Common sense is what we call our good decisions, the times we acted rationally, or the times when everything we did was justified. Leonardo Da Vinci said, "Common Sense is that which judges the things given to it by other senses."
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We tend to only think of poor choices as foolish, crazy, or insane; and most good decisions are considered common sense. In addition, we listen to our common sense and react to our emotions based on it. Therefore, the best way to gain new customers is to make your product a "common sense purchase." The most effective way to do that is through an interactive multichannel marketing campaign.
A well-coordinated multichannel approach engages customers through multiple mediums and stimulates multiple senses. This form of marketing can be effective in its own right, however if you are in an industry where humorous ads are appropriate, you will see far significant growth using humor in your ads.
Even if you didn't realize it before, markets have employed this technique for decades; however, with the growth of the internet and social media in the last 10 years, an interactive multichannel approach has become commonplace and obvious to everyone.
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Everything from the GoDaddy.com ads convincing you to "go to this site to see more 'unrated' content" to your local restaurant giving you a flyer instructing you to "like us on Facebook for online-only specials" is interactive marketing.
For small and medium size businesses, a national tv spot and internet tease with a high-priced spokesperson is clearly not the sort of multichannel approach you need. However, a postcard mailer with a Personalized URL for the person to go to in order to get a special deal is quite effective. You've engaged them to check out your website, maybe fill out some questions (if you do this, always keep it short), and then at the end they can print out a coupon or get an online code for your offer.
Make your landing site an interesting place to stay and your brand will become more important in the lives of all the consumers who visit your page.
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However, don't over do it. People like things that are visually simple! (Why do you think Google became so popular? It is because of the simplicity of their landing page.)
Offer a fun Facebook photo album, such as our funny mailers album or interesting tweets relevant to your business and your customers. Then, use traditional mediums to advertise to and encourage people to check out your online content.
As previously mentioned, this interactive multichannel approach is an effective way to market your business. However, if you can infuse this dynamic style with a humorous tone, you will generate substantially greater results. Humor breaks down the natural defenses consumers have about being 'marketed to,' and humanizes your message which inevitably will lead them to interest in your brand.
Recently, Tipp Ex, a company producing liquid eraser, introduced a viral video which has had huge success because it is humorous and interactive, despite the fact that it has little to do with their product. But, it has widely exposed their brand nationwide.
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The ad is a featured YouTube video (seen here) in which a hunter is camping and a bear sneaks up on him. Then a link pops up and you decide whether to "shoot" the bear or not. No matter which option you click, the ad takes you to a page which uses a technique employed years before in a Burger King marketing campaign with a unique twist. A video instantly plays and the man uses the liquid eraser style product to erase "shoots" with a blank space in the video title. Then, like the Burger King ad, you can write in anything you want. Such as, "a hunter dances with a bear." Click play and a video of what you typed will play.
Of course not all keywords hit, but this type of advertising engages the audience and, while not directly promoting the product, offers wide ranging exposure at a relatively low cost. This video is now viral, but before it had 20 million views they had to get the video exposure somehow. That was when the other media channels were used in order to create that truly interactive approach.
Nowadays most interactive campaigns are focused online. While you should not fear using other mediums (tv, radio, billboards), for most businesses, online advertising is the most cost effective way to utilize interactive marketing. Moreover, in order to grow your interactive marketing, other mediums must be used. If you can coordinate your mailer, social media sites, and a video together to create an entertaining and interactive experience with your customers, then using your brand will become common sense.
By: Will Pearlman
