If there is one truth in our new conversation-marketing world, it is that brands need to be fearless and try new things. Three big campaigns in the pipeline right now – from Pepsi, Domino's and Taco Bell – are testing the new rules of marketing in a conversation-centric world. Will these campaigns succeed? Fail? From a branding perspective, does it matter?
Media Logic’s Director of Studio Services and 30-year veteran of the graphic arts addresses how the overnight preeminence of social media has impacted the marketing industry and a generation of artists who have built their careers on the technical skills and software savvy required to build beautiful, effective means of communication.
Take one part struggling economy and two parts massive social networking and you’ve got a recipe for marketing chaos.
Throughout 2009, professionals on both the client and agency side have been scrambling to make sense of a new marketing reality – tighter budgets, mobile computing, empowered consumers – and get their heads around its implications relative to strategy, creative, media and budgets.
A few of the answers are coming into focus.
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With all its emphasis on control and discipline, is it any wonder why the NFL can’t quite understand social media? Like a rain-slicked fumble flopping about the red zone turf, the league just can’t seem to get a handle on it.
A strong majority of Z&C Poll participants (66%) felt that the latest Charmin promotion is, at the very least, fun. And very, very few thought it was in poor taste. “Enjoy the Go” Charmin!
The “Enjoy the Go” promotion is an attempt by Charmin to build buzz and drive awareness using a conversation-centric marketing approach. Twitter chatter has died down since last week, but we will be watching (from afar) to see how this promotion develops when it launches at the end of November.
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We’ve seen brands respond to the challenge of conversation-centric marketing in vastly different ways. Some have reacted by becoming even more cloistered; others are testing the outer boundaries of taboo. Charmin’s latest promotion shows that CPG, at least relative to this brand, has chosen the latter path.
John Jordan, a member of Media Logic’s xTeam, came across a CNET.com article this morning about Charmin’s promotion. It generated quite the conversation at Media Logic:
From: John Jordan Odd story, but should be interesting: Charmin to pay 5 people $10k to blog, and share experience in a makeshift bathroom.
From: Patrick Boegel It might be insane, but the methodology from P&G is likely spot on. This campaign will generate attention and receive coverage from bloggers and the media. Regardless of the tenor of the coverage, good or bad, people will be writing about this promotion for awhile.
From: Ron Ladouceur Maybe it’s because I came of age in the earthier 70s, but to me this sounds like a fantastic Social Juice promo (though, in this case, “juice” might be an ugly word). Can you imagine how great a sell it took to get a bunch of P&G execs to sign off on “enjoy the go?” Hats off! Frankly, I think the author of this review sounds a bit constipated. She could use a Charmin break. Time will tell if Charmin’s latest promotion will be a success or failure. But, at least around here, it’s got people talking. What do you think? Does the latest Charmin Times Square bathroom campaign push past the boundaries of good taste or is it an effective exploitation of a taboo subject?
When market conditions change, you need to respond quickly and concisely. That could mean repositioning your product, redefining your audience or changing the vehicles you use to communicate.
The evidence is overwhelming -- the days of just hammering our customers with as many impressions as possible and waiting for the anecdotal reaction are dead.