"Buy the Way…" Insights on Integrated Marketing Communication

Despite the Covid-19 emergency still ongoing in the world, from November 5^th to November 10^th, the third edition of the China International Import Expo (CIIE) was held in Shanghai. As China is now driving its post-pandemic recovery, the Expo was held as planned with local authorities taking a slew of anti-epidemic measures to ensure the safety of attendees. The trade fair featuring exhibitions of multiple countries and businesses held annually was one of the biggest and most important commercial events in China. Working in the corporate communications team, I am actually not an expert at exhibitions and trade shows. So this is not a guide but more like a reflection after participating in this national event for the second time. Below are some of my key takeaways:

Set clear and trackable KPI

For big event and trade fair, company senior leaders always have their expectations, it’s critical that marketers and communicators engage internal key stakeholders to align clear KPIs beforehand. Someone may raise questions on set tangible KPIs, as they may find it challenging to align a target that key business leaders will buy in. I would recommend a CRM mechanism to capture contact details and track leads conversions with revenue generation if possible. Making it visible as part of the key achievements of the wrap-up report will be a good idea. 

Booth design, social currency and it’s not only about the booth

With “self-sharing”mindset and popularity of selfie on social media, people intend to share things they experience which make them look good and smart(Berger, 2013). It’s always beneficial to consider how to give the social currency to people and make them as an insider to be cool. There are many cases I saw with fabulous look and feel and interactive  design in the recent expo, which made people post their photos and talk about the brand on social media. 

While having a branded, unique, and eye-catching exhibition space is essential, it’s not only about the design that makes yourself stand out among a crowd. It’s the key concept and strategy informed by the brand value proposition that is going to make everything unique. The key concept will need to guide everything including the look and feel, messaging, promotional material, etc. 

Brand ambassadors

Engage key stakeholders (industry KOLs, social KOLs and senior business leaders) as your brand ambassadors is the key. They are the key person to be leveraged as “chief Communications Officer” of the brand and to maximize media exposure during the event. I think it’s critical to bring them in front of the media to talk about your products, insights and business that is aligned with brand strategy and poisoning. External KOLs endorsement carries strong weight. 

Marketing your marketing projects

Putting together nice and clear wrap-up reports and presentations to demonstrate key achievements means a lot to the success of the whole project. It’s also a smart approach to have various reports tailor-made with different formats and content to meet the needs of engaging different stakeholders. 

Berger, J. (2013). Contagious : why things catch on (1st Simon & Schuster hardcover ed.). Simon & Schuster.

Today, Twitter launched the newest enhancement to its platform called Fleet. Fleet allows Twitter users to post content in a similar manner as created by Snapchat, which now has been recreated across Instagram Stories, Facebook Stories, and, most recently, LinkedIn.

According to Twitter, this new functionality will enable users to share content users may not typically share since Fleet content only lasts on Twitter for 24 hours (Harris & Haveson, 2020). The company’s research had shown users were more inclined to partake in a conversation on social media platforms through ephemeral venues (Harris & Haveson, 2020). Like preceding Stories on other social media sites, Fleets content can be video, image, or text-based, or, share a reaction to a Tweet (Harris & Haveson, 2020). Additionally, Fleet posts can be customized with background colors (Harris & Haveson, 2020). Live features and GIPHY stickers are to follow (Harris & Haveson, 2020). Fleets can be accessed and viewed at the top of users’ home feed (Harris & Haveson, 2020).

How did social media industry experts receive this?

What are some tips for using Fleet?

Try it while it’s hot!

Consider accessibility.

Meanwhile, ironically, the rest of Twitter reminisced about MySpace. MySpace, an influential social media platform during its heyday in the early 2000s, is listed as a trending topic over Fleet.

What do you think of the ever-evolving social media landscape? Do you like the continual change or do you miss simpler times?

References

Harris, J. & Haveson, S. (2020, November 17). Fleets: a new way to join the conversation. Retrieved from https://blog.twitter.com/en_us/topics/product/2020/introducing-fleets-new-way-to-join-the-conversation.html

2020 has proven to be an interesting year. The halt of international travel, national shutdowns globally, empty grocery store shelves, and the lack of paper goods are minor inconveniences that we can tie back to COVID. However smaller, local businesses have been hit hard and are looking to survive the pandemic.

For many small business owners, COVID has dramatically impacted their ability to stay afloat. In a survey conducted by Alignable, 42% were concerned about possibly closing their doors in the fourth quarter (2020, Lahart). As counties tighten and citizens choose to stay home, where does that leave small business owners?

For Mary Contreras, it is all too real. Her concerns have escalated after her county announced the return to tighter restrictions due to a statewide surge in coronavirus cases. As a small business owner, she must face the hard facts of whether she will be able to keep her business open while meeting the state’s mandates through COVID.

In terms of things that small businesses are doing, Derrick Fadden, a web designer at SDA Creative, shared some of the key trends he has seen at this agency. “We’ve seen an uptick with respect to small businesses looking to use the web to amplify their business. Mostly because many small businesses are realizing that having a website isn’t enough anymore,” said Fadden. Interestingly, this is quite different from a few years back. Previously, to legitimize your business in the eyes of your consumers, you needed a website. Fadden explains further:

“E-commerce has really exploded. Many companies are looking to online ordering as a way to stay connected to their consumers during COVID. It helps maintain sales interaction between your customers and your company, and allows them to come to you.”

Derrick Fadden
Web Designer, SDA Creative

As consumers, we all can play a role in helping the economy by focusing on small businesses in your community. Local businesses contribute to a feeling of uniqueness of the local town or city. They also have a stake in wanting a neighborhood or city to do well. Many of these local stores also provide jobs within the city and help contribute to the community as well.

This holiday season, before turning to your larger corporate stores, please take a look at local stores in your area and support small businesses.

Lahart, J. (2020, October 9) Covid Is Crushing Small Businesses. That’s Bad News for American Innovation. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved from https://www.wsj.com/articles/covid-is-crushing-small-businesses-thats-bad-news-for-american-innovation-11602235804

Kerr, R. (2020, March 24) How you can help small businesses during COVID-19. The Points Guy. Retrieved from https://thepointsguy.com/news/how-you-can-help-small-businesses-during-covid-19/ 

Creative agencies are tasked on a regular basis with crafting advertising for products that people would rather not talk about. Everything from tampons to adult diapers, STDs to erectile dysfunction, as marketing professionals it is our job to find decent, memorable ways to discuss the tough stuff. Donald Miller’s Building a StoryBrand (2017) claims the reason consumers choose to buy from brands is because they have given them a clear solution to an everyday or surprise issue that has interrupted their status-quo (p. 31). This had me thinking about how some creatives make unmentionable products and services into mentionable, recallable and down-right appealing marketing materials all thanks to a story.

Suffering from an itchy bum? https://www.ispot.tv/ad/nSXy/charmin-ultra-strong-itch-scratchy#

Although Miller (2017) explains that you don’t always have to use a silly character to get your point across, sometimes, like in the case of Charmin, animated characters can help tell the story more directly. Charmin’s agency has developed a wonderful cast of cartoon characters that are just human enough to tackle tough issues, like an itchy butthole and singing about “oh yeah my hiney’s clean”, without having to black bar any unsightly scenes or bleep out any offensive copy. To Miller’s (2017) point, the more we talk about the problems our customers face (the REAL problems), the more likely they are to believe in the brand.

Trying to combat the inevitable deluge from your period? https://www.ispot.tv/ad/td_0/always-what-the-gush-moments

In Jonah Berger’s Contagious (2013), he posits that stories are one of the principles that drive things to resonate with consumers. This Always commercial blatantly addresses one of a woman’s worst experiences during her monthly cycle in a direct, easy to understand way that is not only vivid but also quite engaging making it a poster example of how a story can be utilized to sell and stick (Berger, 2013).

Concerned about the crooked shape of your pecker? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fryBnFSYlLw

Saving the best for last, pharmaceutical commercials have a history (seriously watch any 3 pharma commercials and I guarantee you that 2 out of 3 will) of delivering their marketing messages through stories. As Miller (2017) asserted that his BrandScript is the ultimate template, this Xiaflex commercial is no exception. A character (color coordinated men) encounters a problem (suddenly crooked genitalia) when a guide (an informative vegetable voice over) offers a plan (consult with your urologist with your vegetable of choice) and calls them to action (buy Xiaflex!) to help avoid failure (disease!) and ends in success (a normal shaped gent and a happy life).

Even after all that is said, I can’t help but wonder if the truly difficult feat for us advertising professionals is to make ordinary, everyday items memorable or approach those that are considered unmentionable into mentionable? The jury is out.  

Berger, J. (2013). Contagious; Why Things Catch On. Simon & Schuster. New York, NY.

Miller, D. (2017). Building a StoryBrand; Clarify your message so customers will listen. Harper Collins. Nashville, TN.

Covid-19: the virus is escalating, large group gatherings are discouraged and hotels are now…the new office? Undeniably, the work from home trend has transformed the way we do business, juggle our work-home life balance and forced many companies to completely re-vamp their business model and marketing to compete in a world where we can’t go out and do business as usual. Enter WFH 2.0: Work from Hotel.

Hotels have pivoted in a way that was unexpected: created a perk system for loyal members and consumers to utilize their rooms and services at a discounted rate as an office (Villano, 2020).

Pre-Covid times, employees who are successful at work from home have more independence in schedules (Rupietta & Beckmann, 2018), have higher intrinsic motivation to work more (Ryan & Deci, 2000) and higher output as a result (Rupietta & Beckmann, 2018). However, it’s not always as easy as it sounds. Knowing the common distractions, it is a brilliant move that hotels had the foresight to start to offer their spaces as an office away from home to mitigate the interruptions from kids, cooking, TV, errands, and general home chores. Working from a hotel room offers perks such as a private bathroom; in an office, you typically share a bathroom. There is also the major added perk of peace, quiet and cleanliness away from the stresses of home.

Several big names such as Marriott and Hilton have rolled out programs to offer a space for the day without having to spend the night (Barwick, 2020). Workspaces by Hilton offers a room, desk and internet for the entire day at a special rate, usually about half the rate of a normal night’s rate. Taking this a step further, they offer “play passes” where the worker can bring their family to use the amenities while they stay in the room and work, a staycation of sorts (Villano, 2020).

Understanding the opportunity to keep revenue coming in during a time when travel is essentially on a big pause, major hotel chains that take on this new business trend use loyalty programs, customer databases and partnerships with airlines to generate this new “work from hotel” income stream. Marriott International’s CEO Arne Sorenson mentions in their Q3 2020 earnings that there is increasing demand in this style of stay. For example, in Q3 residency in the US was up 37%, almost double the occupancy in Q2, after they started rolling out the programs.

Still, incomes for hotels are significantly lower with Marriott reporting $252 million in Q3 2020 as opposed to $607 million in Q3 2019. Embracing this new style of “WFH 2.0” might just be the catalyst to introduce the new office: your local hotel.

References:
Barwick, R. (2020, Oct 27). Marriott uses loyalty program to roll our new work from anywhere program. AdWeek. Retrieved from https://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/marriott-loyalty-program-new-work-from-anywhere-program/

Ryan, R., & Deci, E. (2000). Intrinsic and extrinsic motivations: Classic definitions and new
directions. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 25, 54-67.

Rupietta, K., & Beckmann, M. (2018). Working from home: What is the effect on employees’
effort? Schmalenbach Business Review, 70(1), 25–55. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41464-
017-0043-x

Villano, M. (2020, Jul 23). Sick of working from home? Work at a hotel instead. CNN. Retrieved from https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/work-remote-hotel-room-covid-19/index.html

Holiday gatherings will be different this year. As with all things being cancelled by 2020, it looks like the traditional American holidays of Thanksgiving and Christmas could be next to feel 2020’s cold death grip. The surge of COVID-19 cases in the U.S. has prompted some states and local governments to begin reenforcing lock down measures. States such as New York and California have issued travel advisories for Thanksgiving, advising residents that if they travel out of state, they should quarantine for two weeks when they return. 

This puts brands in a tough position. While normally, Holiday messaging would be in full force including images of family gathers, catching up with friends, vacations and shopping sprees, all of those seem rather difficult with the current pandemic. As such, brands will need to find that happy medium: sending it’s Holiday message, while also reenforcing social distancing guidelines. 

For many brands, the holidays always meant different messaging but was always related to the season, this helped ensure the brand stayed relevant during this time when consumers have minds elsewhere. For 2020, that messaging will need to be tweaked as a quarantine-fatigued nation braces for a tough winter. Additionally, brands will also need to apply some PR to their holiday messages (Watson, 2020). If you just laid off or furloughed large amounts of people, you may want to keep your advertising more subdued instead of large and glitzy this season. Some could argue that the millions spent on the advertising could have saved some jobs. 

However, if your brand is in the position to advertise this holiday season, many experts state that brands should acknowledge the pandemic, but not make this “Covid-19 Christmas” (Watson, 2020). Instead, it should focus on the feelings the holidays can bring: joy, hope, and excitement. Though brands may want to consider images of smaller family gatherings, the images of children opening presents on Christmas morning will bring many smiling faces. 

According to Watson (2020), brands should also consider tapping into their humor side for this year’s advertising. Surveys indicate that consumers are facing COVID-19 fatigue and humor has shown as a great way to temporarily forget the stresses of the world. Watson (2020) points out this advertisement from UK retailer TK Maxx as a great way to weave in humor, while acknowledging the pandemic, that drives consumers to purchase from their store.

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MgIigoL1Lro

Finally, brands should feel comfortable beginning their holiday messaging now, if they haven’t already done so. A recent report revealed that this year, Americans are expected to decorate their homes for Christmas a lot earlier than usual (Quillen, 2020). The study reveals that Americans report a higher sense of happiness when their homes are decorated for Christmas and when they see Christmas decorations (Quillen, 2020). As such, many have indicated that they will decorate early this year, to bring some happiness in a troubled year. The challenges of 2021 are already starting to shape up. However, before they arrive, the country – and the world – should have a moment to pause, enjoy some holiday cheer, before jumping back into meeting these challenges. 

References: 

Quillen, A. (2020). North Texans decorating earlier for Christmas because, 2020. NBC DFW. Retrieved from: https://www.nbcdfw.com/entertainment/holidays/north-texans-decorating-earlier-for-christmas-this-year-because-2020/2479510/

Watson, I. (2020). Christmas ads 2020: will brand stick with the sparkle or will covid-19 dampen spirits. The Drum. Retrieved from: https://www.thedrum.com/news/2020/11/05/christmas-ads-2020-will-brands-stick-with-the-sparkle-or-will-covid-19-dampen

More effective than most would think for an Internet age. Effective TV ads not only include cable and dish subscribers—they now include streaming service subscribers—such as “Roku and Amazon Fire TV” (Bruell, 2019, para. 3). The latter group is only growing at the moment; not declining.

Since the first TV ad in the 1940s, viewers have been persuaded, powerfully, to make buying decisions based on what they see and hear (Choi, 2016). These sights and sounds often can move a viewer, emotionally, to adopt a puppy from a shelter (see image above), for example. Some of these TV ads effect what kind of food consumers will eat the day the ad is watched; whereas, other ads are linked to the kinds of clothes consumers will wear or purchase for a friend or family member. Whether viewers are watching news, a mystery, a drama, or any other genre that interests them, the vast majority are still likely to view a TV ad, like it or not. In “2018, the US had 304.5 million television viewers”, indicating an increase of approximately five million viewers from 2017 (Shanet, 2019, para. 4). Estimates indicate that TV advertising in the US, alone, will exceed $70 billion in 2022, an omen that traditional TV advertising is not going anywhere for the next couple of years, at least, and is certainly still effective (Guttmann, 2019).

One group that fuels traditional TV advertising ratings are persons who are retired, generally aged 65 and older. Nevertheless, there is also an increase in TV watching, overall, within the family (including children and teenagers and parents in their 20s and 30s), especially in light of the international COVID-19 pandemic. The latter group is also more inclined to have subscriptions to traditional TV and streaming services.

While more big companies have geared their advertising efforts toward social media users than ever before, many realize the revenue return they receive from traditional and new TV viewers; this return is largely based on the trust viewers have built over the years they have watched TV. Yes, cable and dish subscribers are declining compared to years past, along with TV viewers, in general. However, TV ads remain a powerful tool to reach consumers, individually and collectively, and big companies are well aware of this. For years to come, TV ads will still be fueling the revenue of big companies that sponsor related content.

References
Bruell, A. (2019, June 16). Targeted TV advertising is taking off. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved from https://www.wsj.com/articles/targeted-tv-advertising-is-taking-off-11560707549
Choi, D. (2016). The first television commercial ever aired 75 years ago today. Retrieved from https://www.businessinsider.com/first-television-commercial-ever-2016-6#:~:text=The%20first%20television%20commercial%20ever%20aired%2075%20years%20ago%20today&text=On%20July%201%2C%201941%2C%20at,baseball%20game%20and%20cost%20%249.
Guttmann, A. (2019). U.S. TV advertising – statistics & facts. Retrieved from https://www.statista.com/topics/5052/television-advertising-in-the-us/
Shanet, L. (2019). Why do big companies still advertise on TV instead of social media? Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2019/03/01/why-do-big-companies-still-advertise-on-tv-instead-of-social-media/?sh=7eb3b242dd41

The long-lasting effects of COVID-19 to businesses are evident this year. Many businesses have already closed down or are in the process of doing so.

Those who have been able to hang on to their businesses during this time are relying heavily on November Sales to determine the future of their businesses.

Prior to this year, Black Friday has shown a pattern of drawing out longer than the Friday itself and extending out into a weekend or week. This year, the holiday sales events extend throughout the month of November (govtech 2020).

Stores such as Walmart are changing up the style of their sale entirely. As opposed to a single-day event, they are planning on “three separate events held over two weeks leading up to the official day.” CNN reports. And stores like Target intend to offer their deals sooner rather than later and have them rolling in until around the Christmas Season.

While not every company is on the level that bigger brands such as Target and Walmart are on, they still have a chance to regain some traction for their brand and undo some of the financial damage that has been done thanks to COVID-19. Govtech emphasizes the following:

Many stores realize people aren’t willing to risk increasing their exposure to the coronavirus for a cheap TV, so they’re putting their Black Friday deals online early. 

Govtech

E-commerce stores are likely to have the biggest positive results during this season. This implies the best bet for all stores big or small, is to get their online websites organized, start the proper advertising on Social Media platforms, and continue to positively push their business and it’s sales, all throughout the month of November into December holiday season.