Powerful Promotion

I always respect a creative and captivating ad campaign, and this week, Dove has earned my admiration. With the production of a short 3 minute mini-video, Dove successfully portrays it's strong brand image and brand voice. 

Watch below:
 

By producing this video, this ad campaign has been effective on many levels. 

• It is engaging: Viewers are likely to share the video via social media, as well as spread the word about the video via WOM.
• It is consistent with Dove's core values: It empowers women with this message of natural beauty 
• It is memorable: The artistic elements of the video are compelling and appealing

It can be argued that this video is also ineffective on several levels.

• It does not drive sales: After watching this video, consumers are not likely to run to the store to purchase a Dove product.
• It may not change purchase behaviors: Though the message is powerful, it may not shift the purchasing habits of a loyal Neutrogena customer.

Though Dove has received much scrutiny in relation to the ROI this campaign has generated, I believe that the levels of engagement attributed to this video far outweigh the immediate fiscal return. It's probable that Dove's objective was not to drive sales but instead, to increase future purchase intentions. 

Inside Job

No. This blog post is not referring to the 2010 documentary on the 2000's financial crisis starring Matt Damon. But just to keep you interested...

Now that you've had a glimpse of those beautiful beady eyes, it's time to move on to the serious stuff. And by serious stuff, I'm talking about this guy:

He may not look so serious, but he has some SERIOUSLY good points to make. Michael Lazerow, the geek chic bearded hipster man you see above, is the CEO and co-founder of Buddy Media, Inc. 

In an article entitled "Social Media Advertising is Set to Explode. Who Will Control It?" Lazerow brings forth the notion that the line between advertising, marketing, and PR is being blurred by the clients' growing need for social media platforms. The battle for clients' advertising budgets is becoming even more fierce, but until actual revenue can be traced from social media strategies, it is unclear how the results of digital marketing and social media agencies will be measured. Only the lucky few (those companies that entered the social media world as early adopters) have mastered the techniques necessary to engage in social media and gain positive quantifiable results.

Other companies have not been so lucky. Lazerow pinpoints three reasons as to why social media marketing is not flourishing as rapidly as many believed it would.

1. Clients still believe that the agencies can tell their story: The only way a social media campaign will be successful is if the company itself develops a strong and consistent brand voice and brand image. The client can not rely on the agency to establish a platform without constant consultation with the company.

2. Tool anarchy: In the past decade, thousands of companies have "popped up" claiming to have developed the latest and most improved social media software. Companies continuously focus on these "tools" instead of concentrating on the internal organization and content optimization across all touch points. 

3. Focusing on social media and not on social advertising: Companies fail by using social media as an engagement tool which consequently, only reaches a small audience. Instead, they should be using social media as a compliment to their larger advertising and marketing efforts in order to influence a larger market.  

In conclusion, Lazerow makes it quite clear that he scorns companies who use third party social media agencies to "get the job done." He believes that companies who organize social media efforts internally, and identify a common brand image and voice, will procure the greatest results.