It's a bird, it's a plane.....no......it's a Billboard!

Billboards also known as out-of-home advertising as called by Clow and Baack 2016, have been around for a very long time. In fact, according to Apryl Duncan, (2018) author of the blog, What is Billboard Advertising, and Why Should You Use It? The Jewel in The Crown of Outdoor Advertising, states: “The name billboard is derived from the term 'billing board', and is a large outdoor advertising space designed to capture the attention of motorists and pedestrians. Typically placed around high traffic areas (both automotive and foot traffic), billboards are meant to be simple, striking, and creative. In fact, the creative department in any advertising agency still prizes the billboard space, as it is a golden opportunity to do groundbreaking, impactful work. “

It is the desire of any business to make an indelible mark of success in the community which houses them and since advertising has become a major source through which those businesses are known, billboards play a key role in doing this. It is my belief that billboards are one of the major arteries that helps the life blood of a company to work. Jay-Z the famous rap artist,supports this belief, when he stated: “what people have to understand is ‘Billboard’ is a magazine. They’re like elected officials - they work for us.”

Billboards can be seen as a loyal friend to a company’s brand, as they are always in the same place they left them and the same way they left them pointing onlookers in their direction. In Paul Sugget's blog ,10 Steps to Making a Great Billboard Ad-How to Create Effective Billboard Ads in Ten Steps, he lets one know immediately, that; "we are now in a time when consumers are no longer looking at billboards in the same way they did twenty or thirty years ago. While they may still be considered a premium advertising space, consumers are engrossed in their smart phones, tablets, and gaming systems. Eyes are down not up, for much of our lives. HOWEVER, that doesn't mean billboard advertising is to be discounted or ignored. Billboards are everywhere, and even though we remember just a handful, they can still have a powerful branding impact."

In a world where small business carry a huge percentage of the weight in providing jobs as according to Fliphound, where they state: “small businesses power the economy, 50% of the working population (120 million) work in small businesses. Millions of the 27.9 million small businesses in the U.S. are already advertising online and using digital advertising to build their brands and grow their businesses. Billboards can assist small firms by propelling them into the hearts and minds of potential customers that their budget may not otherwise be able to reach.?"

In an age of millennials, Gen X’ers and baby boomers, there's a billboard for almost everyone. One could use 3D billboards that allow the reader to interact with them, also ones that use exciting neon lights, and ones that even catch babies eyes. There is an old adage that says, don't throw out the old broom, because the old broom knows how to sweep. Let's not dismiss the relevance and value that billboards can and do afford us even in this present age.

Sources

Clow, K. E., & Baack, D (2016). Integrated Advertising, Promotion, and Marketing
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https://www.thebalance.com/what-is-outdoor-advertising-38452Links to an external site.?

https://www.thebalance.com/six-steps-to-making-a-great-billboardad-38479?utm_term=billboardLinks to an external site.

https://www.thebalance.com/what-is-billboard-advertising-and-why-should-you-use-it-38489Links to an external site.?
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This entry was posted on July 16, 2018 at 6:28 PM and has received 1516 views. There are currently 0 comments. Print this entry. Download attachment.

When creating a brand name, companies must consider global market expansion opportunities. Once a product does well in the U.S., most smart businesses and marketers try to market their product or service abroad.  A key issue that many companies overlook is how to market to different cultures that do not closely align with American culture and values.  Most international marketing failures occur because of inadequate market research. When Betty Crocker tried to bring their ready-to-bake cake to Japan a big problem was that there were few ovens in households.  To avoid such as blunder, organizations should spend considerable time in the country, talk to the consumers, and conduct field experiments. 

Even products that are considered to be "universal" could be misunderstood and not useful in certain countries due to the way people live their lives. Whether you are appealing to the masses such as Apple, Campbell’s, or Pepsi or are a niche marketer, cultural factors matter. Consider the brand’s name and its meaning. There are thousands of languages and to different people, there are different meaning to words. Nokia Lumia for example, started making phones in 2011 and became very popular in America. Over time, the brand expanded into other countries. However, when the brand was marketed in Spanish countries with the same name, the credibility was severely diminished. The Nokia Lumia had a different meaning in Spanish. Lumia is a Spanish slang word for prostitute.  A product may be desirable for a market, but the brand name can be problematic. This is why it is so important to work on the brand's global image on a market by market basis. It has also been shown that consumers trust brands that have originated in their home country. The trust factor is lessened when there is a cultural paradox between names and meanings.

Can you identify another good example of how a poor global brand name led to an international marketing failure?

Sources: http://mentalfloss.com/article/31168/11-product-na

This entry was posted on July 2, 2018 at 12:19 PM and has received 1156 views. There are currently 0 comments. Print this entry. Download attachment.

Infomercials are types of commercials or ads that many consumers do not like. “An infomercial is a form of paid television programming in which a particular product is demonstrated, explained, and offered for sale to viewers who call a toll-free number shown on the screen” (Keegan & Green, 2017, p. 455). These commercials are often entertaining but aim at unsuspecting consumers. The target is the TV viewer or the radio listener. Infomercials are frequently adapted for different countries. Ads using an emotional appeal may seem eternal. They repeat again and again the wonderful functions of a product inviting you to order it NOW by phone or online. “Industry observers expect the popularity of home shopping to increase during the next few years as interactive television (ITV or t-commerce) technology is introduced into more households” (Keegan & Green, 2017, p. 458).

Infomercials have high coverage around the world; they are broadcast by TV and internet on all cable, radio or satellite communication platforms. The promotional strategy is to present a problem that you did not know you had to sell you a solution that you probably do not need. You will most likely use the product once in your lifetime but none of this goes through your head when you are watching the fast-paced infomercials. What is being sold is often not worth what it costs, since handling and shipping generally cost more than the actual value of the product. These commercials use an image of a person who appears to be an expert in the area with a strong power of persuasiveness.

In many cases, the product fails to work as indicated and it is very likely that you can find something similar and better in another store. Thomas Burke, president of Saatchi & Saatchi’s infomercial division, calls infomercials “the most powerful form of advertising ever created.” (Keegan & Green, 2017, p. 455). Infomercials have the ability to get the consumer to remember the name of the program (As Seen on TV), not the brand but what the product does. In my case, I would never buy any of these products. I think they are a scam and they are much more expensive than they should normally cost.

What do you think?

References:
Keegan, W. J., Green, M. (2017). Global Marketing Management, 9th Ed. Pearson.
 

This entry was posted on June 18, 2018 at 12:38 PM and has received 1789 views. There are currently 0 comments. Print this entry. Download attachment.

1. Chatbots are the new customer experience tool

Chatbots have been around for years, but due to recent AI improvements, they have seen a big lift in popularity. In 2017, the use of chatbots by brands to create more engaging customer experiences started becoming a key marketing tactic. In 2018, chatbots are a key marketing tactic that brands need to start thinking about using via social media. Currently, chatbots are mostly used for customer service—61% of consumer-chatbot interactions are centered around customer service-related questions...the future of bots is looking bright, too, with an estimated 85% of customer interactions managed by chatbots by 2020 (Hollander, 2017). You might ask, who is the target audience for chatbots? The answer is Millennials. 58% of Millenials have used a chatbot before and 71% say they would try interacting with a chatbot from a major brand, according to a survey by Retale (Retale, 2018). With the Millennial demographic showing interest in this technology, it is only a matter of time before chatbots and other AI technology become an every day norm.

2. Integrating personalization into an omni-channel customer journey

Within e-commerce sectors like travel and retail, website personalization has been widely used to increase relevance and response of communication with returning customers and, most importantly, new customers. There are various forms of website personalization such as increased use of AI as opposed to manual updates, content offered to visitors, and commerce management systems (SaaS) that can help automatically integrate personalization into companies’ CRM—integrating a personalization tool with a CRM is the key to a complete omni-channel experience for customers and making personalized experience at every stage of their buying journey, across all platforms they interact with. For example, creating an personalized omni-channel experience would look like this: a customer goes onto company A’s website via their laptop computer to look at a pair of shoes, then the next day they are on Facebook and see an ad for those same exact pair of shoes, later in the week, they head to the company A’s store and they research those pair of shoes on their mobile device, after they purchase the shoes. Company A is able to provide product recommendations tailored to the type of shoe that person previously purchased. You can expect to see integrated personalized experiences being adopted across more sectors in the coming years.

3. Digital storytelling

Social media stories’ growing popularity among users has created a nearly impossible task for marketers to ignore in the coming years. The stories format originally launched by Snapchat and now on Instagram and Facebook has now become a staple of the social media world. Each platform offers unique features and presentation, but they all follow the same concept—digital storytelling. Stories capture people in the moment and at the best moments day and night and most disappear after a period of time. This temporary nature not only creates great storytelling, but also creates a sense of “fear of missing out” and instant gratification for user. 2018 is the year of digital storytelling, with even YouTube and WhatsApp joining the revolution.

4. Brands heavy investment in influencer marketing

According to Inc.com, 84% of marketers planned on executing at least one influencer marketing campaign during 2017, and businesses generate $6.50 for every $1 invested in influencer marketing (Cole, 2017). Brands heavy investment in influencer marketing as a core marketing strategy has started becoming popular over the past few years and will only continue to grow moving forward as more brands start taking notice of the ROI. The type of companies that have the most success from influencer marketing are clothing and beauty brands, and now larger companies, such as Amazon, are also jumping on the bandwagon. What is driving force of influencer marketing? Consumers. Brands that make their customers the star of their user-generated content will increase their brand loyalty and enhance the buyer experience. The perfect example of this is Coca Cola’s Share a Coke campaign. This helps brands create content that is more natural and personal as opposed to being over planned, like some advertising efforts. Nearly 95 percent of marketers who currently use an influencer marketing strategy believe it is effective, and we only expect this number of marketers (and their respective brands) to increase next year.

References:

Cole, N. (2017). In 2017 influencer marketing is about to go through the roof. Retrieved from http://www.inc.com

Hollander, R. (July 18, 2017). Amazon is building a messaging app called ‘Anytime.’ Retrieved from http://www.businessinsider.com

Linqia. (2017). The state of influencer marketing 2017. San Francisco, CA: Linqia. Retale. (2018). Retrieved from http://www.retale.com/

This entry was posted on June 3, 2018 at 2:48 PM and has received 1525 views. There are currently 0 comments. Print this entry. Download attachment.

Social media content is overwhelmingly created and distributed by consumers. It is very popular among consumers and business-to-consumer (B2C) organizations but the same is not true for business-to-business (B2B) firms. Social media has been defined by (Kaplan and Haenlein 2010) as “a group of Internet-based applications that build on the ideological and technological foundations of Web 2.0, and that allow the creation and exchange of user-generated content.” Why is it that B2B organizations have been slow to use this powerful medium? There have been a number of studies that suggest that industrial marketers do not know how they will benefit from its use and social media does not research B2B customers. Social media has also been slow as an aid to an organization’s selling function. The main barriers to utilizing social media in a B2B organization are that it is not of importance within the industry the organization operates in and has not been used in the past; uncertainty whether or how social media could help their brand; unfamiliarity of staff with social media; the perceived big investment in time required; in some cases competitors don’t use social media; and importantly, a lack of social media knowledge and technical skills by the organization's staff.

This been said, there is some evidence that there is some change in B2B use of social media. Thirty-three percent of B2B buyers reported they researched at least 90 percent of products online before purchasing, up from 22 percent in 2013. Forty-four percent of respondents had researched company products on a smartphone or tablet in 2014 compared with 41 percent in 2013 (Acccenture, 2014). Although an increasing trend, social media use in B2B is much lower than in B2C.

B2B markets are different from B2C markets. Turka and Sasan (2015) noted that organizational buying behavior is much more complex than consumer buying behavior. They identified five key differences between organizational buying and consumer buying: First, negotiations are a key element involved in the organizational buying process. Second, relationships are more important in the B2B environment than in B2C. Third, there are fewer organizational buyers when compared to consumers. Fourth, organizations are more rational when purchasing compared to consumers. Last, the organizational buying centre is typically more knowledgeable with respect to the purchase than a consumer buyer.
 

This entry was posted on May 15, 2018 at 6:02 PM and has received 1570 views. There are currently 0 comments. Print this entry. Download attachment.

In the rapidly changing landscape of B2B sales, technology, competitive intensity and rising sales support costs oblige greater attention to customer relationships. “Many companies that have an enterprise focus struggle with the concept of “owning the customer” (Weeks 2016). Given that customers are buying in different ways, firms are driven to engage customers differently. According to Cooper (2016), “customer ownership is all about creating, delivering and communicating compelling value”. In nurturing and developing customers through the B2B life cycle, multiple departments and functional units in the firm are entwined in customer relationship management (CRM). The complexity of CRM and dynamism in customers’ relationship expectations require that sales, marketing, service and support work together through the customer buying and fulfillment process. ‘The diffusion of tasks and responsibilities exposes a fundamental CRM gap: who truly owns the customer? A recent AMA Marketing News article referred to customer ownership as “the age-old battle between marketing and sales” (Qaqish 2018). The idea of who ‘owns’ the customer relationship may become ambiguous.  So, what does it mean to own a customer relationship?

Customer ownership is defined as building a level of rapport, commitment, and trust with a customer that increases dependency. The question becomes “does this dependency by the customer reside with the salesperson who they deal with regularly or with the company they purchase from?” Anecdotally consider this situation, the salesperson who you normally deal with leaves to go to another company with similar and substitutable products. Do you continue buying the same product from a different salesperson or do you buy a different product from the same salesperson you have always dealt with?

In B2B channels, most firms entrust front-line responsibilities to salespeople. Thus, the majority of customer interface occurs between salespeople and the customer which enhances the salesperson-customer bond. A convergence of personal and social forces emanates from the salesperson as well as the firm, so who owns the customer relationship, the firm or the salesperson? Gaining clarity on who owns the customer relationship is critical to maximizing customer satisfaction and the firms’ ability to develop and execute a growth strategy with the customer.

References

Cooper, D. (2016, November 22). Customer 'ownership? is about delivering 3 kinds of Value. - The Donald Cooper Corporation. Retrieved from https://www.donaldcooper.com/customer-ownership-delivering-3-kinds-value/
Qaqish, D. (2018, April 17). Who Owns the Customer Journey? AMA Marketing News. Medium. Retrieved from https://medium.com/ama-marketing-news/who-owns-the-customer-journey-53a2f271de25
Weeks, T. (2016, October 11). The Question of Customer Ownership. Retrieved from https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/question-customer-ownership-tom-weeks/

This entry was posted on May 1, 2018 at 11:02 AM and has received 2133 views. There are currently 0 comments. Print this entry. Download attachment.

The use of retouched, altered, or “doctored” photos in advertisements has long been an issue in marketing. However, today it seems to be even more pertinent, especially with the advent of high quality, powerful editing programs such as Photoshop. The use of these altered images in advertising has led to an increase in consumer skepticism and in some cases increased governmental regulation. For instance, starting in fall 2017, in France, any commercial image that has been digitally altered to make a model look thinner will have a cigarette-packet style warning on it. The warning will say "photographie retouchée", which translates to "edited photograph" (Eggert, 2017). Anyone breaking the new rule could be fined 37,500 euros or 30% of the cost of creating the ad. Even the United States had attempts to intervene with the proposed Truth in Advertising Bill in 2016 (Saxena, 2016). In the UK, ever since 2011 ads that were deemed “over-Photoshopped” were banned, including ones with celebrities such as Julia Roberts. Some ad campaigns, such as Dove’s Evolution, even underline natural beauty and the negative use of Photoshop, while others  such as Snickers, have taken opportunities to poke fun of the practice.

In this context, aspects such as advertising believability and trust are key issues to attain positive consumer attitudinal and behavioral responses and it’s not surprising that a wide majority of consumers tend to disbelieve advertisements. In acknowledging the importance of avoiding misleading images, some companies use advertising disclaimers to highlight potentially deceptive features of their ads. Some brands recently decided to launch “Photoshop-free campaigns”, which inform consumers that their advertisements do not use digital photo processing software. Research has shown the benefits of retouch-free disclaimers of digital images on attitudinal and purchasing behaviors.

In a research study, we found that ad believability and attitude towards the ad significantly influence consumers’ intentions to purchase the advertised product. Credibility seems to carry a lot of weight in consumers' decisions to try a product, which underlines the importance of an ad's believability and the credibility of its claims in the sales outcome. Therefore, a company can differentiate and affirm its trustworthiness and care for its consumers through its emphasis on truth and transparency in its advertising practices.

References:
Eggert, Nalina (2017). Is she Photoshopped? In France, they now have to tell you. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-41443027
Saxena, Jaya. (2016). New advertising bill wants to put an end to Photoshop — and the way we shop. Retrieved from https://www.dailydot.com/irl/truth-in-advertising/

This entry was posted on April 15, 2018 at 7:40 PM and has received 3124 views. There are currently 0 comments. Print this entry. Download attachment.

Influencer marketing is a word-of-mouth marketing technique that rewards connected social media participants who have the credibility and motivation to drive positive word-of-mouth to a broader and noticeable segment of the market. It usually includes consumer-to-consumer campaigns in which the identified influencer receives incentives to post positive messages about a brand so that it permeates throughout their valuable network via electronic word-of-mouth.

Influencer marketing is not without challenges. Brands might find it difficult to identify, recruit, and retain high-value influencers. Incentives are a necessary component of an influencer marketing campaign because only a small fraction of social media influencers will write a review without even the smallest incentive, which may include both money and product samples. Moreover, it is difficult to constantly maintain a high level of motivation and activity from the influencers, even with incentives. For influencers, it is tough to self-identify, join, stay motivated and maintain a long-term commitment to brands, as incentives are constantly needed and real-life consumption is expected to be aligned with influencer communication.

Despite the efforts of businesses to justifiably engage in influencer marketing, the level of integrity and unethical conduct in fake reviews is still a problem. Amazon has filed in 2015 a lawsuit against more than 1,000 unidentified individuals who were allegedly selling fake reviews on Fiverr.com for products sold on Amazon. Businesses have started campaigns to incentivize buyers with a variety of discounts and promotions for posting positive recommendations. However, some companies still have disguised business-generated reviews as consumer recommendations in the anonymity of the Internet.

In a research study, we found that incentivized campaigns lead to more positive reviews, because influencers receive benefits from posting reviews and potential further incentives and campaigns. Consequently, the influencer can contribute to a lasting increase in the number of reviews with a more positive sentiment and with the potential to lead to higher sales. Overall, incentivized campaigns result in increased positive word-of-mouth, increased consumer interest, and higher purchase potential.

To read more about this topic:
Petrescu, Maria, Bay O’Leary, Deborah Goldring and Selima Ben Mrad (2017). Incentivized reviews: Promising the moon for a few stars. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, in print.
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0969698916306397

This entry was posted on April 1, 2018 at 8:00 PM and has received 1635 views. There are currently 0 comments. Print this entry. Download attachment.

Use of mobile devices has become commonplace for contemporary retail shoppers.  At their fingertips, consumers can easily obtain lots of information to aid their shopping efforts and decisions. This phenomenon has been a challenge for some marketers; for others, a benefit.  For instance, brick-and-mortar retailers have announced store closings (e.g., Macy’s in 2016 and early 2017), dissolution (e.g., Limited’s elimination of its store format in 2016 ), or corporate layoffs (e.g., WalMart in 2017), as their financial metrics are upended through e-commerce. At the same time, e-tailers have parlayed their technological competencies to embrace technologically-savvy buyers. Witness Alibaba’s acute aspirations to become a worldwide e-marketer and Amazon’s tremendous expansion of the breadth and depth of its offerings as well as recent establishment of its own global delivery service.

Retail salespeople have traditionally been providers of information for customers. Indeed, until the advent and enormous growth of the internet and e-commerce, sales personnel tended to be the primary purveyors of information in selling.  As noted above, however, the retailing dynamic has changed markedly. Many retail customers now turn increasingly to marshaling information from alternative sources—particularly from mobile devices. In fact, consumers seem to be replacing traditional retail salesperson functions—such as collecting information, comparing prices, and securing the order—with mobile devices. This situation may well foreshadow a decline in the importance of salespersons in buyer-seller interactions.

Interestingly, a consumer’s mobile device is somewhat similar to retail salesperson input in that it mimics the personal nature of selling. Accordingly, many of today’s consumers tend to consult their smartphone rather than interact with retail sales personnel. Indeed, 73% of shoppers would rather use their phones than deal with the salesperson. 

With increasing consumer preference for mobile devices for both hedonic and utilitarian reasons and avoidance of the retail salesperson, we did a study to explore the consumer’s information search behavior vis-à-vis the salesperson’s selling behavior so as to enhance understanding of how retail salespeople can influence mobile dependent shoppers.

We found that the more searching consumers do on their phones, the more they experience increases in perceived control, which fosters their purchase intention. These findings suggest that retailers should create an environment that facilitates feelings of perceived control because that construct is closely connected to the pathway between search and purchase intention. For example, providing consumers with easy access to free wi-fi in stores is one technique to help create a shopping environment that nurtures mobile phone searching. Retailers might also adopt a selling philosophy that helps consumers in their role as search agents to perceive that they are controlling the interaction with the salesperson (e.g., “Come to our store and be the boss,” “We don’t push you; you are in charge”). Because the mobile phone seems to increase feelings of control, retailers should also assist consumers to stay connected to their phone so that they can continue to search in the store. Furthermore, salespeople should be trained to be search assistants for the customers rather than assume the traditional role of “pushing the sale.” In this context, retail salespeople could assist consumers in their search activities by providing comparison websites, review sites, and alternative search terms. In a similar way, companies can create apps for the mobile phone to engage consumers while in the store, and salespeople can direct them to download these applications. 

* This post is based on a journal article recently published  in Psychology & Marketing titled, “Under the sway of a mobile device during an in-store shopping experience”. To read more about this study, findings and implications, contact Dr. Weisfeld-Spolter sw887@nova.edu

This entry was posted on March 15, 2018 at 12:47 PM and has received 3008 views. There are currently 2 comments. Print this entry. Download attachment.

A growing body of research is supporting the need for content to strike an emotional chord if it’s to go viral. Studies are now revealing what types of emotional content garner the most views, likes, shares and comments in social media.

Our own examination of YouTube recast commercials discovered the following eight types of emotional content to perform the best.

1. Sentimentalism
2. Humor
3. Inspiration
4. Public spontaneity
5. Pride
6. Incredulity
7. Nostalgia
8. Generosity

SENTIMENTALISM: Touching Hearts with Tenderness, Compassion and Nostalgia
A recurrent theme among the examined social videos involve the tearful joy stemming from tender moments.  Pfizer captures this well in their heartwarming scenes of family members expressing their appreciation for each other.

These emotions are also aroused when feelings of compassion tug at our hearts. The success of social videos like  Bangkok's Thai Life video and Sarah McLachlan's ASPCA video are largely based on their compassionate pleas and gestures.

In a similar vein, much of the imagery reaching the highest engagement in social media involves innocence. The scenes of toddlers, animals, young romance and other cute arousals allow us to live vicariously through a kinder and more promising world.

HUMOR: Tickling Hearts with Social Order Deviancy, Comic Wit and Malicious Joy
Another way to spark emotional connections from content is through humor. Accounting for the vast majority of viral YouTube videos, laughter is produced when we see something out of sorts (comic wit), enjoy others’ misfortunes (malicious joy) or release ourselves from inhibitions (social order deviancy).

INSPIRATION: Restoring Hope through Bolstered Confidence and Pushing Limits                                       The past few years have witnessed a dramatic rise in inspirational content often centered around pumping us up. Consider how  P&G and Nike spots routinely post videos of young adults encouraged to push their limits or never give up. The videos often involve handicapped role models, outstanding athletes or parents motivating them to realize their potential.

PUBLIC SPONTANEITY: Disrupting through Flash Mobs, Pranks or Surprise Routines
In almost all cases, content that goes viral has an element of surprise to trigger attention. This “element of surprise” often happens as an unexpected twist revealed toward the end of a content piece. In perhaps its most effective setting, the element of surprise is cast in a monotonous public setting that challenges crowd routines with a “let loose” spontaneity.

Dozens of flash mob videos garnered millions of views when cast in unsuspected public settings including malls, train stations, airports, public squares and universities. A similar jolt to our hearts can happen when publicly displayed pranks widely disrupt our otherwise peaceful settings. Another effective element of surprise involves an unexpected change of routine. Virgin Atlantic's #VXsafetydance video likely sparked attention from many bored passengers enjoying the break from monotonous safety instructions.

PRIDE: Stirring Hearts through Team Winning, Family News and Solidarity
Of the examined videos, many involved feelings of exhilaration experienced from the winning.  Nike spots have had great success capturing the thrills of proud communities from winning championships, spectacular comebacks or retiring great players. A more sobering heartfelt feeling of pride can be aroused from hero salutes like those used in Hill Holiday's spots for Anheuser-Busch.

This stirring of emotions from community solidarity is an effective theme for brand storytelling. Chrysler rekindled American pride with a piece dedicated to the motor city. In a similar fashion, brands like VaynerMedia's Dove spots and TBWA's production for Apple have been highly effective in stirring family pride with pregnancy announcements or unexpected family achievements.

INCREDULITY: Dazzling People with Beauty, Craftsmanship and the Human Potential
Feelings are often aroused through a shock and awe after experiencing the wonders of nature, ingenuity or what our bodies and minds can achieve.  Dove  astonishes us with their extreme makeovers much like Honda's "Cog" dazzles us with their incredible attention to fine detail and masterful craftsmanship. Heart pumping sensations can be aroused when we explore the depths of natural beauty or witness dare devil feats and the extremes of human potential.

NOSTALGIA: Warming Hearts with Fond Memories of Family and Better Days
Nostalgic storylines stir our hearts from reflections on what means the most to us.  Apple and MetLife , for example, portray the importance of family in healing emotional scars or restoring the sense of security we feel in the surroundings of loved ones.

Combining the sadness of loss with the joy of accomplishment is especially effective in garnering likes and shares. These scenes of tearful joy often include fathers letting go of their daughters when they first drive a car, go off to college or get married.

GENEROSITY: Touching Hearts with Kindness
Though not as commonly created as other forms of emotionalized content, videos displaying random acts of kindness, community benevolence or thankful gift giving often reach tens of millions of views. Consider the effectiveness of Everlast  in their portrayal of a young boy who sacrifices his own pride to support the hungry.

Brands like Westjet reached 42M views from their Christmas Miracle video produced by Mosaic. In this case, the brand showed its generosity in surprise passengers with Christmas gifts coming down the carousal. This strikes an emotional chord similar to the generosity displayed in Cossette's spot produced for Duracell as they warmed up bus passengers waiting in the cold.

Conclusion
So with the alarming levels of content hitting the internet, it is clear that content marketers must find a way to distinguish themselves by emotionally amplifying their content. This will likely shift the bulk of content formats from one of instruction and information to one of entertainment and inspiration.

And to do this effectively, brands and small firms have to show their true colors while surprising us with playful content, awe inspiring imagery, sentimental pleas or passionate performances. Add stories of generosity or triumph; and you may find the key to establishing emotional connections that get your content to go viral.

So what other ways do you think content can strike an emotional chord with targeted audiences?

This entry was posted on March 1, 2018 at 4:31 PM and has received 1806 views. There are currently 3 comments. Print this entry. Download attachment.