Here on the blog, I often spend a lot of time discussing YMC’s use of digital tools for marketing brands to a Gen-Y crowd. Because I’m fascinated by emerging trends in interactive marketing, I’m always chiming in with my opinion about the success (and failure) of recent digital campaigns. Gen-Y lives and breathes digital, so I make it a point to be right there with them — even if that means tweeting like there’s no tomorrow. (As I’ve said a few thousand times now, if you’re one of the Tweeting Millions, you can connect with me there; I’m @paul_himmelfarb.)
But YMC’s first love is experiential marketing — physical, on-the-ground events that get students engaged with brands in an authentic way. We’ve just wrapped up the Spring Break season, and we’ve compiled a video that documents the work we’ve done with ROCKSTAR Energy Drink on the beaches and nightclubs of the world’s best spring break spots. This is our second year working with ROCKSTAR, and we saw some really great numbers this season: per-destination impressions increased by a pretty dramatic 312%. In total, ROCKSTAR generated an estimated 1.3 million impressions, and got about 60,000 cans-in-hands from the Spring Break portion of the annual program. This all was designed to run in tandem with the on-campus campaign that I mentioned in the post last week.
But the numbers alone don’t do justice to the campaign — this campaign was all about creating the ROCKSTAR atmosphere, about bringing the brand to life. And whether it was at the beach, a night club, a pool-side bar or a concert, we did just that. Check out the video below and see the campaign in all its energy-drink-fueled glory.
Across the last few years, more than a few social commentators have leveled some pretty heavy charges at Gen-Y: they’re entitled, pop-culture obsessed, and technology dependent. They fill school assignments with emoticons, they look to Wikipedia as the end-all authority, and worst of all, they’re lazy.
The charge of laziness is one that Carol Phillips of Millennial Marketing recently took up. Citing a fascinating panel that examined Gen-Y in the workplace from two very different perspectives, she demonstrates that what is viewed by an older generation as laziness is often just a different, less traditional set of priorities.
Carol quotes one panelist who says: “I spent years as an associate, I hit all my metrics- but I didn’t want to become partner. It’s no secret that focusing on making as much money as possible ruined many of these older partners’ personal lives.” said Anthony Zana, he is now Corporate Counsel for Intergraph Corporation — where he left behind the billable hour. “I’ve seen too many successful partners on their 3rd and 4th marriage — and I did not want that to be me.”
Gen-Y is upfront about its interest in balance. For many millennials, having grown up among the prosperity of the last twenty-five years, there is an intimate understanding of what wealth makes possible — and, more importantly, what it doesn’t. Money isn’t just an abstract thing to be strived after; it’s familiar, and thus for many, demystified. With almost half of millennials exposed to divorce, there is also a generation-wide recognition that relationships and marriages can’t be taken for granted; just like a job, they’re things that require time, effort and long hours. This all amounts to the fact that Gen-Y is more aware than any previous generation that financial and professional success comes with costs. And in many cases, based on the experiences of those they grew up watching, the costs don’t feel justified. With that in mind, it seems to me that many Gen-Y-ers are looking for a career that compliments and supports their life — not consumes it. They’re interested in material possessions and the typical markers of success, of course, but they’re simply more aware that success in one deparment (be it professional or financial) doesn’t equate to happiness. In that regard, I have a tremendous respect for the ambitious Gen-Y-ers who strive to be successful across all fronts.
Carol Phillips comes to some similar conclusions in her post here. I highly recommend giving it a glance — if only so that you know where your Gen-Y-er is coming from.
I’m going to be writing on other misunderstandings that surround Gen-Y from time to time, and I’d certainly be interested in hearing some of your thoughts on the subject.
Those of you that don’t already subscribe are going to want to sprint to your nearest retailer of fine periodicals and purchase the latest copy of Event Marketer Magazine. In addition to its regular mix of cogent analysis, industry news and silky-smooth photography, there’s an outstanding profile of three of our Spring Break campaigns (which are rolling out as we speak).
That’s right, we’re kind of a big deal. The press can’t get enough of us.
The article, entitled “Playing It Safe,” highlights three of our largest Spring Break brands — MTV, Rockstar and Fuze — and notes that those brands see experiential marketing in tried-and-true Spring Break hotspots as the surest way to connect with Gen-Y. Especially when marketing budgets are lean. The moral of the story is simple: for youth-targeted brands, Spring Break is a nearly unmatched opportunity. Not only does it provide a chance to market to millions — literally millions — of college students, but those that travel to Spring Break destinations tend to be influencers on campus. You’re not just reaching college students — you’re reaching the college students that set the tone for youth culture in general.
To read the article in it’s entirety, either swing by your local newsstand, or go to Event Marketer Magazine online to get the details on our campaigns for Rockstar and Fuze. To whet your appetite, here’s an excerpt:
Branching out from its niche on the West Coast, ROCKSTAR now has college brand ambassadors in 75 schools nationwide. The ambassadors are actual students (keeping the peer-to-peer buzz authentic) that ROCKSTAR, via Youth Marketing Connection’s brand ambassador program, selects to spread the word about the brand on campus. ROCKSTAR brand ambassadors in key colleges and universities receive 20 cases of the product each month as well as premiums to distribute to fellow students at parties, study breaks and other campus activities.
Brand ambassadors post ROCKSTAR content and photos on a Facebook page to get the word out virally. When spring break comes around, ROCKSTAR makes sure its top performing brand ambassadors get the rock star treatment in time-tested locales like Cancun and Acapulco.
“You have to look at spring break as one aspect for a brand in terms of collegiate marketing,” says Frank Guernesey, vp-marketing at ROCKSTAR. “It’s generally a highlight for most students in the course of their year, and it seems to me that the numbers really aren’t that far off than they have been in the past, making Cancun and Acapulco still relevant.”
Part of the rock star experience includes express check-in at the hotel and VIP express entrance to the best bars and clubs for the brand ambassador plus one guest. (At spring break, where lines are long to get into coveted clubs, this perk is priceless.) The brand ambassador and their guests are directed to a ROCKSTAR VIP area with private waiter service. They also have special access to A-list performers. ROCKSTAR culminates its VIP treatment with an exclusive dinner.
During the day, ROCKSTAR hangs out at the pool and beach with the crowds. It has a branded stage on which it runs contests daily and sends out waiters to give out the product chilled in branded mini coolers. The goal is to have its brand ambassadors and their guests get back to campus and tell their network of friends all about ROCKSTAR. Last year, the brand distributed 250,000 cans of product on campuses and at Spring Break, and gained 40,000 Facebook friends.
Wow. A trip to the mall will never be the same: the U.S. Army has moved in and set up a sleek retail outlet that makes their typical recruitment centers look like, well, Army recruitment centers. And that’s just one part of the Army’s latest attempts to woo young recruits. The Virtual Army Experience (VAE) is an integrated, experiential marketing campaign that seems to have turned what we all know about the Army recruitment process on its head. We at Youth Marketing Connection think this campaign is innovative enough to warrant a shout-out — particularly because the Army is yet another example of a brand that has figured out that experiential marketing is, dollar-for-dollar, the best way to reach today’s youth.
The program includes a 14,500 square foot retail outlet called the Army Experience Center in a Philadelphia mall that’s staffed by civilians and soldiers donning khakis and polo shirts. Talk about taking the intimidation factor down a notch or 10. Just by simply putting the soldiers in nicely pressed khakis, they are transformed from unapproachable warriors into clean-cut every-men. The civilian clothes also helps to suggest the professionalism of the Army, and the kind of future that might follow one’s service. It tells prospective soldiers that the Army is as much a career move as it is about fighting. While this might be less important to sixteen-year-old boys who are mostly interested in firing over-sized guns, this makes pitching wary parents easier. And with flat screen TVs, Xbox 360s and high-tech simulation equipment, the Army Experience increases the fun factor…while not-so-subtly suggesting that Army life is a lot like playing a video game, only more exciting!
The mall outlet is only one small part of the VAE program. In fact, the biggest draw of the program is its elaborate mobile tour component. The VAE has visited states across the country with a 19,500 square foot space that includes life-sized vehicles, guns, dozens of computers and scores of flat screens. The use of endless banks of flatscreens here is important: it encourages visitors to associate the Army with high technology — which, in turn, implies safety and control. As part of the “virtual experience,” potential recruits can “test drive” the Army virtually using high-tech simulation equipment. Participants are briefed before they embark on their virtual journeys and at the end they are presented with their results. The mobile tour, which visits highly-trafficked events such as air shows and state fairs, attracts thousands of visitors at a time.
It remains to be seen how effective the VAE program will be, especially in the midst of an unpopular war. The struggling economy — which is surely changing post-high school plans for young men and women across the country — may also be a factor in enlistment rates. Regardless of the impetus, though, what is clear is that Gen Y-ers are showing up in droves to see this innovative campaign. And yet another reason why we are constantly pushing brands to embrace experiential marketing — especially when marketing budgets are looking a bit light.
Note: The Army has not disclosed the name of the agency or agencies involved in the creation and execution of this marketing program. Ignited from California handled design of the mall-based recruitment center, as well as development of the technology. US2, also of California, managed the expansion of the mall space. (Source: Army Deploys ‘Experience Center,’ Adweek, 8/29/08)
The economy is bad. No need to belabor the topic. You get it. They get it. We all get it. Now that that’s been said, let’s move on and talk about what that means to people like us. The people in charge of marketing a brand, product, gadget, widget, whatever. The people that have to ensure that our work is actually doing something – increasing brand recognition, moving product, changing minds. It seems pretty clear that results are more important now than ever.
So, what do today’s headlines that include words and phrases like “panic,” “sharp falls,” “recession,” “consumer pessimism,” and “credit crunch” mean to marketers really? Well, according to a recent poll by MarketingSherpa, it means that 60% of all large companies polled will cut their budgets this year. And it looks like television and radio are getting hit the hardest, which is probably not all that surprising given trends over the past few years.
But what do you do with your newly limited budget? Especially when your sales projections don’t give a hoot about the spiraling economy. Rethink your strategy, of course. And then make sure that every dollar you spend counts.
• Get reacquainted with your customers – secure some one-on-one time with them. Where are they working and playing? Be there. Make an impression.
• Keep your customers happy – keep them engaged. Make them remember why they loved you in the first place.
• Don’t go into hiding – remember that with every brand that drops out of sight, your share of voice goes up. A brand could go from small fish/big pond to medium fish, and so on, pretty quickly. It’s just like the old buy-low/sell-high thing…
It’s the perfect time to increase your one-to-one consumer engagement. And one of the most effective ways to accomplish this – especially when you’re targeting high school and/or college students is experiential marketing. It’s the easiest, not to mention the most cost-effective, way to create a meaningful interaction with your brand. That could mean anything from increasing your presence on campus via product sampling to creating an event where students can compete with each other, or even creating an entertainment venue where they will associate your brand with the fun time they have with their friends.
Wouldn’t it be great if all this economic downturn talk went away tomorrow? And our wallets and Excel sheets magically repopulated themselves to 1999 standards… Ah, to dream big. Well, since that’s unlikely, here’s to more strategic spending across the board. It’s not only smarter — it’s now a necessity.
