Engage
RG | MARKETING AS ENTERTAINMENT:
Ad Messages as Entertainment Value, Not Just Commercial Interruptions
In 2009, TIVO® reported that 83% of time-shifted audiences fast forward through the commercials. Our research shows that consumers will not change, as long as there is a choice they will skip ads and avoid marketing messages no matter how targeted those messages become. Successful digital marketing and branding programs are driven by true one-to-one engagement through immersive brand experiences, branded entertainment and pop-culture associations. Marketers are now challenged with producing entertainment and information value and will need to develop “social celebrity” brands to successfully deliver marketing messages in the on-demand personal media world. Ads should be experiences and creative development should be defined by content, not time.
Immersive Brand Experiences
With the development of interactive entertainment platforms comes the descent of the 30-second TV spot. TV “ads” as we know them, will be replaced by immersive brand experiences. Connected platforms allow for TV to be fully interactive giving brands unprecedented capabilities to engage, activate and interact with targeted TV audiences. Soon general entertainment content will include interactive objects, pop-up windows and widgets which will allow brands full content integration.
Branded Entertainment and Information
To successfully develop marketing content that consumers will seek, engage with and share requires brands to prioritize key behavioral motivators in key audiences and think of themselves as providers of entertainment and information, first. RadioactiveGiant develops and prioritizes consumer profiles that drive strategic entertainment properties and destinations to develop relevant audiences and establish a trusted one-to-one relationship with “connected” consumers and their personal networks.
Pop-Culture Association
Today’s celebrity brands come in all forms and can include singers, actors, musicians, radio hosts, reality TV personalities, chefs, real estate agents, magazine publishers, fashion designers and even people who are famous for no apparent reason. Celebrity brands are diverse and can also be a product or service, they cross all socioeconomic, lifestyle and in some cases generational lines, and many pop-culture communities now share transcultural characteristics: a good example of this is the success of hip-hop artists recording and performing music with rock stars and for the first time, country singers are now crossing over to other genres of music.
We don’t live in a culturally homogenous world, there is no “magic bullet” when it comes to mass market cultural appeal, thankfully. Pop-culture is a powerful thing and will drive brands to success or failure. RadioactiveGiant treats brands like human “celebrities” and since a consumer always starts as an audience, they should be communicated with as such. A good example of a “celebrity” brand or product is the Apple® iPod® which has achieved global brand celebrity status. A brand that identifies the individual user as part of a community of sophisticated digital entertainment consumers.
Audience Development, Engagement, Activation and Pull-Through
No matter what or where consumers watch, read or hear marketing messages — and before they become consumers they are part of an audience. RadioactiveGiant treats consumers like audiences, and builds brand “fanatics” that ultimately become brand-loyal consumers. By delivering relevant entertainment and information value, brands become “celebrities” and contribute to consumer’s social identities and digital communities.
Once engaged it is important to maintain a value-driven one-to-one relationship with your audience. Becoming a gatekeeper of valuable entertainment and information while maintaining pop-culture brand status that contributes to the identity of that audience member and their social communities. This will establish a trusted relationship that allows brands to activate audiences and convert them to consumers.
One-to-One With Connected Consumers
Connected platforms allow marketers to connect with their audiences at a one-to-one level. Internet protocol allows for two-way communication and dynamic data capturing capabilities that give marketers valuable information about their audiences and identify consumers, conversion rates and costs per customer acquisition and cross-selling opportunities in a zero-waste media environment.
“Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.”
- Steve Jobs
