Online is the new darling, but offline is just as important. Ted Wright, Fizz and Lance Gentry, IZZE, talked about out to build WOM in real world. It's not every day that you see somebody give their presentation from a Segway (well actually once before). Ted and Lance did a great tag-team presentation that was a great break from the standard, speaker A followed by speaker B.
Quick stat from a recent study, 0% of youth surveyed said they would purchase something based upon seeing an billboard at a sporting event. For example, IZZE has no above the line marketing. They have never run a TV or Radio ad or a newspaper ad.
First off, determine the demographic target for your brand. Quantitative and Qualitative research will help. Build on the backs of others, read, read, read what's out there. Learn from others.
Aim for the aspirational person. They may not be a consumer of your product, but reflects the values, practices, attitudes and need-mindset that you want to become and that your target groups aspire to be like.
Be interesting or be gone!
In modern, mature advertising markets that average consumer receives 4000 advertising messages per day. If you're not interesting then you need to go back to the drawing board and make your product interesting.
Determine influencer hubs for your demographic. Key influencers are worth almost a million impressions for a brand. Constantly refine you approach as well. Look at where you are at and what you'll need to do a few quarters from now. Influencers are always looking for new things and new stories. By changing your approach you satisfy that need for change on the part of the influencer.
An influencer will not stay with you if you don't innovate.
Use the 'Treasure Hunt' to your advantage. Consumers in North America are always on a hunt for the next luxury good or the next bargain. What's the story behind that hunt? Make sure to give consumers an option to trade up and trade down. Don't get stuck in the middle.
Let's talk a bit about cultural creatives. The cultural creatives are doing now, what you need to be doing with your brand. They are 50 million individuals, they are book buyers, they desire authenticity, they aren't consumers, they're shoppers. They are technologically savvy, the love to experiment. They think they're unique, but they're not since there are 50 million of them.
People are buying things to silently or non-verbally communicate who they are. It's what they drink, what they drive. Whole Foods is there church.
Jumping the chasm is making the leap from the tastemakers to the progressive user to the mass market. The mass market plays follow the leader.
How to translate this offline? Great products sample, average products advertise. Lesson, sample, sample, sample. Invite people to sample, never interrupt or intercept.
Teach influencers your brand story and they will share. Influencers want to know the story behind the product/brand.
Giving away free stuff does not build a brand.
PR is critical because is validates WOM but remember that the story/editorial has to be earned.
