ttglive.com
marketing knowledge
Easter when the news was dominated by the MPs’ expenses scandal. Producers and editors were looking for something lighter and we were lucky the BBC agreed to take it up and embed it in their breakfast TV schedules. “The film was made very cheaply, it cost around £14,000 and took six weeks. You can throw an awful lot of money at viral campaigns but we did it on a shoestring. “The film got more than 65,000 hits on YouTube – that isn’t the most successful viral in terms of hits, but it became a national news story.
“Virals can be a risky strategy because so many people are making them now. Your film needs to be funny, brave and shocking otherwise it won’t go viral. You also have to get on the phone to journalists – we got a number of Manchester journalists tweeting about it. You need a budget for seeding [the equivalent of media buying in mainstream advertising] – a labour intensive activity, which takes quite a bit of manpower.”
What can agents learn? A viral campaign within
an agency might be as simple as taking a fun snap- shot of your working day and using it as part of a recruitment video. Grieve says: “For a small company, a viral campaign can be a very cost-effective route. Get the message out there by sending all your contacts links to your video. “The nature of it means it’s unpredictable, though. You never know whether it will take off or not. You have to be prepared to go with it, as there’s the danger a video can be edited and mocked once out there. “Because of that I’d say make it a part of what
you do rather than resting your hopes on a viral alone. Avoid being too earnest and polished. Blackpool worked so well because it was cheeky and light-hearted.”
Award category: Brochure
Winner: Welcome to Yorkshire/Front
Campaign: Make Yorkshire Yours
magazine
Cari Rowlands, account manager at Front, says: “Our agency worked very closely with Welcome to Yorkshire to produce the
magazine over six months, with both parties approving features, spreads and photo shoots. The region has great products and stories, and we wanted to cre- ate an inspirational read.
“High-quality content was the key to our success. Content is so important in engag- ing an audience and if it’s portrayed in a credible way consumers don’t feel they are being sold to. The feature themes are also singular – I think there’s a danger of try- ing to mention everything and everybody, but this sometimes dilutes the message. “Good quality, credible content should be at the heart of every bit of communica- tion, offline or online, and that’s some- thing businesses of any size can learn from. “As well as commissioning an editor and journalists, we used a photographer, as compelling images have a huge impact.
“The brochure
inspires people to go on the website and ultimately to visit York- shire. It must have paid off – visitors to the region were up by 31% last year. “Social media and digital marketing are also incredi-
bly important these days. We brought the magazine online, as well as tweeting the features and posting them on a Facebook fan page. But print materials are also needed in the customer journey to push people online and reinforce the messages.”
What can agents learn? Grieve says: “There’s
still a place for brochures – they are core to travel agency businesses and it’s easier to create an accurate first impression of the product. A screen doesn’t reflect a classy product or quality photography nearly so well. “Brochures can be a more engaging medium – families can sit round and read them together. Brochures give the opportunity to exploit innova- tive formats. For instance, a landscape brochure can show off panoramic photography and sell that destination. Integrate online and print by having pointers in the brochure to the web.”
■What’s been your most effective marketing campaign? Tell us at
ttgletters@ttglive.com
30.04.2010
31
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64