How Ben & Jerry’s Flipped the Lid on Content Marketing Strategy
Ben & Jerry’s content marketing strategy involves bold flavors and social activism to maintain a positive brand and reputation. From their fanciful flavor names to the way that they embrace political activism, any experienced content marketing agency should understand that Ben & Jerry’s provides a good example of a successful brand that does things a little differently. For example, most agencies will usually advise conducting market research as the very first step in developing a content marketing strategy. In contrast, Ben & Jerry’s current CEO, Matthew McCarthy said that conducting too much market research can lead to mediocrity. Find out how this beloved brand has retained its market position by delivering what customers want without trying to spend to much time upfront attempting to even predict what that is. What’s Different About Ben & Jerry’s Content Marketing Strategy? Instead of creating a perception of maintaining just another high-quality ice cream brand, Ben & Jerry’s continues to generate a positive brand perception by working to disrupt their market and revolutionize society through their content marketing strategy. Maintaining Their Reputation as a Disputer So how can the CEO of Ben and Jerry’s say that too much research, a staple of most content marketing plans, can lead to mediocrity? McCarthy told Marketing Week that he spent years working for Unilever and for much of that career, they relied upon consumers to tell them exactly what they wanted. Of course, he agrees that this kind of research still provides an incredibly useful tool. However, he’s learned that it’s impossible to please everybody and by trying, it can lead to not actually pleasing anybody that well. If you ask a random group of people to choose their favorite ice cream, a lot of them might settle upon chocolate, vanilla, or maybe, strawberry. Instead, Ben & Jerry’s has stood out by coming up with interesting and memorable concoctions that may or may not rely upon the old standby flavors as part of the mix. Instead, they begin by having product development teams work with their flavor gurus, also known as professional chefs. After they’ve developed new flavors, they may test them by either sending them directly to market or by inviting small groups of Ben Jerry’s fans to try a scoop. And he believes this practice continues to help them grow and maintain a reputation as a market disrupter, even though they’re an established brand that’s been around for over four decades and has a presence in at least 35 countries. So, when Ben & Jerry’s introduces such brands as Phish Food, Cherry Garcia, and Americone Dream, everybody wants to find out what the buzz is all about. It doesn’t hurt that they’ve associated at least some of their flavors with celebrities. They can also glide a bit on not just their own media presence but also that of the people or concepts they honor and support with their delicious pints. How Ben & Jerry’s Maintains Their Activist Image Ben & Jerry’s dedicated one of the most popular flavors, Americone Dream, to Stephen Colbert. Not only that, a portion of profits also goes to some of Stephen Colbert’s favorite charities. Not only should an inbound marketing agency consider this an example of genius marketing, they should also take note that the favor’s really good. Who wouldn’t like a fudge-covered pieces of waffle cones and caramel swirls drenched in a high-quality vanilla base? Plus, each pint helps such worthy causes as the environment, veterans, and disadvantaged children. Just mentioning it here will probably move a few more pints off the shelf. Don’t forget to try the Chunky Money while you’re at it. Besides sales, the extra attention has generated plenty of positive press from news agencies, supported charities, and of course, Colbert himself. Ben and Jerry’s recent statement on white supremacy should not have surprised anybody who has followed a company that already introduced flavors like Pecan Resist and Justice Remix’d. Not only did their statement help them solidly their serious stance as a brand with a purpose, it also helped them align with activist movements. What’s Activism Got to do with Ice Cream and Content Marketing? When asked by Marketing Dive what activism has to do with ice cream, the CEO said, “Not a lot. Except we care about it, and our team cares.” Judging by the extra positive mentions that Ben & Jerry’s has received by blogs, news sites, and even activist organizations, it looks like their customers care too.
Let Goat Yoga Enlighten Your Viral Content Strategy
Goat yoga videos went viral through engaging content and good promotion. Add viral content to your social media marketing strategy. It’s been the butt of jokes, pun intended. People who have never seen it always ask if it’s even real. Comedians on late-night TV make fun of it. Still, goat yoga has turned into a serious business, mostly because of a successful content media strategy. No content marketing agency or forgive me, guru, can give you the exact formula to guarantee a viral content marketing strategy. Still, it’s easy to pick out what viewers found engaging and sharable when they viewed goat yoga videos online. Can goat yoga teach you how to get a video viral? That’s My Idea! Marketing, a local content marketing agency for a goat yoga location, offered a very transparent glimpse into their social media strategy. Like any good marketers, they defined their target market. They decided taking yoga classes in a field with cute, little goats would appeal to the most to females who were at least 25 years old. Once they had their target, they promoted videos of the activity on Facebook. Of course, by then, lots of people had already heard of goat yoga, so their job may have been a bit easier. According to CNBC, the original founder of Original Goat Yoga actually started gaining attention through a story and photos in Modern Farmer. The videos arrived somewhat later. She made a solid six-figures her first year just from viral media attention. During that time, images and videos of goats and yoga students in action spread fast. For her, the business grew so quickly that gaining attention was the least of her problems. Instead, she needed to abruptly leave her full-time job and struggle to get the infrastructure in place to support all the people who wanted to attend classes. During that first year, her expenses kept up with spiking revenues because she had never planned to grow so fast. At least from a marketing perspective, it was a job well done. Later, she managed to develop revenue and funding sources to make the rest of her business as successful as her marketing. The ingredients of the goat yoga viral content strategy While the exact formula might not work for every business, it’s easy to spot the qualities of the photos and videos of goat yoga classes that engaged viewers: They’re fun, interesting, and effective: People have a natural attraction to cute animals, and these dwarf goats are as photogenic as kittens. People also have an interest in yoga. While neither goats nor yoga are new ideas, combining them was novel. Like peanut butter and chocolate, putting goats and yoga together produced magic. It’s like the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups of exercise and animal videos. People who have tried the classes in person say that having the goats hop about is surprisingly calming. They’re visually appealing and engaging and very sharable: The goats snuggle, prance, and sometimes, even hop up on the yoga students while they’re holding their poses. While the videos are actually fairly simple and easy to understand, the unpredictable nature of the animals generates countless possibilities. The combination of visual appeal and simplicity makes this kind of content very sharable, and that’s a key ingredient for viral content. They evoke positive emotions: Goat yoga doesn’t just connect with its audience. It also helps connect the audience to nature and animals. This sort of content almost immediately evokes a sense of joy, makes people laugh, and relieves stress. These days, it’s easy to get bombarded with bad news and negative emotions, so the goat yoga videos offer a pleasant refuge. What can goat yoga teach a content marketing agency or business about viral videos? Neil Patel, the internet marketing guru, published some simple characteristics that he believes every viral video needs. As you explore his suggestions, you can see how goat yoga videos provide a great example: Rapid engagement: To get attention on a busy video site or social platform, videos need to gain attention quickly. Novelty: If you’re advertising a type of yoga class or a toaster, you should stand out by doing something different. Think about the example of advertising a blender by finding out if it could blend a cell phone or tablet. Decent quality: These days, you should pay some attention to production values. That’s true even if you can’t yet afford professional equipment or producers. Even if the videos aren’t perfect, they still need to be good enough. Practicality: This might appear almost counter-intuitive when you’re talking about producing novel content; however, videos that offer accessible solutions tend to garner the most views. Promotable: Even the most sharable videos need to gain that initial audience, so have a plan to distribute and promote the videos in order to help them gain momentum. If you read more about the early days of goat yoga, you will learn that the founder hit upon a fantastic idea, promoted it, and then let her audience find her. She honestly never expected it to gain momentum as quickly as it did. If you’re setting out to develop viral content, you should first define your target audience and research the types of content that have a good chance of appealing to them. Original Goat Yoga first distributed to Modern Farmer. You may want to spend time figuring out the sorts of platforms and publications that your audience might frequent in order to create your distribution and social media strategy. Even though viral content relies upon having the audience share it, you first need to develop that audience. Even the most successful marketers will admit that they need art, science, and some luck to produce viral video content. By neglecting the important characteristics of a viral content strategy, you’ll greatly reduce your chances. Still, by studying past successes, you can craft and distribute content in a way that will greatly improve your odds, so you won’t need to rely upon luck
A Content Marketing Agency: The Solution to Understanding Gen Z
Well, it’s time for a new challenge: Generation Z. They’re kind of like Millennials, but just a little bit extra. In just three years, the global population of Generation Z will outnumber Millennials, reaching a population of about 2.5 billion. In the United States, members of Generation Z now comprise 20% of the population and rising. To be successful, marketers need to understand the shift that’s occurring. In order to do that, they need greater insight into the makeup, preferences, behaviors, and motivations of Generation Z, which is why partnering with a content marketing agency might be beneficial for you. Personal appearance, immediacy, and the “Instagram Effect” Generation Z is the first cohort to have never really known a world without the smartphone or social media. They’ve grown up in public, documenting their lives online. In this sense, they are part of a radical experiment, having no experience of the slower and more private analog world that existed before smartphones and social platforms. A report compiled by Fung Global Retail & Technology draws some interesting conclusions about Generation Z, including the following: They attach great importance to personal appearance, having spent their lives being judged (and judging others) on social media. They spend more on leisure and lifestyle purchases (restaurants, travel, etc.) due to the competitive pressures of social media (also known as the “Instagram Effect). They are the most demanding and least patient generation in history, due to on-demand services such as Netflix, Postmates and Uber. These three characteristics are, of course, of particular interest to content marketers. Members of Generation Z are extremely interested in products tied to appearance. They are hungry for experiences; their consumer spending habits are often tailored to the need to show social media audiences that they have fun, interesting, and meaningful lives. They also have a craving for, and expectation of, immediacy. Because this generation has grown up in an environment where products and services appear at the push of a button, they’ve been conditioned to expect a fast response. How a smart content marketing agency connects with Gen Z Generation Z members spend around nine hours each day on their devices, scrolling through various feeds, posting content and socializing. In order to increase engagement, marketers should do the following: Rely on video and images rather than text. Create visually-striking content that stands out, with a clear call to action. Use an attention-grabbing approach that cuts through the clutter. Generation Z has grown up immersed in advertising, so it takes something novel to seize their attention. Understand the sensibility. Younger people document their lives on social media, if you want to understand what they think is funny or interesting, all you need to do is look. Don’t patronize. There’s nothing worse than a brand attempting to connect with young people by clumsily appropriating their humor or lexicon. When something like this lands, it can be very effective — but it can also backfire spectacularly if not executed well. A content marketing agency is your best option While we’ve been helping brands succeed for more than a decade, BIGEYE prides itself on being a young, energetic content marketing agency. We move fast and build data-driven content for our clients. If you’d like to better understand the art and science of targeting Generation Z, don’t hesitate to contact us today.
The only guide you & your content marketing agency should use
Faced with an ever changing landscape of marketing trends, keeping your content fresh can feel like a daunting task. We’ve seen many brands reach out to a top Florida advertising agency when they hit a breaking point and their content has become unmanageable, but we want to share an effective how-to guide that will make your (and your content marketing agency’s) life much easier. By following these simple steps, you can keep your content fresh … without the stress. 1. Create a foundation of evergreen content While current news, timely statistics, and cutting-edge trends all have a place in your arsenal of content, evergreen material that never goes out of style or “ages” should be the foundation of your digital footprint. This content should anchor your search strategy with keywords that will always be relevant to your brand. Many companies shy away from creating evergreen content in fear that all the related, popular topics have already been covered. Even if that were true, you can leverage your team’s unique voice or expertise to add a brand-specific spin that will freshen up timeless topics. Your brand should also consider developing content for secondary, or long-tail, topics and keywords that will still drive site traffic, but have less competition against them 2. Repurpose your best material Partner with a content marketing agency or use a search tracking tool such as Ahrefs to monitor how your content is performing in search. If you see a certain keyword ranking drop, it’s time to refresh your material on that topic. Repurpose your best features by punctuating evergreen content with links to news or new statistics. In addition to strengthening your brand’s position on a certain topic, this also helps build backlinks within your site, establishing your credibility in the search ecosystem and bolstering your ranking. Remember, you aren’t the only person speaking about a certain topic, so just because you’ve said it once, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t revisit the topic with relevant updates for your ever-growing audience. 3. Let your content marketing agency spice up your content type You may also want to republish popular topics in a new format. While you may be great at writing blog posts, that same content could capture a different audience if it were translated into an infographic, how-to guide, or formal whitepage. Most people gravitate toward the type of content they create best, so we recommend using a digital agency to help break out of your routine and reframe pieces into new formats. Learn more about how our team can translate content into new and engaging styles here. 4. Don’t forget about User Generated Content (UGC) If you have awesome followers and influencers engaging with your brand, let them shine. Share and promote your users’ good content. Contributors love to be recognized and will probably consider being featured on your social media, blog, or page as a tremendous compliment. UGC also has the added benefit of generating over four times the clickthrough rate of brand content according to Shopify, so you can’t go wrong. Once you’ve mastered these simple steps, you should be well on your way to a maintainable content strategy that serves your brand and your customers. Click here to contact our team and get started on refreshing your content today.
Tips to develop an effective content marketing strategy
Smart content marketing helps businesses grow revenue, deepen engagement and expand audiences. Why does a well-executed content marketing plan have such a positive effect? Because it touches on virtually all aspects of your marketing efforts. It boosts your search ranking, increases the value of your online offerings and provides you with the material you need to grow your social media footprint. All of this results in more traffic and conversions, as your audience will appreciate useful, high-value content tailored to their interests. After all, there’s a reason why the majority of businesses report putting more resources toward content creation year after year. So how does one design an effective content marketing strategy? Let’s review a few key tips: Articulate your goals No strategy can be effectively implemented without a blueprint, so defining your near and long-term goals should be the first step you take. Ask yourself the following: “What do I want my content marketing plan to achieve?” “Am I looking for more sales?” “More traffic and leads?” “Positioning as an authority in my industry?” Once the broad contours are drawn, you’ll be in a good position to start implementing your vision. Develop a buyer persona Knowing your audience is fundamental to good marketing. You simply can’t create and deliver highly-targeted, deeply relevant content with a scattershot approach. One of the best ways to ensure you’re using resources wisely is the creation of a buyer persona (a generalized and fictionalized profile of your ideal customer). These personas should be informed by hard data (demographic information you’ve collected via various channels/market data you have access to etc.) and your subjective impressions of your clients and your niche. Do your research Are your competitors investing in their own content marketing plan? If so, audit what they are doing and see if it’s driving engagement. There are a variety of software tools you can use to gauge the performance of your competitors’ content, in terms of likes, shares, traffic, etc. You’ll want to use these same tools (Google Analytics, Yoast, etc.) when evaluating the performance of your own new content. Focus on quality When your strategy is firmly in place, you’ve done the research, and you’ve decided which content management system best suits your needs, it’s time to focus on content creation. Here, it’s essential that you offer your audience something of value. Invest in high-quality, authoritative writing. Make sure your content is optimized for search and social. Mobile and video offerings continue to grow in importance; by at least one metric, video will be responsible for 80-percent of all online traffic by 2019, while mobile video consumption grows at a staggering 100-percent year over year. The takeaway Content marketing is a powerful tool that helps businesses grow their audiences, boost revenue and increase brand awareness. Follow the tips outlined above when creating your content marketing plan. Are you interested in creating more targeted content to enhance your marketing strategy? Contact our team today to learn more about our content marketing services!
Is your company spending too much money on the wrong content?
We all know that content marketing and social media are important elements of a well-rounded and engaging customer experience — in fact, we go deep on this topic in our recent blog post titled “5 Reasons Your Business Should Invest in Content Marketing”, which you can read here. But how do you know if you’re spending the right amount of money on the right content? There’s no question that brands are spending more money on content than ever before. With over 64% of B2B marketers outsourcing the content creation process according to TopRankBlog, there is no shortage of content flowing into the marketplace. There is content everywhere, from videos to interactive emails, to white pages, to webinars, and many others. But is it working? Calculating the ROI on content marketing can be challenging, and highly interactive content such as infographics and videos can be expensive. Before you invest another dollar in content creation, we recommend that you ask yourself these two questions: Question 1: If a tree falls in the forest and no one hears it fall, did it actually happen? No, we aren’t trying to be cheeky with you. With so many marketing dollars going toward content creation, we have to wonder whether there is enough left over to effectively invest in the targeted distribution of that content. You might have the most engaging infographics in the world, but if your target audience isn’t seeing them, you’ve just wasted your budget. Omni-channel marketing is the answer. Understand where your audience is already consuming content and which types of content they engage with most organically, then mimic their natural consumption patterns. Simple social listening tools, attribution marketing models, and A/B testing can help you understand your best customers’ behavior and begin targeting prospects with the right content, at the right time, in the right place. This allows you to invest in your most valuable channels and begin plugging existing content into marketing mechanisms that will inspire action. You may find that you have enough content right now and that your dollars would be better spent targeting prospects with the amazing assets you have, rather than continuing to create work no one will see. Question 2: Why are you writing your own content? If you find that you still do need content, we recommend flipping the creation process on its head. And don’t worry, we won’t tell your creative team we said so. While curated and professional content is hard to beat, it sometimes overshadows one of the most effective and free content creation resources available to you. Your customers. Don’t fight it. Today’s consumers have a big voice. They are blogging and reviewing and posting everywhere. Use this to your advantage. By adopting your best customer-generated content and investing in distribution around those assets you accomplish three things. First, you reduce the cost of creating content. Second, you make those creators feel connected to your brand by elevating their opinions and efforts into the spotlight. And third, you expand your reach by utilizing your customers’ own spheres of influence and follower bases to support your distribution efforts. We agree, that sounds like a pretty amazing opportunity. Right now, marketers spend close to 80% of their budget on content creation and only 20% on distribution. By flipping the content creation model, you just freed up that money you have been looking for to kick off your latest test and target campaign. You’re welcome. Let us work with you to perform a comprehensive content audit on your brand to understand which of your assets are strongest, where you should be promoting them, and how effective your current distribution strategy is. Together, we’ll make sure you never have to say you spent too much money on the wrong content.
5 reasons your business should invest in content marketing
It seems like everyone is talking about content marketing. In fact, according to the Content Marketing Institute, 75% of brands using interactive content plan to increase their content distribution in 2017. But if your mom taught you anything in middle school it was probably that, just because everyone else is doing something, it doesn’t mean you should too. We never recommend our clients jump on trends unless there’s a defensible reason behind those strategies. Before you join the content wave, we’re going to tell you why your business should invest in content marketing so you can make an informed decision. Spoiler alert: it’s a great investment. 1. Consumers are increasingly less trusting of paid marketing: Social media has made it difficult for brands to hide their values, products, or services behind a sheen of marketing razzle-dazzle. People are constantly snapping and posting pictures, videos, sound bites, and reviews onto the internet via blog posts and social channels. And because paid advertisers would never shout their faults or weaknesses from the rooftop, most people believe customer-generated content is a more reliable source of honest information about a product. A good content marketing strategy builds from and mimics customer-generated material so the messaging you have in market matches the good feedback you’re receiving and addresses areas of opportunity your customers are pointing out. 2 . Content marketing augments your brand messaging: Use your paid efforts as your thesis statement and content marketing as supporting proof. No matter how prevalent user content is, you still need paid advertising to control and build your foundational brand storyline. Use content marketing to augment and prove the validity of your paid efforts. Create a blog, link to outside content, and build your site as a trusted source of information. All these tools back up your paid efforts to give customers enough confidence in your brand claims to choose your company over the competition. 3. SEO and SEM still matter: It may sound simple, but it’s worth noting: search engine optimization and marketing are still a big part of the brand awareness process at the top of the marketing funnel. This is especially true if you have a regional business that would benefit from local search discovery. There is no better way to ensure your website and company rank on your preferred search engine than by creating relevant, meaningful, and timely content. It takes search engines approximately three months to fully index and catalogue content updates, so publish content early and often to stay current. 4. Content starts a conversation with your customers: Not everyone will like your brand. Some people will absolutely love it. Instead of fighting the inevitable bell curve of opinions, lean into your customers’ conversations using content marketing. Shy away from generic or vague content and opt for big, bold information that will inspire a response from your clients. Even negative feedback lets you know how you are performing and gives you a baseline from which to grow. There’s a reason they say all publicity is good publicity. While we aren’t advocating you take a “shock jock” approach to your content strategy, we do encourage you to create authentic, interesting material that will truly engage your audience. 5. Content is the most powerful tool in your marketing tool box: Most importantly, your business needs content marketing because it helps you understand how your customers are searching for information and interpreting your brand values. You can test content to see what is most effective and learn from content that is not. As you fine tune the creation process, you’ll be able to plug and play content across a wide variety of marketing channels, letting you be more agile in the marketplace and adapt to your unique marketing needs. Aside from all these benefits, content creation is just plain ole’ fun! Click here to learn about our creative team and how they can help you refresh your content strategy for 2017 today.
Should I use a content marketing agency or freelancer?
To freelance or not to freelance? To hire an agency or go it alone? Those are the questions. Depending on who you speak to, you’ll probably bump into a wide variety of (sometimes polarized) opinions about the benefits of each option. The reality is that, whether you choose a content marketing agency or hire a freelancer, the “right” answer lies within your unique needs. Here are a few pros and cons of each. Building your content marketing with a freelancer: If your content marketing strategy is fairly straightforward and your team has the time and expertise to guide your freelancer’s work, hiring a writer can be a powerful tool when you need to ramp content up quickly (or down without cutting staff). Hiring a freelancer gives you flexibility, and usually provides a good bang for your buck because you can generate large quantities of high-quality content quickly and affordably. PROS: Speed to market Scalable Use for seasonal needs However, freelancers generally require a little extra “hand holding” because they may not be engrained in your company culture or have full access to your vision and strategy. Your team will need to field questions about tone, topics, keyword strategy, and content roadmap to ensure you get the best results. Get the most out of your freelancer by treating them like an employee rather than a third party. Don’t skimp on sharing creative briefs, ideas, and feedback. If you’re worried about privacy or exposing sensitive and strategic information, you can always ask your writer to sign a non-disclosure agreement. Content marketing made easy with an agency: Agencies really shine if your content marketing plan hasn’t been fully fleshed out or you have a smaller staff that may not have time to manage your freelancer’s writing process. If you aren’t sure what content you need, or how to maximize your reach and impact through content, an agency will provide critical insight to make sure the work you have planned will be beneficial and impactful. Sometimes, agencies offer a la carte services (like freelance writing) so you can enjoy the scalability of a freelancer, with a little extra support from content marketing pros in the background. Talk to your agency about your unique needs to determine how they can best support you and work within your budget. PROS: Strategic guidance Consistency and quality Holistic content marketing skills You’ll get the best results from a content marketing agency if you plan to build a partnership with them. Think of your agency as a secret weapon, a hidden CMO, the wizard behind the curtain. The sky is the limit when you work with a good content marketing agency that understands your short and long-term goals, knows the market, and can make thoughtful recommendations about placement, supplementary advertising material, and unique ways to distribute your content. With a content marketing agency, you get so much more than … well … content. You also get the manpower and expertise to really do something with it. The bottom line? Freelance writing offers a quick, straightforward solution to generate content … but an agency can start a marketing revolution. The great news is that you don’t need to choose one or the other. Many of our clients start their content marketing with us and use freelance writers to maintain the work we do together when their team is stretched thin or they want to begin a new project and need an extra boost of manpower. Naturally, we are there every step of the way to support so there really is no wrong answer. Contact us to get started!
View the “roadmap” for your content marketing success
View more of BIGEYE‘s creative infographics. Roadmap to Content Marketing By: BIGEYE Posted on August 15, 2016 Why content marketing? 78% of CMOs think custom content is the future of marketing 70% of consumers prefer to learn about companies through articles, and 80% of business decision makers prefer to get information about a prospective purchase from articles Content marketing costs 62% less than traditional marketing and generates about 3x more leads Flat tire – 70% of marketers lack consistency and strategy Get on the road! 3 steps to get in the driver’s seat of your content marketing Bring the Map – Define and document your strategy 61% of the most effective B2B marketers meet daily or weekly with their content marketing team Percentage of B2B marketers with a content strategy 32% – Yes, undocumented 48% – Yes, undocumented 16% – No 4% – Unsure 2. Choose the Right Destination – Know your audience Using buyer personas in an email campaign doubled open rates 2x and click-through rates 5x Behaviorally targeted ads are twice as effective Marketing personas made websites more effective and easier to use 73% of online consumers lose interest with unrelated content 4 is the average number of audiences to target 61% of consumers say custom content is more effective and increases buying Personalized subject lines are 22.2% more likely to be opened 3. Pack Well – Create killer content on the right platforms 15 blog posts per month equals 1200 new leads per month 82% of marketers who blog see positive ROI for their inbound marketing Long-form content (over 1,500 words) is shared more often Having at least one image in your blog post results in 64.9% more Facebook shares and 20.36% more Twitter shares Most effective B2B content marketing tactics: 75% – In-Person Events 66% – Webinars/Webcasts 65% – Case Studies 63% – White Papers 62% – Videos 61% – Research Reports 60% – eNewsletters 59% – Blogs 58% – Infographics 58% – Online Presentations Success!
Consumer packaged goods… You mean content packaged goods
Consumer packaged goods are leading the charge in millennial marketing initiatives. Although as marketers, we wouldn’t be surprised to hear luxury or lifestyle brands, such as the LVMH collection or Mercedes-Benz were pioneering, experimenting with, and testing new marketing tactics; we were delighted to learn that CPGs were making bold strides in these same efforts. Consumer packaged goods are leading the way on some of the most innovative marketing trends of 2016. Here’s why: They aren’t afraid of experiential marketing: CPGs are often competing in mature or saturated markets, so they are more willing to take a big swing and learn quickly during times of fierce competition. Within the last decade, experiential marketing has become a new – somewhat experimental – marketing tactic to attract CPG consumers. Companies such as Redbull have used experiential marketing events to bolster their brand image, in this case, with adventure and energy. Event marketing transports potential customers into an alternate version of their lifestyle in which their products have transformed their day-to-day lives. Even when these events or guerrilla marketing experiences are an exaggerated version of their products’ value proposition, the emotions participants feel during these events last longer than any traditional advertisement ever could. This type of marketing is especially effective for new product launches or brand refreshing efforts. They have nailed the art of storytelling: No one tells a story better than Oreo. In their latest advertising campaigns, Oreo shows how sharing their time-honored cookie brings families and individuals closer together. Watching a little boy share an Oreo before bedtime with his father, who has video conferenced into his son’s bedroom before his morning meeting half way across the globe in Hong Kong, transforms the simple pleasure of eating a cookie into a family tradition. Brands such as Coca-Cola have taken a similar approach to elevate feelings of goodwill around the holidays, while the laundry detergent brand Tide captures the relief of simplifying everyday life amidst the chaos of children, pets, multiple schedules, and ubiquitous stains. Storytelling is a powerful tool when used in traditional advertising campaigns and shareable content on social media because it allows consumers to think about CPGs in a new way. Celebrity sponsorship is not a dirty word: CPGs have also benefitted tremendously with millennials by seeking celebrity endorsements. Although there is no illusion that these brand partnerships are organic, CPGs have learned (and leveraged) the power of our youngest generation’s fixation on celebrity lifestyles. Cindy Crawford may have started it with her Pepsi endorsement in the 80’s, but every time a celebrity stands next to a CPG, sales increase approximately 20%—yes, even with a B-list name. It may sound counterintuitive to today’s modern marketers who are used to bending over backwards to build brand trust, but we already told you that consumer packaged goods were daring to be different. It may not always make sense, but we know these companies aren’t spending millions of dollars for a few seconds during the Super Bowl halftime for nothing. If you want to think outside the box (literally), CPGs are a great place to seek new ideas and marketing trends you may not have considered before. Our team of marketing enthusiasts have a few tricks up our sleeves that we learned from watching the best of the best CPG brands. Click here for a few more tips.
