as Published in the Globe and Mail (National Edition) - August 2, 2010
The shift occurring in the area of marketing communications was on display at this year's Cannes Advertising Festival. As always, when the world comes together to compare notes on the best marketing work from across the globe, certain trends become apparent.
The winning works focused on the role of brands in consumers' lives. The best marketers and their agencies used communications to add value. From campaigns that tapped into emotional connections, to ones that enhanced the customer service experience, this year's Cannes winners were thought-provoking for marketers and agencies alike.
Give consumers something to love
Everyone has a degree of cynicism about advertising, yet many marketers persist in selling on logic rather than emotion. That's likely because logic is rational, easier and safer. If you let people know why something is good that should be enough. Emotional selling is tougher, mainly because it doesn't work unless it's authentic. Ultimately, if you get it right it pays big dividends. People really do want a reason to love your brand.
A great example from Cannes this year was the Replay campaign from Gatorade. The sports drink maker decided to reignite the athletic spark in adults older than 30, of whom only three of 10 in the U.S. exercise regularly. The Gatorade team returned to two U.S. high schools with a century-old football rivalry - Phillipsburg and Easton, N.J., and chose a tie game from 15 years earlier for the former students to replay.
The players trained at the Gatorade Sports Science Institute for two months, with documentary video clips building the story online. In April, the coaches, players, cheerleaders and school band members, together with NFL quarterbacks and Gatorade-sponsored athletes Peyton and Eli Manning, replayed the game. Regional sales of Gatorade shot up 63 per cent. Now, Gatorade has a property they are using to engage other former high school teams, and using social media has called for nominations for the 2010 Replay team.
Engage your target consumer
One of the more interesting examples came from Yellow Pages in New Zealand. Faced with increased competition from online search, Yellow Pages needed to demonstrate to advertisers why they should continue to use Yellow Pages. In a bold piece of marketing, Yellow Pages issued a challenge to create the taste of yellow to prove you can get any job done using the Yellow Pages. They cast a young New Zealander and filmed his quest to create a Yellow-tasting chocolate bar. Following his progress through TV ads and social media, New Zealanders watched the creation of the product. When the chocolate bar launched in January it became the fastest selling candy bar, outselling the market leader by two to one. Yellow Pages usage increased 9 per cent, and the campaign became the most talked about in the country. Yellow Pages took a chance on engaging people directly with their brand, rather than just selling the brand's features, and it paid off.
Find the unmet need
It feels like an obvious observation but a lot of brand communication is driven by "what's the best thing we can say about our brand?" versus "what is it that consumers really need?" A great example of directly addressing a consumer's pain-point is this year's Cannes Titanium winner - Best Buy's Twelpforce campaign. Twelpforce takes the fact that people become frustrated when they can't understand technology, and addresses it head-on. Best Buy's ad agency created Twelpforce, which leverages Best Buy's knowledgeable work force and lets customers ask questions via Twitter. Any Best Buy employee can respond immediately with answers.
If it works, build on it
Sometimes marketers and their agency partners tap into a campaign idea that ends up becoming a cultural force of its own. The Old Spice "the man your man could smell like" campaign is the most recent example. Old Spice took an unexpected creative turn by creating a story for the brand that tapped an emotional, rather than functional, insight. And, by striking a knowing, self-aware tone that broke through people's barriers and long-held expectations, Old Spice has become the most talked about brand of the moment.
The toughest challenge when you strike it right is how to follow up and continue to build engagement. The Old Spice team has done this in a masterful way by posting YouTube clips of the Old Spice actor in the shower directly answering consumer questions. These clips, as well as the Old Spice ads, have become some of the most searched viral videos.
Take advantage of buzz
Creative marketing means thinking laterally. It's about making unexpected connections that look and feel completely natural in hindsight. There are a lot of great historic examples where brands jumped on something that was getting a lot of media coverage and managed to hijack extra focus for their story.
A good example from Cannes this year was Polo mints. Last December when U.K. citizens were lamenting a blanket of fresh, white snow, Polo jumped into action and created a "Polo snow stamp" which, when stamped on benches, roadways, cars, etc., left an impression that looked exactly like the Polo mint. For a tiny budget Polo created something unexpected that felt exactly right for the brand.
Monday, August 2, 2010
Monday, June 21, 2010
There's power in partnerships for your brand
as Published in the Globe and Mail (National Edition) - June 21, 2010
Many companies have successfully teamed with major events, social causes, high-profile entertainers and events to promote their brand.
However, just hitching your brand to a celebrity or organization isn't enough any more. Brands need to connect with partners in deeper and more meaningful ways. And, as brand owners seek ever more creative ways to stand out from the crowd, the stakes and costs of these brand associations have become bigger.
Marketers who get it right find ways to seamlessly integrate their brands with their partners' brands in ways that elevate both.
So how can marketers put these more powerful symbiotic relationships together?
A complementary partner
Bank of Nova Scotia is in the business of providing mortgages. While a mortgage is part of the equation, creating the perfect home requires more than just financing. Scotiabank saw an opportunity to capitalize on this insight and position itself as a financial institution that thinks about more than money. It teamed with Rogers Communications Inc.'s media group to launch Home Experts, a website that acts as a resource for renovating, decorating and financing advice. Rogers had the home decorating and reno content and experts to complement Scotiabank's financial know-how. Together, they were able to present a more holistic approach to home ownership.
Share a goal Consumers want to understand the full value being created by a brand partnership. They'll give your brand credit only if they are sure your commitment goes beyond providing your logo. They want to know your organization believes in what it's supporting.
Coast Capital Savings Credit Union, based in British Columbia, proved such commitment when it joined forces with the YMCA of Greater Vancouver, signing a multiyear partnership and contributing $1-million to provide financing for 69 licensed child-care and pre-school spaces in a centre bearing its name at the new Robert Lee YMCA in downtown Vancouver. The partnership links Coast Capital's financial expertise with the Y's social expertise and is an extension of the credit union's efforts to support early education and community leadership initiatives.
Ensure a DNA match
Your partner must share similar values and world views. Your target audience will instantly sense if the fit is authentic and if the partner brands are working seamlessly to deliver on the promise of the association.
American Express Co. has a long history of corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs, supporting thousands of non-profit groups over the years. To reignite its efforts, Amex recently linked with Take Part, an online community that provides information and resources for social activism. As a result of this partnership, called the Members Project, Amex provides its members with access to a Web-based resource that introduces them to ways to become involved in their local community, donate money or reward points to one of thousands of charities or receive reward points for volunteering. Take Part gets access to a vast premium audience looking to find ways to make a difference. Amex found a partner that enables it to more efficiently and effectively be involved in the CSR that is a core part of its brand.
It works both ways
Interestingly, it appears that corporate/not-for-profit partnerships have significant benefits for both the corporation and the not-for-profit. More than three-quarters of respondents to Boston-based, cause-marketing agency Cone Inc.'s most recent marketing trend tracker said they believe such partnerships enable the non-profit cause to stand out.
As well, 59 per cent said they are more likely to buy a product associated with the partnership, 50 per cent said they are more likely to donate to the non-profit and 41 per cent said they are more likely to volunteer for the non-profit. Corporate partners seen to be living up to a non-profit's goals and aspirations can add big value to their own brands as well as elevate awareness and interest in the cause.
It doesn't have to be serious
Partnerships don't always have to be deep, meaningful and complex. They can be as simple as picking the right endorser or spokesperson. If your brand is fun, make your partnership fun, too. Mars Inc. did that when it featured former Golden Girls star Betty White playing touch football in the ad for its Snickers chocolate bars during its big-budget Super Bowl campaign, playing off a shared sense of irreverence. Snickers is a fun brand that provides moments of pleasure; taking itself too seriously would have been the wrong approach.
Many companies have successfully teamed with major events, social causes, high-profile entertainers and events to promote their brand.
However, just hitching your brand to a celebrity or organization isn't enough any more. Brands need to connect with partners in deeper and more meaningful ways. And, as brand owners seek ever more creative ways to stand out from the crowd, the stakes and costs of these brand associations have become bigger.
Marketers who get it right find ways to seamlessly integrate their brands with their partners' brands in ways that elevate both.
So how can marketers put these more powerful symbiotic relationships together?
A complementary partner
Bank of Nova Scotia is in the business of providing mortgages. While a mortgage is part of the equation, creating the perfect home requires more than just financing. Scotiabank saw an opportunity to capitalize on this insight and position itself as a financial institution that thinks about more than money. It teamed with Rogers Communications Inc.'s media group to launch Home Experts, a website that acts as a resource for renovating, decorating and financing advice. Rogers had the home decorating and reno content and experts to complement Scotiabank's financial know-how. Together, they were able to present a more holistic approach to home ownership.
Share a goal Consumers want to understand the full value being created by a brand partnership. They'll give your brand credit only if they are sure your commitment goes beyond providing your logo. They want to know your organization believes in what it's supporting.
Coast Capital Savings Credit Union, based in British Columbia, proved such commitment when it joined forces with the YMCA of Greater Vancouver, signing a multiyear partnership and contributing $1-million to provide financing for 69 licensed child-care and pre-school spaces in a centre bearing its name at the new Robert Lee YMCA in downtown Vancouver. The partnership links Coast Capital's financial expertise with the Y's social expertise and is an extension of the credit union's efforts to support early education and community leadership initiatives.
Ensure a DNA match
Your partner must share similar values and world views. Your target audience will instantly sense if the fit is authentic and if the partner brands are working seamlessly to deliver on the promise of the association.
American Express Co. has a long history of corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs, supporting thousands of non-profit groups over the years. To reignite its efforts, Amex recently linked with Take Part, an online community that provides information and resources for social activism. As a result of this partnership, called the Members Project, Amex provides its members with access to a Web-based resource that introduces them to ways to become involved in their local community, donate money or reward points to one of thousands of charities or receive reward points for volunteering. Take Part gets access to a vast premium audience looking to find ways to make a difference. Amex found a partner that enables it to more efficiently and effectively be involved in the CSR that is a core part of its brand.
It works both ways
Interestingly, it appears that corporate/not-for-profit partnerships have significant benefits for both the corporation and the not-for-profit. More than three-quarters of respondents to Boston-based, cause-marketing agency Cone Inc.'s most recent marketing trend tracker said they believe such partnerships enable the non-profit cause to stand out.
As well, 59 per cent said they are more likely to buy a product associated with the partnership, 50 per cent said they are more likely to donate to the non-profit and 41 per cent said they are more likely to volunteer for the non-profit. Corporate partners seen to be living up to a non-profit's goals and aspirations can add big value to their own brands as well as elevate awareness and interest in the cause.
It doesn't have to be serious
Partnerships don't always have to be deep, meaningful and complex. They can be as simple as picking the right endorser or spokesperson. If your brand is fun, make your partnership fun, too. Mars Inc. did that when it featured former Golden Girls star Betty White playing touch football in the ad for its Snickers chocolate bars during its big-budget Super Bowl campaign, playing off a shared sense of irreverence. Snickers is a fun brand that provides moments of pleasure; taking itself too seriously would have been the wrong approach.
Monday, April 12, 2010
We still look to TV for those water-cooler moments
as Published in the Globe and Mail (National Edition) - April 12, 2010
For a medium that is supposed to be in huge decline and no longer relevant, television is going through some interesting times.
Audiences for certain shows not only aren't dropping, they're actually up dramatically. There is talk of 3-D television programming in development, and Google Inc. is putting together partnerships to deliver its own TV network.
Why is there so much fuss about and focus on this once-written-off medium?
Since its inception, TV has been a centrepiece in most homes, delivering an experience that people could share and discuss. Sporting events, moon landings, elections and blockbuster programming brought people together.
But with pressure from niche channels, content-rich DVDs, PVRs and popular video websites such as YouTube and U.S. online TV site Hulu, traditional TV was starting to feel like a distant memory.
But, a funny thing has reared its head lately - human nature. A part of all of us still wants to share big moments with our communities, our country and even the world. Most of us will remember where we were when we were watching the recent men's gold medal hockey game. More than 22 million Canadians watched Sidney Crosby score the overtime goal. Audiences for live broadcasts of recent major events such as the Golden Globes, the Grammys, the Super Bowl and the Academy Awards were all up.
While there are more content options than ever before, it appears that Canadians are still looking for connections to those water-cooler moments. And it's interesting to note that online and social media are increasingly building on the content of these TV events, continuing the coverage and conversation.
So, what does this mean for marketers?
If you can afford it, be part of the moment
Both Visa Inc. and Coca-Cola Ltd. offer good examples of leveraging their marketing tools to fully take advantage of the 2010 Olympics.
Visa tailored its TV ads to connect with newsworthy and emotional moments. When skier Alexandre Bilodeau won Canada's first gold medal on home soil, Visa was on the next commercial break congratulating the country.
And Coca-Cola created a completely integrated presence around the Olympics, including advertising capitalizing on our national passion for hockey, a torch relay sponsorship that united Canadians and created its own news stories, and even the launch of a special Olympic-branded bottle.
There are enough water-cooler moments throughout the year to map out a strategy that ensures you reach large audiences effectively with your key message.
For example, the biggest advertiser during this year's Academy Awards was Hyundai Motor Co., which ran six spots promoting the launch of the 2011 Sonata. Producing and running that number of ads can be pricey, but this strategy can be very effective, reaching a large audience with a key brand message.
While notable U.S. Super Bowl advertisers of the past gave it up this year, a recent study looking at sales results for those that did participate re-emphasized the effectiveness of big-event TV advertising. The study, by research company Millward Brown, found that Super Bowl advertisers saw "an average sales uplift of more than 11 per cent in the following month." As well, it calculated that advertisers would have had to devote three times their Super Bowl spending on traditional TV ads to get the same result.
Can your brand leverage TV content?
Dr. Pepper ads currently airing on television feature Dr. Spaceman, a character from 30 Rock; they run immediately after the comedy show finishes and are featured prominently on the show's website. By capitalizing on the show's content, the Dr. Pepper ads blur the line between program and commercial, and transfer the likeability of the show directly to the brand.
Social media will likely increase TV audiences
Sites such as Facebook and Twitter are all about creating connections and community. As friends share their comments about favourite TV shows or tweet about who's going to win an event, they reinforce the power of traditional TV and boost the impact of event experiences.
Marketers can benefit by paying attention to what is getting traction, as that's where the audiences will be.
Tiger Woods' return to golf at the Masters last week was a hot topic on blogs as well as sports, news and social media websites. The momentum behind the online chatter generated one of the biggest viewing audiences for the Masters in TV history.
If you can't afford to be part of the moment, you can still be part of the conversation
It used to be that if, as a marketer, you couldn't afford to be on TV during the event, you missed the opportunity. Now, more than ever, however, big TV events generate online coverage and fan conversation after the fact. That creates an opportunity to participate at a virtual water cooler and keep the connection going. Promoting your brand on targeted sites or blogs (such as msn.ca, tsn.ca or people.com) before or after an event or show allows you to take advantage of the pre- and post-event buzz.
Television may be only one of many content options today, but it still stands alone as the place to gather for the big show.
For a medium that is supposed to be in huge decline and no longer relevant, television is going through some interesting times.
Audiences for certain shows not only aren't dropping, they're actually up dramatically. There is talk of 3-D television programming in development, and Google Inc. is putting together partnerships to deliver its own TV network.
Why is there so much fuss about and focus on this once-written-off medium?
Since its inception, TV has been a centrepiece in most homes, delivering an experience that people could share and discuss. Sporting events, moon landings, elections and blockbuster programming brought people together.
But with pressure from niche channels, content-rich DVDs, PVRs and popular video websites such as YouTube and U.S. online TV site Hulu, traditional TV was starting to feel like a distant memory.
But, a funny thing has reared its head lately - human nature. A part of all of us still wants to share big moments with our communities, our country and even the world. Most of us will remember where we were when we were watching the recent men's gold medal hockey game. More than 22 million Canadians watched Sidney Crosby score the overtime goal. Audiences for live broadcasts of recent major events such as the Golden Globes, the Grammys, the Super Bowl and the Academy Awards were all up.
While there are more content options than ever before, it appears that Canadians are still looking for connections to those water-cooler moments. And it's interesting to note that online and social media are increasingly building on the content of these TV events, continuing the coverage and conversation.
So, what does this mean for marketers?
If you can afford it, be part of the moment
Both Visa Inc. and Coca-Cola Ltd. offer good examples of leveraging their marketing tools to fully take advantage of the 2010 Olympics.
Visa tailored its TV ads to connect with newsworthy and emotional moments. When skier Alexandre Bilodeau won Canada's first gold medal on home soil, Visa was on the next commercial break congratulating the country.
And Coca-Cola created a completely integrated presence around the Olympics, including advertising capitalizing on our national passion for hockey, a torch relay sponsorship that united Canadians and created its own news stories, and even the launch of a special Olympic-branded bottle.
There are enough water-cooler moments throughout the year to map out a strategy that ensures you reach large audiences effectively with your key message.
For example, the biggest advertiser during this year's Academy Awards was Hyundai Motor Co., which ran six spots promoting the launch of the 2011 Sonata. Producing and running that number of ads can be pricey, but this strategy can be very effective, reaching a large audience with a key brand message.
While notable U.S. Super Bowl advertisers of the past gave it up this year, a recent study looking at sales results for those that did participate re-emphasized the effectiveness of big-event TV advertising. The study, by research company Millward Brown, found that Super Bowl advertisers saw "an average sales uplift of more than 11 per cent in the following month." As well, it calculated that advertisers would have had to devote three times their Super Bowl spending on traditional TV ads to get the same result.
Can your brand leverage TV content?
Dr. Pepper ads currently airing on television feature Dr. Spaceman, a character from 30 Rock; they run immediately after the comedy show finishes and are featured prominently on the show's website. By capitalizing on the show's content, the Dr. Pepper ads blur the line between program and commercial, and transfer the likeability of the show directly to the brand.
Social media will likely increase TV audiences
Sites such as Facebook and Twitter are all about creating connections and community. As friends share their comments about favourite TV shows or tweet about who's going to win an event, they reinforce the power of traditional TV and boost the impact of event experiences.
Marketers can benefit by paying attention to what is getting traction, as that's where the audiences will be.
Tiger Woods' return to golf at the Masters last week was a hot topic on blogs as well as sports, news and social media websites. The momentum behind the online chatter generated one of the biggest viewing audiences for the Masters in TV history.
If you can't afford to be part of the moment, you can still be part of the conversation
It used to be that if, as a marketer, you couldn't afford to be on TV during the event, you missed the opportunity. Now, more than ever, however, big TV events generate online coverage and fan conversation after the fact. That creates an opportunity to participate at a virtual water cooler and keep the connection going. Promoting your brand on targeted sites or blogs (such as msn.ca, tsn.ca or people.com) before or after an event or show allows you to take advantage of the pre- and post-event buzz.
Television may be only one of many content options today, but it still stands alone as the place to gather for the big show.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Wired for change should be marketers' mantra
as Published in the Globe and Mail (National Edition)- February 1, 2010
With the dawn of a new decade, it's worth reflecting on the pace of change that has occurred in marketing, and think about what it will take to own the future.
At the start of the last decade, no one could have predicted how the tools with which businesses tell their brand stories would shift so dramatically.
As well, it would have been challenging to accept that the shift in brand ownership from the corporation to the consumer would have been as radical as it has been.
To gear up for the next decade, here are some of the key shifts to keep in mind for your own marketing efforts:
Moving away from tried and true
After 23 years, this year's Feb. 7 broadcast will mark the first Super Bowl without any Pepsi advertising.
Instead, PepsiCo Inc. is shifting its multimillion-dollar budget online. And, rather than relying on celebrities to pitch its products, it's shifted to a philanthropic, cause-related campaign.
Called the "Pepsi Refresh Project" (http://www.refresheverything.com), the initiative, launched in January, offers to fund "refreshing ideas that change the world." People can apply on the website to have their projects funded and vote for projects they believe are worthy of funding.
This noteworthy shift from high-profile, event-based buzz to an online-based, cause-related movement illustrates what many marketers are feeling - that traditional tools don't have the same power to engage consumers that they used to. And, increasingly, marketers are looking at values as a way to demonstrate value.
Speed to market is accelerating
Marketing today has shifted to real-time response, requiring fast assessments of opportunities and threats. This requires a strong understanding of what feels right and appropriate for your brand, so that strategic communication decisions can be made quickly.
The speed with which marketers, not just aid organizations and NGOs, jumped to help raise funds for victims of the Haiti earthquake was astonishing. Within hours, telecom companies created opportunities to contribute via texting, airlines and hotel chains implemented point-donation programs, and other businesses, from packaged-goods to courier companies, were trying to outdo each other with announcements of cash contributions.
More effort to earn your place
Gone are the simpler times when a TV ad presenting a sharp, focused and competitive brand message was enough to do the job. In the past decade, consumers have become increasingly cynical about advertising messages, with blogs and other online tools holding marketers accountable for the promises they make.
As well, consumers are more protective about giving brands the permission to intrude, particularly in personal spaces like Facebook.
To succeed, marketers need to understand where they have permission to show up, and the tools they choose to use must deliver value to consumers and speak in an authentic brand voice.
An interesting example from 2009 is Best Buy's creation of Twelpforce, a service using company staff to answer product and technology questions directly via Twitter - bypassing the usual and often frustrating customer-service practices.
Best Buy's ad agency, Crispin Porter & Bogusky, made Twelpforce a key component of its marketing program, aiming to provide proof that the company's staff are more knowledgeable and supportive than that of its competitors.
Consumers expect to participate with your brand
Over the past 10 years, marketers have increasingly moved from talking at consumers to talking with them. As the lines of brand ownership blur, co-creation of content and user-generated content will increasingly become part of a company's communications approach.
A great example: To promote this year's Grammy Awards, the Recording Academy and its ad agency, TBWA\Chiat\Day, created a campaign centred around an interactive website called "We Are All Fans" (wereallfans.com). It's filled with portraits of Grammy-nominated artists generated entirely from YouTube, Twitter and Flickr postings submitted by fans, constantly updating in real time.
Brands and ideas are borderless
More than ever, we're citizens of the world, with consumers seeking out the latest and greatest, independent of location. With the pervasiveness of global conversations via Facebook, YouTube and Twitter, people feel more directly and immediately connected to brands outside their immediate marketplace.
For last year's United Nations climate change conference in Copenhagen, marketers, agencies and NGOs got together to create a campaign called Hopenhagen, intended to connect people to the issues (hopenhagen.org).
The campaign, promoted via social and paid media, created a platform for people to voice their opinions about climate change. Today, the site showcases comments from some of more than six million citizens of countries all over the world.
Marketers are no longer bound by region, and brands can go global virtually overnight. Today, being nimble, open-minded and prepared to break new ground is the price of entry.
For marketers to find success over the next decade, they will need to be wired for change, creative about understanding their brand's real connection with consumers, and fearless about trying new approaches.
With the dawn of a new decade, it's worth reflecting on the pace of change that has occurred in marketing, and think about what it will take to own the future.
At the start of the last decade, no one could have predicted how the tools with which businesses tell their brand stories would shift so dramatically.
As well, it would have been challenging to accept that the shift in brand ownership from the corporation to the consumer would have been as radical as it has been.
To gear up for the next decade, here are some of the key shifts to keep in mind for your own marketing efforts:
Moving away from tried and true
After 23 years, this year's Feb. 7 broadcast will mark the first Super Bowl without any Pepsi advertising.
Instead, PepsiCo Inc. is shifting its multimillion-dollar budget online. And, rather than relying on celebrities to pitch its products, it's shifted to a philanthropic, cause-related campaign.
Called the "Pepsi Refresh Project" (http://www.refresheverything.com), the initiative, launched in January, offers to fund "refreshing ideas that change the world." People can apply on the website to have their projects funded and vote for projects they believe are worthy of funding.
This noteworthy shift from high-profile, event-based buzz to an online-based, cause-related movement illustrates what many marketers are feeling - that traditional tools don't have the same power to engage consumers that they used to. And, increasingly, marketers are looking at values as a way to demonstrate value.
Speed to market is accelerating
Marketing today has shifted to real-time response, requiring fast assessments of opportunities and threats. This requires a strong understanding of what feels right and appropriate for your brand, so that strategic communication decisions can be made quickly.
The speed with which marketers, not just aid organizations and NGOs, jumped to help raise funds for victims of the Haiti earthquake was astonishing. Within hours, telecom companies created opportunities to contribute via texting, airlines and hotel chains implemented point-donation programs, and other businesses, from packaged-goods to courier companies, were trying to outdo each other with announcements of cash contributions.
More effort to earn your place
Gone are the simpler times when a TV ad presenting a sharp, focused and competitive brand message was enough to do the job. In the past decade, consumers have become increasingly cynical about advertising messages, with blogs and other online tools holding marketers accountable for the promises they make.
As well, consumers are more protective about giving brands the permission to intrude, particularly in personal spaces like Facebook.
To succeed, marketers need to understand where they have permission to show up, and the tools they choose to use must deliver value to consumers and speak in an authentic brand voice.
An interesting example from 2009 is Best Buy's creation of Twelpforce, a service using company staff to answer product and technology questions directly via Twitter - bypassing the usual and often frustrating customer-service practices.
Best Buy's ad agency, Crispin Porter & Bogusky, made Twelpforce a key component of its marketing program, aiming to provide proof that the company's staff are more knowledgeable and supportive than that of its competitors.
Consumers expect to participate with your brand
Over the past 10 years, marketers have increasingly moved from talking at consumers to talking with them. As the lines of brand ownership blur, co-creation of content and user-generated content will increasingly become part of a company's communications approach.
A great example: To promote this year's Grammy Awards, the Recording Academy and its ad agency, TBWA\Chiat\Day, created a campaign centred around an interactive website called "We Are All Fans" (wereallfans.com). It's filled with portraits of Grammy-nominated artists generated entirely from YouTube, Twitter and Flickr postings submitted by fans, constantly updating in real time.
Brands and ideas are borderless
More than ever, we're citizens of the world, with consumers seeking out the latest and greatest, independent of location. With the pervasiveness of global conversations via Facebook, YouTube and Twitter, people feel more directly and immediately connected to brands outside their immediate marketplace.
For last year's United Nations climate change conference in Copenhagen, marketers, agencies and NGOs got together to create a campaign called Hopenhagen, intended to connect people to the issues (hopenhagen.org).
The campaign, promoted via social and paid media, created a platform for people to voice their opinions about climate change. Today, the site showcases comments from some of more than six million citizens of countries all over the world.
Marketers are no longer bound by region, and brands can go global virtually overnight. Today, being nimble, open-minded and prepared to break new ground is the price of entry.
For marketers to find success over the next decade, they will need to be wired for change, creative about understanding their brand's real connection with consumers, and fearless about trying new approaches.
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