There is an immense opportunity for timely mobile marketing campaigns surrounding live events. Events offer brands unique access to large, captive audiences they often could not reach elsewhere. One of the year's most anticipated events, the Super Bowl, eclipsed 103,219 attendees. And the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, NV, arguably the "Super Bowl" of the technology industry, had over 140,000 attendees in 2011, the highest in three years.
More than ever, reaching these engaged audiences is important for marketers. While there are a variety of mobile platforms available, none offer the unique ability to deliver timely, relevant content to attendees or integrate as easily with existing event marketing practices like mobile two-dimensional (2D) barcodes. But the question remains: How can brands effectively employ 2D barcodes to connect with consumers during these events?
How it works
First, let's take a look at how two-dimensional barcodes work. They are codes or images that store data and can appear on almost any physical or digital material, from product packaging and print publications to websites. But not all mobile 2D barcodes are created equal. Some require users to own a smartphone and download an application to read the codes. This complicates the user experience and limits the audience marketers can reach. Other alternatives enable consumers to use their camera phones to snap a picture of the barcode and request to receive multimedia content such as video, audio, pictures, and text. The content is then sent directly to their mobile devices, expanding the population that marketers can engage.
The versatility of mobile barcodes enables advertisers to place them in a variety of locations, including signage at tradeshows, concessions at stadiums, and even traditional TV commercials during on-air events. By incorporating mobile 2D barcodes into live event marketing campaigns, brands can extend content to viewers while creating new touch points for customer engagement and interaction.
Here are three ways that marketers can leverage 2D barcodes to place their brands in front of the most eyeballs at events:
Win by using mobile barcodes in sweepstakes
Contests and sweepstakes are proven methods in traditional marketing campaigns, but now opting-in and notifying winners is even easier through the mobile channel. Sweepstakes also offer a way to increase brand visibility, while providing greater appeal and value to the targeted audience. At live events, it's about grabbing the audience's attention. Encouraging consumers to take part with a compelling offer can increase the response rate and overall effectiveness of your mobile campaign.
For example, Continental Airlines, the official airline of the 2010 U.S. Open, wanted to enhance its existing sponsorship at the event and inform consumers of new travel offerings. Continental included mobile 2D barcodes on hand-fans and posters on-site. Those that engaged with the barcodes received a video highlighting the airline's BusinessFirst travel offerings and entered an instant win program for flight vouchers. Using mobile 2D barcodes, brands can promote a sweepstakes and share valuable information about their offerings, while engaging their customers in a fun and exciting new way.
Get social with your mobile campaign
As brands integrate more mobile components into the marketing mix, their next consideration is often social media. However, these efforts can work in tandem to help marketers activate their target audience and distribute exciting branded content. Social media also creates an opportunity for event attendees to share their on-site experiences.
Brands can incorporate a Facebook link into their mobile 2D barcode campaign to offer additional entertainment during an event and further engage fans with an interactive element, like a quiz. For example, a brand might launch an "Are You a Fan?" quiz, where attendees participate through a mobile link to Facebook or by text message, and receive a branded badge to post on their Facebook wall or as wallpaper on their phone. This helps the brand extend the conversation to a new platform, while sharing additional content with its target audience.
Use mobile to build your CRM platform
Brands can leverage live events to capture the attention of their audience, but what about maintaining a conversation with these consumers after the event has taken place? Marketers can strengthen and extend a mobile marketing campaign by employing an opt-in component with 2D barcodes where participants choose to receive ongoing updates. Building this type of customer relationship management (CRM) platform helps continue the conversation with participants, long after a single live event is over or throughout a series of events.
A brand that launches a mobile 2D barcode campaign at a basketball game can easily deliver sponsored highlights of that evening's game to an attendee. What if the brand has a presence throughout March Madness and wants to continue providing value to fans? With an opt-in component, fans can choose to receive highlights from future basketball games, team updates, and even brand offers. Rather than creating one-off engagements, brands can use the mobile channel to give their campaigns longevity.
Mobile 2D barcodes present multiple opportunities for brands to increase the reach and efficiency of their campaigns at events. Enabling consumers to easily enter a sweepstakes, or access the latest updates from their favorite brand are effective ways for marketers to tap into the broadest audience possible and generate brand awareness. The versatility of mobile 2D barcodes makes it easy for brands to incorporate them on almost any marketing material at events. Mobile marketers that understand how live events can be a key touchpoint for generating excitement among viewers for a particular brand, coupled with the ability to develop a sustainable, valuable conversation with those fans, will ultimately win.
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