“The potential with digital marketing seems to truly be bound
only by the creativity of those who wield the tools.”
(Strasser, 2014)
Emerging Media, or “Immersive Media” as I like to call it, enables a 360-degree surround sound of the consumer with messages that effortlessly connect and engage. The emerging media toolbox is comprised of individual digital tactics such as websites, banner ads, blogs, eblasts, search, social media and mobile marketing. But by adding a little creativity and imagination, we can use these to build a fully immersive experience with the brand.
Technology is constantly innovating, and as such, marketers need to push the boundaries of the emerging media tactics. When a marketer proposes a website and banner ads for a brand, it does not have to be the typical dry format.
For instance, to promote Nike’s Air Jordan 2012 basketball shoe, the creative team at Blast Radius in Vancouver conceived of an innovative way to present the benefits of this advanced shoe in an engaging way. Even though the campaign employed normal digital tactics like banner ads and a website, it’s the creativity involved that really elevated the brand story.
The team built a website using the “parallax scroll” effect and HTML5 to take visitors through a “choose your flight” experience with the shoe. The site was so imaginative and engaging that it went viral, which resulted in extra exposure beyond the media spend. Unfortunately, the campaign is over now and the only way to see the site is through the Way Back Machine.
As we look to integrating emerging media into our campaigns, it is important to push and differentiate within our toolbox.
As Seth Godin says, “In a crowded marketplace, fitting in is a failure. In a busy marketplace, not standing out is the same as being invisible.”
And as Nike says, “Just Do It!”
Reference
Strasser, D. E. (2014, May 19). Lesson 1: IMC in an Evolving Digital Landscape. IMC-619 Emerging Media and the Market . Morgantown, West Virginia, USA: P.I. Reed School of Journalism.
http://www.foxbusiness.com/business-leaders/2014/05/21/why-ceos-dont-use-social-media/what gets in the way of following Nike’s motto to “Just Do It” is that many leaders in organizations don’t find utilizing those tools to be of great importance to the profitability of their organization. A Fox Business article discusses, for example, why CEO’s don’t use social media for business purposes (http://www.foxbusiness.com/business-leaders/2014/05/21/why-ceos-dont-use-social-media/). One of those reasons outlined in the article was that they feel it isn’t necessary for business purposes is because the evidence isn’t conclusive. It is imperative that the they leaders know that connectivity and engagement translate into dollars and cents. I think that is the biggest challenge for organizations because without full on-board support of the leadership of the organization, the execution of the campaign may never receive the funding and go-ahead it needs for success.