Brands hit up customers' cell phones, Snapchat is the comeback kid, and Oscar Mayer wants to take backyard BBQs to the front.
Your weekly digital marketing matchbox to kindle creative content.
May 1, 2020
You Used to Text on My Cell Phone
Close your eyes for a second and imagine an email campaign with a 100% open rate. Ahh, what a dream! Unfortunately, that’s not so likely, but another form of customer connection is on the rise, and its open rates are nearly perfect: texting. SMS marketing has been slow to catch on, but throughout the pandemic, several brands have found it to be the ideal way to connect with customers while stores remain shuttered and inboxes overflow with brand emails. But the direct and intimate nature of this communication means brands who try texting need to make sure their messages are extra, extra, extra thought out, personable, and meaningful. Because if you start to blow up their phones, customers will remove themselves from your subscriber list quicker than you can snap a Motorola Razr shut.
*Snaps for Snapchat*
Once just a medium for sending selfies, Snapchat is now a bonafide media platform with hundreds of millions of users a month, a plethora of original content (i.e., Will Smith’s "Will From Home"), and endless opportunities for brands (hello, Papa John’s pizza lens). While the app has hit a few bumps over the years, the past few months have shown that Snapchat is here to stay: The platform added 1 million users and saw revenue skyrocket in Q1. Of course, #StayHome orders have been a factor — but newly announced premium ad options and additional video tools prove Snapchat is determined to keep users and, more importantly, marketers engaged. It looks like snap streaks won’t have to stop growing any time soon.
Doom for Zoom?
Want to switch up your video chats? Say goodbye Zoom and hello Messenger Rooms, Facebook’s foray into the group video call space. The new feature can host up to 50 participants and create chats on Facebook or Messenger (and will likely be extended to Instagram and WhatsApp). While Zoom’s original purpose was to host business video conferences, Facebook is aiming to snag those casual, social hangs. But that’s not to say brands can’t take advantage of it. With smaller video calls, brands can host more private, exclusive chats with highly engaged audiences. Or companies with associated Facebook groups can facilitate events or discussions between members to build more robust brand communities. And with Facebook’s focus on Messenger Room security and privacy, you won’t have to worry about anyone Zoombombing — no, Roombombing — your calls.
WHAT LIT US UP THIS WEEK
One Sandwich Please, Extra Creativity
Your annual backyard barbecue might be on hold for a minute, but that doesn’t mean grilling together is canceled. On May 2, Oscar Mayer is encouraging backyard chefs across the country to move their grills up front to celebrate National BBQ Month with a Front Yard Cookout. The hot doggers want to bring meat lovers and veggie patty fanatics alike together to enjoy food, fresh air, and some neighborly connection — all while staying a safe 12 hot dogs apart, of course. The best part? Oscar Mayer will donate 1 million meals to Feeding America, plus an additional meal each time someone shares their cookout on social media with #FrontYardCookout. Talk about cheffing up some goodwill.
Oscar Mayer’s campaign exemplifies how a brand can adapt to unpredictable times while combining a slather of social media and a dollop of corporate social responsibility (CSR). Because, as marketers know, audiences don’t want to only hear from brands right now, they want to see them take action. So instead of just focusing on sales or staying silent in the face of an uncertain summer grilling season, Oscar Mayer found an opportunity to create its moment with customers while also giving to a worthwhile cause. In a time when people want more from brands (charitable donations, community relief programs, etc.), this is a hotdoggin’ good idea to add to the recipe book.
