Integrated Marketing Communications

#rayovac Snowball Fight: The Social Media Storm of the Century

By Liz Jester | Published May 11, 2013

Virtual Snowball Fight

Batteries - they aren't the most glamorous consumer goods on the market.  Would you ever tweet about the batteries you use?  Or the newest battery-power innovations?  If you answered yes, you're probably in the minority on this one.  

BUT, for one day in history, Rayovac trended on Twitter.  It was February 1, 2011.  Snowstorms blanketed cities across the country.  Rayovac's marketing team and its PR agency thought fast, understanding that consumers would be home, indoors, possibly without power.  So they did what anyone would do - started a snowball fight!

Rayovac started launching virtual snowballs at its followers.  We all know that hitting someone with a snowball makes you a target, and Rayovac experienced this firsthand when the company saw 500 new followers and a 500% web traffic increase.  Not only that, but Rayovac held a contest for followers, offering an iPod touch to a random follower that changed their profile picture to the Rayovac logo.  The contest generated over 1,100 click-throughs to the link listed in the picture below, which would change follower profile pictures to the Rayovac logo.


Another idea came about within the two days of snowball fighting - Rayovac held a two-hour trivia and conversation event in which followers asked Rayovac-related questions, answered trivia questions and discussed their local weather.  An iPod touch and some battery chargers were offered to participants in that event.

This is outstanding marketing, but how did it get going so quickly?  For one, Rayovac has a pretty flat organizational structure.  Ideas get moving quickly because there aren't a hundred levels to move through - employees share Rayovac's values and understand its mission.  This allows Integrated Marketing-Communications campaigns to move seamlessly and efficiently.  

Not only that, but Rayovac has "power bloggers", and connections with Mommy bloggers who promote the brand.  Each of these important bloggers generated buzz about the snowball fight via their own blogs.  Once word got out, it was a snowball effect (pun intended).  
  

Twitter Round 2... Snow Party

Rayovac didn't stop their Twitter storm with their snowball fight.  Over a year later, on December 20, 2012, Rayovac held another Twitter takeover, in the form of a winter-themed party.  A little more tame than a snowball fight, but successful nonetheless.


Customers RSVP'd and "showed up", giving them something fun to do during a dreary, maybe even a little scary, day.  Rayovac had followers participate in trivia questions, and gave out over $1,200 in prizes to trivia winners.  At its peak, #rayovac landed at the third spot in the list of trending hashtags.  See below for the proof!

I have to say, I think David Meerman Scott would highly approve of Rayovac's Twitter campaigns.  This move gained them organic, earned publicity.  A perfect inbound marketing campaign.  It was interactive, viral, and memorable; not to mention highly relevant to Rayovac's brand.  What better time to promote your batteries and flashlights than during a snowstorm?  Not only is everyone snowed in, but many are out of power, on their smartphones, needing flashlights.


Beyond the snow

More than just major Twitter events, Rayovac is a brand that utilizes social media incredibly well.  The first sentence you read in this post (assuming you started at the top) said batteries aren't the most glamorous consumer good on the market.  And it's true - who wants to follow a Twitter or a Facebook page on flashlights and batteries?  The answer to that, as we've already discovered, is a lot of people.  That's because Rayovac provides useful information and perks such as discounts and coupons.  They engage consumers and fans through contests and giveaway promotions.  Rayovac has found a way to make their Pinterest board exciting.  They keep freebie-lovers coming back for major sweepstakes and giveaways that can only be discovered via Pinterest.      

Not only do users get to hear from Rayovac all the time, they get to interact with the brand and other enthusiasts.  This is a company that ensures their customers' voices are heard and given a response.

Tying it all together

Rayovac's use of relevant content on its social media channels has brought the company immense success.  It is a highly recognizable, highly favored brand, and is considered by many to be the "favorite" battery brand.  The best part?  All of this is free.  Of course, the company spent some money on the giveaways, but that's pennies in the grand scheme of things.  A few iPod touches in exchange for hundreds of new followers, thousands of free advertisers setting their picture as the Rayovac logo, and an increased platform of awareness and loyalty?  Sounds like a good deal to me.

What an excellent example of inbound, content driven marketing.  David Meerman Scott would be a big proponent of this; it's two campaigns that used no outbound marketing to complement its inbound media. Rayovac proved it is reliable, relatable, and a little fun, too.

References:

http://www.rayovac.com/Media/Press-Releases/Rayovac-Snow-Party-Trends-On-Twitter.aspx


Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | Leave a Comment

The Importance of Colors in Marketing

By Katie P | Published May 11, 2013

Have you ever participated in a color run? What drew you to it?


We see hundreds of thousands of colors every day as we go about our daily routines.  Some of us notice blues, some pinks, and others yellows.  Each person is drawn to particular colors for particular reasons that they may not even realize.  Studies have shown that certain colors can send either a positive or negative subconscious message thus forcing your brain to create a good or bad perception.  Marketers use this information on us more than we realize.


How do we feel about colors?

Companies are very strategic when it comes to choosing the colors of their logos and websites.  While they not only want their brands to look good, they also want them to convey the right message.  Each color can trigger a very specific emotion.  Black can seem very definite, powerful, and precise while green may seem more peaceful, natural, and organic. 

source: FastCompany

Colors can also help to convey what kind of mood we are in.  For example, if you are feeling light-hearted you might be more drawn to pastels.  If you are feeling peaceful and calm you might be more likely to move towards blue, green, or even turquoise.  Look at the image above and see what each brand is trying to convey.  Do you agree or disagree with their choice of colors?

How to use color successfully

In order to get the most out of color for your marketing, you must start where you always do…by defining your target market.  Who is the particular group that you are looking to attract? Who will be buying the product and will it be for himself or herself or for someone else? Be sure to use the appropriate colors to attract both the purchasers of the products as well as the users.  Of course it is always smart to test your colors on a small sample of your target market before officially putting it out there.  Color psychology is not perfect, and there is always room for improvement. 

Will you use color marketing for your next campaign? Have you used color marketing successfully for past campaigns? Share your thoughts below! 

Sources: http://www.fastcompany.com/3009317/why-is-facebook-blue-the-science-behind-colors-in-marketing
http://www.empower-yourself-with-color-psychology.com/color-and-marketing.html
http://www.empower-yourself-with-color-psychology.com/target-markets.html
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | Leave a Comment

A Resume Workshop with Sam Kahane

By Samuel Kahane | Published May 10, 2013
Success. This is what everyone in this world wants, whether they measure success in money, friends, a beautiful wife, cars, countries visited, or friendships.

To be successful you need to be able to show people how great you really are. You need to show off your strengths and your accomplishments. In order to do that you need to know how to market yourself. As college seniors this is the time when we apply for jobs and begin our careers. When you apply for a job, you send in a piece of paper. The same sheet of paper that hundreds, even potentially thousands of other people are sending in. So how do we make your piece of paper stand out? Today I am going to teach you all the most important type of marketing, self marketing. Well class lets take a look at the key to a successful resume:

1. Know your audience  Just like in marketing, you need to know who you are giving your resume way and what they are looking for. To do this you need to look into the company's culture and cater your resume to that. If the job description asks for marketing experience, start your resume off with your best marketing experience. If the company is looking for a self-starter then maybe start with some initiative or leadership you had.

2. Tell a Story - You only have a page or so to tell us your story. Every line counts. The best way to show and tell a story is through actually accomplishments you've created. Using statistics lets the reader see how impressive what you really did was. Check out my CRM Database Intern section near 2nd from the bottom. The number 8,000 is huge and allows viewers to see my work ethic.

3. Less is More - Show off your biggest assets - Don't put on the little stuff unless it is really going to help you. Also you don't want to over cramp the page. So keep it simple and make it look pretty.

And always remember, your an All Star!





Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | Leave a Comment

A Professional Leg Up

By Betsy Tremblay | Published May 9, 2013
I have a new obsession with a professional network.  It might have something to do with the fact that I’m graduating in about 16 days (yikes!) or that I’m a major nerd for anything marketing/pr related, but I like it—it’s called LevoLeague. Essentially, Levo League is a network for young female professionals aspiring towards big things in the business world.

The website is easy for me to follow, gives me the advice I’m looking for before I even know I’m looking for it, and connects me with people I didn’t even know existed—David Meerman Scott would say that’s good inbound marketing.

The site is actually almost like a mixture of a blog and a professional network, making it more personal and relatable. There are guest posts from people like Sheryl Sandberg from facebook and Warren Buffet. I’m gonna go out on a whim and say every college senior would love to get some tips from these two people.

Levo League breaks the barrier between young professionals looking to climb the latter and men/women who are already successful in all fields of business. Members can ask mentors professional advice, learn what to wear to the office, participate in a live videoconference, or even browse the job listings. The site also provides the ability to follow different mentors and connect with other aspiring professionals.

I was recently introduced to my new professional girl crush on Levo League—Lauren Crampsie, CMO at Ogilvy & Mather. She gave advice as a guest mentor on a live video chat session—allowing people to tweet and ask Lauren questions in real time. I didn’t watch the chat live, but was able to go back and watch the whole thing. Talk about inspiring! Lauren Crampsie climbed up the corporate latter very quickly, so what she had to say was relevant and and further fueled my passions. I definitely recommend checking it out: Office Hours with Lauren Crampsie

If you're looking for a great place for career advice, get a Levo League account. Even if you only learn one piece of advice for your future career, that's more advice than you had before. 


Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | Leave a Comment

10 Reasons Why The Voice is Better Than American Idol

By Betsy Tremblay | Published May 8, 2013
1. I don't have to listen to this guy:

2. I can instantly download the songs (and I might actually want to)



3. Do I even need to say it? 




4. Who doesn't love a little competition between famous musicians? 

5. Shakira gets THIS excited about her team:


6. Nobody ever actually liked this negative nancy


7. Even the people that don't win are still going to be famous


8. First impressions based solely off of talent, not appearance.


9. Usher brings back great memories from middle school dances


10. Because he's the real reason we all watch The Voice instead of American Idol, Adam's worth two reasons.







Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | Leave a Comment

Square Up!

By Katie P | Published May 8, 2013

Non-profits Can Use Apps Too!

Since last summer, I have spent a lot of my extra time interning and volunteering at a local non-profit, The North Carolina Therapeutic Riding Center.  It is located in Mebane, NC hidden away on 28 acres surrounded by beautiful green pastures.  Office work is done out of a farmhouse on the property and the horses can be seen grazing from most every window in the house.  It is a simple, yet hugely impactful organization and I wouldn't wish to have spent my time anywhere else.  The computers are old and the house could use some updating, but it is beautiful, rustic, warm and most importantly welcoming. 

In deciding to spend my time there, I never imagined I would be involved with the latest and greatest technology.  Starting out, my job was to help the executive director begin a marketing base.  Having been around for over 30 years, the riding center was still widely unheard of and in need of some more supporters.  I spent a lot of time helping plan, promote, and run events alongside the executive director.  We had raffles, did demos, gave out prizes, and accepted donations.  Our cashbox was, and still is, our close friend at these events filled with dollar bills and checks. “Do you accept credit cards?” “No, I’m sorry we don’t.”  Other than sending people to our website, I never imagined there could be a quicker or easier way to be able to accept credit cards.  

 Trading in the Box for the Square

Low and behold there is the Square! I showed up at the office last week before our big trail ride benefit was to take place, and my boss is asking for my help with this new app that she’s obtained.  Naturally, my young tech-savvy self Jobliges.  As I look closer, my boss is plugging this tiny white square, no bigger than one inch on all sides, into her phone jack.  What on earth, I thought. “It swipes credit cards!” she exclaims. “But I just need help figuring out how it works!”



So intrigued, I spent the next 20 minutes swiping cards left and right, watching it read them while plugged into my iPhone and then into her Droid.  Needless to say this tiny white square is genius.  Our little non-profit nestled away among the rolling fields of Mebane, NC, with no corporate offices in site, is becoming technologically advanced! We now take credit cards, thank you very much.  Oh and might I also add, its FREE. That’s right, you simply download the App called Register onto your smartphone and from there sign up to get a square sent to you.  Simple as that. 

Read an article about the square here.     
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | Leave a Comment

Kids say the darnest things

By victoriaalexandradolan | Published May 7, 2013
1 comments.

For the past two summers I have babysat for the same family in the town where I grew up.  I spent hours playing games, coloring, riding bikes, going on adventures, and watching cartoons with  the 7 year old girl and 3 year old boy, and every night without a doubt I would come home exhausted but with plenty of stories.

Everyone, even if they have only been around a kid below the age of ten for five minutes, can tell you that they say the most ridiculous, innocent, and thought-provoking things we will ever hear in our lives.  While I was babysitting on my 19th birthday, the young boy told me I was so old that when I was his age there were no GPS’s in cars. Another time, I was greeted by him on the front lawn, riding his bike without training wheels for the first time.  I asked him how it had happened so fast- just last week he had his training wheels on.  He told me that he was training to be in the Olympics.

Their innocence, curiosity, and carefree spirit paired with their non-filtered dialogue is what pulls at our heart strings.  It makes us melt. It makes us think of things in a new way, a different light.

How have marketers used this to get their messages across? Here are two of my favorite examples from this past year:

Soulpancake: Kid President Pep Talk

We watched this in my Integrated Marketing Communications class. I still melt.  His enthusiasm, speech inflexion, and perspective makes me smile and stay engaged the entire video.

Extra Mile: 10 year old teaches college guys to be gentleman

This one came up in my Facebook feed yesterday. Once again, these are simple calls to action: be nice, treat a girl nicely, pay for her dinner, pull out her chair, open the door, take long walks and talk, be a gentlemen, and ultimately be a nice guy.  Coming from a little kid though makes it mean even more.

Why do these videos work?  As we get older, we forget the little things.  Kids reminding us to make a change, be happier, or be a nicer guy, prove that these are simple things that we haven’t adopted into our lifestyles. Hearing it through this communication channel makes it even more effective than someone older telling us “the right thing to do.”

A couple weeks ago, we read as a class David Williamson’s “Marketing & Communications in Nonprofit Organizations,”  and he discusses in his cause marketing guidelines the importance of identifying the appropriate vehicle and combination of tools for delivering your message. This ties directly with knowing your audience.  He used the example of the “Truth” anti-smoking campaigns that use real facts and smokers to deter teenagers from smoking instead of authority figures.  This audience was not receptive to their parents, teachers, or other authoritative figures saying “don’t smoke” and needed to see the message in another manner.  The Kid President and the Extra Mile video use this same tactic- hearing what we should be doing from someone we don’t see as “above us.”

Plus, don’t you think they are just precious?


Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | Leave a Comment

Coca ColAhhhh Initiative

By Kelvin Walker | Published May 7, 2013
Coca-Cola has implemented a brand new initiative. I friggin' love it and it is so very addicting. Coke calls it the "Ahh theme" which is supposed to explain how you feel when drinking a Coca-Cola product.

What they did was purchase the url for www.ahh.com, and www.ahhh.com, and www.ahhhh.com, and so on and so forth. After about an hour of clicking "H's" into the URLs I found out that they have created 62 "ahh" themed sites. The last site url looked like this:

www.ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.com

On each site there is a different game or GIF, or maybe even an attempt to get visitors to submit their own idea for an www.ahh.com site.

Ahh Site #2
Ahh Site #9
 Ahh Site #31
 Ahh Site #62

Many probably do not understand why Coca-Cola is doing this, saying this does not do anything for the brand. In actuality, it does everything for the brand. Household names like Coca-Cola sell by staying relevant and engaging its customer base. While looking through these sites, I noticed that Coca-Cola had hooked me in. I went to the Twitter, Facebook page just to find out more about this new, engaging initiative. I don't know how many people have visited the pages or started to engage in this new Coke campaign, but the first page shows how many have submitted ideas. Thus far, 35,000 people have submitted ideas. Wow. Coke did a really good job with this. Kel out. 





Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | Leave a Comment

Just when you thought Taco Bell couldn’t get any tastier….

By Alex Silverman | Published May 7, 2013

What comes to mind


When you think cheap, fast, Mexican style food the one and only- Taco Bell.  In 2009 as the chain was slowly encroaching on its 50thbirthday, CEO Greg Creed realized that even though the company was turning 50, the target consumer base was staying young. 



In order to keep up with this young crowd, early 20s to be a little more precise, Creed wanted innovation and to make a new and excited product that would attract new consumers and keep already loyal taco eaters. Taco Bell would find solace in taking their own advice to "think outside the bun" or in this case, taco shell. After brainstorming a collection of ideas, Taco Bell came up with an idea to make taco shells made out of Frito’s corporation product- 

Doritos.  






This co-branding partnership with the Frito Corporation would prove to be a creative and innovative way for Taco Bell to ring in the big 5-0.  After some kinks of the design and seasoning of the Dorito taco shell were worked out, sales of this taco have produced hundreds of millions in sales.  Taco Bell realized they had something great on their hands, the Dorito taco shell had now turned into a marketing platform for the chain.  Taco Bell took this platform and continued to innovate by creating the Cool Ranch Dorito taco shell. 

“It’s not just a product- It is not a platform- Nacho Cheese, Cool Ranch, Flamas” –CEO Greg Creed
 
Photo Credit: Fast Company
The success that the Dorito taco shell has brought Taco Bell has only driven the company to come up with more Dorito based products based on their original platform.  When a Spicy Dorito taco shell was announced to be the next product line in the works

"Someone said to me, 'Well, when you launch three or four of these things you'll run out of ideas,'" Creed says. "I'm like, 'Not really.'"

Creed has make is clear that the Taco Bell corporation is going to keep innovating and using this marketing platform until it has been sucked dry.  Myself being both a lover of Doritos and Taco Bell thinks that this is an excellent use of Taco Bell’s resources and ideas.  I mean really, who doesn’t like Dorito’s, be it original, cool ranch or spicy, Taco Bell has them all covered.   Be it loyal Taco Bell consumers or loyal Dorito’s consumers, the target audience for both companies overlaps as young 20 something’s with limited disposable income.  Taco Bell has done a fantastic job capturing consumers who want a bite of these delicious taco shells.  There is no mystery when it comes to these tacos.  Everyone has eaten Doritos and everyone has a preference; Taco Bell is meeting everyone’s preferences with their product line of Dorito’s taco shells.  As Taco Bell continues to innovate and utilize this new platform I can only see hope and increased profits for their future. 

If you have never tried a Dorito’s Locos Taco I encourage you to go out and spend a few bucks trying the array of taco shells Taco Bell has to offer.  A taco with a deliciously seasoned shell for under 2 bucks…you can’t beat it.
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | Leave a Comment

Did HP Really Just Call Printers Sexy?

By Nicholas Martin | Published May 7, 2013

Yep, they did...unfortunately

So it seems HP is communicating to us that their biggest line of non sexy products is actually really, really, SEXY.  This is previewed on the front page of Fast Company today.  We usually think of the "Sexy" brands as: Apple, Google, or Nike.  Not Hewlett Packard for sure.  The first few lines of their article made a great point, we are not exactly seeing CEO Tim Cook of Apple releasing the new i6 Printer.  However, printers are HP's bread and butter.  Without them the company (which has recently been put through major stress) would almost cease to exist.  

What about printers is Sexy?

Their current CEO seems to think that the cool features of their printers make them more attractive.  Features that range from Wifi Printing, Touch Screen or Cloud Based Services.  It is interesting to see how HP is creating this new "hopeful" feel for their boring products that most of us do not think twice about.  Fast Company makes note that HP is attempting to do a Perception Turnaround so basically it may be a perceptional rebrand IMC Strategy.  This has definitely brought a great deal of attention back to the brand, so it can be determined that it was a good idea, even if we all aren't in agreement that they are indeed sexy.

Do These Look Sexy or What?



What is HP Up To Lately?

No one and i mean absolutely no one is expecting much from this company.  In terms of innovation, HP is never ahead of the curve.  We expect the next big thing from Apple, or Google in terms of hardware.  We are all waiting to see how Google's Glass is going to pan out or if Apple's iWatch will release this year or next.  As you can see even as a person who follows technology closely, I have zero thoughts about HP and innovation.  I haven't heard rumors either, so maybe its time HP stepped up their game.  

What do you think about HP? Comment and lets talk!

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | Leave a Comment

Need More Help? Call the Technology Service Desk • 336.278.5200

Powered by WordPress and Technology.