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Budweiser or Miller?
Coke or Pepsi?
Nike or Adidas?
The answer to these simple questions ultimately is defined not by the product or services these companies offer, but the feelings and emotion you have when using or interacting with their products. These companies know this and even market to it, and you may not even realize it.
So ask yourself a few questions:
Have you ‘Shared a Coke with _____?’
Have you looked for your name or the name of someone close to you? And if you found it, did you take a picture of it and share it with someone?
Coca-Cola found a way for consumers to interact, talk about and share their brand without a drop of their product needing to be consumed. Regardless if you prefer the taste of Pepsi over Coke, there is a very good chance that you have talked about this brand experience campaign or Coca-Cola in general which only reinforces this brand as an experience than a product.
Bud Light has been running the ‘Up for Whatever’ Campaign for almost a year now. If you’re not familiar, unsuspecting Bud Light customers are selected for ‘random’ dream day adventures where they may meet their favorite UFC fighters and line dance with them and attend a concert. Or they may even press a button and a flash party erupts with Lil’ John flying in on a helicopter to perform. One customer even came home to have his favorite football player in his living room and his backyard was transformed into a pirate ship with cannons that shot off when his favorite football team scored a touchdown. I don’t think you need to ask what any of this has to do with beer, because the answer… is nothing!
Instead of telling you how great their products and services are, brands are recognizing and taking advantage of positive experience as a tool for brand exposure. These experiences are then shared through social media platforms by the end users, completely unsolicited by the brand and the reach is staggering.
In the future when you are thinking of an awareness campaign, try not to think about the bells and whistles your product or service is capable of providing, but instead, think about an experience that the end user could have and capitalize on it. Think about your target demographic and make sure you keep them and their interests in mind. Be creative and take risks. This is also an experience for you!
