SPOTLIGHT < ‘
In order to embrace the phygital future, we need to continue to trial, measure and track the performance of the new technologies that will continue to drive real results for both brand and consumer’
the world as a canvas for communication. While the lessons to be learnt from the consumer response remain to be seen, there are some fundamental lessons to be learnt from the approach to com- municating with consumers. The biggest lesson of all it seems is to be open to creating new marketing models, new channels and unique communication platforms in exciting ways that will be sure to engage the public.
RFID tracking consumers in the real world At this year’s Coachella and Lalapalooza festivals in the United States, RFID (radio-frequency identification) technology was trialled for the first time on a significant scale. RFID could be one of the most interesting developments in consumer engagement over recent years. If used right, it has huge ramifications for how we develop mar- keting plans in the real world and how we can then use the informa- tion generated in the digital world and in CRM communications with consumers.
In addition to the US music festival trials, Coca-Cola is a perfect example of a brand that has realised the power of harmonising digi- tal and the live experience through RFID. At a recent brand project in Israel, the Coca-Cola Village 2010 saw over 1,000 teenagers spend- ing a three-day weekend together, engaged in games, sport, music and social events.
While everyone attending could interact in the physical world, they could also go onto Facebook and see exactly what their friends liked about the village in real time. This was made possible by giving every village guest an RFID wristband that would track them across the digital village map, as result of their ‘likes’. If they liked a feature, location, person, game, music, food or any- thing else, they could scan the RFID to ‘like’ on Facebook as well. They could also tag photos instantly from various locations in the vil- lage and these would all appear on their Facebook pages. It’s a great example of a seamless brand experience in the digital and physical worlds and illustrates the potential for using this or, quite interesting- ly, more interactive mobile technologies.
Crossing between the real and virtual worlds These days, great campaigns have to traverse the divide between real and virtual worlds. Prime examples are the groundbreaking T- Mobile campaigns over the past couple of years, from karaoke with thousands and Pink in Trafalgar Square, to hundreds of copycats of the Liverpool Station dance performance, and the overwhelming response to the recent ‘Welcome Back’ at Heathrow airport, which
has had over 2.7m views on YouTube in under three weeks. The ‘Life’s for sharing’ brand message has been so well captured,
shared and amplified across word of mouth, social networks, digital communications and as commercial spots. Looking closer to home, some great work exists in the Irish mar- ket as well, with some smaller agencies pushing the boundaries of consumer engagement, while embracing the powers of social media and the digital world. The O2 ‘Be the Difference’ campaign took user-generated con- tent to a new level this year by offering consumers the opportuni- ty to give a ‘team talk’ on camera (via their own laptop or through a number of live experiences) as if they were actually in the dress- ing room with the Irish rugby team. People could vote for their favourites and the best talks were shown to the Irish team, with the eventual winners actually featured in Croke Park on the big screen. A whole array of digital and physical channels were used in the marketing campaign, and well over 2,000 team talks were gener- ated, captured and shared.
Using and choosing the right technologies As marketers, we’ll always aspire to be creative, plan well, analyse data, measure results and track success. But we need to start learn- ing more about technology to properly connect between real and vir- tual worlds. And apart from just learning about the technologies it may be even more important to realise the uses of them. We can’t rely just on mobile, social networks and internet software, or simply think in terms of digital channels that can add to the live experience. In order to embrace the phygital future, we need to continue to trial, measure and track the performance of the new technologies that will continue to drive real results for both brand and consumer. It is this type of approach, along with a desire to innovate, that will help shift us into the new marketing paradigm where so much more is possi- ble in far less time. That is a marketing future that I hope we all would like to be a part of.
Gavin Downes is senior strategic planner at Modern Green.
Volume 4 Issue 4 2010 Marketing Age 63
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