Don't Just Sell

Active Consideration

http://www.screensaverspcs.co.uk

Getting consumers to purchase is not always the main focus of a company. Increasing participation and what is called "active consideration" is also an important goal which company's should have. A company does not want to come off as too forceful because this usually just pushes consumers away from the message of the company.  Building involvement is a part of creating active consideration. Companies want to reinforce their brand, and create more interactions from both sides of the equation. Having both active consideration and involvement makes it nice for prompting consumers to research and check out the product or service. 

Digital 

The question is what is a good way to increase both these areas? For many companies, digital online searches are the answer. As Young says in his book Brand Media Strategy: Integrated Communications Planing in The Digital Era, "a brand wants to prompt consumers' consideration and research of  the product, possibly by visiting the website or checking out reviews, articles or comparison sites". Young also describes online search as one of the most powerful media to increase active consideration. This is especially true with the increase in digital screens, meaning consumers can instantly research a product via their smart phones. Consumers can easily leave and read reviews on products when considering to purchase. This also means companies need to have easily accessible information to inform customers. It is important to have employees to maintain the internet aspect of the company. This means creating websites which provide ease of information as well as monitoring reviews and questions customers have. In today's world, everything needs to be convenient or people typically will not bother. A company must recognize this and know how to provide the best to their consumers, which in the long run builds the brand and consumer relationships. 

A Good Kind of Viral

http://www.webbythoughts.com

In chapter 6 of Antony Young's book, Brand Media Strategy: Integrated Communications Planning in the Digital Era, he discusses what he calls "The power of free". This chapter touches on how powerful social media and digital messaging can be for a company. Viral marketing, or word of mouth marketing, is an important part of marketing which if used right, can be a big part of spreading a message. With the digital outlets and advanced technology available today, it is so easy to spread messages through the Internet and social media. It does not matter the size of your company, anyone can send and promote their company or message via social media. The Internet gives an instantaneous access and ability to send your message which ever form it may be in. Viral messages can even be in the form of a video, which is shared usually through Youtube. Young touches on "the Youtube effect" in chapter 6 of his book. 

Ice Bucket Challenge

A really great example of a viral message, which happens to include video is of the Ice Bucket Challenge which really took off this past summer. As you may know, this is where all sorts of people from all over the country would take videos of themselves dumping ice water over their heads. They also gave donations for ALS (what the video was spreading awareness for) and call out their friends to take the challenge. People may say this does nothing but really it must have had some sort of impact seeing how viral it actually went. People all over knew about this challenge and it actually got people to become more aware of ALS. 

http://media1.s-nbcnews.com/

Who Trusts Word of Mouth?

Consumers trust other consumers. A similar aspect of word of mouth outside of sharing videos or promoted messages deals with the positive impact of recommendations. People are more likely to believe what a friend shares with them over what a company may say about itself. I know that I tend to take and trust recommendations from friends or family more. How about you? I think the best way for any company to promote word of mouth marketing among their customers is to simply allow feedback. It is best to allow reviews on pages such as Facebook, this way you can maintain the comments but also allow everyone to see the positive reviews. Overall, using the media to your advantage, especially when including customers, is a great step to success. 

Consumer Insight & Brand Media Planning

Working as a Team

In brand media planning, it is important to ensure media planners and communication planners work together for success. A media planner is reaching the right people at the right time, as I discussed in my "Work out With Your Consumers" post. A communications planner is different, they focus on how to influence people. The two need to work together since both roles are important for successfully reaching consumers in the new ways of marketing.

http://www.govdelivery.com

A New & Improved Way to Connect

 As Antony Young writes in his book Brand Media Strategy: Integrated Communications Planning in the Digital Era, "an important part of influencing is to understand how the group you are trying to connect with thinks, behaves and lives their lives." In the old ways of marketing, statistics and numbers on consumers were of high importance. Now though, you may have all of these numbers but does this allow you to connect to consumers any differently than your competitors? Seeing consumers as individuals is beneficial to establishing a relationship of consumer to company. Young also says "To have insight, the communications planner needs to be the consumer's best friend." 

http://www.adweek.com/

Big Lots! Pets & How They Did It

Big Lots! released a comical but highly relatable ad regarding their stock of pet supplies. Big Lots! took on this idea of knowing how most pet owners interact with pets. How many people do you know who treat their pets as people? In their ad, two improv comedians sat down with animals for a 'focus group' on the Big Lots! pet products. They made the ad funny and connect with how these consumers behave in regards to their own pets. I can tell this company was conscious of what they were portraying. I can assume the Big Lots! marketers took their own experiences and knowledge of people with pets as opposed to just using numbers or stats on consumers. 

Check the ad out here:http://www.biglots.com/d/pets

Quick Thinking is Key

Game Changer

Technology and Social Media have been big "game changers" in the marketing world. As from our course reading,  Brand Media Strategy: Integrated Communications Planning in the Digital Era by Antony Young, Google and Facebook "have reshaped mass communications globally and opened up opportunities for marketers to execute more accountable, influential and multidimensional campaigns". It is important for every company and marketer to realize the change and potentials of technology and social media. 

http://2.bp.blogspot.com

The Need for Speed

With the improvements and expansions of the social network and technology, word gets out to your consumers immediately and even in real time. Companies are able to update their consumers about products and events when they want and for less money too. With this being said, companies need to know how to think on their feet in order to respond to big news and unplanned events which they can use to their advantage.

Nissan

One great and most recent examples of a company using popular and influential news is of Nissan's response to the big Royal baby announcement. As most people know, on Monday, September 8, 2014, the Royal family sent out a tweet announcing the Duke and Dutchess of Cambridge are expecting their second child. Just seven minutes later, Nissan tweeted the first Royal baby ad. This announcement was unexpected and yet Nissan still thought quickly and became the first to use this worldwide news to create an ad. Other companies should follow this example and ensure employees are knowledgeable and quick thinkers. 

For more information about the Nissan Ad, follow the link below.

http://creativity-online.com/work/nissan-royal-baby-ad/37078

Workout With Your Consumers

Out With the Old & In With the New

http://www.google.com

For my class, we are reading The New Rules of Marketing & PR, by David Meerman Scott. A concept from this book which stuck with me is how marketing is no longer a "one-way interruption". Scott discusses how using web marketing is for delivering content "at the precise moment a buyer needs it". This is important to note since consumers can now easily avoid the old ways of advertising. Web advertising is very different from TV advertising.

Its Not a Coincidence

Not only is the web delivering content right when you need it. I have noticed another way in which technology enables marketing right when your audience needs it. At my University I frequently visit the gym. This year the University replaced the older gym equipment with nice, new equipment. With the amazing advances we have in technology, even exercise equipment allows you to watch TV, listen to music, and more all while you work out.  This equipment has large touch screens which I noticed the University is taking advantage of for posting messages or University related ads. Campus events, food offered on campus, and other University related messages are actually posted as a changing background while you workout. By consciously noticing this use of the machine, I realized other gyms and companies can be utilizing this for delivering content right when their consumers need it. 

How So?

 There are many companies that can benefit by contacting local gyms and gaining the ability to access gym equipment for advertising. Companies with target markets that exercise frequently would benefit the most. Imagine running on the treadmill and an ad for the latest and greatest running shoes pop up, you then say to yourself, "Wow, I do need a new pair, maybe I will look into those." What I am getting at is any athletic geared product can be advertised straight to your consumers right when they need it.This type of advertising will not be competing with as much clutter consumers face. It won't come off so much as an "interruption," but a well placed reminder you need new running shoes or hydrating drink for your workout.