Digital Discourse

Making QR the Hero: JetBlue

Every morning during my commute to work I see the different ads posted in the subway.  One recent JetBlue ad really captured my attention and kept me thinking about the brand between train rides.

JetBlue made a QR code the central focus of their subway poster.  Wow!  Talk about straying from the brand’s look-book.  Kudos to the creatives for making technology aesthetically pleasing! 

JetBlue’s ‘in-your-face’ approach to QR codes seems to do three things really well:

1. Spark immediate intrigue with bold visuals
2. Reinforce perception that JetBlue embraces new technologies
3. Facilitate program response with immediately available technologies

 

From a strategic perspective, I’m left asking if they were focused on one or many different goals.

The ad actually functions – quite literally as a traffic driver to JetBlue’s St. Pete / Clearwater promotion, which gives away one free trip for every week of February.  The call-to-action tells viewers to go to the vanity URL jet2thebeach.com and enter to win.  But why have a QR code in addition to the vanity URL, and why place the QR code so prominently in relation to the vanity URL?

I’m inclined to believe that QR on subways – and even on-the-go for that matter - is particularly relevant for facilitating what the name claims: ‘quick response’.  If you see a URL in a magazine, you just mark the page and come back to it when you’re ready to act on it.  But if you don’t own the magazine or if you’re on the subway, you may be captivated by the ad momentarily, but by the time you sit back down at your computer, the program is likely forgotten.  Capturing the QR code makes response easier, and on a device where action can be taken more immediately, from almost anywhere. 

On my phone I scanned the ad with the RedLaser app, which is a popular QR scanner.  I did not have immediate service in the subway, but once I was back on the street, all I had to do was tap on the bookmarked link (rather than remembering to type in the URL).  Upon arriving at the campaign microsite, I was redirected to a mobile optimized site, which prominently showcased the basic call to action: enter the sweepstakes by filling out the form. 

Ultimately, QR can help both perception and direct response – it’s not an “either / or” opportunity.  JetBlue showed bold, creative thinking by making QR the visual focus.  That said, QR still presents a big opportunity for the vast majority of brands who are simply looking to make their traditional media more response oriented and immediately actionable.

 

 

Further reading:

On Mashable, Hamilton Chan discusses:

Why QR Codes Will Go Mainstream and

Why the Best Online Marketing May be Headed Offline

Key recommendations highlighted:

1. Optimize for mobile
2. There must be a payoff to QR programs
3. Consider ‘Context Sensitive Marketing’ (CSM), which promotes impulse actions

 

Utility Drives Mobile Strategy

Quick facts hot off the press:

• eMarketer estimates 31% of mobile users, (73.3 million in US), have a smartphone in 2011.  
• Among marketers who are planning to implement a mobile program (34%) mobile web search and display will get the most resources.
• 69% of US smartphone owners have downloaded a mobile app as of October 2010 (eMarketer). 
• Brand example:  IHG’s mobile application lets current and future guests tap into the collective knowledge and experiences of InterContinental Concierge Teams in more than 120 destinations to get recommendations for restaurants, shops and nightspots, as well as insider tips on local culture, attractions and events.

More and more, phones are operating as multi-purpose digital tools, driven by utility.  For travelers in particular, whether researching a trip, staying organized while in-transit, connecting with surroundings, or even relating to brands, convenience-driven utility is essential for any meaningful and lasting mobile experience.  To plan for utility, begin by considering needs, immediacy, and context.  In identifying utility-driven needs, start by first asking the obvious questions:  What do travelers need while they travel?  What can travel brands offer travelers to make their lives more seamless on-the-go?  How does location factor into the business' strengths and needs as a travel brand with locations around the globe?

For mobile immediacy, focus on simple, direct and easily completed calls-to-action in rich media, static display and search media.  Long headlines and drawn-out flash animations translate much differently when the screen and media units are pocket-sized.  If campaign's call-to-action can happen within the unit, you’ll see far more response.  Finally, think about value-add information that can be displayed right in the unit, such as delivering addresses, phone numbers or directions specific to the mobile user’s current location.  The Dunkin Donuts ad featured to the right is a strong example of immediately impactful, direct mobile display banner, which includes value-add information in the form of a nearby address.

Finally, mobile is expanding the possibilities of marketing context in unprecedented ways.  Geo-targeting based on phone GPS data and check-in information is not only helping to drive conversion-by-proximity, it’s also helping marketers gain deeper insights at specific points in the customer journey, which go far beyond the click or check-in.  As mobile evolves into a direct response end-point of cross-channel strategies, these insights will help marketers inform campaigns and better judge success.

Moving from Early Adopters to Mainstream - Another Reason for Utility:

 

 

One major shift that will occur is the demos that use smartphones.  Right now, advanced mobile usage in areas like application downloads and banner click through is highest among an early a

dopter audience (affluent, 35-54.)  As smartphones continue to become mainstream, we'll see less trigger-happy click through among early adopters and more basic usage but the mainstream.  Again, it comes back to utility.  The mainstream is not going to click on branded mobile media just for novelty's sake - they are going to expect real value - which will likely be in the form of utility.

 

 

The State of Social Travel

Which do you trust more – travel marketing or reviews from people just like you?  The truth is, the traveler has never been more empowered to make informed decisions. The exchange of travel information on blogs, community review forums, flash sales, mobile apps and many other emerging media experiences have put much more information in the hands of travelers to plan, initiate, track, share and connect.  While there’s nothing new about friends and family informing and influencing their peers' decisions, what is new is the pervasive integration of consumer recommendations, the connectivity people have that spans well beyond their personal networks, and the fact that all of this happens on channels that scale and facilitate bookings in the travel space.

What's more, the mindset and experience of the traveler (much like participants of social media) is an inherently fluid and gregarious mentality.  For this reason, travel marketers aiming to expand their presence in social should start by sparking high quality, engagement-driven relationships.  As the metaphor goes:  Social media is a bit like a dinner party.  If I mentioned at the table that I’m going to San Antonio, how do you think I’d feel if everyone started shouting “book now!” at me?  Like any skilled conversationalist, it's critical to build rapport before making the hard sell. Once your brand has established social currency, begin to consider planning how social impacts businesses more deeply and how to gain greater scale. 

I’ve identified five trends in travel social media that were big in 2010 and will be important to track in 2011.  At the core of all these trends, social media is less of a broadcast “push channel” and more about loyalty, reputation and advocacy

Five trends to track:

1. Friends get special access to deals and programs: 

It’s important to remember, relationships are not just about a pat on the back; they also should deliver real consumer benefits.  Research suggests that 59% of those who became a fan/follower of a travel company in social media did so for special offers and discounts (eMarketer, “The Impact of Social Media,” 9/9/10).  

2. Digital travelers never travel alone:

Leisure travel planning is often more fun when it’s with friends and family.  Recent trends are providing tangible evidence for this basic insight.  20% of Facebook users have asked their network friends for travel advice (eMarketer, “The Impact of Social Media,” 1/10).  Further, apps and communities are beginning to empower shared planning among friends and connections by taking advantage of "network effect."  

3. Loyalty is increasingly about style, not just bookings:

Most travel brands limit loyalty programs to the transaction when in fact travelers are thinking about travel well beyond the swipe of their card.  With social media integrating into mobile devices, many hotels and airlines have realized that they can engage a significant number of travelers at touch points throughout the travel journey. 

4. What travelers discuss is found and compared:

The release of Google ‘Places’ and the recent whispers of the forthcoming Google ‘Place Recommendations’ reflect the close relationship of location reviews and search.  What can brands do?  For starters, actively engage in ‘reputation management’, which involves monitoring for issues, responding when necessary and optimizing how both brand sites and brand reviews are indexed in search. 

5. Service is extended via connections:

Social media is a “live channel” that can be leveraged for addressing customer issues in real time and for routing customers to service channels directly.  35% of travelers have used social media to interact with a travel company (eMarketer, “PhoCusWright Cross-Channel Survey,” 7/1/10).  

 

Relationship Building in Digital Communications

At Pivot 2010, Deb Schultz pointed out (rightly so) that over time, we’ve seen a gradual “death of the grand gesture.” The "gesture" refers to BIG campaigns that are launched for a limited window of time and then there is silence until the next campaign.  Because social media empowers consumers to call-out when brands seem unauthentic, the web requires brands to truly ‘commit to’ and ‘do’ what they say. Today, consumers increasingly see episodic communications as unauthentic and expect brands to remain engaged before, during and after scaled communications.  Living up to the expectations set by slogans and offering inclusive programs can help brands foster discoveries, insights, collaborations and moments of inspiration over time and in unexpected ways.

GREAT QUOTE:  “You can’t have radio silence all year long and then flowers and chocolates on Valentine’s Day.” - Deb Schultz, Altimeter Group

THE TAKEAWAY:  Think about online communication as less campaign-centric and more about platforms that offer ongoing, constant, long-term creation of value for a target audience.  Commitment to a message is not difficult if you live and breathe what you say you are.  While increased obligation to commit may be an added responsibility, the web actually facilitates relatively affordable means for maintaining lighter, on-going brand experiences.

 

Layered Experience

Don’t underestimate the power of layers in marketing.  Remember the Tootsie commercials?  “How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop?”  The slogan worked because you had to keep licking to see what’s next.  There was always a new experience right around the corner.  Well, that should be marketing gospel.  Don’t give it all away up front!  Save some of the fun for deeper, future experiences; this will motivate exploration, engagement and loyalty by consumers.  In other words, make your brand a Tootsie.  (You must have seen that coming.  Well, I went there.)

I started thinking about layers yesterday while listening to Say Media during their workshop at the Pivot Conference.  They had a big picture of an onion on the screen.  At first this seemed strange, but the basic idea came to me over time.  Encourage consumers to dig deeper and reward them for that.  Say Media has built a huge video network business off of  a Cost Per Engagement (CPE) model.  CPE’s basic idea is that you don’t pay for impressions, only engagements (sort of like search’s model).  Their basic argument is that disruptive advertising alienates consumers, so don’t force connections with unwilling consumers.  Instead, focus on creating an appealing call-to-action – but don’t put it all up-front.  Pay it off by delivering the core messaging and experience only for those who are willing to engage.   In the end, consumers will recall opt-in experiences more and keep a higher tolerance for your ads if you don’t inundate them with over saturation in every environment.  Layers bring dimension to brands and experiences.  Broadcasting can appear flat and one-dimensional in a medium that is designed for exploration.  

 

Setting Expectations for Digital Media

I'm here at the Pivot Conference listening to discussions about digital media, social media and "branding's next revolution."  One speaker effectively emphasized the importance of reflection by stating, “we are at the most important moment in advertising since the advent of TV… because the internet opens unprecedented ways to connect with people on their own terms.”  These conferences are really helpful for fostering important reflections about what we as digital marketers are doing right and wrong.  One of the major themes I've observed has been that digital marketers are not setting effective expectations with clients.  Expectations and business goals are where every program begins and how every program is judged in the end - so we better get the expectations right.  Unfortunately, many of us would agree that we're not getting the expectations and business goals right.

Some high level Pivot observations about digital expectations:

1. Embrace what’s different about digital and stop trying to make it fit into traditional conventions of marketing.  Awareness is not the specialty of digital (although it can play a role); facilitating opinion formation and purchase decision are far more relevant to the medium.
2. Stop focusing on the click!   The goal of brands for hundreds of years has been to build relationships with customers – and now it’s just about clicks (which means less and less than it did before).  We as marketers set expectations with our clients.  If we’re frustrated that CTR is overly emphasized, we need to set different expectations up front.  It’s different for everybody, but time spent, repeat visitation, engagement and influence are better insights to begin considering.
3. Don’t let the metrics muddle the long-standing goal: emotional connections.  Increasingly marketers will aim to establish emotional connections that are with the consumer all the time.  Digital is an “always on” and increasingly “always with me” channel.
4. Quality is better than quantity.  That doesn’t mean forget scale, but it means that we need to add deeper insights to the connections established with consumers.  Insights are what differentiate the digital medium!  Let’s bring more focus to digital insights and apply them to the overall process, which will show value through application.
5. Make marketing discoveries by testing, learning and asking/engaging your most loyal consumers.  Digital is the place to do this because it’s quick for implementation and you get direct feedback.  Feedback is what keeps all of us honest.  If you make mistakes that’s okay – just admit when you’re wrong.  Keep trying and focus on an iterative process.  If you stay committed, you’ll eventually get it right.  And if you’re trying to get into digital and social, the simple truth is that you will only learn by doing.
6. There is no such thing as a campaign – only a continuum.  Building a foundation for the long term will pay dividends when you really need it.  You may not need immediately need owned digital media channels and communities, but you almost certainly will find use in the future.
7. Measure what matters - sales and the bottom line are the first priority.  Response to promotions/discounts, loyalty, and continued engagement are great ways to prove value as well.

 

An Interview with John Wolf about Cause Marketing

John Wolf, Senior Director of Public Relations at Marriott International discusses in an interview some of the strategic thinking behind the TownePlace Suites 'Make-a-Bed' Program. www.facebook.com/makeabed

When you make a virtual bed at the promotion's Facebook page, Marriott will donate $2 to the Red Cross, up to $50,000. The Red Cross will use the money to provide comfort kits to people in need. Comfort kits include soap, razor, toothbrush and the like.  By making a bed, participants are also entered to win a free extended stay at TownePlace Suites, and other secondary prizes, such as Flip Cameras.

1. How did the Marriott / TownePlace Suites campaign come about?
Community service is at the core of Marriott International’s culture and TownePlace Suites has been a leading brand in giving back to communities where it does business. In this case, the Make a Bed Facebook application was a perfect fit. TownePlace Suites is an extended stay brand, serving people primarily on travel for weeks to months at a time with features, such as guest suites, kitchens, 24/7 access to food and beverage, and the TowneMap that familiarizes guests with the neighborhood. Because of these services and amenities, TownePlace Suites also serves guests who have been victims of disasters, as well as disaster relief workers.
 
We wanted to incorporate all these elements into a meaningful promotion with the American Red Cross that celebrated community while connecting with our guests online.
 
3. What was the goal of having it focus on Facebook?
Many of our guests spend a considerable amount of time on Facebook. In order to maximize the effectiveness of the program and its accompanying donation, we believed Facebook would be the best way to introduce TownePlace Suites to a new audience in a meaningful way, while ensuring success with the program. It's been a great decision and in a month more than 6,000 people have "made beds," so far.

5, 6. How will you measure success?   How is Marriott's donation structured? That is, does Marriott guarantee a certain amount? What's the cap on how much Marriott will donate?
The ultimate success is raising the full $50,000 donation limit for American Red Cross Disaster Relief. If we do nothing else, the program will have been a huge success. We also are measuring awareness and consideration for TownePlace Suites with users who have engaged with the program, using a variety of engagement metrics (Likes, views of videos in the application, sharing, surveys, etc.).

8. How did Marriott choose the Red Cross as a partner?
We have long admired their work and as part of the Marriott family, have had long-standing relationship with the Red Cross in the aftermath of disasters.  With over 190 TownePlace Suites locations, we are an active part of many communities across the country. Every day, the American Red Cross helps with disasters that sometimes touch those communities, from house fires to hurricanes, tornadoes and earthquakes.

9. The Red Cross is one of the top two or three largest charities in the U.S. And it's the only one with a Federal Charter. But it has had a reputation as being a little fusty when it comes to marketing. What concerns did Marriott about that?
We had none. The American Red Cross could not be a better partner. They have been fully engaged throughout the project.

10. TownePlace Suites is Marriott's long-term stay brand. What about long-term stay made this campaign appropriate for a relationship with the Red Cross?
As an extended-stay brand, TownePlace Suites serves primarily business travelers away from home for weeks to months at a time. Therefore, it naturally has also been a hotel brand of choice for people recovering from disasters, and for those that respond to disasters, such as the American Red Cross.  

 

Cause Marketing: TownePlace Suites on Facebook

TownePlace Suite's Make-A-Bed program is a cause marketing promotion that aims to reward consumer engagement with donations to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief.  In addition, participants can win a grand prize free extended stay at TownePlace Suites.  

I've been honored to support this effort strategically and I'm really proud of what we've come up with.  One of my main tasks was to determine our conversation strategy.  Because we are giving away Flip Cameras as secondary prizes, I recommended that Flip Cam video interviews with the ARC be a part of our wall strategy.  As is the case with many social media campaigns, we were working on a limited budget and the Flip interviews were a great way to develop compelling content on-the-fly.  Justification for shooting on the Flip Cam was essentially that while the production value may not be at the level of traditional marketing and advertising, Flip interviews speak in a uniquely social voice and humanize both the partnership with the Red Cross and also the prize that is being given away.

I think our effort with the Flip Cam interviews speaks to a larger trend in our industry around the need to spark 2-way conversations between brands and consumers.  The quick video interview is effective at sparking conversations through taped conversation.  We've seen some great comments on our Flip Cam videos and I'm hopeful that marketers will begin to see that in "always-on" social channels, on-the-fly efforts are often appreciated by fans and followers when they are posted.

Go to www.facebook.com/makeabed to help support the program give up to $50,000 to the American Red Cross.  Every click on the Make-A-Bed tab helps TPS donate 2 dollars to the ARC.  "You Click - We Donate."

Check out causemarketing.biz to see a full interview with Marriott's head of public relations about the TownePlace Suites Make-A-Bed program.

Below are 2 of the Make-A-Bed Flip Cam interview videos:

 

 

IAB Launches Social Media Framework

The IAB is a leading industry organization for marketers and they have recently offered an official POV on social success.  As social media become less of a flashy, fun tactic and is held more accountable, it's very reassuring to see that industry leaders are starting to take leadership on this subject of social success.  

• Internet Advertising Bureau’s Social Media Council (IAB SMC) launched a social media measurement framework in the UK
• The framework plays on the letters “I,” “A,” and “B” to stand for Intent, Appreciation, Action, advocacy, and benchmark
• Intent – all social media activity should be pre-empted by a set of objectives to help determine which KPIs are measured
• Awareness, appreciation, action, and advocacy – all KPIs should surround these four attributes of social media campaigns
• Benchmark – all activity should be based on the identified target, gleaned from competitor and industry data

What’s in it for Marketers:

1. Consider starting all social media tactics with “I,” “A,” and “B” in mind, beginning with benchmarks from case studies and industry best practices to determine the best objectives for the campaigns
2. Explore the different lifts due to social media and how it relates to awareness, appreciation, action, and advocacy to help determine the best set of KPIs to help determine success

 

VideoEgg buys SixApart

Video Egg is buying SixApart (this blog is on TypePad, which is a part of SixApart).  I thought it was pretty interesting to see a video network consolidating with a blog platform.  VideoEgg is an interesting ad network because of their Cost-Per-Engagement (CPE) model and the fact that they can get a lot of the creative builds done right in-house (great for quick turn-around).  When I worked with them they were also very flexible about optimizations and creative updates on-the-fly.  With the blogging acquisition, VideoEgg will definitely have increased scale and also likely offer some social-oriented solutions.

If VideoEgg is broadening from a video ad network to a social ad network, they may start to look similar to a network like SocialVibe, now known as SVNetwork (although still distinctive).  In the case of SVNetwork, they established themselves as an ad network based on influencers and social channels.  Social media has always been challenged with the task of scale.  SVNetwork was always a unique offering in this regard.  It looks like VideoEgg (soon to be known as SayMedia) will be addressing this marketing need as well.

Additional reading:

NYTImes:  http://nyti.ms/cqWJsz    Mashable:  http://bit.ly/b4UC5y

And now, just for fun, I'll be dusting off a screenshot of the first media buy I ever did, which was for Samsung's NV24HD Digital Camera - one of the first pocket-sized cameras to shoot both stills and HD video.  Our task was to distribute video produced on the camera by emerging directors.  The execution of the media buy was really exciting because we were successful in connecting paid video distribution to social media sharing (big deal back in 2007!).  The network's CPE model did very well on delivery for impressions, engagements, video views and shares.  Ahhh, getting all sentimental about the good ole' days...