Brand Engagement Online: Marketing Myth or Nirvana?

Robin Gurney, Jan 2007

21st Century Marketing

“If the 20th century was about ‘interruption’ then the 21st will almost definitely be about ‘engagement’”.

Alan Moore, SMLXL

3 Types of Engagement

» A consumer’s involvement with specific advertising - ”communication engagement“

» A consumer’s overall attitude and response to advertising - ”media engagement“

» The nature of a consumer’s relationship with a brand - ”brand engagement“

The Revolution Might be Blogged or Podcast..but Televised? Pah!

“I suspect that many of you in this room did the same as me, quietly hoping that thing called the digital revolution would just limp along.

Well, it hasn’t. It won’t”

Rupert Murdoch

TV is a Waste of Money

“Most TV advertising is a waste of money and has become little more than promotion.......

Many marketing professionals are clueless about how effective their strategies really are.”

Philip Kotler

The Attention Continuum“The number of brands competing for consumer

attention has exploded and consumers have changed dramatically.

They show increasing lack of tolerance for marketing that is irrelevant to their lives or that is unsolicited.

Traditional marketing methods are overwhelmed by technology and often deliberately ignored.”

Jim Stengel, Procter & Gamble

Just “Doing Stuff” is not Enough

» “The internet is not media.» It’s a multitude of media owned by the

people who use it.» You have to have a philosophical

approach to using it. » Doing stuff is not engaging with people. » Just doing stuff will not engage people.“John Hegarty, Chairman & Worldwide Creative Director, BBH

“The Internet is an Opportunity

» .... to rebuild individual connections.» The internet is the return of conversation,

dialogue.» Print and TV dampened that dialogue.» The internet encourages conversation,

engagement, listening. » Marketers must start this conversation but

must not fully expect to control it.”Niall FitzGerald KBE, Chairman, Reuters

Engagement Marketing on Portals?

» Do NOT bomb people with advertising messages. Instead we should build.....

1. Relevancy: we need to understand where our consumers are and what they’re “on”.

2. Interaction: for unique experiences. 3. Relationships: fun, educational.The goal is a network of opportunities. David Pugh-Jones, Rich Media Strategist, MSN

TV was a family event

Engagement Marketing is Old

When TV was an untested medium it was “I love Lucy” and “Texaco Star Theatre” that engaged the US audiences and that attracted the first advertiser investment in TV

Marketers Follow Engagement

» Reality Shows» Celebrity Dancing» Skiing & Athletics» Extreme sports» Fashion Shows

etc etc etc.

» No suprises there.

Engagement Definitions

» Mine:1. The value created through awareness and

participation. It can be positive or negative.2. The creation of fulfilling experiences that

encourage interaction and nudge people along a path towards consumption, loyalty and referral.

» Official:• “Engagement is turning on a prospect to a brand

idea enhanced by the surrounding context.” ARF, AAAA, ANA

2 Weeks Without the NET?Would You do it?

» 2 weeks without the NETand keep notes

» Recruitment was tough. 48% said “no way”

» Withdrawal symptoms » “Feelings of being

disconnected”

Yahoo and OMD Study

» IMPLICATION» Quantifying usage is not

enough - too simplistic.Psychological ties and behaviour of online consumers shows this.

» Engagement is fundamental to understanding the relationships between consumers and the channel

What did They Miss?Internet as Security Blanket

» 'The Internet has become a major part of my life. Every day of life without the Internet is frustrating.'

» 'We couldn't plan a weekend getaway.' A 21st Century Social Network

» “I haven't talked to people I usually talk to and have been tempted to go on instant-messenger because I feel out of the loop”

» 'I'm starting to miss emailing my friends - I feel out of the loop,' Internet in the Workplace

» 'I miss the private space the Internet creates for me at work.' » 'I've been taking physical breaks instead of online breaks at

work. The difference is that I can't get right back into what I was doing,'

And on Your Desert Island?

Engagement is Important.

The Internet is EngagingSo how can we develop the brand

as online relationship?

4 EsYou have an opportunity to:

» ENGAGE your customers» EXPERIENCE your product or service» ENHANCE your relationships» more EMOTIONALLY than with

traditional advertising

SMLXL

To Succeed You will Need

» CONTENT (rich, unique)» CONNECTIVITY (multiple touchpoints)» COMMUNITY (multi-way dialogue)» And, of course, COMMERCE

(transactions)

Adapted from SMLXL material

Rules of Online Engagement

» Reach. Important» Frequency. Balanced. Don’t overdo it.» Cost. Efficiency.» Interactivity. Yes Please ☺» Duration (time). NO averages.

Ten Commandments Of OnlineEngagement

1) Respect the user 2) Content is king 3) Be irreverent4) It’s a private conversation 5) It’s not a joke6) Change your creative department 7) Tomorrow will be different 8) Learn on the go9) Complexity vs Consistency 10) TechnoawarenessSlightly adapted from a list by

John Hegarty, Chairman & Worldwide Creative Director, BBH

Place, Involve, Empower, Measure

» “Advertisers need to be active where social engagement is happening online and offline.

» They should create opportunities that meshtheir brand with the target user’s lifestyle.

» They should give consumers tools that empower brand ambassadors to communicate “their” brand to others.

» They should measure and compare the effectiveness of online v offline”

Robin Gurney

Online Engagement: Why is it so Hard to Define and Measure ?

» Diverse goals» Fixation on exposure» TV legacy» Proof of response /action» Affinity v Engagement

Measuring Online Engagement

» PWOM and NWOM in blogs, fora etc.» Links inbound» Frequency & depth of visits /interactions» Search data (internal and external)» Check Web Analytics Associationwww.webanalyticsassociation.org/en/art/?102» Use Google Analytics (Doh! It’s FREE)

Engagement Measurement Model ? (ARF)

(Engagement [of Brand Idea & Media Context] + Trust [of Brand & Medium])x Targeted Contacts = Brand Impact

Problem: This needs quantitative measures of behaviour and emotion

The Internet has a Greater Effecton Brand Engagement than Any

Other Medium !!!!» Brand’s own ads contribute 15% to brand

engagement. » Within this, the study found that the internet

contributed an average of 39.8% of the advertising effect, but as much as 64.7% in the case of one manufacturer’s campaign.

» Press advertising 36.7% » TV 17.6% » Outdoor 4.1%From IAB Brand Engagement Study, 2006

Suur Tänu ☺

Real Beauty www.clickz.com/showPage.html?page=3623811

Engage Conference 2006 Blog http://uk.blog.360.yahoo.com/engageblogger2006?l=

1&u=5&mx=26&lmt=5

IAB Brand Engagement Studywww.iabuk.net/en/1/iabknowledgebankadeffectbrandengagementguide.html

+

Advertising Research Foundation has an initiative called MI4

http://www.thearf.org/councils/experiential.html

Thanks also to thewebsites of SMLXL, IAB, ARF, e-consultancy and others who provided invaluable bits and pieces

And don’t forget

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