Study: What Makes An Ad Shareable?
In today’s marketing and advertising industry, simply creating a great ad is no longer enough. It is crucial to create a great ad that is also shareable. To spread brand awareness, companies should want their ads to go viral, encouraging millions of viewers to share the content.
But, what makes a branded ad shareable? A new study by UnRuly Media aims to determine exactly that.
Shares are important in advertising world, as they are the ‘word of mouth’ of social media. 20% – 50% of all consumer decisions are influenced by word of mouth, so it is crucial that brands aim to create content that is sharable in today’s market.
UnRuly Media used adverts from Super Bowl 2014 to draw their conclusions. From 2013 to 2014, the sharing of Super Bowl ads dropped by 29% – while overall sharing of branded ads increased by 22%. So, it seems that this year’s Super Bowl ads had relied on the wrong marketing tactic. The research determined that their downfall was using celebrities to sell products.
While the majoraity of Super Bowl ads featured high profile celebrities like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Ellen DeGeneres, the Top 3 adverts did not have any stars in them. According to UnRuly Media, this suggests that celebrities are no longer the driving factor behind the ‘shareability’ of branded advertising campaigns.
The most successful ads are those that triggered an intense emotional response. Viewers are more likely to share ads that spark warmth and happiness, while pride, inspiration and amazement are also quite sharable.
Illustrating this point is ‘Puppy Love’, an advert from Budweiser that features a puppy and a horse becoming unlikely friends. It was the most-shared Super Bowl ad with over 50 million views on YouTube. In total, it was shared 1.6 million times online.
So, brands should focus on creating content that triggers an emotional response in their target audience. Whether the response is joy, inspiration or warmth, advertisers should aim to have their audience feel something, which will encourage them to share the content with their friends.
You can view UnRuly’s full report here: http://www.unrulymedia.com/system/files/private/Unruly%20Science%20of%20Sharing%202014%20whitepaper.pdf.
At Win Marketing, we can help you develop creating marketing ideas that are engaging and shareable. Visit our Advertising page for more information.
Optimise Your Email Marketing for Mobile
Nearly every person who owns a smartphone or tablet computer uses their device to access emails. So, it is becoming increasingly important that email newsletters cater to mobile devices.
According to Win Marketing’s web marketing statistics, there has been a significant increase in mobile users opening e-mail marketing material. From 2010 to 2012, we have seen a 7% increase in the number of recipients who have opened the emails from their mobile phones and tablet computers. We anticipate that this trend will continue upwards in the future, so it is important to ensure that your e-mail marketing campaigns are optimised for viewing on mobile devices.
Very rarely are mobile devices made equally, so it is a good idea to test your design on multiple devices. Open the email on tablets and smartphones belonging to everyone in the office to ensure consistency. There is no need to create multiple versions of the same campaign; just ensure that the same design will look great on multiple devices.
Speed is key with all forms of online communication, and this is especially true in the mobile market. Smartphone and tablet users will not stick around and wait longer than a few seconds for an email to open, so it is important that your images load quickly. Be sure that they are small in size and won’t use up much bandwidth.
It is important to take into consideration the small screen size on mobile devices, and tailor your content accordingly. Get your message across in a few sentences so that the reader is hooked quickly and does not have to scroll on their device to get to the point.
Win Marketing can help you optimise your email marketing for mobile devices. Visit our website or contact a team member at +44(0)1509 265890 for more information.
Best Easter Marketing Campaigns for 2014
Easter is one of the busiest times of the year for the retail market, as consumers reach deep into their pockets to celebrate the festive season. Retail spending during Easter 2014 is expected to generate £2.1 billion (source: Web Loyalty), so brands have been working hard to capture consumer attention during this time of year. There are some great Easter marketing campaigns out there in 2014, and we’ve compiled some of our favourites.
Cadbury
Cadbury has teamed up with the National Trust to host Easter Egg Hunt adventures at more than 300 locations across the UK. This interactive experience not only presents consumers with a fun day out over the holidays but also reinforces Cadbury’s branding message.
Cadbury’s Eggsplorer campaign is unique and interactive
Asda
Asda has taken the television advertising route with a campaign that features an adorable dancing Easter Chick. Chicks representing other grocery chains all ‘sing to the same tune’, while the Asda chick rocks out to Funky Town – demonstrating the brand’s mission to beat competitor prices instead of matching them. This campaign has the potential to go viral, as consumers share the video on social networks and via email.
Heineken
A major beer brand has also jumped aboard the Easter bandwagon with a simpler print advertising approach. Heineken put its own spin on the classic Easter motif of foil-wrapped chocolates. While modest, this campaign is certainly eye-catching and it will stand out among the competition in magazines and on posters.
Heineken has taken a simple yet eye-catching approach to Easter marketing.
Creative holiday ads help to reinforce branding while encouraging consumers to get into the spirit of the season. Win Marketing can help you develop an imaginative marketing campaign for the next big holiday. Visit our Brand Strategy page for more information, or give us a call at: +44(0)1509 265890.
SEO Performance Is Based On Content Quality
Last week, Win Marketing’s web marketing team attended eBusiness Club’s Online Marketing Conference and Expo. While there, we gained some useful insights about the state of Search Engine Optimisation as well as how we can use content to boost visibility and SEO rankings.
A talk by Susan Hallam (@susanhallam), Managing Director of Hallam Internet, confirmed our knowledge that content continues to reign supreme in the world of online marketing. Gone are the days of link building. This is an era in which brands must rely on quality, authoritative content in order to drive traffic to their sites and increase their visibility.
Another interesting phenomenon is the ‘Guest Post Apocalypse’, as named by Ian Lockwood (@ianlockwood), Founding Director of Boom Online Marketing. He stated that Google now looks down upon Guest Blogging, and will penalise any site that is caught doing so. Rather than writing blogs on other sites to obtain a backlink, create content on your own site that is so engaging and unique that bloggers will link to it organically.
As such, it is important to write for humans – not robots. Content should be interesting and valuable, ensuring that the reader takes something away with them after reading your blogs. When you write your blogs, make sure that you’re bringing something new to the table, so that your content stands out from the competition. It is more likely that readers will then share your content, and Google will pick up on your value to consumers.
In that same vein, anchor text should also be organic. It is rare that someone would link to a post using commercial keywords. It is more likely that the anchor text would be the name of the website, the title of the sourced blog post or even simply the URL. Google will notice this, and identify sites that are using unnatural anchor text.
Win Marketing’s copywriting team is experienced in creating content that is authoritative and engaging across a variety of industry sectors. We regularly write blogs for clients in the construction, health and safety, engineering and leisure sectors and the lessons must be applied – writing interesting content that relevant people will find useful. For more information on how you can optimise your content to boost your website rankings, visit our Copywriting page or call us at: +44(0)1509 265890.
Marketing Opportunities for the Oculus Rift
Last week, big news broke that Facebook purchased Oculus, a virtual reality gaming system that is currently in development. While core gamers are angry about the acquisition, marketers are intrigued. Once Facebook begins integrating virtual reality technology into its social network, marketers will be able to flex their creative muscles in new and innovative ways.
A great example of virtual reality marketing is O2’s ‘Wear the Rose’, a virtual sports experience for the Oculus Rift. Using the device, rugby fans can virtually train with the Six Nation England rugby team. They are fully immersed in a kick-about with the team, able accept passes, get tackled and take part in team talks.
Now that Facebook has purchased Oculus, this type of marketing will be more readily available to brands that currently advertise on the social network. Car manufacturers can offer virtual test drives and offer consumers a look at their vehicles in action. Television shows can immerse viewers in their fictional worlds and interact with their favourite characters. With a bit of creative thinking, the marketing and branding opportunities are endless.
Google has been reluctant to integrate ads into Google Glass technology – but, we hope Facebook will be more daring. We feel that virtual reality advertising is something to embrace. If it is used correctly, marketers won’t simply bombard users with ads. Rather, there is the opportunity for brands to immerse players in creative and unique virtual worlds, allowing consumers to experience their products, properties and services in new ways.
Win Marketing is looking forward to the possibility of using virtual reality in our future marketing campaigns. For more information on our creative campaigns and marketing strategies, visit Win Marketing’s website or give us a call at: +44(0)1509 265890.
