Ayzenberg’s Keith Pape recently talked with iMedia Connection about how getting people to share brand experiences and make them part of their lifestyle is where the real payoff lies for social media marketing.
Pape, who serves as Ayzenberg’s VP of social, mobile and emerging media, pointed to efforts such as Red Bull sponsoring Felix Baumgartner’s record skydive, which he said go beyond campaigning for sales. Rather it’s how a brand can foster affinity and invest in future customers.
“Companies like Red Bull, BMW and others, they’re always planning for their future,” said Pape. “Everything that they do [has] touch points where you understand where you can buy a Red Bull, how you can be part of it, but it’s also always about the future. They’re always finding the diamonds in the rough, like Felix and his big jump.”
“As a brand, they make sure that the next audience and the audience before that are starting to be integrated into what Red Bull means, and probably products they haven’t created yet. But they’re carrying us down that funnel already to put [us] in that consideration. So when I’m in that moment now, next year, five years from now, when I see that, it’s impactful for me and it helps me go and say, I’ve had so many wonderful impressions from them, that’s the choice I’m going to make.”
Not every brand needs to launch into space. According to Pape, some simply get where and how to engage their customers to the point that they become part of their day to day.
“I think American Express is a great example. The way that they’re integrating with Foursquare and with Facebook, they’re experimenting a lot and they’re getting you to commit your card and your information as part of your experiences, as part of your daily life, and making sure that the mobile component is there. So whether you see it in an iAd or you see it on one of their other mobile platforms, or you’re just organically checking in through Facebook, wherever you’re at, they’re giving you an opportunity to interact with their brand and to naturally tell your friends about it.”
What should brands be asking about taking this longer view approach
Pape said, “That’s part of the creative agency’s job is to really go and think about that. What’s this moment about What’s the opportunity here to be authentic to not only close the sale, but to make sure that we’re making it bigger than this one sale ”
Check out the video interview at iMedia Connection.
