Engage Responsibly, Engage Effectively
To prove that I use my idle time effectively I had this observation today in the waiting room of my cardiologist. It is called a waiting room because you are always waiting. So I pick up a Men’s fashion magazine that I probably would not buy otherwise and thumbed through the pages.
I talk about engaging customers quite a bit and made a point to check out all of the ads in this particular magazine to see how they interacted with the reader. Out of all of the ads I came across there was one that really did grab my interest and lured me in.
It was a Bacardi Dragon Berry ad that right there at the top was a Text Dragon to 65579 for more recipes. I found that interesting for a number of reasons.
- I could engage immediately (while I wait)
- I could engage with my mobile phone which I most definitely had with me
- I could see the Text instructions without reading glasses or a magnifying glass
How cool was that? Also the suggestion on the ad was to “Enjoy it with Ginger Ale” which also caused me to salivate and want one. I mean it had to be 5pm somewhere right?
When I got home I went online to check out if they were tying this into their whole Social Media strategy and I was very impressed to see on the Bacardi Dragon Berry page a section to send a weekly drink recipe to my mobile phone, Dragon Berry Downloads and a mention of a Free iPhone App by Bacardi with favorite recipes. How cool is that again?
Bacardi is definitely on the right track of Social Engagement by getting the most out of their ad spend and the ability to tie it into their website. I am sure they can also track the effectiveness of the ad through the mobile responses as well as holding on to the mobile number for subsequent campaigns.
Now, the other ads in the magazine I came across were nice photos of the product but in small print the website causing me to write it down IF I could even read it (without reading glasses or a magnifying glass) and check it out later if I remembered. I did not see a way of engaging me or a way of capturing the effectiveness of the ad considering the perceived high cost associated.
Companies need to understand Bacardi’s plan of action and reach out and engage the eyeballs on their ads and demand a ROI.
Lessons learned:
- Gather interest to your product
- Engage the reader on THEIR terms
- Tie it into their interests and lifestyle
- Nurture the relationship with ongoing interaction
- ALWAYS be able to measure the ROI
“I do not always drink, but when I do I will ask for a Bacardi Dragon Berry with my Ginger Ale with a lime.”
Cheers!
Very interesting.. I love to see it all come together, and these innovators like Bacardi give me some good ideas to pass along to the smaller companies out there.
Very cool. Bacardi is definitely on the right track. I love seeing social media engagement incorporated in print. Thanks for sharing. I’ll definitely use these guys as an example of those who are getting it right!
Social media (and mobile in particular) are probably critical in breathing new life into traditional media. I think we are moving toward an era where the lines between traditional and digital are totally obfuscated. Our print will have lots of immersive, digital components and digital experiences will be augmented with physical features.
This is a great first step.
Great idea and exeuction – I wonder what thier results are?
And to take it one step further…to actually drive some immediate sales, Barcardi could have provided a store, bar or event locator where you and your cardiologist could have immediately gone to purchase and enjoy the product.