One of the best parts of being a social marketing technology provider and thought leader is hearing what’s on the mind of our customers, partners and other marketing professionals. Last week, we traveled to Miami, Florida for
iStrategy’s latest Global Digital Marketing Conference, a gathering of more than 350 senior brand marketers to discuss the latest innovations in digital and social marketing technology and strategy.
During the conference, Wildfire spoke about how the digital-social revolution has delivered to us a “New Normal,” where technology has empowered consumers by giving them access to information. This phenomenon has fundamentally changed how brands drive value from marketing, and was frequently discussed throughout the conference.
The New Normal has been driven in large part by Generation C, an emerging class of consumers who demonstrate core behaviors that begin with the letter C: they are connected, and constantly curating and creating content. These consumers’ voices are more powerful than ever before; they decide who and what they trust -- and as a result, they are in control of the conversation around your brand.
Brands that are successful in the New Normal use social and digital to create interactive experiences and transform their businesses. Here are three key concepts Wildfire presented at iStrategy to help you do that:
Ditch the pitch. Connected consumers are savvy: because information is always at their fingertips, they don’t care if your brand is better, faster, cheaper or stronger. They aren’t interested in a sales pitch, they are interested in what is interesting to them: “I’ll be interested if you are interesting.”
Pique Generation C’s interest by building a social strategy that shows your brand is listening to their needs, wants, expectations and preferences. Gen C is interested in brand experiences that they relate to, connect with and believe in. Your job, then, is to understand your audience’s passions, preferences and desires; then create experiences around your brand and mission that demonstrate these things.
Execute your strategy with an orchestrated approach to reach connected consumers on multiple screens and multiple social networks. In today’s always-on, multi-screen world, people consume your content in many ways and from many devices. Whether it’s a retail store, website, YouTube Brand Channel, Pinterest page, or on a tablet, PC or smartphone, you must be where your consumers are. Your digital-social strategy should incorporate all channels and networks to engage your consumers wherever they are, on whatever screen they’re on.
Mike Nabasny, Wildfire’s Head of Midwest Sales, talks about engaging Generation C.
Procter & Gamble is an example of a brand that’s been wildly successful at applying these concepts and connecting with its portion of of the Gen C audience. About a year ago, P&G launched its
“Thank You, Mom” campaign in conjunction with its sponsorship of the London Olympics.
The campaign included 35 P&G brands sponsoring 150 Olympic athletes, and the effort was tied around interactive content on YouTube, Facebook, Google+, Twitter and Pinterest. It was one of the most ambitious integrated marketing campaigns to date.
In an
interview with AdAge last summer, P&G’s Global Brand Building Officer, Mark Pritchard, estimated that the company would bring in $500 million in incremental revenue as a result of the “Thank You, Mom.” The campaign also deepened P&G’s connection with millions of social followers; it was so popular with Facebook fans, in fact, that it spawned its own
Facebook page. “Thank You, Mom” continues to provide a significant source of social engagement for P&G’s brand.
How are you engaging consumers in the New Normal? Leave us a note about your strategy below. We love to hear from you!
The Wildfire Team
