We love Marketing Week

10 June 2013 by in Book publishing

Just have a skim through the article that hit our inbox today. It’s refreshing to see that the digital revolution is causing as much angst and navel gazing in the marketing world as it has in the quaint old world of book publishing.

Today, brands can reach consumers twenty-four hours a day through social media, text messages and cold calling (yuck). But do such techniques really enhance customer loyalty and customer engagement? As simple consumers ourselves, we’re doubtful. Will an allegedly humorous YouTube video that is designed to go viral really help brands communicate, or will it simply create a brief chuckle and a short wait for the next piece of wackiness to come along?

Lara O’Reilly talks about the phenomenon in this article, referring to  it as Trigger Happy TV. It seems to us that these campaigns focus on the medium and not the message  – ‘There’s Facebook – we’d better use…’ seems to be the default position. Of course, customer loyalty and customer engagement can be enhanced by viral campaigns, so long as they are used intelligently. One of our favourites from a few years back (you’ve probably seen it, over 2 million people have) is Robert Carlyle in the Johnnie Walker video. That’s truly brilliant.

paper airplanesSo what else works? Let’s look at some of the latest devices – the iPhone; the iPad; the Kindle. Customers can easily access the content they need at the precise time they need it – and unsurprisingly, they keep coming back for more. Big presentation to give? Well hone your presentation skills on your iPhone in the cab en route to your audience.  Off on holiday in a few weeks? Access some toning tips on your Kindle during your lunch break. Valuable useful content, delivered to consumers at precisely the time they want to use it, is a fabulous way to develop customer engagement and build customer loyalty – and there need be no pesky texts or embarrassing videos in sight.