Catalyst S+F: Finding Your Social Mojo - Jim Nichols - MediaBizBloggers

Iamp8217ve been working on a presentation to give at iMedia Sydney Australia built around the idea that we need to think about creating relationships with consumers as akin to courtship nuptials and married life In it I am using examples from about 20 countries to show how a variety of brands are courting their customers sociallyAnd the most salient observation I can make is that the idea of a onesizefitsall approach to brand participation is patently absurd Our collective rush to identify and exploit digital magic beans sometimes makes us forget that our brand campaigns have to be as unique as our brandsFor indeed social is simply participatory marketing not a medium Social is permeating every media channel reflecting the truth that consumers prefer personalized experiences across the board not just on sites where we friend one anotherPreparing the presentation has been a great experience because it has forced me to seek out examples and industry news from across the globe amp8211 which is not something I want to do during a typical week Iamp8217ll leave to you to interpret whether that is marketing xenophobia or simply focusing on what matters most in my job todayIn my quest for examples Iamp8217ve learned about Walls a UK food company that has a multimedia effort showcasing the unique eccentricities of Britons The campaign asks ordinary Britons to compete to appear in ads where they can showcase their peculiar passions Mind you this in a country with a high standard for eccentricity Where an obscure aristocrat collected thousands of wigs that stuffed every room in his manor house from floor to ceiling A country where Chelmondeley is pronounced amp8220ChumLeeamp8221 A place where yeast extract is a delicacy There is a unique delightful form of crazy that Britain has a lock on Tender Britons39 please note that I point to your obscure behaviors with loving support Long live the Belisha BeaconBut back to the contest Entries range from amp8220Extreme Ironersamp8221 who press clothes while balanced on speeding cigarette boats to a knitting circle that has created a blanket the size of a soccer field Where seniors have organized a club in which they compete at pole dancing Where other people delight in making ginormous versions of snack foods becauseamp8230well just because And the whole kit and caboodle of this effort goes far at reinforcing the uniquely British amp8220Proper Foodamp8221 Walls excels at producingThe campaign is superbAnd so is the wonderful Australian Tourism effort in which Aussies were asked to submit photos of their favorite hideaways across the country More than 29000 people participated providing what has to be the only travel site that didnamp8217t use or for that matter need to use pro photographers to capture azure ocean vistas and the Opera House at sunsetPersonally Iamp8217d much rather see a snapshot of someoneamp8217s favorite billabongAnother the fascinating Raymond Weil campaign that asked consumers to describe in their own words what the brand should be in the future To read these entries is to vicariously experience sincere loveWhich is not to say that good old Yankee ingenuity is dead Not by a long shot Pepsiamp8217s Refresh Everything effort and its remarkable charitable overlay are growing that brand as it cures social ills that for whatever reason our government is unwilling or unable to addressMy point is each of these campaigns is wildly different Each took the essence of its brand and its customers and shaped a participatory initiative around that message They all recognized that social isnamp8217t a channel Itamp8217s people People who are anxious to be part of the brands they loveI for one am delighted to participate in a marketing era where a major national brand is delighted to associate itself with extreme ironingJim Nichols is a Partner and Chief Strategist at Catalyst SF He can be reached at jimcatalystsfcomRead all Jim39s MediaBizBloggers commentaries at The Marketing Capital Report MediaBizBloggersCheck us out on Facebook at MediaBizBloggerscomFollow our Twitter updates MediaBizBlogger

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Catalyst S+F: Finding Your Social Mojo - Jim Nichols - MediaBizBloggers

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