In Store Ads (Source: Starbucks Facebook Page)
Starbucks Share Joy (Source: news.starbucks.com)
Yesterday, my friend texted me and asked me to go to Starbucks to share a lazy afternoon and have some coffee, because there is a promotional event at Starbucks – Share Joy. When you buy one holiday beverage, you will get one free to share.
On November 12th, 2013, Starbucks transformed all their US stores, welcoming the holiday season. And the Share Joy campaign started on November 13th, and ended today, November 17th. To promote this campaign, Starbucks have print ads and hand drawing ads in stores; a banner ad on its commercial website; a special website for this event at http://www.starbucksholidayjoy.com/?promo_id=3# where you can add your own wish to the web page, and share it with your friends through Facebook, Twitter, and email; a TV commercial; and promotional texts and graphics on its social media sites.
This kind of mini-campaigns is becoming more and more universal in today’s technology advanced society, argues by Kristen Cavallo, chief strategy officer at Mullen, and one of the judging panel for this year’s Jay Chiat Awards for Strategic Excellence, an annual competition organized by the 4A’s.
Cavallo claims that a central component of modern marketing planning is the development of mini-campaigns. Mini-campaigns help brands win in the short term, whether that be during the holidays or back-to-school season. Such a requirement is partly a response to the advent of real-time marketing and measurement, and puts pressure on agencies while simultaneously fostering a tighter focus and liberating them from traditional restrictions.
A mini-campaign is like one chapter in a book. Cavallo points out that current marketers incline to write the book in chapters, as opposed to create a whole story in one sitting. And there is the added complication that you don’t always know where the next chapter is going to lead. She stresses that planners now need a broader skill set and a multidisciplinary mindset if they are to understand the array of channels now available.
I think mini-campaigns can help a brand increase its sales in a short time. However, marketers should have a clear stated marketing strategy, which leads these mini-campaigns. If not, different mini-campaigns may work for their own sake, but will not do anything good for the brand’s long term development.
Have you noticed any mini-campaigns recently? What do you think about the rise of the mini-campaign?
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