Transmedia Storytelling as an Effective Theme Park Marketing Strategy
In a lot of ways, developing an effective theme park marketing strategy evokes quite the “roller coaster” of experiences. There are highs and lows and oftentimes, it even throws you for a loop! But- it doesn’t have to always be that way, particularly when you have a good sense of what your target audience is looking for in its theme park experience. At our marketing agency in Orlando, we understand that people visit theme parks to be entertained, excited and thrilled, but also to relax and escape everyday life. One of the best ways to get people to choose your park over your competitors’ is to tap into their emotions through emotive storytelling. This isn’t a story with an introduction, a middle and a conclusion like you might’ve been told in your third grade English class. We’re talking about transmedia storytelling, which describes the art of being able to tap into what people are thinking about, and being able to give them great content and visuals to help inspire them. And, by inspiring potential customers through images of what a great vacation could do for them, you’ll hopefully also be able to inspire them to buy plane tickets to Florida to spend a week at a local resort hotel. In telling an emotional story, your imagery and words should reflect your commitment to this appeal. A photo of kids laughing on a double decker carousel in LEGOLAND’S Fun Town is going to grab a child’s attention and make them want to escape in the same way. A bullet-point list of facts about your park? Maybe, but think about how much more the photo might resonate with a parent who has a LEGO- obsessed child. Disney is a master at this, and Universal has appeal through its rides inspired by famous favorite films. A perfect example of incorporating media and other immersive storytelling techniques into a marketing strategy is the soon to be newest Universal Water Park- Volcano Bay. Keep your eyes open for this marketing plan, it’s going to be one for the books (get it? Since we’re telling a story? We think we’re funny.) Unfortunately not every theme park has learned to tap into that universal trigger that keeps people thinking about their experience there through the generations. So if you’re a theme park marketer, one of the most important things you can do is focus on the importance of story in everything that represents your brand. And if you need ideas on how to bring that story to life, contact the expert team at our Orlando ad agency to help you navigate the twists and turns of this exhilarating industry!
Frequently Asked Questions on Brand Messaging
Brand messaging is critical to the health of your business. Here’s a closer look at some of the most commonly asked questions about the subject. Every business owner wants to build deep, long-lasting relationships with customers. Brand messaging is the mechanism by which this is accomplished. Every communication an enterprise engages in should be done with proper brand messaging in mind. When done right, it inspires, informs, persuades and catalyzes audiences. When done poorly, it can do serious reputational harm. Now that we’ve understood the stakes involved, let’s take a closer look at some of the most common questions business owners have about brand messaging. Brand Messaging FAQ 1. I’m a brand messaging neophyte — can you explain what it means in two sentences? Sure. Brand messaging is the language, voice, tone, and ideas that a business uses to convey its core value proposition and company values. 2. Can you give me an example? Absolutely. The classic Nike slogan “Just Do It” is a famous example of potent brand messaging. It distills the company’s ethos into three unforgettable words. 3. What are the qualities that make brand messaging effective? The same qualities that make interpersonal communication effective, for the most part. Great brand messaging resonates with audiences and builds a connection. It inspires, catalyzes audiences into action and engenders a sense of personal identification with the brand. It’s how lifestyle brands are created and lifelong customers are made. 4. What happens when brand messaging goes wide of the mark? If you’re lucky, audiences simply won’t respond to it. In situations where brands badly misjudge their voice or misunderstand their audience, poor brand messaging can alienate people, anger them, and turn them into another brand’s loyal customers. 5. So how does one create effective brand messaging? Here’s where things get a bit more challenging. First, brands need to identify and segment their audience. If you don’t know who you’re selling to, you’re just throwing darts in the dark. Do research, identify your audience, and query them. What motivates them? What matters to them? How do they engage with brands? By understanding the answers to these questions, brands can then draw a line between their customers’ motivations and their own products and services, their values, and their unique value proposition. 6. What else is important? One word: Differentiation. When you’re developing a brand messaging strategy, it’s natural to review what your competitors are doing. After all, you’re targeting the same audience, so there should be some overlap between your messaging strategy. That said, it’s critical to differentiate your product or service. Sometimes you can accomplish this through features or innovations, but in many industries, it’s the branding itself that is the primary differentiator. So while you want your messaging to be informed by what your competitors are doing, you don’t want to follow what they are doing. Develop your own unique, differentiated voice and message. 7. Any other tips? Yes. Consumers are inundated by advertising and marketing messages, so it’s important to develop language and themes that stand out. Seek to be compelling and memorable, rather than aiming for a bland, middle of the road voice designed to appeal to the broadest possible demographic. It’s also critically important to be clear and concise — audiences will disengage immediately if you’re sending confusing messages. Place the audience at the center of the story and explain to them exactly what your brand can do for them. Make sure that your messaging comes through in every bit of content or communication you author, and always ensure your brand speaks in a unified and consistent voice. Finding the Right Brand Messaging Agency At BIGEYE, we’re experts when it comes to resonant brand messaging. Whether you’re looking for an innovative approach to brand video or new, tech-forward ways to reach your desired audiences, we can help. Contact us today to learn more about what a sophisticated brand messaging strategy can do for your firm.
Advice on Social Media Stories from a Brand Positioning Agency
Social stories have only been available for a few years, but as a brand positioning agency, we quickly recognized their marketing potential. Today, our expert storytellers use social stories to put a relatable human face on the clients we work with. Humanizing an organization makes it much easier for potential customers to develop a strong relationship and affinity for their products and services. Why stories sell Behavior experts tell us that humans are wired for story. We have what’s been called a “story drive” that makes us hungry for information presented in this format. In fact, we know that storytelling was the primary way that our ancient ancestors communicated. You might say that cave paintings were the first Instagram! Stories are just as important today. They are the best way to sell a product or service because we connect with them at a deeper level than we do simple information. This is extra important in a generation where our attention span has dropped below that of a goldfish (that’s a little embarrassing). People want to know at a glance what you are offering, and stories give them that information in a very quick, visual, and scannable way. 5 tips on using stories to connect with your audience As a brand positioning agency, we’re sharing insider knowledge on leveraging social media stories: 1. Start slowly Rather than diving headfirst into being storytellers across the social spectrum, you and your team should pick a platform and get a good feel for the medium. Instagram is a great place to start, in part because it has an excellent set of tools for creating social content. 2. Make the most of the tools available to you Many companies get stuck using just the basic functionality on a platform. If you want to create engagement with your audience, it pays to learn about all the features a particular service has to offer so you can make your stories stand out. 3. Work up to using multiple platforms Once you’re comfortable creating stories on one platform, start reworking and repurposing the content you create there in other places. Doing so saves you time and provides consistency for your audience. 4. Create stories that exhibit both passion and practicality While a story that is simply entertaining will get some attention, one that also provides practical, usable information will be much more widely shared, and we can tell you just how much with our social media monitoring services. 5. Be human The “story drive” we have makes us want to hear stories from other humans. Content that looks and sounds like it was produced by a robot won’t engage people and may turn them off. Utilizing content that is relatable and organic will draw more of a crowd. How can our brand positioning agency help you get the most bang for your buck through the use of social media stories? The best place to start is to get in touch with our branding experts and tell us your tale.
Using the Benefits of Luxury Industry Branding To Your Advantage
If you work in the luxury market, chances are you know something about branding. You know how important it is for the brand to know its customer inside and out, and to use this knowledge to continue to build and sell products or services that create a meaningful experience for those indulging in aspirational lifestyles. Your brand is your identity – from your logo to your website to the voice in which you communicate on social media, there’s a line that offers immediate recognition. It creates that feeling that the essence is “on-brand.” Unfortunately, sometimes luxury industry branding includes making decisions that lead them down the wrong path. For instance, they may start producing lower quality goods in order to increase the bottom line.[quote]But the reality is, especially in the luxury industry, that customers can see right through this.[/quote] Making a person spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on a shoddy project is a guaranteed way to make sure they never buy from you again. And, even worse, in this social media-driven world, you can bet that the person who has a bad experience is going to log on to Facebook and Twitter to complain about the experience to friends and followers. Imagine how rough it would be to recover if said unhappy customer is a fashion blogger with a million followers! But brands do other things to dilute their brands, too, and in some cases, without even knowing it. For example, if your brand voice isn’t consistent on social media, that quickly becomes evident to your followers. People follow you because they’ve come to recognize a certain standard associated with you and your business. If you’re a high-end luxury brand that exudes class and elegance, you could lose credibility in tweeting out images of Miley Cyrus’s infamous tongue. It’s important to understand the types of things that drive your customers so you can keep your finger on the pulse of what’s relevant in their lives. And, when it comes to luxury industry branding, the team at our Orlando marketing agency knows that more followers doesn’t necessarily translate to a better brand. I don’t fully understand the practice of buying followers from so-called “click farms” in other countries, because even if it does inflate your follower count, you’ve just paid for the experience of having tons of followers who don’t actually care about your brand. Sure, the number looks good, but with no real engagement, it seems like a waste of money. But this doesn’t just relate to click farms – this experience of doing off-brand activities in order to help raise your follows and likes can actually have a detrimental effect on your brand. Sure, you may get more exposure, but if that exposure is from people who don’t represent your target audience, then this can easily dilute your brand’s value on social media. Another way you may be diluting the value of your brand is by having social media accounts that haven’t been updated in months. People follow you because they have an expectation from you, and if you don’t have the bandwidth or strategy to extend to that social media account, it’s important to assess whether you should take it down entirely. It’s my opinion that for most businesses on most platforms, having no page is better than having an inactive page. If you’re a luxury brand, you have to act like a luxury brand —this is true in brick and mortar locations, as well as in the digital space. Remember that in branding, the customer is savvier than you think. If you need some ideas as to how to better understand your brand, your brand voice and your brand vision, contact our Orlando branding agency for a consultation.
Why Your Brand Should Consider Using App Development
It’s a new year, and people around the country are working hard to keep their resolutions. Be it trying to smile more, have more fun or save money for that big vacation, resolutions are typically admirable goals that, if reached, can grant more positivity and joy to a person’s life. At our advertising agency, we think one of the most awesome things about living in a world of smartphones and digital technology is that there are tons of apps to help us reach our goals. These are apps that help us manage our budgets, our fitness goals and our work-life balance. The great thing about the digital economy is that marketers are able to use app development to find creative ways to tap into these tools to help integrate digital products with their marketing strategies. When brands pick up on a need for their audiences, they can effectively develop apps to help provide a service while also marketing their own brand. Take, for instance, Mint, which is a great tool for helping budget and save. Because it is able to provide a useful service to users, it can also strengthen its brand by partnering with major banks to help provide recommendations and advertising. Anyone resolving to save money in 2014 can use Mint to help plan for the future, and can also get tips on personalized banking options and experiences. Those who’ve resolved to lose weight this year can use help from a number of apps, but none is as highly regarded as the Nike Fuel Band app and it’s partner device. Nike, a company once known only for its shoes, spent significant time and money on research and development to become a lifestyle brand. In doing so, it created a device that acts as a pedometer that syncs with a smart phone app, allowing people to easily monitor their progress and share with friends. This innovative technology goes far beyond what a shoe company has to offer, but at the end of the day, more people working out also equals more shoes sold by Nike. Plus, that doesn’t include the massive amounts of data Nike is capturing about its users. This is why Nike will remain a leader in the athletics and fitness space for a long time. [quote] Want to check out a success story in the mobile app market? BIGEYE teamed up with The Daily Mom to develop a unique and sophisticated app that reached the Top 25 Downloads Position on iTunes. [/quote] Finally, there are numerous apps that help people with education. For instance, language companies like Rosetta Stone compliment their foreign language programs with immersive apps. In doing so, they not only provide a service to their users, but are also accessible to beginners who might be interested in partaking in the full program at a later date, but for the moment simply need to learn where to find the bathroom. Take a tip from our brand marketing agency: Marketers should look to this these inspirational ideas for app utility to figure out what kinds of apps might help their users and their audiences. Doing so not only acts as great marketing, but also helps provide a service to users. In turn, those new products can help the brand grow into something bigger than itself. In search of a little more expert advice to strategize app development for your brand? Contact us today to schedule a consultation!
Juliet said it best, “what’s in a name?” Well, there is a lot
I don’t know about you, but here at BIGEYE we’re pretty glad the rapture didn’t happen. For the past few months we’ve been immersed in the rebranding process, and it’s finally paid off. We’d like at least a few months to enjoy the fruits of our labor. October should be just fine.
Ben & Jerry’s Twitter Treats, promotion in a creative way
Most Twitter users hardly ever use all of the allotted 140 characters they’re allowed to tweet. Ben & Jerry’s decided to utilize this fact to promote a witty campaign called Fair Tweets (see the video splainer – a BIGEYE favorite), not only for its company, but also for a good cause. On May 14, in honor of World Fair Trade Day, Ben & Jerry’s asked Twitter users to donate their spare characters to raise awareness of Fair Trade. They created a user-friendly application that allows people to type tweet whatever they’d like and automatically fills in the remaining unused characters with a Fair Trade message and hyperlink. So, if your tweet is only 20 characters, Ben & Jerry’s will immediately fill in a 120-character message about Fair Trade for you … and they might even throw in a link or hashtag too. Once your message is created, you simply click the “Tweet It!” button, and your Fair Trade message is sent off to Twitter for all of your followers to see. It takes two seconds (depending on your typing skills), and spreads awareness for Fair Trade around the world. Not to mention, it leads people to Ben & Jerry’s as well. Promoting a cause through your company is always admirable, but Ben & Jerry’s showed us how to make it clever and fun too. We think they deserve two thumbs up for promoting themselves and a good cause in a cool, non-garish sort of way. Don’t you? To learn how to effectively incorporate twitter into your campaign, contact us here!