funny to someone else. And you may realize the deeper thinking behind the humor…thinking that probably falls into one of these more deeply strategic categories.
To begin with, there’s what I call the “Birds of a Feather” approach…“I like this brand because it’s just like me.” This appeal through “commonality” leverages itself against the basic human instinct of gravitating towards like minded people or organizations. In this case…the commonality is big thinkers.
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The next strategy of appeal involves human nature again…this time in the form of empathy. So the sentence becomes, “I like this brand because it really understands me.” As a brand you must demonstrate that you feel for the audience by being familiar enough to playback their life situation, such as:
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Now we take a 180-degree turn, with a creative strategy based on distancing yourself from a particular belief or competitive brand. Here the statement becomes “I like this brand because it shares my utter disdain for that.” So in a sense, it validates the audience’s belief but from the more rousing contentious point of view, much like this sponsorship billboard for KeyBank…
So thus far, we’ve seen three arguably humorous ads, but the deeper strategy has not simply been humor. The tactic is to use humor, but the strategy involves a deeper connection with the audience.
Next case and point is known as “Appeal through Aspiration”…probably the most commonly used approach in advertising because it most directly links the brand to a desired outcome. Here we say “I like this brand because it’s what I want to become.” For example, when speaking to local youth about avoiding gangs, we used hometown role model and Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith.
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OK, let’s re-focus. The final strategy of appeal I’ll leave you with is one I don’t necessarily endorse because it relies heavily on outspending your competition. Buy unfortunately it has become a standard in the world of persuasive selling. I call it the “iconic” approach because it works like this…”I like this brand because it’s been drilled into my head so many times that I feel as though I’ve known you all my life which is comforting to me.” You know…like insurance companies do:
This approach isn’t necessarily limited to spokespeople…icons can be graphical (such as iPod’s silhouettes) or musical (such as McDonalds). In a sense, these icons have been so deeply thrust into everyday consciousness that they transcend the world of advertising and its stigma…which is how they’re able to be so readily accepted, admired and even adopted by the audience.
Stay tuned for next time, when I’ll rustle up some classic tactics of appeal that can then be applied to these types of broad strategies. Until then…remember…15 minutes is all you need to save 15% on your car insurance.
The 5 Emotional Touch Points
- Commonality
- Understanding
- Validation
- Aspiration
- Comfort