by Erik Hauser, Founder and Creative Director, Swivel Media
On word of mouth…
“Word of mouth marketing does not exist. Word of mouth is an outcome.”
“Word of mouth is that part of the equation that comes after the equal sign. Real word of mouth is a genuine conversation between two or more individuals that benefits the receiving party. The only way to guide this conversation is by putting together a solid program that comes before the equal sign.”
On the death of push-and-interrupt…
“An entire generation of Americans is making it clear that the old advertising models of ‘push’ and ‘interrupt’ marketing are no longer working. The key to successful brand building begins with engaging your audience and holding its interest long enough to create a relationship that will grow.”
“The marketing paradigm has shifted. Dollars that were once slated to go toward traditional media and marketing methodologies are now being allocated for experiential and non-traditional marketing methods.”
On the pitfalls of guerrilla marketing…
“Done poorly, guerrilla marketing can make your company look like a nightmare. Done correctly, it is one of the single most powerful marketing tools.”
“Business-to-business guerilla marketing must be extremely targeted to be successful. You can’t do it across an entire city. It simply won’t work.”
On experience marketing…
“Experience marketing defines the future of marketing. We live in an increasingly consumer controlled marketplace --- from the way people personalize the music they’ll listen to, the type of news they want to receive and the delivery system that brings them that news. The only way to maintain an adequate degree of relevance as a marketer is to provide the consumer an experience in the self-defined and controlled sphere in which he lives.”
“The companies that provide the great experiences will be the companies that capture market share. The deeper and more intricate experiences companies can provide, the more relevant connections they’ll forge with consumers.”
“By designing great experiences that satisfy consumers’ senses, companies will experience marketing bliss and consumers will reward them with their almighty dollars.”
“You can’t put entertainment out there just for entertainment’s sake. It won’t create a lasting impression on the consumer. You’ve got to link it to an experience that will make the consumer immerse himself in that entertainment and the brand that it’s bringing him into intimate contact with. You must provide an experience that connects meaning and relevance to your brand.”
On brand differentiation…
“It’s not enough to express your function. Your message must communicate authenticity, credibility, meaning, relevance, and express your company’s personality in order to connect. It’s essential to find our own personal brand’s voice by uncovering your differentiating strengths and leveraging those to beat your competition.”
On Gen Y buying decision-making…
“We make buying decisions based on both rational and emotional factors…a feeling about something, using our senses of smell, touch, sound, sight. Those feelings are engendered in experiential marketing situations, and that’s particularly true for people in their teens and early 20s. They’ve grown up so bombarded by messages that it’s difficult to get their attention. Experiences that engage their senses and emotions are more apt to get their attention, to break through the message noise and clutter.”
“Kids have tuned out traditional media. These kids don’t want brands shouting at them and telling them what to buy. They consider themselves smart, clever, and they know what they want.”
“You have to reach Gen Y in a way that’s personalized and connects with their emotions and lifestyle. I haven’t named them the Teflon generation for nothing.”
Labels: marketing
