In television and other advertising leading up to the Super Bowl, Papa John’s encouraged VIEWERS to predict whether the coin would land on heads or tails. Once VIEWERS registered for the Papa Rewards program by providing their email address (thereby becoming SUBSCRIBERS), they could cast their vote. When the coin toss landed “heads” at Super Bowl XLVII, every correct voter received a code via email for a free, large, one-topping pizza. Consumers walked away with an untold number of free pizzas. Meanwhile, Papa John’s built a proprietary SUBSCRIBER database on the back of its advertising—something none of its competitors did.
The Super Bowl is the biggest sales day for pizza restaurants in the United States.4 Instead of using its Paid Media to sell commercials for one day, Papa John’s set themselves up to sell pizzas for the entire year. With SUBSCRIBER permission in hand, they could now email all registrants—winners and losers—to promote new products, sales, and the Papa Rewards program in hopes of increasing CUSTOMER loyalty well after the Big Game. And by driving participation on Facebook and Twitter, they also picked up more FANS and FOLLOWERS capable of becoming AMPLIFIERS.
If I were Papa John’s competition, I’d be asking my marketing team, “Why didn’t we do that?” or “Why don’t we do that now?!?”
Audience Exercise #4: Go Watch Some TV
Go watch an hour of uninterrupted, commercial-filled TV. Jot down every single call to action (CTA), whether they appear in the commercial breaks or the show itself (like a hashtag, Twitter handle, or in-show promo). How many did you find? What percentage built or engaged SEEKERS, AMPLIFIERS, or JOINERS? Did any of the brands embrace the power of hybrid marketing?
Now back to your regularly scheduled book . . .
Now you may be shaking your head and saying, “But I hardly have a Super Bowl advertising budget.” That’s okay; there are countless brands in the same position. But the call to use your Paid Media to grow your proprietary audiences is just as strong—if not stronger—when you have a limited marketing budget. The key is to make sure that you establish goals for sales and Proprietary Audience Development at the outset of your creative planning. Otherwise, you’ll be adding in audience development as an afterthought. And while that may still help, it will never produce the same results it does when you make Proprietary Audience Development a primary objective along with sales.
Please Stop Advertising Facebook and Twitter for Free
One of my other pet peeves watching Super Bowl XLVII (other than the Baltimore Ravens’ victory) was that it showcased an advertising practice that must stop now: free advertising for Facebook and Twitter.
A ridiculous number of Super Bowl commercials ended with a slate that prominently featured Facebook and Twitter icons without any explanation whatsoever. WHY ARE BRANDS PUTTING THOSE ON THEIR COMMERCIALS?!? It’s not like VIEWERS can click on them. And it’s not as if they’re accompanied by any meaningful CTA. They are simply brand logos, and whether they’re on your TV ads, your store window, or your website, they often do little more than provide free brand advertising for Facebook and Twitter.
If you really want your advertising to build your FANS and FOLLOWERS, ditch the icons in favor of a meaningful CTA that tells VIEWERS why they should engage you on Facebook and Twitter. Give them real reasons to engage with your brand. Other companies’ logos should never be window dressing in your paid advertisements.
And if that’s too much to ask, then please start billing Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and so forth for all the free impressions you’re giving their brands. After all, it’s your Paid Media.
Google AdWords sit at the opposite end of the cost spectrum from Super Bowl commercials. Depending on the keyword, companies can spend as little as a penny per click (although it usually costs much more). Unbeknownst to many advertisers, Google’s AdWords offers other means of conversion other than the almighty click. Take the following paid search ad that appears when I search for the company Brooks Brothers (Figure 5.1).5
FIGURE 5.1 A Brooks Brothers Paid Search Ad on Google AdWords That Incorporates an Email Opt-In Ad Extension
This ad from Brooks Brothers takes advantage of Google’s “Ad Extensions” feature, which allows advertisers to include more than one CTA in their paid search ads.6 The main and sale links drive SEEKERS, while the subscription form builds email SUBSCRIBERS. It’s an extremely cost-effective way to build your proprietary audiences on the back of Paid Media.
No matter how big your Paid Media budget is, you can do more than just sell with it. You can also build proprietary audiences that put you on a path toward more cost-effective direct marketing options in the future.