The Marketing Arm :: Blog

Now that's a sweeps

Win a trip into space.  Just answer this question.  Simple, clever, compelling.

[By the way, I'm working on my answer...]

UGC shows no sign of slowing

In case you've missed it, Sprint has launched a massive push for its new Instinct, touted as (another) the "iPhone killer."    You likely seen the ad for it at the movies or on TV.

The Instinct website has plenty of content and a promotional overlay that invites consumers to "shamelessly plug" the Instinct into their home videos with the winner taking home $10,000.  [Sprint has partnered with YouTube to host the videos.]

Sprint also populated the site with several shorts that include the Instinct and its capabilities, such as a horror clip that shows the villain using GPS to find the victims and another with a woman using eBay to buy a purse while in the middle of a high-speed chase. 

With the promo's voiceover done in the traditional movie preview voice, Sprint refers to the program as "the greatest product placement home movie of all time."

Created by Goodby, it's a fun program and another good example of how, when done right, UGC can engage consumers and work for brands. -- JM

Awkward moments in marketing

At the end of "The Office" the other night, I noticed a quick promo asking viewers to "check out more 'Awkward Moments' on NBC brought to you by Comfort Inn." 

Confused, but curious, I logged on to check out the site for any sort of explanation of why Comfort Inn would be interested in "owning" Awkward Moments.

What I found was one of the most confusing and constantly redirecting sites I've ever stumbled across.  After surfing on the site for a few minutes, I realized that Comfort Inn has spent a lot of money on "Awkward Moments."  They've taken clips from NBC shows that are "Awkard" and repurposed them for the website.

When thinking about why, I came to this conclusion:

Comfort Inn's tag line is "The Comfort Zone."   Taking that one step further (too far, if you ask me) is this idea that having an "Awkward Moment" that makes you want to get back to your "Comfort Zone."  What?  Isn't that like McDonald's taking "I'm Loving It" one step further by saying love is occasionally fueled by hate and then coming up with a hate-themed campaign?

What about the joys of travel, life on the road, owning where your travels take you, whether it be seeing friends and family, attending weddings, going to visit Grandma, etc.  There are so many great experiences that revolve around staying in a hotel.  It seems like there's a ton  of territory there to be explored and owned. 

And it makes much more sense then owning "Awkward Moments." -- SH

Four steps to creating successful contests and sweeps

Sweepstakes:  Love 'em or hate 'em, they still work.  They're a simple solution for almost any challenge -- flexible, inexpensive, easy to execute and quick to put together.  A large sweepstakes prize gives the sales force what they need to sell-in programs to key customers and, ultimately, that’s what leads to necessary in-store displays.

Sweepstakes also help to drive a database, consumer or sales leads, or other viral lists.

Contests (which require a test of skill) seem to be on the rise because they offer a more sophisticated level of consumer involvement and therefore have a greater opportunity for engagement with the brand. 
Creating a successful sweeps program or contest depends on what you're trying to accomplish, but there are a few key components:

1)  The prize. It’s becoming increasingly more difficult to create something that breaks through the marketing clutter and still connects the consumer back to the brand.  A big prize can serve as the hook that cause your core target to respond.

2) The winners.  Increasing the number of winners is an obvious solution that many brands have utilized to overcome one of the biggest challenges with sweepstakes participation:  the perception of “I will never win.”  Messages like: “Winners every day” or “Thousands of winners” help to drive participation.

3) The time.  Keep your promotions short and the redemption of the prize as close to immediate as possible.  Winning tickets to “next year's” event doesn’t excite the consumer.  Your promotion will lose momentum if you have to wait for months to find out if who won. 

4) The idea.  All of the above doesn’t matter if the idea doesn’t connect with your consumer.  Understanding your core target, leads to emotional powerful ideas that resonate with your consumer... making your sweepstakes a launching point for a longer relationship. -- AE

Want to sell a house? Forget the ice cream and give me info

Realtors are working harder than ever to sell their listings.  An article in today's USA Today outlines some of the "freebies" realtors are trying to lure people to their homes, including live music, ice cream, dog biscuits, and bottles of wine.

Here's the problem:  A “premium” item might get you in the door, but its not going to sell the house for you.  What will sell it is matching the right house with the right buyer.  If they are simply trying to drive traffic, then it might make sense, but they’re not, they’re trying to sell houses. 

You’ve gotta think the money spent on premiums would be better invested in connecting the right buyer with the right home. 

How?  Information.  Video is the new picture, and realtors who don’t have video tours are behind the times.  Saving people time and giving them relevant, useful information -- not three-piece bands -- is the way to sell houses. -- SH

What I'm seeing :: Promotions

I was asked recently what I'm seeing more of on the promotional front.  For one, there's a lot more  experimentation and use of smaller initiatives threaded together or layered on top of each other.   This gives consumers the option of navigating the brand experience both horizontally or vertically.

Promotions within social media networks are undeniably hot.  So are promotions that tap into virtual reality environments.

A couple of common themes prevail:  One is involving consumers with your brand.  Another is using user- generated content (e.g., stories, videos, pictures) to showcase real-life brand affinity within a brand-hosted online environment. -- N.U.