The following is a reprint of an article for iMedia Connection by Keith Pape, VP social & emerging media at Ayzenberg Group.
Integrating marketing strategies requires hard work. I’ve learned this lesson well during my twenty-year career.
I’ve also discovered that with every step forward we make in this industry, there is always a new fad ready to set us three steps back. The most dangerous offender at this time being the one-hit wonder, or even worse, the one-trick pony that fools us into believing that we can get by with spending zero dollars on advertising. Earned Media has flashed its one-off successes, and our ADD has kicked in. We believe it to be our savior to ever having to spend big money on advertising . . . a misconception that can reap disastrous results.
“But, what about Oreo” you say.
Oreo took advantage of skill, planning and a bit of luck, which showed us that with proper preparation, real-time execution can be effective . . . under the right circumstances. Red Bull has shown us that a commitment to amazing content and people can elevate a brand far beyond the ingredients of their products — but that doesn’t make it the right solution for your brand. We have a lot to learn from unique, individual brands and their extraordinary executions, but that doesn’t mean we can short-cut the hard work of their marketers and agencies and expect to achieve similar results. It’s naïve and presumptuous way of thinking; it could even get you fired. Respect their hard work and learn from them, but stop copying.
There is no miracle solution to get your audience’s attention, let alone everyone’s attention. The world is smaller, yet more fragmented than ever; and Social Media is not immune to this phenomenon. Wasting one’s time in search of a panacea is a game for entrepreneurs who want to make short-term money by building something that will eventually get acquired by another entity. This type of gimmick will not help marketers. Period.
Here are a few facts to consider:
1. Only a small fraction of content will go ‘viral.’
2. Only a miniscule number of products can successfully launch with zero paid media support.
3. In 2000, Pets.com spent its entire marketing budget on a Super Bowl ad featuring a sock-puppet, and failed miserably.
Folks in the Social space have been working hard to strike the right balance between their Owned and Paid Media Channels. Similar to paid and organic Search Engine Marketing, finding the right mix requires tremendous effort and takes smart people doing smart things over time with an amazing product. Earned Media, Earned Media Value (EMV) and Earned Media Actions (EMA) provide reinforcement and are a great metric towards establishing the value we all ‘feel’ that social brings. Quantifying how we leverage Owned, Paid and Earned media is critical to truly integrating Social Media into Marketing and Advertising campaigns overall, but without owned and paid media, there is no earned. You have to earn it.
To ‘earn’ your media, the principles remain the same: you’re going to have to deliver conversation, messaging, and content (impressions) across multiple touch points. Only then can your Earned Media program have a chance of grabbing hold of the ‘friends of friends’ connections in order to start the viral process (sharing, liking, commenting, viewing, etc.).
Of course, there are always exceptions. The greatest products can always overcome adversity by their superior offering; such as Angry Birds, Plants vs. Zombies, foursquare. Most brands, however, can’t put all on black and hope for the best. For optimal results, one should use these new platforms jointly to execute foundationally sound integrated campaigns. You never know which impression is going to tip the audience over the edge, so your best bet is to use CPM, CPA and CPX tactics to ensure that there is sufficient presence to encourage the viral process.
Earned Media on its own is a single-channel approach; and every channel needs support.
Let’s not be fooled by short-term tactics that work once or twice due to novelty. Instead, let’s spend our time using smart strategy; let’s make use of the ever-growing platforms (digital, traditional and mobile) that are available to us and resonate with both the product we are representing and the audience that we are trying to reach.
With the diversification of our target audience and the busy online/offline lives they lead, we will need to think twice and execute once. This type of considered thinking will increase the longevity of the average marketing manager. We might not always be handed the next big product, but with solid foundations and creative thinking, we will be able to identify and deliver our message to an audience (as niche as it may be) that will love the product. That is the success that brings about future opportunity.
So, how are you dealing with pressures to ‘go viral’ or other ‘zero’ dollar concepts? Are you finding value in Earned Media Leave a comment and let me know what your success and challenges have been!
Keith Pape leads social, mobile and emerging media opportunities, as well as strategy and creative execution at Ayzenberg Group. He is a senior digital marketing executive with 14+ years of experience driving business growth, leading teams, launching brands and products, and achieving results through creative, results-driven and technology-enabled marketing.
Source: iMedia {link no longer active}
