From politicians to phone companies, reality-oriented
marketing has become the hot new trend that can benefit
your business.
Interestingly, back in the 2004 election year, the
Republican party's presidential team created a presidential
or "marketing" campaign that went deep into a community,
attaching itself to high-profile decision makers,
neighborhood leaders and trend-setters to get their message
out. The business sector has now harnessed this marketing
strategy.
The phone industry, can we say AT & T, created local
marketing teams that went deep into communities to find
neighborhood leaders to pitch its newest service. The
telecommunications giant developed lists within the
communities that included Sunday School teachers,
"influencers", trend setters and others whose opinions are
sought out and valued by neighbors and peers. This strong
word-of-mouth influence has helped AT&T find customers that
have agreed to sign up for their TV service after the
influencer's hosted TV parties.
Jaguar is capitalizing on a marketing trend that is
referred to as a "living product placement." The luxury car
maker is using high-profile trend setters to drive around
in their car and hope to be "seen" in it. Just ask any
perfume, cosmetics, handbag maker or fashion house how
important it is for them to find a celebrity (based on
high-profile) to wear their product in public.
Let's look at this marketing trend a little closer:
* First, companies are going deep into a local community to
find the decision-makers and trend setters who others value
and respect for information from presidents to commercial
lifestyle brands, i.e. Jaguars, host TV parties, women's
fashions, etc.
* As the major television networks lose market share and
viewers to cable channels and Internet programming,
companies that would normally advertise on these channels
are looking for ways to tap local markets to find their
customers.
* Network marketing businesses have understood the
importance of reality-oriented marketing by inviting
friends, neighbors, family and business associates to their
homes to try cookware, make-up, necessary home products,
health supplements and the list goes on.
* Banks are using real customers in advertisements, on
billboards and on television to share the benefits of using
this specific bank and services in their everyday business.
* The Wall Street Journal, car companies and others are
highlighting their customer with real names and photos with
the benefits of using their products and services.
* Businesses are bringing in their customers to taste foods
prepared by local chefs (Think: kitchen appliance centers,
supermarkets, culinary sections of bookstores, wine stores,
and confectioner's businesses to name a few).
Why do People Buy?
What makes marketing deep within a community with focused
placements and living product placements appealing to your
clients and buyers? Certainly there are several reasons
that people buy a product or service, but a few of these
reasons or benefits are:
* People are always looking for something new, slightly
different. One of the most powerful words you can use in
your marketing campaigns is the word "new."
* People want to look hip, young, cutting-edge, and want
to keep up with the current lifestyle. The 20-somethings to
60-somethings look and act at least a decade younger.
Psychographics
Certain eras and generations feed and are motivated by the
current political, economic and social changes they
perceive happening around them at certain stages in their
lives. This is a major component of generational marketing
and it needs to be an important piece in your marketing
campaigns. You need to know who your best customers and
clients are by way of their demographics and psychographics.
The advertising campaign that Dove used in capturing "real
women" of all sizes, careers and cultures was a hit. There
seems to be a duplicity however, in marketing campaigns
today, just as there is a polarizing effect from the retail
world in that consumers are buying products and services
from the two extremes: the discounters or the prestigious,
expensive lines. This too is happening in advertising and
marketing; Celebrity-based reality advertising and Real
People-based reality advertising.
* Celebrity-based reality advertising - Marketers use
celebrities more commonly now than models. We can't seem to
get enough information about celebrities as People Magazine
is one of the top magazine attractors nationally.
* Real People-based reality advertising - Marketers are
increasingly using "real, everyday people" who are
perceived as a center of influence, from neighborhoods to
office workers as well as those who are perceived as
beautiful and as trendsetters, to influence buyers to
purchase their products and services.
Then there's http://www.youtube.com which I believe is in
its infancy stage where ebay was several years ago! This
website has become a gathering place for people to "show"
videos of all types and much more. How can you showcase
your business (services or products) in this new and very
visible media?
Marketing Tips:
* Find ways to "show and tell" your clients and customers
the benefits of using your products.
* Find the "influencers" in a group or a
demographic/psychographic segment.
* Allow your customer to use their own "benefit" words and
phrases which are usually much stronger and "real" to
others when creating advertising copy AND creating a
marketing campaign.
* Think globally when creating your marketing campaign. For
example, one company uses the word "excellent" in seven
different languages to define their products.
* Think locally as well, focus on going "deep" within a
community in a particular well-defined segment(s).
* Think of ways you can entice your prospects and clients
to "try" your services or products before purchasing?
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Always appreciate fresh new marketing and branding tips to
drive your business several steps forward? Tap Ruth Klein's
expertise at her upcoming Brand and Pitch Boot Camp.
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