As one of the biggest music icons hit the stage at the Super Bowl LVII on Sunday night, performing one of the most talked about Half Time shows in years, we were struck by one aspect of her performance.
No, we’re not referring to Rihanna's pregnancy (although we’re still wondering HOW she did it!) It was her subtle reference to her Fenty Beauty brand during her performance that got us thinking: just how powerful is product placement?
Well… it’s an 833% increase in brand searches level of powerful.
And when you realise that the music industry’s top performers are not paid for their Half Time performances either, it's obvious that this global stage has a reach that money can’t buy - a much better option than paying up to $7 million for an advertising spot!
So how can you implement this within your own business?
1. Brand
There’s a reason we’re so hooked on brand when we speak to our clients!
We always champion the importance of investing heavily in your business’ brand assets. Regardless of your industry, it’s important to stand out and be visible at events, in meetings, on the road (e.g. a fleet of vans), and throughout key touchpoints of your customers’ journeys – you need to be where they are.
We also know everyone loves a freebie, so go on – invest in those pens, notepads and water bottles for your team and customers. And always, ALWAYS carry your business cards. You never know who you’ll meet and when!
2. Digital
When developing social media and paid advertising assets, we always ensure that at the very least, they appear in line with our clients’ brand identity. In fact, we’re pretty obsessive about it!
This could be a small logo or logo emblem placement and doesn’t require a large logo placed on a white background plonked just about anywhere (Looking at you, Canva lovers - please stop!)
Influencers are also a brilliant example of product placement and how brand shout outs can have a powerful impact on your bottom line. Choose wisely; choose influencers who only represent your own brand values and who know how to subtly introduce your brand to their followers. Eimear Varian Barry is a perfect example of an influencer whose own content surpasses that of the brands themselves and who aces subtle introduction to products and services that are relevant to who she is, and who her followers are.
3. Retargeting
In our opinion, one of the most important aspects of digital marketing is retargeting. You know those annoying adverts you get served when you’ve viewed something once or when you leave and forget to checkout?
Retargeting works and we have the stats to prove it. As an agency, we manage digital advertising campaigns for a range of clients across the UK and Ireland, and typically see huge return on investment on these types of ads, along with a subsequent knock-on effect on email marketing revenue. On average, 70% of us leave a website without checking out, so retargeting can act as a gentle nudge back toward purchase!
We also recommend allowing your offline campaigns to work in tandem with online. For example, in 2012, we saw Coca Cola utilising primetime TV advertising spots during the Superbowl to capitalise on and drive traffic to a live stream of the brand’s iconic animated polar bears, who watched the game alongside fans, reacting to play in real time and interacting with live tweets. Taking advantage of second screen media consumption (knowing people will also be on their phones while watching the game), this was a clever tactic for Coca Cola to create a full-circle experience for consumers and piggyback on the US’ biggest TV event of the year.
Product placement is a fun way to reach your customers, and those brands who truly understand consumer behaviour in terms of our media and shopping habits, truly reap the rewards.
If you have an upcoming campaign and would like to discuss brand or digital support, let’s connect today.
