Joss Davidge, Business Director, BEcause

A great brand experience will work across multiple platforms integrating experiential, digital and social media to create something special that people will want to talk about and share.  The key to an effective multi-channel campaign is in understanding the possibilities and limitations of each platform.

There are certain rules of conversation marketing that apply universally, but there are also aspects to online conversations that cannot be recreated in the real-world and vice versa.  In Part I of our two part blog we explore how digital and social media can amplify a real-world experience in ways that offline activation alone won’t deliver.

1. Enhanced targeting

Social media has enabled people to build expansive communities based around their passions and lifestyles.  Search and monitoring tools make it easy to pinpoint topics of conversation (including brand-specific ones) and connect with people based on their interests.  Similarly the granular level of user data on offer through the Facebook ad platform allows for highly targeted advertising and recruitment to brand pages of only the most relevant consumers.

2. Buzz-building and recruitment

Seeding ‘teaser’ content and conversation across online channels will help build anticipation for an event, developing a buzz that can be tracked and channelled in way that offline conversation can’t. Digital tools such as e-tickets and mobile short codes will help drive recruitment and data capture, with social apps like Facebook events enabling consumers to instantly extend the invitation to their friend networks.  In addition to traditional digital channels like email, social media now offers even more scope for brands to stay in regular touch with consumers in the lead up to an event, maintaining interest and improving footfall on the day.

3. Extended reach

A brand experience can now reach hundreds or thousands more online without being restricted by geographical or regional boundaries.  The cleverest campaigns will invite consumers to take part in an experience without necessarily requiring physical attendance.  Social media also enables those who physically attend to interact with online participants, creating a shared experience that extends far beyond the location, but is still driven by real-world content.

4. Content sharing

Exciting and immersive real-world experiences provide the perfect fuel for content-hungry social networks.  Thanks to the popularity of smart-phones and social apps, word-of-mouth can now spread across these networks at lightening pace.

5. Campaign longevity

What goes online will most likely stay online and, if popular, consumer content will continue to spark conversation around the brand long after the initial event has passed.  Recruiting participants to the brand’s social profiles will then enable sustained and long-term interaction with fan communities, meaning less reliance on awareness campaigns to reach target audiences in the future.

Digital and social media platforms allow a brand experience to reach and engage with far more consumers, overcoming the geographical limitations of a real-world event.  But although online conversation has the potential to be far-reaching, there are still benefits to face-to-face interaction with consumers that online activation won’t replace.   Check back in September for Part II – ‘5 elements of a brand experience that work better in the real world’.

The app provides options to manipulate new or existing images and  is being launched in conjunction with the current Grand Marnier ad campaign – ‘Welcome to the Sunset Hour’. The campaign is aimed towards a younger,  style-conscious audience through this fun user experience.

The iPhone Sunset Taker App can be downloaded for free at this link: iPhone Sunset Taker App

Source: Truly Deeply

Häagen-Dazs is opening The Boudoir from 14 Jul – 30 Jul and once inside you will be able to enjoy free ice-cream, cocktails, makeovers and classes in anything from life drawing to DJing! Now that sounds like our idea of heaven.

You can sign up on the Facebook page, although we can only imagine these slots will go fast!

Source: urbanjunkies

At the moment displays are generally playful and enchanting.  They capture shoppers’ attention for several minutes, and no doubt spark hundreds of conversations.  This really is an interesting way to transform the value of a shop window and align it with our modern, tech hungry leanings.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNYweN7d5F8

BEcause has designed an intimate seating area surrounded by stone effect walls topped with cascading plants to recreate the look and feel of a lively Italian outdoor drinking experience. Chilled bottles of San Pellegrino will be stylishly displayed in miniature water fountains, mixed in with citrus fruits to create a fresh atmosphere. Once seated, consumers will be served complimentary bottles of San Pellegrino alongside a light selection of Italian inspired snacks.

Karen Evans, managing director at BEcause comments:
“Taste of London is one of the most popular food festivals in the UK and full of brands competing for attention. By giving consumers a stylish and authentic experience we’re sure to create great stand out for San Pellegrino, and most importantly, show people the pleasure of living the Italian way!”

Taste of London runs from 16th – 19th June in Regent’s Park in London. For tickets visit www.tastefestivals.com/london

ENDS

Source: It’s Nice That

1. Lynx -- ‘Angels Will Fall’

A firm favourite with all the team here, this extremely successful integrated campaign speaks for itself. For us, it ticks all the boxes; catchy TV ad, hugely creative experiential activity which bought the ad campaign to live, a dedicated Facebook page with over a quarter of a millions fans and celebrity endorsement in the form of Kelly Brook.

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www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFuUFeQIdpk

2. Mini Countryman – ‘Mini World Record’

This award-winning campaign put a digital spin on a traditional idea.  The challenge? Break the world record for the number of people in a Mini.  The answer? Go digital. Mini placed four experiential installations in 10 UK locations where people could record a short video in a green screen booth that was then integrated into the windows of a replica Mini Countryman. The results were record-breaking with more than 10,000 virtual people being crammed inside.

3. Timberland -- ‘Trail of Heroes’

OK, we’re a bit biased on this one, as it’s one of our campaigns.  But taking location-based technology to the next level is Timberland’s latest ‘Trail of Heroes’ campaign, the first geocaching campaign to span multiple countries.  Kicking off this month with a dedicated website, consumers are encouraged to get outdoors and find a series of hidden caches in London, Paris, Milan, Brussels, Berlin and Madrid.  There are prizes for the first people to find the caches in each city, with one savvy treasure hunter crowned the overall European champion.  In addition, a new app encourages consumers to track the number of miles they travel and for every mile tracked, Timberland will plant a tree.

4. Heineken – ‘One Millionth Facebook Like’

Brand wanting to use brand experiences to amplify social media activity can learn from Heineken’s campaign to celebrate its one millionth Facebook ‘Like’. To mark the occasion, Heineken sent a ‘hug team’ out and about in Amsterdam to thank the people that drink its beer. Not only did this show the value that Heineken places on its social media presence, but it also proved that to make online activity relevant to consumers you need to turn it a real life experience.  Videos of the ‘hug team’ were used for extra online content, which of course, went viral and completed the cycle.

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www.youtube.com/watch?v=CY92tALSnzo

5. Coca-Cola – ‘The Coca-Cola Village’

One of the most talked about campaigns, this activity is in its third year.  The Coca-Cola Village in Israel is a summer holiday destination with a twist and is designed for teenagers who are finishing school.  On arrival, visitors are given FID bracelets (Radio Frequency Identification) so they can share their holiday experiences on Facebook. Teens can put a digital ‘like’ on their choice of forty facilities in the camp that include swimming and a spa to sports and extreme activities. If they’re photographed by one of the official photographers, the RFID technology automatically tags everyone in the photo and uploads it to the relevant Facebook profiles. No postcards needed here!

Timberland is launching a European-wide geocaching experience, the first multi-country campaign of this type in the world, to support the launch of its new Earthkeepers™ range of footwear.  The ‘Trail of Heroes’ campaign will run across six cities – Paris, London, Milan, Brussels, Berlin and Madrid, from May until June.  The campaign has been devised by brand experience specialist BEcause.

The ‘Trail of Heroes’ campaigns focuses on getting consumers outdoors to find a uniquely designed set of caches that have been strategically placed in each city. Timberland prizes are rewarded to the first consumers to find the caches in each city, with one final grand prize being awarded to an overall European winner.

Following a trial period with selected bloggers from the spheres of fashion, outdoors and the environment throughout April, the campaign will go live to the public on the 18^th May.  A bespoke website www.geocaching.com/trailofheroes has been created collaboratively by BEcause and Groundspeak especially for the campaign.  Here, consumers will be able to register themselves as members of the geocaching community and then log the individual caches that they find.

Consumers will also be encouraged to make use of Timberland’s new ‘Nature Needs Heroes’ mobile app.  The downloadable app encourages consumers to track the miles they walk, run or cycle and in return for every mile that is tracked, Timberland will plant a tree.

The ‘Trail of Heroes’ geocaching campaign is a major part of Timberland’s 2011 ‘Nature Needs Heroes’™ marketing strategy, its biggest and most environmentally-focused marketing campaign to date.

Joss Davidge, business director at BEcause comments:

“It’s incredibly exciting for BEcause to be working with Timberland on its first ever geo-caching campaign. I have every confidence that this multi-city experience will engage huge numbers of consumers.”