#SESLON 2014: Bringing Campaigns to Life by Marketing in Moment

Bruce Daisley, Twitter's U.K. managing director, says real-time marketing isn't about being the most witty. It's about being the smartest by planning your messages for both planned and unplanned moments.

“Getting the right message to the right people at the right time can strongly augment your message.”

That was the opening message from Bruce Daisley, U.K. managing director for Twitter, speaking at SES London this morning. Citing Oreo’s success story from last year’s Super Bowl and Oreo’s single tweet this year, Daisley says capturing a moment can be incredibly powerful. Finding the right moment doesn’t have to be something you need to be intimidated by. You can even plan for it.

Daisley offered some impressive Twitter user statistics from the U.K.:

  • 80 percent use Twitter on a mobile device
  • 70 percent use Twitter out and about (not at home)
  • 25 percent purchased something directly as a result of a tweet
  • More than 50 percent say Twitter gives them the latest news, faster than other sources

This means, says Daisley, “If an alien ever lands on Earth, over half the Twitter user base says they’ll see it on Twitter before hearing about it elsewhere.” This makes Twitter content a platform for live content discovery, which is effective not only for relaying news, but also for brands to get out their messages.

Twitter also increases the effectiveness of TV advertising. When added to TV ads, the net result was a 36 percent lower cost per action (CPA) when those TV advertisements were run concurrent with Twitter paid media. Which explains the extremely high percentage of Super Bowl ads that contained hashtags.

Other events are areas of high opportunity for brands to get their message out on Twitter, too. For example the Grammys saw more than 15.2 million tweets on the hashtag #grammys, with #pharrellshat being the show-stealer.

Daisley shows how the large hat Pharrell wore was another unplanned opportunity. This time Arby’s won the day.

Comparing the size of Pharrell’s hat to their logo, Arby’s tweeted out asking him for their hat back. Pharrell replied asking if they were trying to “start some (roast) beef.” Having a celebrity touching your brand is like gold. This was a huge win for Arby’s.

Bruce Daisley at SES London 2014

Twitter Moments of Opportunity

There are several moments of opportunity on Twitter, both planned and unplanned. Arby’s and Oreo are examples of unplanned moments.

Unpredictable moments are always good moments to take advantage of. Sometimes they are live, as with the Grammys and Pharrell’s hat tweets. Sometimes they can occur just after a news story breaks.

Staying relevant to pop culture and news stories is key. From the royal baby to sporting events, pop culture and news dominated Twitter moments in 2013 and that trend continues to grow with the first two big events in 2014.

The upcoming World Cup in Brazil is a potential planned moment, as are the Sochi Olympics. Of course, for events this large, there will be unplanned moments as well. Having your team in place and at the ready is key to capturing such a moment.

However, as marketers, you can still plan for opportunities to reach people during the breaks in action. Much the same way sports teams purchase “champions” hats before a big match, so they can wear them as soon as they win, you can plan your message for likely outcomes and be ready as those outcomes happen. Granted, sometimes your plan may not come to fruition because of an outcome. But plan for it, regardless.

There are also moments that happen “everyday.” Showing Twitter search statistics for the term “run,” Daisley showed how Nike takes advantage of that data.

People are most often discussing and searching for tweets related to running in the beginning of the week (Monday and Tuesday, especially), so Nike sends tweets more often during those moments.

By taking advantage of the times during the week where related terms are more commonly used and searched for, Nike is ensuring their message has a better chance of being noticed.

Weather and sunshine are two more terms that are great examples of “everyday moments.” Plan for these everyday moments when timing your messages for your social media campaigns.

Twitter is Still Good for Brands

Daisley finished with more statistics showing that Twitter is working for brands:

  • 94 percent of tweeters shop on their mobile phones
  • Twitter users engage, specifically:
    • 70 percent of them research on Twitter
    • 17 percent use store locators
    • 7 percent actually purchase
  • 56 percent of Twitter mobile users say they are influenced by content on Twitter when buying
  • 37 percent use Twitter before and/or after shopping on mobile
  • One in three users say that Twitter has a direct influence on their purchase decision

How can brands take advantage? Since last year when Oreo won the Super Bowl, Twitter has changed a lot.

The classic Twitter experience is 140 characters, but with Twitter cards, you can subscribe to mailing lists, view videos or product information, and so much more. Through lead generation cards and other innovations, Twitter is removing friction where possible.

By helping people through the funnel faster with less touch points, marketers have less chance of leakage out of the funnel through each step. Using Twitter Cards, marketers have one-click calls-to-action for users to join a mailing list or represent their product.

The bottom line: Real-time marketing isn’t about being the most witty. It’s about being the smartest by planning for your moments.

Subscribe to get your daily business insights

Whitepapers

US Mobile Streaming Behavior

Whitepaper | Mobile US Mobile Streaming Behavior

5y

US Mobile Streaming Behavior

Streaming has become a staple of US media-viewing habits. Streaming video, however, still comes with a variety of pesky frustrations that viewers are ...

View resource
Winning the Data Game: Digital Analytics Tactics for Media Groups

Whitepaper | Analyzing Customer Data Winning the Data Game: Digital Analytics Tactics for Media Groups

5y

Winning the Data Game: Digital Analytics Tactics f...

Data is the lifeblood of so many companies today. You need more of it, all of which at higher quality, and all the meanwhile being compliant with data...

View resource
Learning to win the talent war: how digital marketing can develop its people

Whitepaper | Digital Marketing Learning to win the talent war: how digital marketing can develop its people

2y

Learning to win the talent war: how digital market...

This report documents the findings of a Fireside chat held by ClickZ in the first quarter of 2022. It provides expert insight on how companies can ret...

View resource
Engagement To Empowerment - Winning in Today's Experience Economy

Report | Digital Transformation Engagement To Empowerment - Winning in Today's Experience Economy

4w

Engagement To Empowerment - Winning in Today's Exp...

Customers decide fast, influenced by only 2.5 touchpoints – globally! Make sure your brand shines in those critical moments. Read More...

View resource