SPARKIN' INTEREST

We’ve all got that friend who has mastered the art of storytelling, whether that is a one-to-one conversation on the train or recounting an enthralling tale during a dinner party. They possess the ability to grip an audience from start to finish, before masterfully delivering the final punch line or conclusion, bringing with it the entertainment value. The craft of storytelling and the construct of the ‘story’ are powerful forces and they are becoming increasingly relevant for brands.

In the past month everyone has heard about the hit app Pokémon Go. It’s a huge success with over 60 million installs of the app is estimated to be making more than $1 million a day. So what marketing and brand insights can we take from the Pokémon Go success? Here’s are 7: Consumer Experience: Pokémon Go’s unique user experience reinforces the power of creating engaging brand experiences that will start a conversation. Manipulating Trends: The app generates revenue by allowing businesses to take up Pokéstops, which will increase foot traffic in that area. Taking advantage of this while the game is popular and still generating a buzz will help keep your own campaigns relevant, and will appeal to your potential customer’s interests. Sponsored locations for advertisers: Attracting more visitors and Pokémon to that area. Pokémon Go was released in Japan in partnership with McDonald’s, making most of their 2900 locations into Pokéstops or Gyms- pushing people to go into a franc

Technology has drastically changed the way brands communicate with consumers and how consumers interact with brands. This should cause a shift in emphasis for your brand to move from a ‘static’ brand to a ‘social’ brand. Now, the larger proportion (5:2 ratio) of resources should focus on the social endeavours of your brand. In prior eras of branding, brands would focus their attention on internal processes and would push out their messages and either have their customers accept or reject them, with no dialogue or listening taking place. In the latest era of ‘social branding’, where technology has created a huge amount of transparency for brands, control has shifted to the consumer. Brands are now shared with everyone. Brands now need to place the larger proportion of their time and resources listening to their customers, creating personalised experiences and ultimately being dynamic and proactive in approach. There is a need to think beyond the traditional, and start thinking ‘so