More Than Advertising: Incorporating the human experience
What good is an ad if it’s actively ignored? Today we are bombarded by mailers, posters, billboards, commercials, banners and announcements that are irrelevant and downright annoying. How, then, can brands cut through the clutter?
Jeffrey F. Rayport offers a structure for developing a marketing strategy that incorporates the human experience inthis HBR blog post. “To have an impact,” Rayport says, “marketers must fundamentally rethink their advertising strategy and execution and expand their definition of what, exactly, advertising is,” he says.
A prime example of integrating the human experience in advertising is the beverage company Diageo’s use of interactive whiskey bottle labels last Father’s Day. Each label had a unique QR code that purchasers used to upload a special video message for their giftee, who could then scan the code with their smartphone and receive the personal greeting. This approach benefited both parties: It offered promotion for the brand and registered the consumers for future offers from the organization. The campaign also converted traditional label advertising into a heartfelt messaging system that touched their customers’ lives.
To employ a successful experience-based promotion, marketers need to focus less on what their ads say and more on how their product can be an ongoing and rewarding existence in their customers’ lives. If an ad is meaningful, valuable and authentic, chances are shoppers will reward it with their attention and trust.
What do you think about integrating the human experience in ad campaigns?
