(source – Forbes, 2014) For those of us whose business is marketing and more specifically, advertising, it is always interesting to see a part of it jump into the national spotlight this time of year. […]
The Maturation of Content Marketing
(source: SAP, 2013) A great article popped up in The New York Times yesterday that seemed to appropriately piggyback off the “2014 marketing trends” we posted about a couple of days ago. NewsCred, a Content […]
Marketing Trends in the New Year
A new year always brings a level of excitement to our business and our teaching. We have incoming MBA candidates just dipping their toes in the waters of graduate school, while also assisting those that […]
Email Marketers Assess “Black Friday” Impact
Now that a little bit of the dust has settled from Black Friday and Cyber Monday, its appropriate to step back and ask, “How did everyone do?” Did consumers find value in the avalanche of […]
Believing in the “Big Box”
We know what you are thinking – what company could possibly be jumping into the big box retail market in the face of mounting evidence that consumers are doing their shopping elsewhere? Hasn’t recent history […]
Rockstar in the Cross Hairs
An interesting article in Politico this week (link below) raises some important questions regarding branding and messaging. Rockstar Catches Heat Over Marketing What are the ethical issues raised by Rockstar potentially promoting its product to […]
Are Pricing Models Changing?
An interesting article in Forbes this week (see link below) raises some interesting questions about how companies allocate capital for marketing functions. Adobe Pushes New Pricing Model for Marketing Campaigns Last week, we wrote at length […]
Paul Kemp-Robertson: Bitcoin. Sweat. Tide. Meet the future of branded currency
We found this fantastic Ted Talk from Scotland in June of this year. It raises some really interesting concepts that connect to some of the other trends we have been talking about – digital growth, […]
Can a Brand Influence Popular Culture?
An interesting article in Marketing Week opens up a conversation about the role brands play in shaping popular culture. The Cultural Crossover We talk often about the length and life of the engagement we as […]
Everyone is buzzing about the upcoming Twitter IPO. When the company begins trading on the public exchange later this month, what will happen? Will it stumble out of the gate, echoing the challenges other social media platforms have faced? Or will it soar? Will it fail to meet, match, or exceed investor expectations?
All of this is great chatter for the talking heads on cable news. Even the casual consumer will be drawn in by the rapturous tale these pundits will weave, regardless of the outcome.
But beyond the headlines, beyond the “big numbers,” there is a real debate going on – one that has serious consequences for marketing managers at every major company. Does real, sustainable potential in this new wave of social media marketing exist?
More specifically – what does real-time marketing do for a company’s bottom line?
Noted author and marketing strategist David Meerman Scott, in his book, “Real-Time Marketing and PR” defines this concept in this way:
“… products or services instantly, based on feedback from customers or events in the marketplace. And it’s when businesses see an opportunity and are the first to act on it.”
Many of us remember the now infamous and timely Twitter post from Oreo that capitalized on this past February’s Super Bowl during the unexpected blackout.
It was a watershed moment for the company and for proponents of real-time marketing – the sheer interactions and touch points generated brought Oreo unparalleled exposure and viral connectivity.
And let’s face it – it was cool.
During the Emmys this year, AARP of all companies capitalized on a mention by winner Jeff Daniels during his acceptance speech:
Daniels: “”The last thing I won was a few years ago for ‘The Squid and the Whale.’ I won best actor over 50 from the AARP. With all due respect to the AARP, this is better.”
AARP’s response?
But again – does this exposure translate to the bottom line? Does this type of social marketing reach new customers or simply get batted around by current ones?
While marketing managers may be able to save money by capitalizing on these viral memes and hot buttons, the investment of time and energy to consistently stay abreast of the ever-changing social media landscape presents a whole bevy of new challenges.
This article from “AdWeek” crunches some more real-time marketing numbers. What do you think? Is the investment paying off? What would you do as the CMO of your company?
Marketing Management 