March Madness is about passion, and where there is passion there are marketers — all trying to capitalize on the heightened awareness, the passion, the fans. Through watching many games and reading coverage online, I have seen the many commercials, the banner ads (I must be nearing frequency levels in the triple digits with some ads). As I analyzed which teams will make it to the Final Four, I also wondered which marketers are winning the advertising bracket. As I reviewed the many ads, I grouped the ads (television and online) into three different groups: basic exposure, contextual integration, and brand passion.
A common cliche in advertising is anyone can come up with a good idea. There is something to the old adage. I personally believe anyone can come up with an idea, but it doesn’t necessarily mean it will be good. However, if the person has insight and passion there is a better chance for success. A chance they will come up with something clever — original — an idea to make a product or business better. Which brings me to coffee and crowdsourcing.
The diamond is a simple metaphor. A metaphor to elegantly blend a brand with a target consumer. Chiseling away at consumer information to glean actionale insights. Insights rich in inspiration that lead to campaign ideas. Campaign ideas that begin as channel agnostic platforms, but then through a deeper cultivation of consumer channel attitudes and behaviors, the campaign comes to life. This thought process is the genesis of the Campaign Diamond.
On the first Monday of March I received an email from Nabisco. The email was an invitation to become a fan of Nabisco Cookies on facebook. Actually it was more than an invitation — it was a fan bribe. Nabisco is offering free cookies, sort of, if I become a fan. The email made me wonder how well bribes work. Secondly, if someone does join based on a bribe, how much of a fan of the brand are they?
Right now mobile apps listed are rather impersonal, and a bit pushy. Pushing coupons to the phone. Pushing prices to the phone. Pushing reviews to the phone. We need to be a little less pushy, and take a more empathetic view of the shopper. Make it more about them. Make it personal.
The purchase funnel is a diagnostic tool we can use to determine the health of our brand. It works. However, people will continue to contort the funnel for dramatic effect and attention. That’s okay, the metaphor will survive. It will be baromoter to guide us to something deeper. Something actionable. Something personal.