May 10th, 2012
According to Pinterest’s mission statement posted on their website, their “goal is to connect everyone in the world through the ‘things’ they find interesting… With millions of new pins added every week, Pinterest is connecting people all over the world based on shared tastes and interests.”
From a marketing perspective, this global connection allows for brands to engage with consumers at an exponential rate. That’s a low-cost, highly effective way for brands and companies to target their marketing efforts to an already established audience.
Brands and companies can engage with their targeted Pinterest audiences by hosting contests or sweepstakes on Pinterest that motivate users to build Boards with images of their products, thus encouraging brand engagement and increased referral traffic.
CPG giant Kraft Foods recently made their foray into this newest social network realm with their “Pin & Win” Sweepstakes. Entrants were tasked with creating a Board, usingKraft recipes under the “Food and Drink” category, pinning a minimum of 10 “spring entertaining” recipes found on kraftrecipes.com or pinterest.com/kraftrecipes. Aside from the prizing costs for this promotion – (1) $500 KraftStore.com gift card, (10) $200 KraftStore.com gift cards – minimal marketing dollars were spent yet the result was broad brand engagement, which is the goal of any marketing strategy.
May 10th, 2012
Recent technological trends have allowed for some great advancements in marketing, but we believe what it’s doing for promotions is just getting started. Here are a couple of new technological trends where the potential seems limitless:
1. Sharing your screen
Many of us who have worked for large corporations have seen our screen shared. You make the call to the IT department and watch as they take over your monitor, fixing the problem. Or perhaps you are a smaller company and use the Skype screen-sharing capability for a work presentation. Conceptually, it works the same.
Some brands have applied this to their marketing efforts. WetSeal, a US fashion retailer, has “Shop With Friends”. They allow users to login with Facebook, then they share a screen as they shop for clothing, conversing the entire time, it’s virtual shopping with a friend.
Now let’s apply that to a contest or game. Let’s envision that we allow users to share a screen together and collaborate to accomplish a goal, task or game play. For instance, perhaps you and a friend are playing “Pictionary” with each other versus another team of two (video game consoles have been sharing screens for years) and now it can be done on your desktop and through social media. Add promotional prize incentives and Voila, you have a magical consumer experience.
2. Engagement at multiple touchpoints
Many of us have heard the data about this Smartphone/Tablet boom. Smartphones will outpace PC sales in just a few years.*
*http://marketingland.com/its-a-post-pc-world-smartphones-tablets-outpace-traditional-pc-growth-8951
So now that everyone has or is going to have Internet access from anywhere, marketers have only begun to scratch the surface to the possibilities. Here are a couple of examples:
• In Spain, Diesel hooked up cameras in their stores to Facebook, allowing customers to post photos of themselves trying on clothes to their profiles for instant feedback from their friends.
• The Tweet Mirror enables customers to send snaps of themselves to friends and followers directly from the fitting room.
• Canon and Clairol’s Herbal Essences have both added Microsoft Tag technology to their in-store products, allowing consumers to easily access customer reviews.
From a promotion POV, you can incentivize consumers at multiple touchpoints during a program. Start in the home, then drive to store/event, and further the campaign through social media.
Brands can build promotion-specific applications around an entire promotion. This will allow constant engagement through push notifications, location-based marketing, scanning bar codes/QR codes, emails, SMS, you get the picture.
A great example was Chevy’s Super Bowl Game Time app for iPhone and Android devices that let sports fans answer polls and trivia questions for a chance at winning a prize, including 20 Chevy cars. Prizes were given out while consumers engaged with the brand.
This is only the beginning. If you’re planning your next big promotion, keep in mind that there are ways to engage your consumers like never before — the potential is limitless.
May 10th, 2012
Gamification is the use of game design thinking and techniques for non-gaming applications*. It is not, as some think, simply adding a game to your site experience.
Here are some typical game mechanic examples:
-Achievement: A badge, a level, a reward, or points given to a person for accomplishing something.
-Levels: Breaking a storyline or activity into levels or chapters, creating smaller goals. Leveling up can also be an experience level, showing how long you have worked. Often certain tools or story lines only become available at a certain level.
-Appointments: Return at a predetermined time to get something good. You see this with World of Warcraft and Farmville, “your crops will be ready to harvest in 12 hours.”
-Progress: Showing a person what percentage of a task they have completed or what portion of a map they have explored.
-Countdown: Having a time limit to complete a task.
-Tools: Needing to gain a specific item in order to complete a task.
-Free Lunch: The feeling of “lucking” into something because other people did the work. See Groupon.
-Loyalty: Returning to a task or location repeatedly and gaining status for it: Airline levels, Foursquare mayors, etc.
-Leader Boards: Displaying a list of people to recognize publicly who has earned the most achievements.
-Loss Aversion: Do this or you lose this benefit.
What works in games can usually work in the real world when applied with thought and attention to detail.
Game Mechanics In Action
How can gamification be used in business? The opportunities are endless. Some of the main integrations where you will likely see game mechanics in action are websites, loyalty programs and mobile apps.
Website Integration: The Huffington Post, SEOmoz, Mashable, and numerous others have all integrated some type of gamification for users of their sites. Read a certain number of articles, comment a specified number of times, share with your friends, and you can gain artificial levels, achievements and even added benefits. BunchBall, Big Door, and Badgeville are some vendors that have created simple-to-implement gamification features and solutions for website integration.
Loyalty Programs: Hilton Honors, Jetblue Trueblue points, Subway sandwich cards. These are all loyalty systems that use game mechanics to keep customers coming back more often.
Mobile App Integration: Most social media apps use gamification. Foursquare has mayors and check-in behaviors that win users free items and discounts. GetGlue rewards active entertainment consumption with stickers and prizes. Fitness apps use levels and achievements to encourage fitness. Many of these apps have also implemented leader boards.
Examples of Website Integration
Dropbox
Dropbox starts you with a free 2Gb of space. If you want more space you can opt-in to their paid service or you can earn more space through a few tasks:
-Getting started: 250Mb. Take the site tour, install their software, share a file. A few simple steps get you some extra space.
-Get social: 768 Mb. Connect your Twitter and Facebook accounts, and follow Dropbox.
-Refer a friend: up to 16Gb. For every friend you refer that signs up to Dropbox, you get 500Mb of storage added and each friend gets an extra 250Gb.
LinkedIn
When you first sign up for LinkedIn, their goal is to get you to give them as much information as possible. They use a progress bar when filling out your profile to show you what percentage you have completed. We have a natural inclination to want to make the progress bar fill up and show 100%.
Starbucks
Starbucks has a loyalty card with benefits that increase the more often it is used. Starbucks offers many free beverages, refills, and even turning the card into a status symbol with their personalized Gold Level Card.
Coming soon: Gamification How To
Sources: socialfresh.com; *The Gamification wiki
May 10th, 2012
What happens when TV meets the internet? As of today, they are just dating but I assure you that will change faster than you can say “how do I hook this up?”
Last year, the electronics industry pressed hard with 3D technology. The results, little consumer interest. However, 21% of all TV’s sold in the world were internet capable (Source:BBC News). That means things are starting to happen here.
Television is passive, internet is [inter] active. Yes, the remote is control, however, the mouse is control with power. People now more than ever want what they want, when they want it. When DVR’s were originally introduced, it changed our viewing habits. It now appears that the DVR is on a slow path to extinction thanks to streamed “Catch Up TV Services” such as worldtvpc.com or wwitv.com. I personally have watched countless episodes of 60 Minutes and ESPN updates on my laptop simply because I can do it wherever and whenever.
So what am I getting to here? The large big screen TV will become the go-to place for all of your video and internet entertainment and surfing. It will also mean greater target messaging by marketers. Which will mean deeper and more intimate relationships with consumers – so long as marketers do not invade people’s personal space too badly. It means networks from around the world will be at your disposal.
Further adding to the significance of the trend is Samsung’s newest “future-proof” Smart TV, the ES8000. A TV that features an expansion slot allowing the TV to be continually updated with the latest features and processing capabilities. It will also be voice activated much like the iPhone’s Siri as well as recognize users via on board camera to automatically know their favorite settings. Samsung estimates half of all its TVs shipped in 2012 will be internet ready vs. only 12% in 2011 (Source: ibn-tv.com).
Television made the world smaller on so many levels. The internet raised that to new heights. Time will only tell what the future holds for this pending marriage but I expect it will be“until death do us part”.
April 10th, 2012
Great prizing is a key component that marketers leverage to drive participation in a promotion. We frequently find that experiential prizes – those one-of-a-kind opportunities that likely cannot be purchased – are increasingly popular. For example: An opportunity for a celebrity chef to cook dinner in a winner’s home or the opportunity for an athlete to visit a community center filled with kids, etc.
These are incredible experiences for the winners and an awesome opportunity for Sponsors to get some post PR buzz, awareness, and media opportunities well after a Promotion ends.
Seems like a win-win situation, so what are some key things to consider?
Your contract with the celebrity must be clear. When is the prize payout? Where is the event… and are there restrictions to location based on the celebrity’s schedule and ability to travel? What are your expectations of the celebrity both for his/her interaction with the winner and for PR purposes? Unless your contract and the Official Rules specify otherwise, the event will take place where the winner lives and when the winner prefers (and, with a promotion, you never know where winners reside or how flexible they’ll be). It’s critical for your budget and seamless execution to hammer out these details in the contract.
With these contingencies resolved, Sponsors can have the best of both worlds…enjoying the great exposure and increased participation rates in exchange for dangling experiential and compelling prizes.
Our experience leads us to recommend the following:
1) Make sure your contract with celebrity participant/s is clear and specific
2) If the celebrity cannot travel far and/or your promotion requires a local payout and is marketed locally, make sure you limit eligibility to a designated area. As an example, open the campaign to folks of an appropriate age within a certain mile radius of a city center or metropolitan area
3) Align Official Rules disclosures with the terms of the contract. In addition, include provisions in the event that the payout is impacted or the celebrity cannot attend due to unforeseen circumstances. For example, if there’s inclement weather, would an outdoor event be held indoors and, if a celebrity guest gets sick, would an alternate prize be awarded in lieu of the experiential prize?
The moral of the story? Bring on those amazing prizes, cover off on the contingencies with experts in your contract and rules, and take advantage of all the great opportunities that experiential prizing offers!
March 21st, 2012
Developers and creatives have been hard at work crafting responsive/adaptive interfaces and layouts to meet today’s wide array of devices. We have been used to fixed width layouts for years and now, all of a sudden, we are forced to rethink the whole web design process from scratch.
With these dramatic shifts, our teams turn to the insights of published web developers, educators, and speakers like Ethan Marcotte, Aaron Gustafson and Luke Wroblewski (among countless others) to reconstruct how we operate and change the way we work. Thanks to their input and adopting an adaptive mindset, we’ve shifted gears well.
But, there is a common challenge that continues to surface: the <img> tag. For those on desktops or utilizing a high bandwidth internet connection, there isn’t really an issue. But, if you haven’t started migrating your sites and processes to mobile, we suggest you stop what you’re doing immediately and start thinking about the transition … and fast.
Media queries are gaining browser support and work well on background images you are using. Viewing on an iPad? No problem. Call out a smaller version of the original file in your CSS and you’re all set. Viewing on a mobile device? Again, target your breakpoint and call the smallest version of your background images in your CSS. This takes care of bandwidth issues on 3G or even limited EDGE connections by only loading the image size needed for that device instead of a larger sized version that serves no purpose on the smaller screen and slows the overall user experience.
One of the original solutions for responsive images was using img { max-width:100%; } to scale images down proportionately based on its containers size which again works great on desktops and fast connections. But, what sense is there in loading a massive image only to scale it down to 1/4 of its original size? This is where a recent A List Apart article written by Mat Marquis comes into play. He notes that video and audio both have support for multiple sources and a fallback in their markup. This is exactly what the <img> element or- his request- the <picture> element, needs. Instead of using a simple <img> tag like we have done since the beginning of the web, why not update the spec for today’s needs? He recommends using a <picture> tag and nesting <source> tags inside while incorporating media support on the source tags to target specified break points whereby calling specific image sizes based on screen size. Going back to fallback support, if a browser doesn’t support this new tag, then simply default to the <img> tag and call a mobile sized image keeping in line with a mobile first approach.
Mat’s solution is great. The only problem is that- as developers know- things don’t just happen instantly when we’re talking about something as big as the HTML5 spec. A similar approach was discussed as far back as 2007 and hasn’t gained much steam since. The one thing going for his approach today is the giant push toward responsive design as more and more developers realize the need to bridge the gap in HTML to address responsive images.
With the web evolving so quickly compared to just a short while ago, so many of our team’s ideas along with the likes of Marquis, Marcotte, Gustafson, Wroblewski, and others can surface for use much sooner than ever before.
http://www.alistapart.com/articles/responsive-images-how-they-almost-worked-and-what-we-need/
February 16th, 2012
Last week, there was much-to-do about the SOPA/PIPA bills. Honestly, I hadn’t heard of the things until rumors of Wiki, Facebook, and Google outages started circulating in the days leading up to their “official” protest blackout day and everyone jumped on the petition campaign. With ‘death of the internet’ claims swirling, I wanted a quick snapshot of what was going on. Here’s what I found.
At their crux, the bills are aimed at websites that are potentially housing materials infringing on copyrights. The US government / Attorney General would draw unilateral rights to police both US based and international sites, blocking access directly to the site and via search and banning US based advertisers or payment providers from doing any business with site(s) in question. The impact is paralyzing for file-sharing and pirated material sites (megaupload.com, thepiratebay.org, etc), popular content-sharing sites (YouTube.com and Pinterest) and even for independent blogs that reference copyrighted material (i.e. Joe Schmo’s Movie Reviews).
Talk about throwing the baby out with the bathwater. Although intended to shut down malicious sites clearly acting illegally, the scope of the bills is so broad that those sites operating legally would easily be targeted on a “block list” for third party copyright infringement resulting in lost revenue, legal battles and a bevy of other issues. While the YouTubes of the world may be prepared for such a battle, nimble independent sites may not have the resources for the fight. Not only that…most companies these days are actively promoting content share across the platforms mentioned. Say I’m Saturday Night Live. One of my skits goes viral and drives more attention to my show. Do I mind if my content is posted online? According to Tina Fey, veteran SNL writer, as quoted in her book Bossy Pants, you most certainly do not! To put the bills in context, remember that adorable Zooey Deschanel/Joseph Gordon-Levitt “What Are You Doing New Years Eve?” cover that was circulating a few weeks ago? Yes, it would be banished (check it out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSq1cez_flQ).
Welcome to 2012. Our society embraces Freedom of Speech, condemns censorship, and balks at ‘big brother’ moves by our government. While stolen / shared content has a major effect on the entertainment industry and companies certainly need help protecting their content, SOPA/PIPA are not the answer. No doubt there isn’t one clean-cut answer that will perfectly balance online freedoms with protecting businesses from being exploited. But, we can do better. As new/revised bills with toned-down approaches hit the pipeline, the impact on how websites operate and- in turn- integrate in our lives, our businesses, and our promotions, will need to be closely considered.
(Sources: http://mashable.com/2012/01/17/sopa-dangerous-opinion/, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stop_Online_Piracy_Act, & http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-57360665-503544/sopa-pipa-what-you-need-to-know/)
Categories: Budget Friendly, Consumer Generated, Digital Advertising, Economy, Measurement, Media, News, Promotions 2.0, Social Marketing, Technology, Viral Marketing
February 16th, 2012
As we talk through entry mechanics and user flow for our promotions, this question comes up frequently in our office. We are consistently being asked to lower the barrier to entry with a one click or minimal entry point registration. Although this does make entering promotions easy and will, in theory, generate a higher response rate there are a few things to consider.
One-click Registration
• Lower Barrier. ‘One-click’ is a lower barrier to entry method of registering for promotions and typically yields a higher participation rate.
• Non- Engaged Participants. With one-click or limited registration, a broader range of consumers may participate with little or no intention of continued brand interaction beyond that promotion.
• Fraud Prevention. One-click registration on the Facebook platform helps to prevent an automated entry processes and potential fraud.
• Brand Communication Opt-in. In a one-click registration scenario by logging in through Facebook, Twitter or other platform, brands may loose the opportunity to collect opt-in data at the time of registration (unless registration is dependant on selecting opt-in prior to entry).
The Registration Form
• Qualified Participants. Asking consumers to share relevant information in return for a chance to win or receive an offer may attract a more qualified participant and could result in a deeper brand relationship.
• Fulfillment. In many cases, there is specific information required in order to fulfill prizes or offers. This is especially true if prize or offer award is time sensitive. Collecting this information during the registration process will ensure that the appropriate information is on hand to quickly notify and confirm winners in adherence with the Official Rules.
• Quantity of Winners & Type of Prize. A key factor in determining what information is collected during the registration process is driven by how many winners and what type of prize or offer is being awarded. For large prize pools, collecting more information during the registration process will reduce the time and costs for gathering this information once the promotion is over.
• State Regulations. For registered promotions in the states of New York and Florida, promotion administrators are required to report the full names and addresses of winners of any prize valued at $25 or greater. In both cases, winners lists must be submitted within (60) days after a registered Promotion ends. If address information is collected at the point of entry, compliance with these regulatory guidelines is seamless and fees for post program efforts noted above are avoided.
• Rules Acceptance. In an effort to qualify participants, we prompt them to indicate via check box that they are eligible and validate that they have read the Official Rules at the point of registration. In doing so, entrants formally acknowledge that they understand and agree to all promotion requirements prior to participation whereby reducing liability on the part of the Sponsor.
When adopting a one-click vs. a full registration form, it is important evaluate promotion objectives and determine the best approach based on the factors listed above. In either registration scenario, we encourage that a Rules and Brand Opt In check boxes are included.
February 16th, 2012
The web has gone mobile and apparently there is no turning back. Last year over 63 million people in this country used their mobile devices to access the Internet. As smart phones, for the first time ever, are outselling personal computers, more consumers are turning to their mobile devices for information while on the go.
Designing for mobile, while maintaining continuity with the brand’s over all look and feel, can be challenging especially when use of white space for clarity is considered a good thing. Consistency with the brand’s website, however, helps to insure a similar experience for the loyal customer on the mobile site as well.
One of the key components in good mobile design, where the average screen space is only about 2 to 4 inches, is simplicity. As a result of these constraints, mobile design is clearly a case where less is more. That “on the go” consumer wants information and wants it simply and quickly.
Keeping file and load times down is also key – no one waiting for the train or a taxi wants to wait for tedious mobile downloads. For a successful mobile site, minimizing the number of pages is preferred. Once again, consumers do not have the time, or patience, to dig through pages of content.
Single column layouts work best for the same reason – quick, easy to read single column sites make the switch from click-able to tap-able a seamless one.
The result – simple, impactful, design to go.
February 16th, 2012
Taking some time at the beginning of this year to think about your 2012 Promotions Plan can help streamline your project timelines and create efficiencies.
First, take inventory and assess the state of your overall marketing plan. Look at the calendar and determine what larger marketing and advertising campaigns or efforts may already be planned.
Identify your goals throughout the year to lay out a comprehensive plan. Consider your selling seasons, holiday seasons, product launches and events. Involve people across the company when doing so to ensure that all goals are covered- Marketing, Sales, Product Teams and R&D all may have individual goals that can be supported through promotions.
Set high-level promotion objectives tied to your goals to focus on at different times throughout the year, such as awareness, acquisition, database drivers and product sales. During project planning, you’ll want to make sure to tie your tracking metrics back to these goals and objectives.
Once you have the framework for your plan calendarized, include the development time needed for each initiative. Start compiling the resources you’ll need for the first few projects and reach out to agencies and partners as early as possible to ensure project success. Deciding early on what you are able to do in-house versus what services you will outsource will mean you’re better equipped to run your campaigns.
Finally, the best laid out plans should allow for flexibility. New company initiatives, sponsorships, opportunities and launches can arise throughout the year. Have a few options at the ready for running quick to market promotions based on the time you have, so that whether you have 4 months or 2 weeks, you always have options available at your fingertips to ensure success.