Real Time Marketing and How to Make It Click!

“There is no thought without expression, no content without form, an idea, however profound it feels to you, does not really exist, until you write it down.”-Nerdwriter1

What this means is that, merely having an idea is not enough unless we can shape it into a form of creation. This is the essence of creativity. And is essential to any and every creative work, be it movies, music, painting, poetry, design or content. If we look carefully, we will find that our creativity is a flowing thing, a constantly moving thing that constantly moves us. This is the Creative Cycle: we see creations in the environment around us, we experience them, these experiences leads to us creating, and our creations become part of the nature and the cycle is reborn. This puts us squarely in the lap of the titular topic, Real Time Marketing or as it is popularly known in the marketing circles, RTM.

The First instance of RTM. Oreo changed the marketing game forever with this post about the Super Bowl power out back in 2013.

What is RTM?

Brands responding and creating contents based on trends, events, news or happenings around them, in tune with people to become part of their conversations is RTM. Read that in one breath, because that’s how long the audience takes these days to move from one topic to another. In this Silicon Age, where everything happens at the touch and tap of a fingertip it is paramount for brands to talk about the things their audience is talking about and they better do it well, for today’s meme and troll sharing audience is anything but forgiving. Yes, it is a fine line a brand must walk and to walk it fine, they must be prepared.

The now infamous Nike face ad of Colin Kaepernick took on a life of its own.

How can a brand team prepare for RTM?

The real question is, how can you prepare for something that hasn’t happened yet? You do it the same way that you prepare for your careers or a coming birthday party or a coming storm. You plan! Here are 5 things to follow when planning for RTM:

Triggers: The events, topics or information that may peak the interest of a brand’s target group.
Examples: Bangladesh sports events, No Shave November, Elections, Exams, Victory Day, New Year, Etc.
Prepare a list of these well in advance for the brands, so that when the cuckoo flies over the nest you don’t miss the shot.

Audience: When choosing the audience for an unanticipated trending topic, it is key for brands to understand that the audience for their contents will not always match the audience for their products. If planned well though the audience, trigger and product will all come together. If brands are to effectively utilize RTMs, they have to use the engaged audience rather than the quiet ones.

Message: This is the unsung hero of RTMs, brands sometime forget that the message is more important than being fast in the race to be part of the conversation. This is an error that can have dire consequences. Be careful what you say, make it simple and keep in mind the culture and the sensitivities of your audience and respect them.

This beautifully given message from Good Luck was created by Beatnik. It combined the Girl Child Day and their ongoing campaign against children abuse together!

Medium: On what medium will your RTM make the mos,t music and cut out the noise. In the present context it is all about Facebook but maybe it would be better to get on to newspapers or email or will it work better through sms. Choose your mediums carefully based on your message and target audience.

Test: This is important, once your brand has finished creating contents for RTM, always test them on your peers and observe their reactions before publishing. This will clue you in as to what you might expect from the audience and will give you the opportunity to make any changes necessary. It is better to be safe than sorry.

During the Asia Cup tournament, Captain Mashrafe pulled one out of thin air while at that same time A Airplane Captain landed on just two wheels when the front wheels malfunctioned. Once again Beatnik were at it, they combined the two event and produced one content with a strong brand message for Arla.

It is a strange new World out here and even though marketing to your desired audience is way less expensive than it was and more engaging, it is also riskier. One misplaced update, one mistimed content can set your brand back years. Here are 4 things to avoid:

Extra Creativity: Yes, that is a thing and if you overdo it, it can come back to haunt you. Especially in times crises like a natural disaster or an accident, where people are vulnerable, they are more likely to lash out. Be cautious, be smart, and be respectful.

Was this too much to pass?

Product & Brand: Do Not Force It! Never force it.

Subtlety: There is no point to an RTM that is too subtle and needs consideration to be understood. Remember your audience is smart and have very little time for you. Ask yourself if you can say it simpler.

Judgment: A brand cannot be judgmental, do not push your opinions on the audience, let your audience be the judge, jury and sharer.

If you have come this far, you may have noticed how I have refrained from using the word ‘consumer’ and instead used ‘audience’, it is because product marketing is almost dead and buried. Gone are the days when simply communicating the benefits of products were enough to convince people to buy your products. Marketing is now a two way street and your consumers are now audiences who will interact with your brand. People who use your products are just as much the owners of the brands as the people who make the products. And they want more. More than a product, more than a brand, they want more of their own story told. Real Time Marketing is the evolution of that story and sooner your brand evolves with it, the sooner it will reap the rewards.