And we'll get into how mobile marketing is quickly moving from the province of big brands to small companies - beginning with responsive/mobile-first design.
As readers know, I'm usually more involved with larger brands. And Jim - long time radio host and author of the new book The Age of the Customer: Prepare for The Moment of Relevance - likes to have me on from time to time to talk about what's happening in digital marketing overall, and what SMBs can learn from their big brand brethren.
(You can hear part one of the interview here, and part two here.)
By the way, when we talk about responsive design, we aren't just talking about your website. As you'll hear, we're talking your email blasts, too.
In part two of my guest appearance on the Jim Blasingame Show the other day, we get to the part where we discuss some of the digital innovation brands are bringing to this year's Super Bowl "Ad Bowl."
As I'm usually more involved with larger brands, Jim - whose latest book The Age of the Customer: Prepare for The Moment of Relevance is just out - likes to have me on from time to time to talk about what's happening in digital marketing overall, and what SMBs can learn from their big brand brethren. (You can hear part one of the interview here.)
In this second segment, we talk about Doritos' latest "Crash The Super Bowl" consumer-created ad contest, and Pepsi's new augmented reality Super Bowl "Selfie" app.
And on the heels of news today that H&M is allowing consumers to vote on whether David Beckham bares it all for his Super Bowl Bodywear spots, you'll hear about how the popular retail brand is also enabling viewers to place a purchase for the clothing via television remote control during the game.
I'll post the conclusion of the interview over the next few days.
I share a lot of behind-the-scenes secrets on Dove's "Campaign for Real Beauty" in my book THE ON-DEMAND BRAND. Now in its 10th year, the campaign has a new hit with the short film, "Selfie."
Share with the women and girls in your life. Kudos to all involved.
In Part 1 and Part 2 of we learned about social retailing pilots for Nanette Lepore and Bloomingdales that resulted in a 3x increase in sales.
In Part 3 we learned about how social media can get shoppers into stores - and keep them there.
And in the conclusion of this exclusive source interview for my book, THE ON-DEMAND BRAND, we get advice on how to start implementing social retailing ourselves.
I was on the Jim Blasingame Show the other day to talk Super Bowl advertising and digital marketing trends in 2014.
It's always fun to do the show, which is syndicated to Forbes Radio and deals primarily with small business. Jim is a great host who's just a lot of fun to talk with - and I can't wait to read his new book, The Age of the Customer: Prepare for The Moment of Relevance.
As I'm more typically involved with larger brand marketing, Jim has me on from time to time to talk about what's happening in digital marketing overall, and what small businesses can learn from the big boys.
In this first segment, we set the stage for our conversation - and how three overlapping trends - social, mobile and video - will merge to take new shape, and power new dynamics, in the year ahead.
I'll post the subsequent two segments over the next few days.
In Part 1 and Part 2 of we learned about social retailing pilots for Nanette Lepore and Bloomingdales that resulted in a 3x increase in sales.
In part three of this exclusive source interview for my book, THE ON-DEMAND BRAND, Tom Nicholson - the father of social retailing - talks about the dynamic of using social media to lure shoppers into stores, and then keeping them there - longer and more profitably.
GEN WOW readers know I am a sucker for prankvertising - and this new promo for the film 'The Devil's Due" - which looks to be a modern take on "Rosemary's Baby" – delivers.
In part one of my interview with Tom Nicholson, we learned about an amazing augmented reality-cum-social media initiative designed to supercharge the in-store shopping experience.
In part two of this exclusive source interview for my book, THE ON-DEMAND BRAND, I ask Nicholson - founder of Icon Nicholson and more recently, Nicholson NY - what kind of results this initiative has generated so far.
If Tom Nicholson has his way, teenage girls will no longer wait until their home from the mall to ask the eternal question, "Do these jeans make me look fat?"
Nicholson, founder of digital agency LBi IconNicholson, and more recently, Nicholson NY, has personally led a technological revolution in retailing, having spearheaded efforts to transform the shopping experience at Prada, Nanette Lepore and Bloomingdales by enabling shoppers to use touchscreen interfaces to connect with runway video and information on cut, color and accessories related to the clothing they care into dressing rooms.
In this source interview from my book, THE ON-DEMAND BRAND, we see how Nicholson is taking fashion a giant step forward - mashing up social networking, in-store technologies and youth shopping habits to delight customers as never before possible.
So-called “real time marketing” may get all the hype these days, but a bona fide sleeper trend of has got to be Prankvertising – physical world stunts with digital world elements that surprise, excite and, with luck and a lot of promotion, go wildly viral. As a new entry into our annual GEN WOW Awards, our list of Top 10 Marketing Pranks for 2013 was so popular with our readers, we thought we'd share some insights on how to prank consumers right.
A growing number of brands are finding that it can pay big to pull pranks on your customers so other people can laugh at them.
Just look at Sony Pictures, which faked this telekinetic rampage inside a local coffee shop - captured in the video above - complete with patrons pushed up the side of the wall, furniture and books blown about – to promote the new remake of the horror classic, “Carrie.”
Or LG. In an effort to show off the lifelike picture on its next-generation IPS video monitors, the consumer electronics giant scared the crud out of people in elevators by making it appear as if the floor is falling away – with the instant fear captured with eye-level cameras.
Dubbed “prankvertising,” the technique combines real-world antics with digital-age magic to astonish those who see it live, and to delight the many (many) more who will view videos of the shenanigans online.
And it’s catching on – because it costs a fraction of the money of network television spots to produce, and promises a viral multiplier effect as consumers spread the mischief via social media.
But with the potential risks so high, the possible backlash to brands so profound, how do you punk your customers for fun and profit?
Very carefully. And always keep these three all-important secrets to successful prankvertising in mind.
1. No Method, Pure Madness
It’s critical that you understand what your objectives are for your stunt. In the “Carrie” example above, patrons would be forgiven for not knowing what the promotion is all about. There may have been a big reveal that told them it was all a promotion for the movie. But we don’t see it in the video, so it’s left unclear whether they ever knew what hit them.
The stunt was so amazing, it garnered widespread coverage from outlets ranging from Huffington Post to NBC News. Which, to be clear, was surely part of the plan.
But aside from car door signage and a hashtag motif on clothing and the sub itself, without a climatic reveal, it’s unclear to me how passersby (or even many casual viewers of the video) ever figured out what company, if any, was behind this gobstopping display.
Contrast that with this street promo from cable network TV channel TNT, where cause (a conspicuous button invitation to “push to add drama”) equals epic effect on a quiet Flemish square. No one present – or viewing vicariously – missed the point, which is beautifully tied to TNT’s entire brand proposition.
2. Catch & Release
As the examples above demonstrate, the stunt itself is just the cost of entry. The entire point is to garner unpaid press coverage and, more importantly, extend considerable reach and frequency via online video and social media. This has the benefit of enabling the brand to make sure the video drives home the marketing message just the way they want. Capture your prankees’ reactions, then release the video of your escapades to the world.
Exhibit A: This recent promotion from Paramount to promote the DVD release of “Star Trek Into Darkness,” which even takes us behind the curtain to see how they pulled it all off. The only thing better would have been to have one of the kids beam back as Leonard Nimoy.
Or this prank from Pepsi Max, which captures delighted passersby as they marvel at celebrity magician Dynamo as he levitates up the side of a London bus as a way of communicating the magical lightness of this low-cal soda brand.
Hundreds may see the live stunt. Thousands, even millions will see it online – provided you package it up in a compelling video experience. Sending the video to key media outlets and buying ad space on YouTube or elsewhere never hurts, either. You’d be surprised how many “viral” hits start that way.
3. The Crueler, The Better – But Kindness Trumps All
Some might find Tic Tac’s “Bad Breath” a little mean spirited. And Nivea's "Stress Test" prank - where airline travelers are singled out as wanted criminals – is in a category all its own. But most viewers likely think these are a hoot. Ditto for LG’s schadenfreude in the elevator shaft (not to mention its stage-fright-in-the-mens-room antics).
Of course, some may suspect the Moore prank was faked – how many painters can you line up after-hours in a remote location? But if true, this is a nice, harmless way to trick and treat you way to a successful promo.
Still, as fun as it can be to reach out and freak someone, kindness wins every time.
And just try to keep tears from being jerked when you view Honda’s recent wedding day prank, which is part of its “Start something special” campaign.
The bride-to-be’s family owns a number of Hondas, and even asked a local dealership for three CRVs to help with the wedding festivities. As Adweek puts it, they got a lot more than they expected - to the point that the brand may have upstaged the nuptials.
But as a stunt, this one drives home an emotional bond between consumers and their favorite brands.
What's your view? Is this a brand disaster waiting to happen? Do consumers really enjoy being punked?
What rules or examples would you add to this list? And how can your brand score big by pulling a fast one on your customers?