Digital omnivores

“This is the first year that consumers have started to decouple the notion that content from a particular source [must be viewed] on a different device,” said Gerald Belson of Deloitte.”

 

The rapid adoption of the tablet (iPad, Kindle, Galaxy, or whichever other you fancy) is changing the way consumers are, well, “consuming” content, according to Deloitte’s eighth annual “Digital Democracy Survey.” As a result, consumers have expressed more interest in consuming programming on different devices and from different sources. What it means is, multitasking is on the rise — which can be good or bad for us as marketers.

Marketing to multi-screen users requires a unique balance of consistency and collaboration between different types of devices to relay a singular message. Or, as ANA’s Bill Duggan put it, “The industry needs to adopt measures that are consistent, comparable, and combinable across screens to provide a complete picture of a campaign’s effectiveness.”

Here are four tips for mastering the multi-screen domain:

1. Strive for consistency: Think about second- and third-screen experiences and how best to interact and engage consumers seamlessly whether they’re using multiple devices consecutively or concurrently.
2. Create mobile-friendly content: Simply moving a laptop-designed ad over to mobile may not work. And, if it isn’t viewable and pretty, consumers are going to lose interest pretty quick.
3. Consider focusing on different aspects of your brand: You can still say, “We’re <insert brand of choice here>,” without using the exact same content. An ad for a Big Mac may look awesome on a tablet, while French fries look better on a smartphone.
4. Connect with consumers: If you’re sponsoring an event, consider creating an advergame or other interactive content that promotes your sponsorship, but in a new and refreshing way. A great example of this is American Idol’s highly-interactive web content that plays right along with the weekly television shows.

One thing’s for certain: There are more and more channels clamoring for our marketing dollars every day. Multi-screen marketing is an opportunity to reach consumers where they are and tie all of our campaigns together.

 

Let’s Kik it in a Line (or maybe WeChat while doing the Tango)

When Facebook purchased the mobile messaging app named “WhatsApp” in February, a lot of people were asking the same question: What’s THAT?
What’sApp along with its contemporaries Kik, Line, WeChat, Tango and others started as “extra” apps designed to help users avoid texting charges, but along the way they managed to grab social media users and convert them, turning the apps into their own social-type avenues.

It has created yet another new and emerging media form for marketers to take advantage of, tapping into a technologically-savvy group of users with large amounts of disposable income. WhatsApp boasts more than 350 million monthly active users, according to The Guardian, with a full 78 percent of teenagers and young people using these apps to communicate in “a more personal way” with friends. The power users and early adopters of these apps, according to the same article, are in the 25 and younger demographic – a population group that boasts more than $200 million in buying power, according to a 2011 Harris Interactive poll.

It offers a entirely new and different opportunity for marketers, who want to reach smartphone users not just through their phone, but more specifically through the apps that users deem important. Just in the past month, big name retailers and restaurants have announced their intention to get involved in marketing inside of the mobile messaging app craze:

• Taco Bell will premiere its newest taco on Snapchat
• Columbia Records teamed up with Kik to bring fans of the boy band One Direction onto the app
• Dunkin’ Donuts bought space on app-install ads inside the app, Tango
• McDonald’s ran a “Big Mac Rap” contest on WeChat, joining major brands like Burberry and PepsiCo who launched campaigns on the platform

What is the advantage of reaching a consumer inside their favorite mobile messaging app? Like Facebook became a gateway to the Web, many of these apps serve as the gateway to mobile devices. One study said users of apps like Kik send more than 30 messages per day (compared to an average of five regular texts). Simply put, these apps attract massive audiences – and advertisers are salivating. The question is: What’s the trade-off for spending ad dollars on an unknown commodity? How do you justify spending big bucks on an unknown quantity? Only time will tell if mobile messaging apps-turned-new marketing machine will be beneficial for brands or just another annoyance for young adults trying to connect with friends.

Jack Daniels: Well-rounded?

There may not yet be a winner in the NCAA Men’s Basketball tournament, but one thing’s for sure: Whiskey brand Jack Daniels is currently running away with the tie-in marketing trophy.

Using a multi-channel approach, the brand (which previously used a multi-channel approach to launch its Tennesse Honey in 2011), is connecting brand and consumer through the madness that is March Madness. The campaign is designed to grow the brand’s SMS and email databases and social media following, according to Mobile Marketer.

It is a comprehensive program using SMS, mobile Web, social media and email for the total digital marketing package. Customers take part in eight rounds (yes, eight rounds) of competition and prizes, with the big kahuna being a trip to Las Vegas.

The contest implements a mobile-optimized website, opt-in SMS sweepstakes, and social media to distribute promotion codes that unlock additional entries.

“This promotion is about connecting the consumer to the brand through the hype and hysteria that only this basketball tournament can provide,” said Casey Nelson, senior brand manager at Jack Daniel’s, Lynchburg, Tenn. “These consumers are out and about watching the games and hanging with their friends. If we aren’t on mobile, we will miss most opportunities to capture their engagement. We want to add to their tournament experience, not get in the way of it.”

The campaign lends itself to these questions: What are you doing to tie-in to major events, be it sporting or otherwise? How are you reaching customers wherever they are?