Categories
Archives
The Teaser: Alive and Well In Automotive Marketing
[The following is an article originally posted via my Examiner column on automotive marketing which can be found here: http://bit.ly/zFaQe]
It’s one of the oldest tricks in the book for launching a new, highly anticipated product, but it’s still alive and well in automotive marketing. Indeed, the slow tease has become a staple in the arsenal of an increasing number of automakers lately. Acura did it with the ZDX. Lotus did it with the Evora (Eagle). Tesla killed us with the Model S. Rolls Royce tortured the insanely rich with a little Ghost tease. And now Audi’s decided get in on the fun and tease us with a little peek at the potential redesign of their flagship, the A8. It’s the “it” thing right now, and I'm guessing it'll stay that way.
But why are so many automakers turning to the tease as they launch new products? Aside from the fact that it usually escalates the level of anticipation in the market, I think they’re realizing that when they release their products in small, vague doses they can take advantage of massive amounts of media coverage available via blogs and automotive news sites like Jalopnik, GoTryke, Autoweek, Autopia, Motortrend, etc. that are rabidly covering ALL of the developments in the automotive world. And those combined with conversation on Twitter, Facebook and all of the other social media tools, the word-of-mouth generated is immense.
I love this as a tactic for a product reveal. Especially when given a unique twist, like the Lotus Evora, where the automaker sent press outlets a series of images of the technologies and components that made the car innovative, rather than just images of the design itself (That's called sticking to the brand message). One thing I’m hoping to see is a teaser campaign that ties in better with interactive media. We’ve seen microsites that release the teaser images, but none that integrate in a meaningful way with a cohesive social media or guerilla marketing effort.
Interested in hearing more of our innovative thoughts on what the perfect automotive teaser campaign might look like? Contact me via our website - http://www.sutter-group.com - or send me an email: garret [at] sutter-group [dot] com.
by
User Generated Content Is Beautiful
When done properly, marketing using user generated content can be effective at building a brand and beautiful all at the same time. Take for example the site created recently by the brand that essentially owns the permanent marker category, Sharpie. The “Sharpie Uncapped” site, which you can visit HERE is a site that allows users to register to share anything and everything Sharpie. Users can register to upload images directly to the site, or submit images through the web via popular social media platforms such as Flickr and Youtube.
It’s an amazing repository of inspiration and information about the many unique ways consumers are using Sharpie’s products. One look at some of the content on the site and it’s easy to see how the brand could develop an advertising campaign generated from the submissions on the site. It’s also a great way to encourage people to spread the Sharpie message via word-of-mouth marketing, as you can imagine the people who submit will be proud to have their work featured online.
While the visual appeal of the Sharpie site really helps to generate and sustain interest, there are many other categories where user generated content can and has worked: automotive, airlines, snack foods, shoe companies, car dealerships, restaurants, tourist attractions, and more. That said, it’s important not to simply give your customers the keys to the castle, so to speak. In order for a UGC effort to work, it’s key to engage in careful planning, think creatively and to know your audience (including having a healthy knowledge of what could go wrong). Need help? We’ve got that.
by
Keeping An Eye On The Competition
As brand managers execute integrated marketing campaigns it’s absolutely essential that they have a good understanding of both their product (or service) and their target consumer. But let’s not forget how important it is to keep at least one eye on the competition.
Conventional wisdom has always said to be proactive, not reactive but I’d contend it’s important to be a little bit of both. You have to have the ability to think on your feet and adapt to changing market conditions and react swiftly to competitive campaigns. BMW was able to do that in the example below, and turned what was a competitor’s direct assault into a net positive for the brand. Brilliance:
This billboard duel has gone viral, too, receiving coverage on tons of blogs and Twitter feeds over the last couple of days. One of our favorite blogs, Jalopnik, has even been taking reader submissions for an Audi response to the BMW billboard. You can check that out HERE. Here’s my favorite:
by
Ads Created By The Audience
As Nissan prepares to launch the Cube this spring, their goal is to make a big impression with their young target audience—18- to 24-year-olds. They’re making sure they connect with that audience by employing them directly to create the advertising campaigns that will influence their peers.
Nissan has inked deals to become a part of the curriculum in marketing classes at 10 large universities across the United States including Johns Hopkins, right here in Maryland. There they will work with students to create ad campaigns that will run on each individual campus this spring. It’s like a reverse focus group—Instead of asking the target audience about the campaigns after they’re created, they’re involving them in the process of creating the campaigns.
The only directive that Nissan has given the students is that the ads should drive interest to local dealerships, but otherwise they’re staying out of it. This is a smart move because the last thing they want to do is stifle the creativity of these students. It should be very interesting to see what the students come up with—Stay tuned, I’ll write a follow-up after the launch.
And in the meantime, you can keep tabs on things for yourself:
See the Cube microsite HERE
Follow the Cube on Facebook HERE
Follow the Cube on Twitter HERE
Via Autoweek
by
KFC Skips Ads, Fixes Potholes Instead
There’s so much talk about how important it is to spend your marketing budget wisely these days. But if traditional advertising isn’t working like it used to, then what? KFC came up with a pretty good use for their advertising dollars recently. They’re sending the Colonel to five major metropolitan cities to repair potholes.
It’s not as weird as it sounds. They’ve recently launched a campaign aiming to focus on the high-quality and unsurpassed freshness of their chicken. As a tie-in, they’ve decided to “re-freshen” streets in five cities by filling potholes, and marketing them “Re-Freshened by KFC.” It’s a win-win-win. The public gets better streets, the city saves a ton of maintenance costs, and KFC gets the credit for responsible marketing, and news outlets, Twitter streams and blogs just like this one are telling EVERYONE all about it. Wouldn’t it be great if more marketing was for the good of all mankind?
I am curious as to why they didn’t choose to integrate this effort with an interactive and social media presence. I think a microsite with a description of KFC’s campaign and their efforts along with video, images, and more could have given the campaign even more horsepower. And a strong presence on Twitter could have been really powerful in spreading the world-of-mouth marketing. Even still, this is a pretty innovative use of a marketing budget.
Btw, KFC - We have a few potholes here in Washington, DC that are RIPE for filling. Come onnnnn down!
by
