Integrated Marketing Communications

CMNHospitals Part 2: The Power of the Brand

By Liz Jester | Published May 16, 2013
This is the second in my two-part Children's Miracle Network Hospitals series.  Read about CMNHospital's youth marketing successes in part one.

For those who didn't read part one, CMNHospitals is an international network of non-profit hospitals.  A highly successful and recognizable brand, the organization has experienced tremendous growth in recent years, starting with its ability to connect with potential donors better and more creatively than your typical non-profit organization.  I already talked about one of its most successful youth marketing tactics, so I wanted to talk about the all-important brand.

The Beloved Balloon

CMNHospitals, as I mentioned, is highly recognizable.  Chances are you've heard of it and seen its logo - the red and yellow hot air balloon.  Now, look at the pictures below and think about which logo pops into your head (if any) when you hear the words Children's Miracle Network Hospitals.

I would guess that many of you would select the logo on the left - this is the logo that replaced the one on the right just two short years ago.  But why? 

Why re-brand?

I spoke to Zac Johnson, Director of Youth Marketing at CMNHospitals, about the re-branding strategy.  You can also hear a lot more from Johnson in part one of this series - he has some compelling things to share.

When asked about CMNHospital's re-branding move in 2010-11, he explained the three major issues with the existing brand (on the right in the photo above):

1) The brand felt antiquated.
2) It was difficult to separate the actual balloon from the text.
3) The brand was confusing.

Starting with number one, which is a pretty straightforward reason for change, the logo looked old.  I have to admit, it's a nice logo that has served the organization very well, but there comes a time when you need to re-charge.  To me, it did look a bit old-fashioned.  The new balloon is clean and simple; the old balloon is busy and just plain old less modern looking.  This is the 21st century, people.  Everything is getting sleeker.

I find reason two very interesting.  The text is smack dab in the middle of the balloon, and it separates the balloon from the basket!  What if a sponsor wants to include a simple CMNHospitals logo on its marketing materials?  Looks like it'll have to take the text along with the balloon.  It limits usage!  

Here's a quick example: I talked about Dance Marathon (DM) in part one; the majority of the hundreds of DMs around the country incorporate CMNHospitals' new balloon icon in their own logos.  I couldn't imagine every DM being able to include the original complicated balloon icon attached to large text.  Some did, of course, but nowadays the new icon is everywhere.  Talk about powerful brand recognition.  


The tank top pictured above was sold by ElonThon, Elon's CMNHospitals DM.  Not only were the balloon icon's colors easily changed to match the tank, but the icon was seamlessly integrated into the shirt's text.  This wouldn't have been possible with the old logo.  DMs around the country incorporate this icon into their shirts and tanks, which are worn well beyond their college campuses.

Reason three, the brand confusion, is pretty interesting as well.  I have to admit, this is something I hadn't realized before Johnson pointed it out.  The organization was once titled Children's Miracle Network and abbreviated using CMN or CMNH.  Now it is Children's Miracle Network Hospitals, abbreviated, as you've likely noticed, CMNHospitals.  

"By adding 'Hospitals' we illustrated much more clearly that we were more than just a 'wish granting organization' as many had assumed from the Miracles part of our name," says Johnson.  Although typing CMNHospitals is a little lengthy, it supports the new brand.  This is, after all, a miracle-making chain of hospitals; it's important people know that.  Particularly because healthcare is one of the top-ranked social causes in terms of donations received.  When choosing between a hospital and a wish-granting organization (both are worthy and noble causes), I would assume more consumers will lean towards a hospital.  This is solely based on my understanding of preferred social causes, and because of the simple "life-saving" factor as I call it.  Hospitals save lives, and people like their money to save lives.  Point blank.

Did It Work?

You betcha the new name, icon, and brand personality worked.  According to Johnson, "our unaided awareness has gone up 2% in the past year alone, which might not sound like much, but in the marketplace that has become the gold standard."  

Did I hear... "unaided awareness?"  That sounds like earned media... inbound marketing!  David Meerman Scott (one of my favorite marketing gurus) would like to hear that.  It's interesting that a brand shift can generate so much new awareness and recognition.  

My thoughts are that it's the viral piece that brought about a lot of this new awareness; I'd link this primarily with reason 2 for the change.  Co-branding is easier now!  People can put the simple new icon on their shirts, signage, promotional materials, and social media sites.  It looks better; it's sleeker, more simple, eye-catching, and easy to incorporate and re-color (according to usage guidelines, of course).  Not to mention the PR generated when a large brand undergoes a significant change.


See the paper balloon the girl in the photo above is holding?  Sponsors are able to sell these balloons in their stores.  People donate, write their name on a balloon, and hang it up in their store.  This is a double whammy- fundraising and publicity, all in one.  The simplistic icon design made it easy to use these cutouts, and the new sleekness made it eye-catching and desirable for sponsors to hang the cutouts in their stores.

Another seamless co-branding example is pictured right below.  Walmart and Sam's Club partnered up with CMNHospitals in this fundraising initiative.  Another great use of the icon.

CMNHospitals' heightened brand awareness can also be attributed to reason 3.  Say you're a big proponent and supporter of children's hospitals and (for some reason) haven't heard of CMNHospitals.  You're surfing the web, and you see an ad with the balloon and the words "Children's Miracle Network."  Who knows, you might just pass on by.  Now imagine it says "Children's Miracle Network Hospitals" plain and clear.  Your likelihood of clicking just went way up.  

That little scenario all boils down to the fact that not only is there a new awareness of the brand's existence, but a new awareness of its story.  Consumers more clearly understand CMNHospitals' cause, just from a glance at its new logo.


But What About CMNHospital's Existing Brand Equity?

This is something that I'm sure every organization toils over when working to re-brand.  CMNHospitals was likely no different.  I think, however, that they did a perfect job keeping the icon recognizable and similar enough to the old one, while making it new and fresh.  

They've retained the red and yellow, their signature colors.  Maybe I just spend too much time around this brand, but when I see those two colors paired, I immediately think of CMNHospitals.  They've also retained their signature balloon - I would bet this is something that won't ever be taken away from the brand, no matter how many times the logo is changed.

According to CMNHospitals' re-branding page, the new logo and brand will maintain a consistency, ensuring that everything distributed by CMNHospitals will be undoubtedly recognizable as it will all have the same feel.  

Wrapping Up

In a world full of confusing, overly complicated brands, it's no small miracle (pun intended) that simplifying their logo and clarifying their name has brought CMNHospitals such increased brand awareness.  Co-branding is easier, logo-sharing is easier, and people know it's a network of hospitals now, not a Make-A-Wish Foundation look-alike.  People get the story.  And we all know that in the non-profit world, your story, cause, values, whatever you want to call it, is sometimes all you've got.

What do you think about the new CMNHospitals brand?

References
Zac Johnson, Director of Marketing, Children's Miracle Network Hospitals




Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | Leave a Comment

CMNHospitals Part 1: Youth Marketing at its Finest

By Liz Jester | Published May 16, 2013
This is part one of a two part series on one of my absolute favorite brands - Children's Miracle Network Hospitals!  Part 2 will go into depth on the branding of CMNHospitals and its related programs.

I selfishly am going to talk right now about why I wanted to write this post.  This organization has become an enormous part of my life.  After a few years of major dedication to our local CMN hospital, Duke Children's Hospital & Health Center, I've officially accepted a development internship with them this summer!  Duke Children's and CMNHospitals have changed my life (and saved millions of other lives) and I can't wait to give back to them for that... but for now I'll just sit in the library and blog about them!

All of that aside, this organization has had incredible success building brand ambassadors through youth marketing.  Read on to learn more.

What is CMNHospitals?

Most people reading this have likely heard of Children's Miracle Network Hospitals - it is, after all, one of the most recognizable brands in the United States, if not a few other countries as well.  Many people, however, really don't have a deep understanding of what they actually do.  

As I mentioned in a previous post, CMNHospitals is a network of non-profit hospitals in the US and Canada.  Funds raised for CMNHospitals go straight to the network hospital nearest wherever the funds were raised.  The incredibly high-caliber hospitals in this network never turn down a child based on the family's inability to pay; they treat some of the rarest and most complicated diseases, disorders and injuries.  

The organization is celebrating its 30th successful year in existence!  In a time when most non-profits lost donors and shut down due to the economy, CMNHospitals grew.  So what caused this profound success?

One could argue that it's CMNHospital's use of youth as powerful fundraisers and promoters of its brand that has kept it on the rise.  


What is Youth Marketing? 

It sounds self-explanatory, but it's a good question.  Youth marketing tactics reach young people, generally from age twelve up to the low twenties.  Often, companies who use youth marketing will employ peer-to-peer marketing and create brand ambassadors in youth-heavy areas; primarily schools.

Dancing for a cause


CMNHospitals has an exemplary youth marketing program, driven by its Dance Marathon program.  

What, you might ask, is Dance Marathon (DM)?  You can find out by clicking the link above, or just keep reading!

I'm here to tell you that CMNHospitals Dance Marathons are not actual dance competitions where couples try to dance the best or longest.  Not like that scene in Grease.  That would be pretty amazing, but CMNHospitals DMs are even better (at least in my opinion).

DM is a national program in which student leaders from colleges all the way down to elementary schools host events where students spend absurdly long hours dancing, watching live performers, spending time with children's hospital patients, and so much more. All this while raising awareness and money for their local Children's Miracle Network Hospital.  

DMs range in size, from universities who raise several million dollars a year with thousands of students, to new programs that raise around $10,000 a year with a hundred or so students.  No matter the size or level of success, every DMer dances "FTK" (For The Kids).

If you're an Elon student reading this, you probably associate DM with ElonThon, also affectionately known as Thon.  Students at Thon raise money yearlong and end the year by dancing (without sitting at all) for 24 hours in honor of the children who have been and are still being treated at Duke Children's.  "Miracle Kids" and their families tell their stories at the event and interact with the students in the midst of the competitions, performers, and free food.  Thon raised over $212,000 in 2013.





The DM Movement Meets Social Media

I had the privilege of talking with Zac Johnson, Director of Youth Marketing at CMNHospitals, who is a celebrity and role model to so many students involved in DM across the country.  Johnson gave me some great insights into the inner workings behind the program, which has seen exceptional growth in recent years. 

Social media for recruitment and awareness


"We wouldn't have nearly the traction we have now had social media not come into its own around the same time [we increased our staffing].  It's a subtle effect, but one that over time has brought us countless opportunities to start new dance marathons," said Johnson when asked what role social media had in that growth.

Students across the country always wait for Zac Johnson's coveted status where he shares the weekend's updates about fundraising totals.  The CMNHospitals marketing team sends its members to various DMs.  While there, they Tweet and post Facebook updates; these tactics get students inspired and allow quick and easy sharing of best practices among DMs.

It also just plain old gets the word out to people who have no idea what DM is.  "Anyone at a college without DM is bound to see at least a few posts over the year from friends at other colleges who are participating as well.  This gets the word out and the brand awareness we require."  DMs are popping up all over the country, and have made their way past schools and into entire cities.

An example of a DM-awareness-generating social media push is ElonThon's "Why Do You THON?" YouTube video from 2012.  It went viral on Facebook among Elon students.  Student attendance at Thon 2012 reached 1,000 for the first time in years.

Social media for fundraising

Finally, social media has aided tremendously in the massive fundraising increases seen by the DM program.  "The traditional letter writing campaigns have been replaced with online fundraising pages and e-mail outreach, which is in-turn slowly being replaced by social media fundraising pushes.  That has definitely made a measurable difference on the funds raised," asserts Johnson.   

When I say fundraising increases, it's no joke; in the DM program's 22 years, only one six-figure dance marathon program had ever doubled its fundraising total from the preceding year, until April 12, 2013 when both ElonThon and UCF KnightThon more than doubled our six figure 2012 totals.  In that same weekend, the University of Florida became the newest member of the 7-figure club, raising over $1 million.  Mobile giving pushes and in-event social media campaigns pushed Thon over the edge and into record-breaking territory during the event. A big social media push consisted of participants posting links to their fundraising pages along with the reason they dance and the hashtag #whyiTHON.

While ElonThon isn't quite at the million dollar level yet, we can certainly attest to internet use generating outstanding fundraising results for us.  As Fundraising Chair this past year, I moved our registration to a website called DonorDrive with a lot of help from CMNHospitals.  Through this website students are given personal fundraising pages that allow them to take ownership of their fundraising.  I crafted a new donor email campaign in which fundraising emails to the contacts provided by each registrant were highly personalized.  These replaced the mass, form emails Thon once sent.  After a day of sending out an email blast, without fail, donations would pour in.  The internet is a powerful, powerful tool for just about anything.

Empowering Youth to Empower Your Brand


Johnson is fully aware of a disconnect and distrust between generations, stating that "too many program heads will try to micromanage a student group. Collectively there isn't much trust extended from one generation to the next- which is a shame because not only is the Millenial generation deserving of that trust, it thrives on ownership and a strong showing of faith."

It's clear that Johnson has an incredible grasp on what it takes to lead and inspire youth.  He and the rest of the Marketing team put trust in the students; everything is in their hands.  Not only does it create a group of dedicated, confident student leaders, but it increases CMNHospital's Marketing team's DM capacity; less micromanaging leads to greater efficiency.

"Can I and my team put together a great dance marathon on our own?  I would certainly hope so.  But would a dedicated group of student leaders, empowered by their own vision for the event, make it markedly better? Absolutely!" says Johnson.  This strategy certainly hasn't steered him wrong.  

Tying it Together


To wrap this all up in a sentence or two: CMNHospitals gives college students the tools to raise tremendous amounts of money and awareness through Dance Marathons.  I think it's also safe to say social media is one of those powerful tools.  

CMNHospitals' Marketing team creates young brand ambassadors, and they make it extra fun.  I like to think of it as sort of a Tupperware party model!  They're similar when you think about it.  DM is just way more fun.  

I think it's appropriate to end with this quote from the great Zac Johnson, which sums up much of what DM and youth marketing is about... "When you give this generation the right tools and resources- and then step back to let them handle the rest (with some strategic guidance along the way) the results are extraordinary." 


References:
Zac Johnson, Director of Youth Marketing, Children's Miracle Network Hospitals
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | Leave a Comment

The Heart and Soul of Marketing

By Kelvin Walker | Published May 16, 2013


                As a consumer, nothing captures my attention and sticks to my brain the way that a good guerilla marketing campaign can. Although it can be expensive and reach a much smaller variety of audiences, it is effective. In my opinion, guerilla marketing encompasses what marketing and advertising is all about: reaching out to your target market with relevant content in a creative way. There is only so much that traditional, or even current marketing practices for that matter, can do for the imagination. To show you what I mean, here are a few examples of guerilla marketing that I found to be extremely brilliant.  






The first two I am showing you are Guerilla marketing examples with a global cause. UNICEF launched this dirty water vending machine describe the condition of the water for millions of underprivileged people around the world. This example is genius because it allows people to engage with the machine and donate directly to the cause. Even if people aren't very motivated by the cause, they might give a dollar just for the interactive experience.

The second example is an attempt to show people the exaggerated effects of global warming. It's brilliant, and most importantly unforgettable. There isn't much call to action that I saw, which may be a flaw in this marketing campaign.



The Shark Week example is not cause related, but I thought it was absolute genius. First, It was placed at the beach, so we already know it is relevant to the people who will see. Second, it is absolutely horrifying and whether you like it or not, you will not forget what you saw and you will be much more intrigued to watch it.




The last one is my favorite. In Romania, pick pocketing is a huge problem. Therefore, to promote buying Vodafone insurance, they hired professional pickpockets to discreetly place advertisements into peoples bags and pockets. I can't even imagine what the return on investment was for Vodafone. If I saw that someone placed that in my pocket without me knowing, that would have influenced my decision all most immediately.

I love guerilla marketing, and kudos to the imaginative people who make it happen. Its so fun, so effective, and so creative.
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | Leave a Comment

EDM Goes Hollywood

By Alex Silverman | Published May 16, 2013

EDM

Or electronic dance music is one of the newest genres of music gaining rapid popularity among the youth of America.  EDM originated in European countries and quickly gained momentum, playing their upbeat synthetic beats and booming bass lines in night clubs.  Various American music festivals like Lollapalooza and Coachella quickly picked up on this style of music and featured DJs soon thereafter started feeling the effects of fame and popularity.  

During the past year EDM has transformed concert going for youth in America.  High school and college kids are now dishing out their allowances and paychecks on concerts and festivals that could cost them hundreds of dollars.  Going to one of these "shows" is an experience in itself.  The attire that is worn by women and men alike are sometimes more bizarre than what you would see during halloween.  The atmosphere at the shows are also something indescribable.  The happiness exuded by the crowd is unmeasurable and most likely drug induced.

Ultra,

a music festival that just recently celebrated it's 14th year anniversary has transformed itself from a one day concert going event to a three day full blown music festival experience that takes place during 2 consecutive weekends in March.  My best friend attended this music festival this previous year and described it as a "life changing experience".  Extremely popular European music festival, TomorrowLand which takes place in Brussels is making its American debut this Fall for a mere $400 a pop for general admission.

Big name EDM DJ's like Skrillex and Kaskade are making their move on Hollywood; with Skrillex nabbing 3 grammies back in February, and Kaskade who has met with film producers during his summer headlining tour but has yet to finalize any sort of deal.  These DJ's and DJ's alike are continuing to gain momentum and popularity playing sold out shows across the nation.  

The way that EDM spread to America was purely by word of mouth.  Marketing tactics have been utilized at a bare minimum in regards to the start up and popularization of this music movement. Youth around the globe found something that they liked and connected to.  EDM is a lifestyle and a culture within itself that is so unique and out there it really acts as an outlet for youth to let loose and enjoy themselves. 

 I am too a lover of EDM

and have been for the past year or so.  I love everything about the music and the environment of shows and festivals.  Even though my love for EDM does not translate well with my poor college student income, I have already sunk my teeth into the lifestyle too far now to turn back.  With that being said I am already asking my dad for an advance on my 22nd birthday present (my birthday is in February, 2014) for TomorrowWorld and I will hopefully nab the early bird Ultra tickets coming out soon! 
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | Leave a Comment

Do We Control Our Fates Or Is It Marketing?

By Samuel Kahane | Published May 15, 2013
Above my bed is a sign that says: DESTINY - "The decisions we make, not the chances we take determine our destiny"

BUT do we have say on our destiny? Or is it actually just a result of the marketing were exposed to?

Think about it: all our biggest decisions, how do we make them? We make them off of what is marketed to us! 

Let's look at some examples:
Example 1 - College 

How do we choose where to go to college? Why do multiple people from the same high school usually end up at the same colleges? 

The reason is marketing. Colleges go around to high schools and gage student interest. Students give them their email address, and the college then emails them and sends them information. They have a perfect avenue of two way communication and inbound marketing. There could be "perfect fit" colleges on the other side of the country that didn't do a good job marketing, and thus, you will never know about them.
Example 2 - Where to go for dinner

Especially as college students we go to the places that we like to go to. But what determines that? Marketing does. Qdoba sends me texts everyday, and these texts make me feel special and give me value.
Cancun markets to us by being on phoenix cash and thus we all consider it more and it gets extra advertising. La Cocina advertises their margarita specials well as well. And we now associate margaritas with La Cocina. 

OK OK so I love mexican but besides that, the reason we go to these  restaurants is because they add more value to us then other restaurants. 

My saying used to be "The world is ours!" 

but is it....

- Sam the Wise 


Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | Leave a Comment

Old School Assisting New School

By Paul Robinson | Published May 15, 2013
Ok so the semester has been about old school outbound vs new school inbound marketing right? Well we're about to talk about using both and how the results can be terrific (in opinion at least, who knows about the ROI). Maybe some of you will even appreciate the pun I used in the title of this post by the time we're done.

Uncle Drew Video
So who are we talking about? Pepsi. Specifically Pepsi Max. Pepsi has recently run spots during prime time sporting events showing a short clip of NBA stars Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love disguised as old men playing pickup basketball with the "Young Bloods". This is played into the advertising campaign for Pepsi Max - a zero calorie cola in disguise. The commercial shows the old guys dominating the game like they were NBA stars. Oh right they were but the other participants didn't know. Anyway so its a funny commercial, whats the big deal? Well if you follow up on Pepsi Max's web presence, you find a much longer film that includes the back story, a more elaborate scheme and more smack talk. It's really tremendous if you appreciate basketball and know the stars involved in the production. Basically, Pepsi is using traditional media to draw people to their web presence and without siting statistics it seems a solid concept.


Jeff Gordon Test Drive Video
One thing I noticed was that Pepsi didn't really direct you to the website to tell you there was more video with the Uncle Drew commercial above. That changes with Pepsi's next disguised commercial featuring Jeff Gordon. This one shows a short clip of the NASCAR star test driving a car in disguise and nearly giving the salesman a heart attack with his driving shenanigans. This time Pepsi directly says more video available at...

So whats this all mean? Both types of marketing are still relevant and can be used in tandem too.

Oh did you get the Pun?
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | Leave a Comment

Is It "Your Turn" to Buy a Jaguar?

By Jessica Turek | Published May 15, 2013
CALLING ALL YOUNG, UPSCALE BUYERS!



Have you heard of Jaguar's latest sports car campaign? According to their latest and greatest vehicle, if you are young and have an active lifestyle then this car is the one for you.

According to Brand Channel, Jaguar has been recently trying to compete with their largest competition of Porsche, who consumers also identify as a "legendary" vehicle through its appearances in classic films such as the James Bond Series. In order to overcome their high competition, Jaguar is releasing their newest advertising campaign of its all-new F-Type sports car.

"DISCOVERING A LEGEND FOR YOUR LIFETIME"

So let's actually talk about the F-Type. What is so attractive about this new car? Well, as featured in the commercial, one can see a group of attractive young people standing in line to have their chance at driving this foreign automobile. One lucky guy stand at the front of line anticipating his opportunity to sit behind the wheel. As he looks at the car, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick into the commercial where he throws his keys at the guy first in line and says, "it's your turn". What is important to note is the line that follows soon after that of the voice over that says "it's your turn to discover a legend for your lifetime". Check out the commercial below:



REELING 'EM IN

Not only is Jaguar trying to play the "bad boy vibe" in an effort to emphasize its front-engine and ear-wheel drive features, but it is trying to again, appeal to the younger generation of consumers by reeling them in with the legend factor. It is making consumers realize that they can afford a car which carries a brand that has been recognizable for decades, having a luxurious reputation, when the price point is a low $69,000. Not bad!

Rob Filipovic, general manager of product planning for Jaguar North America, put the brand's advertising campaign perfectly: "it has a storied history. It's more about reconnecting with the performance and design attributes that Jaguar used to stand for, and bringing them to the forefront for a new generation that isn't necessarily familiar with our brands or cars".

So what do you think? Once us college grads step into the real world, get a full-time job, and start making the money, would you take "your turn"in the Jaguar F-Type?

Works Cited

http://www.brandchannel.com/home/post/2013/05/13/Jaguar-Campaign-051313.aspx

http://media.dexigner.com/article/22928/Jaguar_F_Type_03.jpg

https://cdx.dexigner.com/article/22928/Jaguar_F_Type_04_thumb.jpg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMZ-7kGu6Sk



Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | Leave a Comment

KFC Scholars: Buying an Education in 140 Characters

By Liz Jester | Published May 14, 2013
What Can I Get for 140 Characters?

$20,000, that's what.

One of the first things you learn after entering the Twitter world is that you don't have a whole lot of space to ramble.  Twitter just wouldn't be the same if everyone's Twitter feed was full of stories that took a minute to read.  That's ages in the world of social media.  I'm stating the obvious here, but for those who don't know, you have to capture a moment in 140 characters.

If you've never used Twitter, it's not really as tough as it sounds.  Just ask Amanda Russell, who won $5,000 for each of her four years of college with the following 140 characters...

"Hey Colonel!  Your scholarship's the secret ingredient missing from my recipe for success!  Got the grades, drive, just need cash!"

You may have figured out that it was KFC, a fried chicken fast food joint, who was crazy and creative enough to host this contest.  This is a bit of a throwback - the last of their Twitter contests happened back in 2011.  So why am I talking about it now?  We already established a minute in the world of Twitter seems like ages, so how can you even measure two years?  I wanted to look into the reasons this was successful at the time, and why it happened only twice.  It's also been replicated recently, so I wanted to explore that as well.

The Perks 


KFC awards more than 75 scholarships a year.  That's great for its communities; consumers love seeing a restaurant support and give back to the public.  Some people support restaurants solely for their social responsibility practices.  However, Kathie Niven, Director of Marketing and Brand Development at Biscuitville, has learned through the years that consumers don't always make the extra trip or go the extra mile to support a restaurant solely because it does good for others.  People might say they will, but a large majority just don't care enough when it comes down to it.  

Niven's discoveries here are quite relevant to KFC - Biscuitville is not only a fast food chain, but its menu items are quite similar to those on KFC's breakfast menu.  KFC seemed to understand the same principles Niven discussed with our class.

So I imagine KFC's thought process went something like this: "Instead of just giving out scholarships, why not offer scholarships in a way that will organically achieve an increased social media following?"

And everyone else's thought process probably went like this: "Free cash?  For one tweet?  That's easy." Click. Following.

Instead of just tweeting about their scholarship program, KFC made Twitter an integral part of that program!  Students could interact with their brand while having the chance to earn some cash.




In a world full of tedious scholarship essays and GPA requirements, its no wonder thousands upon thousands of students jumped at the chance at a scholarship for just a few words.  KFC saw major increases in its Twitter fan following, and $5,000 a year for four years isn't a whole lot to lose considering the massive earned publicity.

Twitter aside, the company received massive PR coverage.  Websites and newspapers all over the country shared this unprecedented story.  CNN, Huffington Post, New York Times... You name it, they covered it.  Two years later and it's still a highly Googled story.

Talk about earned media.  This was a unique way to not only get your name in the papers, but to get your name out for giving, and doing good.  And of course, to get people to click the coveted "Follow" button.

A Picture is Worth 1,000 Characters


Just like Rayovac did, as I mentioned in my post about their Twitter extravaganza, KFC held a second Twitter event the next year.  It was similar, but different - this time it was a photo contest.

The media coverage of the photo contest was much subdued from that of the 2010 campaign.  I had to actually do some digging to find the winner of that contest, as compared to Russell who was featured in countless articles at the top of Google.

What Went Wrong?


Nothing necessarily went wrong per say.  Maybe a better heading would say "what changed?"  In my opinion this campaign isn't necessarily my favorite!  I think it was certainly a brilliant way for KFC to gain more followers, but it isn't a sustainable inbound marketing campaign.  

For one, the campaign saw a bit of backlash from parents, students and educators making statements to the effect of a company not being able to determine the true worthiness of a candidate from one short tweet.  You have thousands of entrants, many of whom have such slim differences in the quality of their tweets.  You have every single scholarship "application" available for anyone to see - this is bold certainly opens the door for criticism from anyone who disagrees with the selection of the winner.  Out of thousands of people who all think their tweet is the best, only one is selected!  To me, it seems potentially risky.

The biggest thing in my mind is, perhaps the campaign simply no longer exists because it's no longer unprecedented.  There is only so much more benefit KFC can gain from this campaign - after all, the company has already been caught "doing good" by the media, and the buzz isn't there anymore.  There are plenty of copy-cats out there now holding similar contests, and KFC contest #2 didn't earn the media it earned in 2010.  

Besides, KFC has 148,103 followers as of yet.  Could they use more?  Always.  Is a scholarship contest the way to get them?  Maybe that ship has sailed.

Copying the Colonel


The Twitter-sphere is brimming with contests nowadays.  As I mentioned, scholarship contests via Twitter are certainly becoming more prevalent.  A few examples include Scholarships.com's "Short and Tweet" Scholarship Contest, which asked followers to tweet the answer to a question, just like KFC.

The University of Iowa's Tippie School of Management offered a $37,000 scholarship to the person who submitted the best tweet.  The tweets were actually never posted onto Twitter, but were sent to judges privately.

Photo and video contests are becoming the norm for not only scholarship applications, but job and internship applications, too.  The "Frame My Future" Scholarship Contest and the "Create a Greeting Card" Scholarship Contest are among the many in existence.  
There are other cash prize contests that only ask for a re-tweet and a follow (Rayovac being one of them).  Hair Dazzle did the same.   

Wrapping Up


KFC's Twitter Scholarship - did it bring the success it was supposed to?  It's hard for an outsider to measure the true benefit brought about by increases in Twitter following; but it's safe to say that if the goal was to gain more followers and more PR coverage, the company wholly succeeded in 2010.

While Twitter Scholarship contests are no longer generating the major buzz they used to, that doesn't mean the end for creative uses of Twitter, and it certainly doesn't mean the end of crazy scholarship contests.  What do you think some new, big ideas are for companies to gain fans and followers?

References

Kathie Niven, Director of Marketing and Brand Development, Biscuitville






Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | Leave a Comment

College Students: Enough Power to Change the World?

By Samuel Kahane | Published May 14, 2013
Everyone says that us college kids are the future...and that we have so much power to change the world, especially while being in a university and being so connected. But then why is our world perfect? Why don't we rally together and change the worldLets talk about it. How do you use that power to get people to rally towards a cause? How do you create enough passion in people to make a difference?

It all comes down to Marketing

I have thought about this a lot. And there is only one time that I have seen our school united and passionate towards a cause. And that was when Osama Bin Laden was killed. EVERYONE went crazy. They rallied and complete pandemonium broke loose; pandemonium with insane amounts of unrestricted passion towards a cause. 

(This picture was taken at Elon and is STILL my friends profile picture)

How do we recreate that passion in people. If we can do that we can change the world...

So why this event? What made it special? Well...

1. It brought us all together. We all could relate. There were not opposite view points fighting on the issue.

2. It got momentum. People began to get excited and that excitement and passion spread.

3. And maybe we just used it as an excuse to party. It is fun. And at the end of the day everybody wants to be happy.

So how we recreate this passion towards doing something amazing and bettering our world? 
Well lets relate what we learned from above into a few steps to create greatness.

Step 1 - Your idea needs to unite people for a cause which is relatable. They must believe and be passionate about it. This would be best done through inbound marketing

Step 2 - Your idea needs to excite other people to grow and get going. In order to do that you need to pitch it right to people. If they become passionate as well, then it will spread

Step 3 - Make it fun. If it is fun people will want to join!

Together we can change the world!

PS. Ironically writing this on my last day of classes ever. Crying

-Samuel
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | Leave a Comment

Changing Your Status from "It’s Complicated" to "It’s Simple."

By Caroline Scalici | Published May 14, 2013

It's Complicated

In the hit movie, He's Just Not that Into You, Drew Barrymore's character Mary complains to her friend about a boy prospect she has failed to get in touch with. Highlighting how a relationship that has yet to even get past a first text has suddenly become one that is very complicated, Mary explains: "I had this guy leave me a voice mail at work so I called him at home and then he e-mailed me to my Blackberry and so I texted to his cell and then he e-mailed me to my home account and the whole thing just got out of control...Now you just have to go around checking all these different portals just to get rejected by seven different technologies. It's exhausting."
I may have just recently turned 22 but I remember the days that my parents got home from work and didn't hop right back on email, Our family had to have a conversation that entire 12 hour midsummer drive from Virginia to Disney World, and I would spend my afternoons playing outside with friends and actually interacting with people face to face. Nowadays just about anyone in the workforce spends a good 18 hours of their day refreshing their Blackberries while kids have developed a well-rehearsed routine of spending their days playing video games on their smartphones and iPads.

Walking across campus, sitting in a restaurant or picking up groceries at Elon's Harris Teeter, just about everyone I come across is locked into some sort of technology. Before I know the new college gossip from my friends chances are it has already been Tweeted about, Instagramed, put in a Facebook message, G-chatted and written in on one of our texting threads. There's no longer just work, school, friends and family to keep up with. There's Twitter, Facebook, Vine, Flip Board, Instagram, email and YouTube to stay on top of throughout the day.

Breaking Through the Barrier

Marketing professionals such as David Meerman Scott are arguing that traditional marketing and advertising are dead. Instead of creating TV commercials and outdoor advertisements, Scott is urging marketers to focus their budgets and attention on social media. In a world that is continuously shaped by technology, however, we have to ask if this technology overload may just be making things more complicated. Is following the status quo and trying to reach your target audience online now the only effective way to make sales? Or is it the brands that break through this technology barrier and cause us to turn our attention away from our smartphones just for a few minutes that make a lasting difference?

Right on Target 

In the U.S. sports fans live and breath baseball or football. In Italy, Spain and Brazil the public rallies together in soccer stands. In Canada the nation's citizens are practically meant to breed hockey players. In a city where people's attention is focused on the rink, how do you get them to pack into a soccer stadium?
To promote the first kickoff of the season, The Vancouver Whitecaps didn't focus on reaching their established fan base through Twitter or building an Instagram page. Instead, the team reserved the side of a building in a busy downtown area to project a 3D video that would cause just about anyone to put their cell phone back in their pocket and look up. As the video starts, the public saw soccer balls that seemed to bounce off the side of the building and leap out into the crowd. The scene then changed to a skyline of the Canadian mountain peaks, both a national symbol and the origin of the Whitecaps name. It isn't until the last few seconds of the projection map that the Vancouver Whitecaps name takes over the side of the building, with "8 Days until Kickoff" projected underneath.

Unlike online marketing, the projection map did not have an infinite life. In fact, it only lasted a few minutes! While this may have been an expensive marketing tactic, the projection certainty did not go unnoticed, and soon images and live video went viral on the net. By using a marketing technique much different than other sports teams, the Whitecaps made a lasting impression on the citizens of Vancouver, taking a direction that was right on target.                                                                               

Spreading Even More Happiness

It isn't too difficult to bring happiness to an underdeveloped, oppressed nation. What's a much bigger challenge? Make the happiest country in the world even happier.
   
For years Coca-Cola has used a variety of creative techniques to get more and more people to "open happiness."Recently, the Coca-Cola team set out to make the happiest country in the world, Denmark, just that much happier. Noticing that the Danish flag fit right into Coca-Cola's logo, the team placed flags right into their advertising throughout the nation's busiest airport. These flags could then be removed and given to family and friends as they crossed through the arrivals gate and were greeted by their loved ones.
   
The result? Over 24,000 flags were picked up and welcomed 25,000 arrivals from 30 different countries. A simple idea, this marketing technique employed by Coca-Cola is one that fit right in to their mission to spread happiness. As children discovered the flags and families rushed to meet up with the ones they had missed, that face to face interaction that has been lost in recent years regained its importance and smiles were brought to thousands of faces.

The Fun Theory

Mercedes and BMW are high-class, chic, and sleek. Volkswagen aims to just be one thing, fun.  The popular German car manufacturer recently unleashed their "Fun Theory" initiative. Rather than employing their own marketing department or an outside agency to bring "fun" to their target audiences' lives, they went out and asked people worldwide: how can we change people's behavior by making routine activities more fun to do?
The team at Volkswagen was quickly flooded with hundreds of entries from around the world, resulting in a piano staircase and a slide in a crowded subway station, a speedometer that made people actually want to obey the speed limit, and a trash can that made people stop to take the time to dispose of their trash instead of literring city streets. Each plan of action didn't include engaging with an audience over their Facebook page or fancy iPhone applications. Instead they aimed to stop people in their tracks, grab their interest and make their life a little less mundane. A strategy that doesn't make our lives more complicated, The Fun Theory changes our behavior, distracting us from our jam-packed days just for a few minutes to remind us of the smaller things in life that can be fun.

It's Simple.

Over the past decade our lives have been taken over by smartphones, laptops and social media. Our days are continuously getting shorter and shorter as more time is spent glued to a screen,with about ten different portals of technology to stay on top of. In our lives that are just becoming more overwhelming, why add to the chaos? By employing small techniques that can bring a distraction away from people's busy days, entertain them and bring a smile to their face brands can still make a lasting impression without powering up their laptops and social media accounts. Breaking away from this new trend in technology, brands can change their relationships with their customers from "it's complicated" to "it's simple." 

Citations







Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | Leave a Comment

Need More Help? Call the Technology Service Desk • 336.278.5200

Powered by WordPress and Technology.