Here and There It's Everywhere

Yesterday I was watching a bunch Conan O’Brien videos on YouTube. Since the videos were on a playlist I did not bother getting up an clicking the ads away. Eventually I came across this ad.

Durex has launched an online campaign urging couples to disconnect from technology to connect with each other in the bedroom.

The #connect campaign follows a spoof announcement from Durex last week when the condom brand announced the imminent launch of new smartphone technology in partnership with Siren Mobile to improve people’s sex lives.

I actually started watching this ad after a minute it started playing and I honestly thought this video was about why people are so connected with their phones. Then it started to pull me in. Like the couples in the video, I started to wonder “how can smartphone improve couple’ sex life when it seems to be the culprit behind the the disconnectedness  between humans. As it turns out, the secret to improving your sex life is to simply...turn off your phone...

Like... OH MY GOODNESS! IT MAKES SO MUCH SENSE! I mean unless you have some weird kinks or something, most people put away their phone during sex. Right? I literally had to paused the video and had a good long laugh before I continued watching this video. It’s a brilliant ad and definitely WOM worthy.

Which now leads us to this weeks content marketing concept of the week from Jonah Berger’s Contagious: Why Things Catch On. One of the six principle of why things catch on; Principle 6: STORIES.

Social Currency

Triggers

Emotion

Public

Practical Value

Stories

What makes this a great ad in my opinion is the story  and how this ad was executed.

According to Berger, stories are like vessels. Pack full of information, engagement and entertainment. Facts alone can be really boring but when combine with creative story telling, people are most likely going talk and remember your product or content.

What content marketer should do is build a Trojan horse. By that I mean, don’t just tell people about your brand and expect them to buy from you. Create a narrative that people will share, while talking about the product or idea along the way.

When telling a story, it is important to remember to link and connect the story with the brand because at the end of it all, you want people to know about your brand! The goal is to have the brand or product be  integral  the story, so that its so deeply woven in the story you can’t tell the story without it.

With this Durex ad, throughout the whole video, no one ever mentions, how great their products are or make any claims that their product will lead to better sex. How they get people to buy their products is linked to the idea that people should turn off their phones and spend some time with their lovers. It doesn’t have to be sex BUT if people are engaging in safe sex, there’s DUREX!

“Sex sell”. The use of sex appeal in advertising to sell products and etc. For this ad, there’s no half naked men or barely dress women or anything like that. However, because of the nature of this company, I felt that it plays on people’s curiosity about sex and it’s enjoyment. Durex chose YouTube as one its advertising platform, so they were aware of the ad skip button when they were making this ad. So within the first few seconds viewers would see this

After seeing this, most people would ask, “HOW?“ (And no, it’s not the vibrating feature on the smartphone.) To find out you either watch on or look up the information. Either way Durex benefits from this, because they have raised a question people were not thinking about and they already have the answer to this question. 

The question itself really peaks people interested. If an individual is comfortable with talking about sex with others I believe that this topic will generate a lot of WOM. It’s a intimate topic so our course most people will talk about it with their friends and family . Of course most of us don’t spontaneously talk about sex, but the story that Durex created involves smartphone. Since people are so attached to their mobile devices  whenever they look at their smartphone or when they are turning off their devices, it might trigger them to talk about this ad. 

I personally think this ad is also a joke disguised as an advertisement within a story. The quickest way to tell other people about this ad is by saying, “ Do you know how your smartphone could lead to amazing sex?” And the punch line is, “You simply turn it off!”  Maybe people can get some social currency from this.

Aside from the story from this ad, I also like the emotional aspect in the later half of the ad. It’s always something content should have. What kind of emotion are we trying to invoke with our content? And How will the customer feel about our brand after the video is over? 

I find the diversity of couples very interesting. I didn’t know this until I finish watching the video, it turns out March 28th is Earth Hour from 8:30pm to 9:30pm. 

Earth Hour started in 2007 as a lights-off event to raise awareness about climate change. We have grown to engage more than 162 countries and territories worldwide.

Ok...I see what you are implying Durex...’TurnOffToTurnOn’. Another reason why this ad is very well thought out, the timing is right and it’s being subtle yet suggesting a whole lot to consumer. 

"Saturday Night Live" this weekend turned out a video about women's empowerment, lamenting that women are taught "to be quiet," but turning its celebration of speaking out way up. It scans like one of those Dove viral videos -- but with the self-awareness that Dove sometimes seems to lack.

ARTICLE

Do you suffer from politeness? Are you tired of making coffee dates with people you don't like or holding back spoilers for the sake of your friends? You don't have to anymore, you just have to be brave! 

As much as I like Dove's videos and messages the brand represent, I find myself more attracted to the video SNL made about female empowerment. In a short time span that I discovered this video I have already engaged in several WOM promotion for this video but I have not once told anyone else about Dove's #speakbeautiful campaign. I stop and thought to myself, why didn't I tell anyone else about Dove's campaign even though it was promoting such a positive message.

I came to the conclusion that in a social setting, this video will be triggered by everyday environment more often than #speakbeautiful. Although this video maybe about women empowerment and speaking up for themselves, I think this is applicable to everyone because at some point in our lives we all suppressed the urge to say what's really on our mind. 

So this week content marketing concept we will be talking about one of the six principles of contagious ideas from  Contagious: Why Things Catch On, by Jonah Berger. Triggers.

Social Currency

Triggers

Emotion

Public

Practical Value

Stories

According to Berger, triggers are the foundation of WOM and contagiousness. the more something is triggered the more it will be top of mind and the more successful it will become. Triggers affect behavior and are triggered by stimuli, for example the environment we are in, it determines which thoughts are and ideas are top of mind.

"Top of mind tip of tongue. " Social currency gets people talking but triggers keep them talking.

Getting back to this SNL video, the reason why I shared it more to others than the Dove video is not only because it's funny but also it has something to do with the fact I don't speak my mind often. Or perhaps I was in an environment I couldn't freely talk. So given the situation I was in, I would suddenly hear the lyrics to Sara Bareilles,Brave, in my head, " Say what you want to say, let the words fall out. Honestly, I want to see you be brave..." The video literally plays repeatedly throughout the video. At some point the sketch was getting a little long or a little ridiculous but  the song was already successfully  stuck in my head, therefore it was more easy to recalled it than #speakbeautiful. I would say after this video, I have strengthen the link between this song and video that I won't forget wither one without remembering the other.

When considering a new campaign or content marketing strategy, rather than catchy message we should consider context and think about how will the product or message will be triggered by everyday environment by target audience.

As human we are all flawed creatures. We are not born with goddess or god like features.  To obtain our ideal physique we have to put in efforts to obtain or maintain it. I wonder if you notice that I'm only focused on talking about the outer appearance and sadly that's what most people seem to care about. It might be cheesey for me to say this but beauty is what matters on the inside... more specifically our mind. 

"Art is subjective, and there was no such thing as good art or bad art, since this was completely in the eye of the beholder."

I believe this quote can be apply to beauty as well. Our concept or definition of beauty has been warped by society. I mean we aren't born into this world thinking we are ugly.  It's the environment we are in that shapes our mindset.

With that being said, once again Dove is working hard on their online and offline content marketing to change how women view themselves and how people speak about women. Their ‘Real Beauty’ campaign has been going on for some time now. Their newest  campaign, #SpeakBeautiful, is similar in the idea behind it, but different in execution. 

Dove partnered directly with Twitter for this year's Oscars, to bring about more positive discussions with their #SpeakBeautiful campaign. (check out the video below) Article

To quote Dove themselves:

"When a negative tweet is posted, the technology will be used by Dove to send non-automated responses to real women, which include constructive and accessible advice to encourage more positive online language and habits.”

What I learn form this campaign is that positivity will mostly likely to be shared or spread and this is what will help this campaign move along. Content marketer tends to shift toward the positive campaign.

The sharing of positive message  just gets us more social currency then that of negatives ones. Perhaps that is why most of bad/sad news goes unnoticed and for some reason a 'particular' dress is getting more attention then a robbery. If someone constantly shares sad news to me I would associate them as bearer of bad news. I was also thinking, perhaps we are so use to bad news that we kind of tune it off and just accepted it as a normal occurrence in society. Because it's 'normal' we don't feel the need to share it and quite frankly its usually out of our control. But with this Dove campaign we have control, we always had control over what we say and choose to care and listen to.

Overall I like this campaign. At some point I was thinking, "hey this campaign is exploiting these women's negativity to promote their brand message! That doesn't seem right." But to takes these user generate negativity and turning it into a positive movement,  to encourage people to think about themselves in a more positive light is what makes this campaign so nice. It gets people involve with their campaign and to target these people specifically is what will get this campaign moving. 

It's time to stop verbally abusing ourselves, forget the haters and trolls out there and #speakbeautiful.

I'm sure many of you out there are aware of the awards show happening around this time of the year. As usual I don't  watch it on TV nor do I keep up with the nominees and winners. However, last Sunday night I just had a feeling I have to watch it this year. The TV in my room was not working right and I couldn't live stream it. So what I end up doing was experience the Oscar on my Instagram and via other social media. Weird. I know, but when Patricia Arquette made her speech it was an amazing moment. The amount responses, gif, meme, quotes, its like the whole internet was doing a standing ovation for her. It was a "viral" moment.

"Virality isn't born it's made"

There is a lot we can learn from this wonderful Oscar moment. So for,

This Week’s Content Marketing Concept : 

6 Principle of Contagiousness ( John Berger's Contagious: Why Things Catch On?)

Social Currency

Trigger

Emotion

Public

Practical Value

Stories

1. Social Currency

"What we talk about influence the way others see us, that's social currency. Marketers  want others to talk about how remarkable their contents and products are, that in turn reflects positively on consumer. 'Remarkable things' is defined as unusual,extraordinary, or worthy of notice or attention."

You can bet all your life saving that Arquette' speech fits the definition pretty well, except the unusual part. Anyone sharing her speech would be branded as 2 things by the public, a supporter or a non-supporter of wage equality, depending on how they shared it. Companies should strive to promote positive messages like Arquette, because it deserves the attention and they should encourage the positive social currency their customer would get out it. From there viral contents can shape how others are perceived and possibly reshape how society thinks as whole.

2. Trigger

"Tiggers are stimuli that prompts people to think about related things. People often talk about things that comes to mind, conversations are often at times triggered by out environments. "So when it comes to content marketing we want to creates some sort of triggers and linkage with our contents and products that will get people talking, sharing and eventually buying.

All the nominees for the Best Actress are extraordinary in their respective movies, but if it had been another actress who won would I be writing this article now? I don't know. The fact that Arquette prepared her speech in advance to share at the Oscar, let me repeat myself, AT THE OSCAR, means she had the intent to let the America and the world know, it is time for wage equality is important and it calls for attention. It was an excellent use of media and the timing was perfect. She has successfully created some memorable triggers, that will still get people talking long after the Oscar is over. This is what companies should strive for, conversation about product or content shouldn't just end when the video stops or when customers purchase a product. It should be memorable that others can recall.

3.Emotion

"When we share we care. Naturally contagious content usually evoke some sort of emotion. Emotional things often get shared. So picking the right emotion to evoke is an important fact when creating content. "Keep in mind there is a strong emphasis on relateable-ness in content marketing today because customer are identifying  themselves with brands.

Personally I think it is always nice when the winner makes a speech, thanking their family, love ones, the people they work with and etc. But as a viewer, I of course can't relate to what they are saying, other then appreciation others hard work and effort. However, with Arequette' speech is a social issue that is a problem in society today and people can relate to. This world isn't perfect, there is inequality and social injustice, I'm sure we have or will experience some form of it in our life time. As mention above emotional things get shared, so the greater people can relate to the content the greater amount it will be shared. 

4. Public

"The more visible your product is, the more likely that people will want to imitate it.  If you’re constantly thinking about how to make your product as visible as possible in the public sphere, you’ll effectively create a product that markets itself."

Generally celebrities have great influential powers, and when they use their "star power" to influence others to help with a cause, donation and etc, I find it very admirable, it makes a pessimistic person like me think, "wow there it still good in the world!" However, not every one of these charities or cause gets the amount of attention it deserves sometimes, even with celebrities tweeting about it. So how can we get more attention? Well, if you are a like Arequtte, you would seize your glorious winning Oscar moment, make a short yet powerful speech about equality at a prestigious event and get people attentions! (Meryl Streep and Jennifer Lopez reaction was just amazing!)

It is important to make your product or content more public but it is also just as important on "how" to people more visible.

5. Practical Value

"You should be creating content that shows others how your product will save them time, save them money, improve their health, etc. When a product is useful and has practical value, people will spread the word for you. "

There's not much I can say about Arquette' speech on this principle... because come on WAGE EQUALITY, it definitely has practical value (and more). Sure sending a tweet, sharing a video won't improve your health or suddenly women have equal wages as men, but I think with Arquette' speech, the awareness and call for action, is a step for improvement that can bring positive change to society change, surely this is something of great value. And when it finally happens it will be rewarding.

6. Stories

"You may have a message in mind, but how do you put this message into a more compelling narrative? This is an important question to ponder, because simply sharing information can be boring. Think about how to tell a story. "

I believe the way and where she Arquette gave her speech really made an impact on the message she wanted to get across. It start off as...you know the usual thank you(s) to crew, family and etc., but the last part just caught me by surprise because I was prepared for the 'usual'. Not only that, she starts that part of her speech with “To every woman who gave birth, to every taxpayer and citizen of this nation.." strong statement and the undeniable truth! 

I felt that she was very nervous in the beginning of her speech, it was a rush or perhaps she is conscious of the time constraint but even it was rushed it was important for her that she speaks clearly and with even more confidence in the last part of her speech and it made all the difference. It was truly a memorable way to end her speech. (Let others take in the moment and appreciate it after.)

In conclusion,

What content marketers can learn from Arquette' speech is that, she gave us a speech that will bring us positive social currency. Keep in mind that people like to feel smart, cooler and awesome, it is kind of the markers job to create something that will get people taking but at the same time make them look good too. She also taught us, where and how to deliver valuable content. These factors plays a significant role in gaining a wider audience, ultimately the content will be shared more and be remember by others for a long, long time.

Since I am constantly on Tumblr and Instagram nowadays , I decide to look into Shake Shack's Instagram and Tumblr.  

Here are some tips provided for companies using social media by Pulluzzi's Epic Content Marketing book.

Instagram:

Post images that accompany your content with a link to the piece.

Share unique behind the scene and personal content

Tie Promotions to image

Turn Followers into sources of content. (Reward best Contribution)

Offer high quality peripheral content

Tumblr:

Use your tags

Post snippets of content

Reblog, comment, like alot

Focus your content

Shake Shack's Instagram:

From the start, I get a sense that Shake Shake is using their Instagram well. Although they are not taking creative pictures of french fries hut or anything like that, there are a lot of customer (or ShackFan) generated contents. They are all linked back to the owners.  Which is great because it welcomes customer engagement which is a plus in marketing today. It lets customer know that they valued in more than one ways. Most of the pictures are definitely "instaworthy" and "foodporn" therefore most of them are high quality.

Whenever they do share their own content, It's a simple image but it conveys the message across and uses caption for further information if need . The use of hashtags is minimal in per pose but it they use ones that are unique to the company and necessary one for their picture. (Example: #shakeshack #shackfan)

While I have good things to say about Shake Shack's Instagram account I can say the same for its Tumblr page.

Shake Shack's Tumblr

I can see that Shack Shake has a trendy and contemporary image that makes it different from most burger places but I fail to see how is posting  a picture of Marvel character's relationship help promoting the brand or music and plants that they find worth promoting on their page. Although some of these random image are nice and fun to reblog, I find it  distracting compared to Shake Shack's content.

Their own contents are nice to look at and appealing. It's black, green and white colors with its minimalist designs  creates this cool chic image of Shake Shack. So when they post things that don't necessarily add value to their brands it just confuses me and makes me wonder am I look at a company's Tumblr page or am I look at a regular user's page where they reblog and share things they like.

Aside from the lack of focus, Shake Shakes Tumblr page is nice to look at and if possible I like for their creativity to extend beyond creative graphic on their Tumblr page. 

I do not like hamburgers as much as use but I have to say I do want a burger from Shake Shack. (But to my dismay the closest location near me is in Las Vegas.) Started as a small food cart in New York City, Shake Shack has grown to become a billion-dollar global business and a major player in the restaurant world. Like most burger chain put in public spotlight, it is inevitable that McDonald will be mention and be used a comparison. There is even an article titled, Why McDonald’s should be afraid of Shake Shack.  

What has  Shake Shack done in the last 14 years that contribute to its success and putting them on the map in the competitive restaurant world?

This Week’s Content Marketing Concept:

The Importance of Branding

What we can learn from Shake Shack?

What is branding?

"Brands are psychology and science brought together as a promise mark as opposed to a trademark. Products have life cycles. Brands outlive products. Brands convey a uniform quality, credibility and experience. Brands are valuable."

Why is branding important?

Branding aims to establish a meaningful connection with its customers, because people don't  retain their loyalty to products but with brands and it's use to differentiates its presence in the market.

In summary:

"No branding, no differentiation. No differentiation, no long-term profitability."

Shake Shack's Branding Story.

1. Quality and human experience.

When I  first saw a picture of a Shack Shake building not too long ago, I instantly thought it reminded me of Starbucks and Chilpotle. Whether you a have negative or positive image of those places, the general public have associated those place as a place to relax, gather and eat fresh food.

Shake Shack has a brand story about community gathering, freshness, simplicity, and the best all-natural burgers, flat-top dogs, frozen custard, beer, and wine around.

"The whole experience is to cram people into a cookie-cutter space, to feed them as many unhealthy calories as possible — then get them to leave. That stripping away of human experience? That is where fast food went astray.”- Danny Meyer is the president of Union Square Hospitality Group which owns Shake Shack,

Food is basically a necessity, but it feels really good to indulge (maybe over indulge) ourselves with a good meal. Sure Shake Shack fare is pricey, with the average check costing about $11, but I think people are more willing to pay more for the experience their food can give to customers. And actually eating at a Shake Shack is an experience in itself, because each Shake Shack is built to fits its surrounding. Since company ,

"has made deliberate slowness into a corporate virtue, knowing that becoming mainstream too quickly could hurt its underdog charm; signs in executives’ offices say, “The bigger we get, the smaller we need to act.”Its unusual moves toward worldwide expansion have, cleverly, helped each American outlet still feel unique."

There is a certainly a novelty charm to it. Nowadays, there is an important focus on delivering more to customer and it doesn't just stop after a purchase.

2. Employees are the best brand ambassadors.

Shake Shack has made it clear from the beginning that employees play a vital role in communicating their brand story. In content marketing today, it is a good idea to get customer involvement but getting employees involve is just as important. Employees literally work with the brand everyday, and who understands the brand better. 

Happy employees also means good customer service. Once again getting back to experience, the food maybe good  but what if you experience terrible customer service, it is a fact that people will remember bad experience better than the good one. Bad news travel faster.

3. Fresh brand stories stick.

The Shake Shack experience makes other burger joint experiences feel old. There's a fascinating sense of rebellion behind the idea of deciding to pay a few extra dollars for "all-natural Angus beef (with) no hormones and no antibiotics ever," as their menu reads. The Shake Shack menu makes their core value proposition and brand positioning extra clear by using phrases like "Only real sugar, no corn syrup," When companies like Chipotle and Shake Shack make it their missions to provide fresh food its believable when they make a conscious effort to do so. There are so many companies out there who claims that they have the best and freshest ingredient, but when the ad is over and a new one comes out they are claiming something else.

4. Focus: tell your best brand story.

Shake Shack has created this image for itself and they stick to it! Even though their is not a lot of variety on their menu but they are focus on delivering the best experience they are best at creating.  (Content marketing principle: Best of Breed!)

5. Place your brand experience wisely.

Shake Shack aims to become an authentic neighborhood fixture, and they're going for settings that are nothing short of "majestic".

"Shake Shack becomes this gathering place where every walk of life comes, every income level, every tourist, local, mom, grandma, kid. "

In conclusion, other companies can learn from Shake Shack  because it has build a brand for itself that customers and its employee are happy to promote. Through its uniqueness (personally I like the buildings and design) and quality food serves, a certain satisfaction is experience to people who eat there.

" Although Shake Shack didn't invent the burger or shake but they have invent a place to bring people into a contemporary context. "

How KFC Reinvented the Fast Food Toy Meal in China

It is time for another edition of "Foreign Counter-Part". This time we will be looking at how KFC found success with its newest campaign in China and what can we learn from their content marketing strategies. READ ARTICLE HERE

Summary of the KFC China's campaign:

KFC China wanted to reinvent fast food toys. The goal was to create a national promotion, something digitally led and involving a toy meal that would appeal to millennial. KFC China recruited the help of creative company, Ogilvy & Mather China. 

The campaign started late December and runs through Valentine's Day. The marketing mix includes a mobile game, offline-to-online experience, shareable selfies, K-pop and a cute boy band (EXO) and alarm clock feature the members.

This Week's Content Marketing Concepts:

Reason for the shift to content marketing

The importance of identifying your audience

Reason for the shift to content marketing:

For those of us who are digital immigrant, I'm sure the kind of marketing that we are used to while growing up is changing and it's changing fast! Too fast for me, but hey...got to get with the program! 

According to Pulluzi's EPIC Content Marketing, the reason for shift to content marketing is because of:

No technology barrier

Talent availability

Content acceptance

Social media

Google (The POWER OF GOOGLE!!)

KFC China understand this shift  in marketing today, company's are looking for ways to differentiate themselves from its competitors. KFC China, covers all  areas of the shift . Which led them to employing creative company, Ogilvy & Mather China, and  looking at fast food chains' toy meals and realized it haven't changed much over the decades. You unwrap the toy , play with it for a while, leave it somewhere, then completely lose interest. It was time to take a familiar concept of fast food toys and revamp it to make it more relevant to today's consumer. 

"We really thought about 'how can we evolve the experience?'" Mr. Engel, creative director and deputy head of digital for Ogilvy & Mather China,said. "(So) when you get that toy together with the meal, that's just the beginning."

" Just the beginning?" That is a very interesting and important question. (Asking the right questions in content marketing is a very important step to evolving ideas.) The conclusion, Engel and KFC arrived at was having a strong mobile experience.

Going mobile was definitely the right choice! How many of us are on our phones? People are attach to their phones! (It's no joke. I'm disgusted with myself.) According to the numbers in Pulluzi, 84% of the population in the US can't go a day without their phone. Wow that's like me with my glasses The dependency with our phone is crazy.  For a country as big as China, 557 million mobile internet users, and many teenagers and young adults can afford the inexpensive Android smartphones that have flooded the market.

The importance of identifying your audience

Content marketing strategy and market segmentation go hand in hand with each other. Metaphorically speaking they are like hot dog and a bun, they compliment and dependent on each other, in order for content marketing to be successful, a company first need to identify its target audience.

By identify a targeting audience a company's content marketing strategy becomes information-focus, rather than promotional-focus. As a business of course we want to make profit, but what is that to consumers? Nothing.

Companies  are concentrating their efforts and expertise on how they can directly and positively impact consumers. Customers have needs and wants, that need to be fulfill. For here on out, as a company our content marketing strategy identify these need and wants and create content curated for our consumer.

For KFC:

The core target audience : Millenials and mobile users. A gift meal category aimed at teenagers and young adults who are into cute collectibles. This campaign was aimed at the 16-to-26 set and EXO fans. 

For those out there who are not familiar with EXO here's a brief summary.

EXO, is an insanely popular South Korean idol group, that currently consist of 10 members, originally 12. They market themselves as beings from EXO Planet and each individual members have their own super powers.  The group sometimes divides itself in to sub-unit, EXO-M and EXO-K. EXO-M promotes in China while EXO- K promotes in South Korea. Their fans are know as EXO-L. I don't want to go to too much about EXO, but I love the concept their company has given to them. It gives a lot of room for creative marketing. Even when it comes to idols, branding is important too! (MORE INFORMATION ABOUT EXO)

Like mobile device in China, EXO has a very huge presence in China. They contribute  a lot to the success of this campaign.

Henry Ho, VP-Ogilvy Shanghai, said that "EXO fans are such a big crazy group of people in China, more than 40 million strong, and they are willing to spend their time and effort chasing after EXO, so we believe EXO is a strong engine to further boost the impact of the campaign."

What will be Delivered: A mobile game, offline-to-online experience, shareable selfies, K-pop and a cute boy band, that all starts with downloading an app and for some purchasing the KFC meal to obtain the figurine.

The outcome for audience:

Customer are ultimately delivered an experience and engagement with their fast-food toy. It is more worthwhile for the customer and fans to purchase these meals with toys now than before. Because,

"after downloading an app, they could use their smartphone to take a picture of the QR code and get free content. The app provided a mobile game with 75 levels – a dancing game set to the band's original music, where people had to tap the screen in time to the beat."

If I must say, this campaign includes a lot of fan services. Satisfying those fan girls and boys desires in a creative manner.

The app also offered other fun content, like images to superimpose on fans' selfies, so it would look like band members were feeding them fries or giving them red roses. Fans could set EXO alarm clocks (one has a singer asking, "Did you miss me?") 

What fan wouldn't want to wake up to their favorite idol saying good morning to them? I would!! (Not EXO but I can name a few stars I would like to hear in the morning as oppose to my normal alarm clock .)

Special mention:

I like how even though KFC is moving toward digital marketing they still add traditional marketing into the mix. Traditional media marketing is not obsolete or anything, the key to effectively still using them is to use it along side digital marketing to deliver content that will benefit customers.

KFC used  TV commercials to support its digital campaign. KFC stores also featured big cardboard cutouts of EXO, a traditional marketing tactic that proved incredibly popular. Images on social media showed fans kissing them, fondling them -- and also stealing them.

In conclusion, 

Continuing from last week's post about the relevancy of catalog in content marketing today. I would like to point out a particular company that I personally think is doing well with their catalog. This company is Swedish furniture store, IKEA. My love for this store is so odd. If I have no where in particular I want to go, the first place I think of is IKEA. Even when I don't have anything to buy there, I want to go there! The atmosphere is nice and almost every where I look inspires me to change something about my room.

Basing this weeks post on catalog and the 6 Principle of Content Marketing:

1)Fill a need 2)Be Consistent 3)Be Human 4)Have a point of view 5)Avoid " Sales Speak" 6)Be best of breed

Let's focus on IKEA 2015 catalog and see if IKEA's catalog is more than just a catalog.

(1)Fill a need

Right from the first page.I've noticed IKEA tries to establish some sort of connection with its customer. The key word here is "EVERYDAY". IKEA wants to assimilate itself into its consumer's everyday life and make it beautiful and easier. Because we all know how hard life can get sometimes and when we come home, it should be a place of relaxation and peace. So, as a POSSIBLE solution IKEA can help its consumer with their need to create this space of peace. 

(2) Being Consistent

In terms of consistency,IKEA is publishing these catalog on a yearly basis. If you are a subscriber, there's some what of an expectation of what will be on the next catalog but for the most part it is  more of a pleasant surprise to me when it does actually arrive in the mail.

(3) Being Human (4) Have a point of view

Throughout the catalog, I believe IKEA is trying to be human. They adopted this inspiring and informational persona for its audience and that works well for them. This persona can help customers with their buying decisions. Whether or not the customers ultimately buy from them or not.

For example:

"You don't always need walls to create a new room. You can easily divide a space with room-dividing furniture, textiles and a bed with built-in storage." PG. 26.   "Why we [IKEA] love LAPPLAND TV storage?"

And that's basically how IKEA does it throughout its catalog. It offers advice, explanation of products  and sometimes thought provoking question that put things in perspective,often using word "you". 

(5) Avoid "sales  speak"

When a company says "you" often at time it's kind of forcing an opinion or making stuff up about what the consumers really need in there everyday life.

And that's one of the reason why content marketing isn't working for some people because the persona that the company created is helping themselves and not the customer.

To remedy this problem , often at times IKEA accompanies the word " You" with "could" or "can" and etc. I find it very significant because IKEA is an option, not a solution and that's how it is with content marketing today. Customers are smarter and more savvier than they were before. Buyers go through this cycle when making a purchase, they compare prices, read reviews, and narrow their options.

Raising awareness and provide enough tools (information about product and company) and let the customers think for themselves instead of  making obvious sales pitch.They prices are on the catalog, but it does not take the readers attention away from the content. It's there if you are curious about the price. The people of IKEA love sharing their work and why they love certain furniture. They talk about the product, highlighting its good properties. It's kind of obvious they are trying to sell the product. But at the same time, there's a story behind every furniture being built.

What's a sinnlig,bjursta? I get so wrapped up in the story, that sometimes I convince myself that I need a dozen of sinnlig scent candles. Wow its like the passion of these IKEA workers are overflowing off the pages.

(6) Best of breed.

For this part, I can't answer it yet because I have not looked at other company's furniture catalogs. However, IKEA is doing a fantastic job and it has moved away from what a catalog "was" to what it "can or should be" in order to be more relevant to marketing today.

Like this IKEA commercial. It's playing on the fact that the IKEA catalog is this awesome, sleek device called book book. What I got from this video was not only about 3 minute of entertainment but the idea that the IKEA catalog has a lot to offer, almost as if it is some fancy device. The funny thing is, it's not! But this "simple" "intuitive" and familiar device that some of us had been receiving in the past is now back, better than ever and the power of catalog should not be underestimated!

Last week in class we had a class exercise. We had to get into a group of 5 and come up with a story to market a candy brand and the brand my group got was Butterfingers. We had to use 5 pictures and 25 hashtags and share it via Tumblr or Instagram. Let me just say... Our group totally bombed it and we should have read the direction better.

Even though we misunderstood the direction it was an incredible learning experience. Not doing well this time only makes me want to take everything I learn from this exercise and  do better next time. You live and you learn.

 When I read the power point that I had to get in a group and we had to do something creative, I literally had a mini panic attack. I really dislike working in groups  because high school has conditioned me to hate the idea of group work. My blood begins to boil every time I see it on my syllabus.(Note to self: Past should stay in the past , leave the baggage behind woman!) Aside from personal issue, this is an exercise that calls for creativity, its essential part of content marketing, and this mean there is bound to be a lot of clashing opinions, dropped ideas, not being on the same page and others won't share the same visions as each other. Its all part of the process brainstorming.

So, I notice 3 things regarding creativity from this exercise.

Sometimes we are too ambitious and we want to be REALLY creative that we fail to see or underestimate the power of simplicity. Sure we want to go big or go home but not when you don't have any idea how to achieve it. Which gets me to my second point.

We get excited about ideas we throw at each other and we are building ideas. Which is amazing when as a group we decide on 1 creative idea and share it while  taking different take on this idea. However when we ask ourselves HOW we are going to bring this idea to life. It's not enough to just blow it out but Its like pouring water on a flicker of flame on a match. We are so stumped that we drop the idea and move on to another one. Bringing a creative idea to life can be very elusive.

An idea that is unheard is an idea that is worst that a bad one because we are trying to come up with creative content. As the saying goes, "two minds are better than one". It should at least be given a chance for debate and discussion.It might be the spark that gives birth to even greater ideas.

Essentially creativity is needed to help engage and bring value to consumer. Creativity is what will differentiate companies approach to marketing to consumer. Grab their attention, stir emotion, connect with them on a emotion level or whatever the reason may be.

Newspaper ad, radio ad, TV ads, mail-ads, these are some  traditional marketing medium that has been use for decades and possibly been of use since the invention of the printing press. I don't know. But the point is, traditional marketing is a dying breed of marketing method and its becoming less effective by the minute.(At least that's what most marketers think...) However, after reading this lovely article it made me rethink the relevancy of traditional marketing, especially catalog.

At its peak in 2007, about 20 billion catalogs was mailed. Since then mailed catalog has been on a sharp decline, up until 2013. According to the Direct Marketing Association, a trade group, there was a 1% rise in mailed catalog, to 11.9 million. Sure 1% may not sound a lot but for a so call declining method of marketing, it is kind of amazing.  But what is responsible for this increase. Here's what think...

Company's change in definition and purpose of a catalog.

Is marketing on a catalog that much different then marketing digitally?

Many of us might think that catalogs are just companies advertising in a book form. They are showing us a list of new products with pictures on each page and then they want to us to buy, buy, buy! Perhaps that's how it was before, but companies are getting smarter, more creative and most importantly changing their perspective.

We should...

change our mindset of what a catalog "was" and focus on what it "can" be.

Content marketing is often built around the idea of being relatable, creating awareness, influencing desires, engaging consumer, fostering brand loyalty and it should have some value to customers. So I ask this question, "Why does marketing catalog have to be so impersonal?" The answer to this question is, " It doesn't have to be!"

Brands like:

 Anthropologies says

"We don't' call it a catalog. We call it a journal. We are trying to sell clothes and accessories but it's more to inspire and engage"

Patagonia called catalogs

“A way we’re speaking to our closest friends and people who know the brand really well.”

Hmmm the way they are marketing on a catalog sounds awfully close to the purpose of social media/content marketing... Its not that catalogs are not effective anymore but how to market on catalog is what really makes a difference in marketing today. Although incorporating catalog into marketing strategy may not be for all but if companies had a mindsets like Patagonia and Anthropologies, then catalogs might be worth incorporating into the marketing mix if it will provide more value to customers.

Now that we have established the new purpose of marketing on a catalog its not really that different than marketing digitally.

There is still a need for an audience persona.

Obviously sending a bunch of catalogs to random people is crazy and costly but what's equally as crazy is simply putting things YOU think the customers might like on a catalog. Come on its not a one way relationship any more. You have to think "who" you are talking to and with because it is helpful in compiling the best content you can before its a done deal when its off to print the shop.

Also it is important to have a audience persona because we don't want to waste paper on customer who won't enjoy or get the most out of the catalogs.

Creating compelling and valuable stories can apply to catalog.

Another way of looking at a catalog is to think it is a book or a magazine. Stories are being told there all the time. With that in mind how can it not be appropriate to come up with stories in a catalog. If red coats was in season this year, I would have a modern little red riding hood theme in that catalog issue.

The idea of "sharing"

Okay, so there's no button on a catalog to click share to a friend, twitter or other social media if you see something you like. Or click a heart on a page. You know what you can still do...take a picture of the catalog and then share it via social media. Better yet, engage in a conversation with someone about this and that on page so and so that you really like. Call me old school but that's still considered sharing. It is also generating word-of-mouth and engagement of the content presented. The physical aspect of a catalog is definitely a plus when it comes to sharing and maybe not forgetting about the brand, if the catalog is easily assessable around the house.

The media has continuously portrayed ,"dads" on TV as bumbling idiots, strict and as an uncool parent for the longest times. But not this time...

The successful campaign Cherrios (Canada) had for a while has finally made its way to  the U.S. One would think that when it comes to marketing, success cannot always be replicated even if it was a mass hit in one countries. Content marketing is not about a one-size-fit-all plan. You have to think about the audience! Who's going to watch, share, talk and do something about what content is being created.

The only change Cheerios made was changing the flavor of Cheerios ( because we don't have peanut butter flavor Cheerios in the U.S.) and the ad was ready for U.S. audience.

Sure Cheerios changed its cereal flavor to suit its American consumer, what makes this ad successful here isn't adapting but the theme of dadhood. It's relateable, it's universal!!! And it is done right.Getting back to my earlier point, dads in movies and TV shows are often portrayed as the relaxed ones, sometimes lost when mom isn't around.  Perhaps that has warp our perception of our dads. What's dadhood really like? Cheerio challenges its audience to rethink what being a dad is like #howtodad.

This ad is informative, both parents and kids can take a lot away from it.  Let me separate it in 2 perspectives as to why #howtodad is such a valuable piece of content.

Dads/parents

Being a parent isn't easy. Dealing with kids isn't easy. Although this ad may not be suitable for all family but it might be what some dad needs. A new way to still be close with their kid without being a nuisance. It might be frustrating when your kid don't feel comfortable asking their own dad for help or talking about random stuff that happened at school.

Children, son, daughter, etc.

As someone who's at the middle stage in life, this ad appealed to me on an emotional level as I sit back and think about how my dad been raising me. I am guilty of thinking my dad was pretty lame but a lot of kids my age then thought that way about their dad. Kids should be rethinking and appreciating dad more. And not just that one day of the year, Father's day.

But how does this video influence behavior and drive action? As informative as this ad was, it was still trying to promote Cheerios! The majority of the time in the video, it's just show how Dads are awesome. And like dad, Cheerios are awesome too. It's a brand dads can agree with and relate with. It's a brand that "gets me". Cheerios is making this a emotional connection with dads. That in turn might get kids to think "Cheerios = Dad's Cheerios = Awesome "

Dads are cool again...they always have been...

For the longest time Coke has always just been an alternative beverage I turn to when I wanted something other than water. Or when a waiter says," Oh we don't serve Pepsi here. We only have Coke." But Coke isn't just a beverage...it's more than that...it's a can of happiness.

How does that association between happiness and coke even work? My only comment toward that matter is the sheer brilliance Coke, manage to come up with through their content marketing.  After watching "Coke 2020" , I've come to realize, if Coke says they want to be the number one company with creative contents, I believe them.

 I would like to point our for this video is the significance of liquid.

Liquid to Coke is the concept of content having fluidity. By being liquid ideas can flow together and create a bigger impact on its delivery.  The fluidity of stories being told are not separate but part of something that is much bigger. The cohesiveness of these stores is what makes it compelling and engaging.

"Content is content unless its driving behavior."

From my readings brands have 4 options when it comes to communicating with their customers and prospects:

 Inform customer and help your customer live better lives.

Entertain and begin to build and emotional connection with customer.

Lackluster content that doesn't provide anything.

Spending money on traditional marketing.

In an age where we are bombard with information, what should be seen, what's worth my time?! Content that Coke is aiming to deliver has to be at least 1 or 2.

With social media nowadays engagement should be a huge consideration in any content marketing. One part of the video that really stood out to me was that the user generated content marketing out numbers Cokes' marketing. Get the consumers involve, make them a vital part of the campaign, that is both valuable and compelling to them. A success marketing campaign practically markets itself when customers are involve. Coke gets it.

To foster liquid contents, I like how Coke doesn't mold itself into one model but uses five different ones or what ever model they choose to use in the future. Like liquid, Coke chooses its models  based on these criteria, "Continuous, Collaborative and Adaptive". Coke allows itself to different ideas and make mistakes. It is a learning process since we don't know how people react. But with social media nowadays like Coke, can put out content to test the water, and be able to change the course of the content.

Let's look at the Coke's definition of content marketing for a second.

Content marketing is "the creation of stories that are to be expressed through every possible connection."

Pepsi Japan

Pepsi Japan

Note: This quarter I am trying to have some direction for this blog. When possible I will try to include other countries marketing campaign(s) or content along with its American counter part. Hopefully it will give us a fun global take on the brands we all know and love. With that being said read on…

Differing from my previous post about Pepsi, which is about Pepsi taking a whole new direction with its 2015 ads by NOT including any celebrities. On the other side of the world, Pepsi Japan  has employed famous Japanese actor,Shun Oguri, to be the face of Pepsi Nex Zero and part of their “Forever Challenge” theme ads, titled Pepsi Nex Zero x Momotaro.

First of all,

What is the meaning and significance behind “Forever Challenge”?

 “Forever Challenge” has something to with Pepsi’s long time rival, Coke Cola. Taking a brief history lesson, I’m sure some of you may remember a couple of years ago or at least heard  the “Pepsi Challenge”. In which, people were given a random blind taste test to see which cola they preferred. And of course, the option was between Coke and Pepsi. This challenged was first proposed by Pepsi in 1976.

In a sense, Pepsi Japan is reusing past idea but doing something completely different from before. The meaning of “challenge” is not obviously directed at Coke with Momotaro. It is more of an embodiment of the spirit of challenges faced in life and enduring it time after time. That is what I see the characters in Momotaro portrays. This can be said about Pepsi’s competition with Coke or other beverages in general. I mean how does one try to stay above it all?

Pepsi had its fair share with of including the element of martial arts in ads.Certainly Momotaro pays homage to its predecessor as well. But what was amazing about what Pepsi Japan has created are these visually stunning ads that weaves itself into a story that represents its brand. Which can be tied to the brand’s long history with its eternal rival Coke Cola. So long as they are unopposed by others and divided by people’s preference they are in fact “Forever Challenge” by each other.

Taking advantage of technology today, I have to say Pepsi Japan is operating at a high level with the contents of these ads. Does it set some precedent  to future ads and to its competitors? Maybe. To me it was not just an ad, it is an episodic journey of the challenges one may face our a journey. Will the characters in Momotaro triumphant in the end? And if they do, what message is Pepsi trying to send to its rival?

For more information:

http://www.pepsi.co.jp/momotaro/index.html

'Momotaro' a Classic Japanese Tale

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Momotar%C5%8D

Shun Oguri