On Oct. 20 Mitch Joel and Scott Stratten will take the stage at Digital Day 2014, presented by Marketing and the Canadian Marketing Association, to discuss one of the most pervasive internet sensations of 2014 – The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge.
Joel and Stratten will examine its virality to understand what propelled it, and determine what lessons marketers can draw from it.
Ahead of the conference, Marketing spoke with the pair about planning for spontaneity, social checks and balances, and why Jerry Seinfeld has better timing than Carrot Top.
Take a look.
How can marketers decide which meme to jump on? Why, create a Harlem Shake video, but not participate in the Ice Bucket Challenge? Or vice-versa?
MJ: I’d say two things about that. One is that I believe it really has to play into what the brand narrative is. Two, brands should look for moments to be human. Those are the best areas.
SS: What Mitch said!
MJ: But say Scott said it!
What’s your opinion on linking a real-time opportunity to a brand? I saw tweets for the start of NHL hockey from brands that have, at least on the surface, nothing to do with the sport.
SS: This planned spontaneity thing is killing me. Tying things into a calendar is as old as time. Tying things into Christmas and Halloween, great, fine. But we’ve moved into this, “real-time” thing where we have planned, guarded spontaneity that looks stupid.
MJ: I have a different opinion. I think you can do real-time really, really well, if you’re continually growing a significant platform underneath it. The problem is if all you’re trying to do is get that moment then I think it’s a failed state. If you can do it within the construct that you already have credibility, you’re already building a lot of stuff, I think it’s great.
Timing seems to be everything with web phenomena. How can brands find the sweet spot between something seemingly fresh and being overplayed?
SS: The problem is that a lot of brands have checks and balances, rightfully so since the checks and balances are set up to prevent someone trying to leverage Ebola; but then there’s times when “real-time” is actually two weeks.
You’ve got to have the trust in your team to have communications go out in real-time versus the Canadian government, which takes three weeks and 21 approvals to get a tweet out.
MJ: The answer to great timing is the difference between Jerry Seinfeld and Carrot Top. There’s something that’s intuitive and natural; some people just have great timing. Some people have to really work on it and it feels more scheduled, while some just capture the magic. To ask that question is to ask where the secret sauce is kept and what it’s made of.
SS: I enjoyed Carrot Top’s show! I was surprised by it.
When everyone talks about the same thing at the same time, it gets noisy, which presents a challenge for marketers. Would it be wiser to look to cultural moments less people are talking about?
SS: You can capitalize on any event that’s suitable for your brand if you have the right people in place. Arby’s sent out its tweet about Pharell’s hat because it had someone [on the social team] who was funny and creatively on-point and on time. Nobody knew he was walking out with a ridiculous hat, but they had the right person in place.
MJ: I think you should jump on big, small, whatever, as long as you can be creative and make it count. If you’re creative – and creative can be emotional, funny, touching, it doesn’t matter – in that moment, and in these moments consistently, I really believe you can move beyond just the impression to being a brand people look to or are waiting for and anticipating
