The Fyre Effect: More Questions Are Being Asked of Influencer Marketing

In the wake of the disastrous Fyre Festival, big brands are taking a closer look at their strategy with Influencers. The most important take-way of the entire Fyre Festival Marketing campaign is that the Influencers had little idea of the event they were even sponsoring/ supporting. It also sparked concern with Influencers to make sure they are working for brands who are aligned professionally and personally to their interests.

Trust is an important factor, both between the Influencer and brand, and the audience and Influencer. The main advantage of working with Influencers is that fans have high brand loyalty when peers and are “real human” advocates; so, having a face that represents a brand is extremely important as audiences will have a more genuine connection with those brands who utilize influencers with shared values. – i.e. Hispanic influencer for Hispanic strategy etc. Our iPropect team goes through a multi-step process that involved actively vetting influencers to make sure the individual is the right fit for the brand. For Jack Influencers, we specifically wanted to choose people who are excited about the brand and genuinely wanted to work with Jack in the Box vs. paying a big name who is just looking to add another brand to their Instagram channel. It’s fundamental that we as Jack align with Influencers who share and can speak on behalf of our brand values and tonality – which we saw great success with the Super Jack’d Monday talent who did just this.

Shackleton Whisky uncaps Shazam-powered AR expedition

It’s said that a ‘picture is worth a thousand words’! Better yet, can a picture tell you a thousand words? Shackleton Whiskey has figured out a way to let a photo do the talking. Shackleton has partnered up with Shazam for a branded AR experience that will let users take a photo of a “peel and reveal” sticker on its packaging to bring alive a 3D version of their founder’s 1907 Antarctica expedition.

Shazam continues to be an ad-free platform, although continues to showcase innovative ways to drive brand integrations. Shackleton are utilizing their existing assets as their storyteller, their packages, to provide a new experience with little to no change to their existing product and packaging.

AR is fun, immersive and interactive that allows brands to be highly engaged with users. But more importantly, it can be used strongly to drive brand story-telling, which is the case for Shackleton. They’re aiming to cut through the clutter and be memorable versus using only traditional digital formats, by using a platform that’s accessible to large audiences with smartphones. For the QSR space, AR could trigger a range of desired food senses to drive appetite that perhaps a traditional app may not drive as strongly.

BevMo! Hears the Voice of the Consumer

BevMo! Is testing out new voice activated shopping assistant, SmartAisle, to help recommend drinks for shoppers within select California stores only. SmartAisle will be voice activated using AI technology to provide customer support at the point of sale. Shoppers will also have a chance to ask about specific bottles/ brands and receive recommendations for similar tastes. This new feature is aimed to provide a quick and convenient service for a better shopping experience.

As we’ve established in recent articles, Voice Search is becoming more prevalent across multiple devices and home-ordering is showing no signs of slowing down with Home Assistants allowing customers an easy and alternative option to in-app delivery. As voice Technology advances, there is an opportunity for in-store AI POS system to be implemented to help customers order and push new or existing products based on historical data.

Five Things Retailers Should Know About Millennial Shoppers

Millennials hold an enormous influence within all industries, and as this generation continues to mature, so does their digital usage. Brands need to learn to adapt and ensure they are reaching Millennial’s not only with an authentic voice but also the following:

Retailers must bridge the gap between in-store and online given that two thirds of Millennials use both platforms to research before making a purchase decision
Brands should not ignore the “buy” button and look to incorporate it within their social platforms given that Millennials rank high in social purchases
Email marketing continues to be a workhorse for digital marking with guaranteed results
Millennials are most likely to embrace emerging Technology, therefore having a favorable reaction to brand messaging through different mediums
Lastly, Millennials are willing to bypass the human interaction at POS and favor an automated system

Jack in the Box has already made strides in adapting to emerging and maturing Technology as we continue to refine delivery options and amplify messaging through various online and social channels that speak authentically to Millennials. While Jack in the Box does not use automated POS system, we’ve seen other brands in the QSR space lean in to help reduce labor cost. According to the eMarketer Ecommerce Survey, 57% of A18-34 regularly use an automated POS system therefore introducing an automated system would be welcomed and easily adapted to.

Kraft to Open Grocery Store to Support Government Workers Affected by Shutdown

Kraft, in a charitable fashion, opened “pay if you can” grocery store to help alleviate financial burden from the nearly 800,000 federal workers affected by the ongoing government shutdown. The store was opened in Washington DC for a full week in January with all the aisles stocked with Kraft products. With a single ad in a local DC newspaper, Kraft assured those affected by the government shutdown they were guaranteed groceries and if they did not have the money at that moment, to pay it forward whenever they do. Kraft message to federal workers in that no one should be denied food because of situations out of their control and that Kraft is there to help in any possible way.

The ability to connect with a community is vital for brands to establish an emotional and personal connection. Kraft is known as a family orientated brand and chooses to align itself with opportunities and charities that are in line with their brand values. When brands put forth initiatives to their audiences, it allows the community to get a broader understanding of brand culture. Not only is this an effective PR move, but it also shows the community there is a sense of trust and potential long-term loyalty between themselves and a brand. Opportunities like this are a way for brands to give back to the community who have, in turn, helped brands stay relevant.

Loyalty rewards, coupons bring QSR customers back

Consumers are attracted to coupon and loyalty incentives when making the decision to try new QSRs. According to a study conducted by Publishers Clearing House, nearly 50% of consumers are enticed to try new restaurants based on couponing alone. Standard ads are not enticing customers like they use to in the world of pre-online devices. They are increasingly year-over-year being attracted to app driven payment when rewards are given for loyal use. In recent years major QSRs such as Starbucks, and Burger King have implanted successful loyalty program to attract potential consumers and retain them by offering substantial bonuses.

Not only do online loyalty programs and discounts entice customers, but users are prone to have bigger digital orders vs in store tickets. Brands have an opportunity to use these programs to their advantage by being able to send these coupons straight to the pockets of consumers to retain their business and entice them to frequent more through exclusive perks. As more brands are understanding that these rewards programs are quick ways to get consideration amongst a crowded field, they are finding loyalty doesn’t come easy or last long. Larger chains have an advantage in developing more sophisticated apps due to their access to more capital. However, larger chains aren’t immune to customers multiple choices and in the same study, many have stated that they are not hesitant to go to other QSRs. Overall consumers often have little hesitation to these rewards and often favor brands who are generous with their offerings.

Burger King Customers can Trade McDonald’s MacCoins for Big King XL Sandwich

Burger King is accepting McDonald MacCoins, redeemable Big Mac cryptocurrency, at participating stores in Chicago to promote their Big King XL product. The MacCoins were no longer redeemable after December 31st, 2018 and Burger King is cashing in on the opportunity to conquest potential customers. This comes after a longer running conquesting war between the two QSR giants. Burger King is fully embracing its role as the conquesting troll to McDonalds. A few months prior, Burger King debuted their the “Whopper Detour” which placed a 600 foot geofence around McDonald locations and served any passersby a message to order a Burger King Whopper for only a penny.

This type of very public competitive conquesting makes for a very entertaining spectacle for consumers online and on social media. Brands have taken the initiative to bring this fighting to Twitter and Instagram and audiences take part in the conversation becoming emotionally vested in these “wars”. The Wendy’s twitter has been a buzz-filled account to their very public shady tweets about fellow QSR competitors and the audience are hooked on watching the drama unfold. It’s an organic way for brands to stay relevant on the in the social space and attract a younger audience who are actively engaged on these platforms.

Natural Light and Cash App Kick Off Super Bowl Contest to Offset Student Debt

Anheuser-Busch teamed up with a mobile payment app, Cash App, to give out $53,000 to 151 Super Bowl fans to help pay off their student loan payment so they’re able to put on an epic Super Bowl party. Entry into the competition asks fans to upload their Super Bowl plans to Twitter, Instagram or Facebook with the hashtag “#NattySB” establishing broad awareness across multiple social platforms. Along with this Super Bowl initiative, Anheuser-Busch declared that it would give back $10 million in the next decade to help fans pay down their student loans.

Using a high-profile platform such as the Super bowl, allows brands like Natural light and Cash app to launch new initiatives to garner higher engagement. This new partnership shows how both brands chose to work together due to their shared audiences. Anheuser-Busch can connect with a new, younger audience, while Cash App is essentially being promoted to receive new users/downloads. The younger 21+ crowd are most likely all reeling from the pains of having student loan debit fresh from college graduation and more likely to be acquainted with the company of affordable beer. Super Bowl now stretches beyond just the Sunday, it is a full-on campaign that runs before and after. Cash App has the opportunity to utilize its newly registered users post-Super Bowl to keep them engaged on the app.

Brands Must Adapt as Tech Reshapes Sports For Fans

With the evolvement of tech, Sports is becoming a medium to harbor and nurture innovative technology. To further this statement, the Sports Innovation Lab during CES 2019 stated that they saw an increase in dedicated sports tech companies over the past 10 years. These new companies are setting out to not only change the way tech is shaping sports for advertisers but audiences as well. Key changes in technology within the sports landscape include:
– Consumption of sports via new streaming platforms (Amazon, Twitter, DAZN, ESPN+)
– Tech changing the fundamental nature of the sports fan where they no longer feel a need to have unwaveringly loyalty to one team
– Sports aim to incorporate immersive media to have the face to face experience and promote collaborative viewing that is easily sharable, accessible and affordable

Brands need to become privy to the tech and sports relationship to accomplish an effective campaign. With greater interactivity around sports content, brands need to find a way to be part of the bigger conversations. Secondly, as fans move away from teams and closer to individual athletes, traditional sponsorship of teams may soon become replaced as long-term agreements with sportspeople, a powerful marketing asset for brands. This also enables brands to look into exciting matches and performance of a specific player vs branding around one team. Lastly as tech evolves, brands should be on the forefront of innovative tech. VR is projected to hold 10% of sports viewing by 2020, having exclusive content and access for distant audiences to experience games like a local, therefore brands need to not only adapt and provide a genuine voice within this new space.

Who says Outdoor Advertising is Archaic?

While there are mixed opinions, many sources predict that OOH advertising is the fastest growing traditional channel, and Magna stated that OOH was the only traditional ad medium to show growth in spend in 2018, 4.6%. So what value do advertisers see in OOH?

Digital OOH is taking lead on adapting to the ever-evolving technological advances. The main opportunity DOOH provides is the ability to measure and retarget, which plays on the already wide reach OOH advertising allows by its nature (it’s hard to ignore a board or bus stop), but also closes the loop on proximity targeting down to zip codes and blocks to measure foot traffic and the response people have after seeing the ad. DOOH in itself is expected to grow 10%/year, and forward thinking outdoor advertising firms such as Outfront Media are taking lead in exploring 5G integrations to make programmatic and dynamic targeting more efficient.

Looking beyond OOH, we continuously see data playing a bigger role in filling the gap traditional media channels have. Having measurement tools such as foot traffic studies and its correlation OOH ad experience allows for smarter to help sales.