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David Mitchell wrote in The Guardian this week about a company that gives teenagers vouchers in exchange for mentioning ‘key campaign messages to friends, both on and offline.’ Essentially, they’re being paid to spread advertising propaganda and, as a parent, I can understand why David is concerned.
But this type of word of mouth marketing is nothing new.
In the last decade Procter & Gamble (through its Tremor and Vocalpoint campaigns) has recruited millions of teenagers and mothers to hand out coupons and drop brand names into everyday conversations.
Should we be worried about this cynical approach to word of mouth? Or is there a more authentic way of integrating brands into daily conversations?
Viral marketing is difficult to fake
Many marketers hoped that social networking would make it easy to spread their campaign messages. But creating content in the marketing lab that people want to share is easier said than done.
Often, it happens by chance. People are now suspicious of videos featuring brands, and faked ‘viral’ videos can soon get exposed. You then face a potential backlash and damaged trust because people hate it when they’ve been tricked by a cynical marketer.
Instead, consider giving people an incentive to create authentic viral content for you…
Ford’s Fiesta Movement Campaign
Last year, in the US Ford gave 100 people Fiesta cars to borrow for 6 months.
The catch? They had to complete a series of monthly missions, such as delivering gifts to the National Guard or finding celebrity lookalikes. They then had to upload their adventures onto social networking sites.
The result? 6.5 million YouTube views, 50,000 requests for car information and increased brand awareness at relatively small cost.
The Fiesta Movement campaign succeeded because it offered authentic videos of real life experiences. It wasn’t contrived simply to force the brand into people’s conversations.
So when creating social marketing campaigns give your customers an incentive to create content for you, even if it means your brand taking a backseat. Bribing people to talk about you will soon be exposed, leading to people losing trust in your brand and each other.
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BDA (Buckingham Design Associates) blog – real people giving real opinions, and a complete lack of agency waffle. BDA deliver an exciting blend of design and creative marketing for the Oxford, Milton Keynes, Northampton and London region.
