A new trend is fast developing as a standard for global brands and ad agencies – integrated TV and social media campaigns. Cases in point was this weekend's Oscars where social media was fragmented. According to Altimeter Group industry social media analyst Jeremiah Owyang,“(at the Oscars) brands failed at integrating second screen (social and engagement) during Oscar Ads. Real time Marketing was experimental, but overall, not an integrated experience”.
Altimeter’s Owyang goes on to point out the issues by saying “brands are still trying to develop their playbooks for the second screen. Brands failed to integrate their paid media with social media, missing out on opportunities for the content to engage and resonate. Next year, expect greater integration between all the elements of paid, owned and earned, which we call Converged Media”.
There are examples that support this trend of integrated media where TV leads the execution. The most innovative brand and social media managers are blending the best of reach media and tying it to measureable social media campaigns for a superior brand experience. One such recent example is KIA Motors.
KIA’s recent Superbowl ad was a huge success in terms of reach to a global set of consumers. KIA is translating it directly to social, mobile, and web presences, where their brand and social media managers are working together to harness this new megatrend of integrated brand and social marketing. For KIA it’s a game changer and it’s turning them into a “brand machine”.
TV advertising has been moving online for decades, with overall spend as a percentage of total declining. Digital advertising’s slice over the overall pie is accelerating with now measurable data of mobile and social campaigns. The beautiful thing is that this isn’t a mutually exclusive trend. Simply put: TV as a reach vehicle for brands is now complemented by measurable mobile and social campaigns. With social media, TV advertising becomes more important not less important.
KIA Motors is one of the fastest rising automobile brands, with hip cars and engaging branding. Recently, I had a conversation with George Haynes, KIA’s Social & Digital Media Manager. Innovation in advertising always introduces some terms which may seem foreign to classical advertising ”Mad men” types and marketing executives, but KIA motors has turned to some creative new methods to engage car buyers with very positive market share gains. KIA has intersected the trend toward “second screening” and “couch commerce” with cool memorable advertising – hip-hop, space babies and hamsters – on TV and social. The tweets and YouTube engagement has seen very positive results.
Haynes described the success of KIA’s last two Super Bowl campaigns as going “beyond TV to on-line, social and sharing with a very long tail.”
KIA success is not just the great creative execution of their Soul Shuffle campaign, with hip-hop hamsters driving a tricked out KIA Soul, but its integration of social. Consumers loved the campaigns and wanted to share the commercial, videos and images with their friends via social media. This takes TV from a one trick pony to a sustainable marketing program. KIA is doubling down on that success with more campaigns in the social spheres.
When I asked KIA’s Haynes what the results were, he replied “People stayed with us longer and were interacting with KIA more consistently. This was like a light switch for me, that people would stay on the YouTube channel and engage with us for extended periods of time. Television is like rain and we catch the rain in buckets and re-deploy it to the social channels to make our sales opportunity and brand grow. We add momentum and velocity to the TV spot (the rain), capture it and circulate it back into the on-line process, thereby advancing the brand and buying cycle.”
With this year’s Super Bowl campaign, KIA turned to space babies and integrated the on-line experience with their TV ads. The media planning and online planning are now connected, and the campaign has a longer lasting impact on-line well after the TV ad spend has ended. KIA worked with brand marketing software partner Thismoment to deliver the technological infrastructure and the impressive business results across the campaigns. Real-time branding is a must have in this new era of consumers.
“We had a big impact with our space babies TV ads during the Super Bowl and the social aspect has helped us continue the momentum. We deploy many mechanisms to do that. We take TV spot content and use it in social. Adriana Lima waving a checkered flag was immensely popular, adding a million views for KIA“, said Haynes.
KIA experienced a 300% increase in YouTube traffic with this campaign, as well as an increase in traffic to their traditional website.
For those looking to ride the wave of social media, Haynes and KIA impart this wisdom in this new era. “Be like water, be fluid, adapt and adjust.”
Lots of work to do still in the emerging social media sphere but it’s clear that leading marketers are engaging the audience in real-time branding by fostering a connection between TV and audience experience on-line. From the Oscars to the Super Bowl, consumers want to engage, discuss, share and talk with the brands real-time.
Source: Forbes
