This week one of the most watched events on television will take place, Super Bowl 47. Whether you’re rooting for the Baltimore Ravens or the San Francisco 49ers, a crowd favorite for all will be this year’s commercials. While I can’t predict all the companies that shelled out the dough for a primetime spot, one tech company in particular has been in the news as supporters and naysayers ponder the response the ad will get. Research In Motion (RIM), the maker of Blackberry, purchased the time to introduce its new Blackberry 10 operating system.
Often times, when reading stories online, the comments provide great perspective for what I just read. Interestingly enough, many believe this Blackberry 10 airtime, will result in a turn around for the company. Rather than just banking entirely on an advertisement, tech companies should consider a strategy that encompasses advertising, public relations and social media as well as inbound marketing.
If each of these areas are used correctly in your campaign, you can create a steady drumbeat of your message. The spot during the Super Bowl is the initial hub for your strategy. However, consider a hashtag to go along with your strategy that can be shared during the ad. Use a social media listening tool, like Salesforce Marketing Cloud (Radian 6 to see the sentiment behind your campaign. RIM would have a good idea of how consumers are reacting to the ad.
Social media can also be used to continue the buzz after the initial jolt dies down. By searching terms relevant to your industry, you can jump in conversations and discuss the pros of your product or service. It’s important to be aware of what others are saying about your competitors. RIM should be monitoring conversations around Apple and Android products.
Another great tactic is to consider inbound marketing. Inbound marketing is an effective way to measure the ROI of your placement. Consider placing a URL in the ad that’s unique to the campaign. Have the URL take visitors to a landing page for the campaign that provides an offer that will help them with their purchasing decision. RIM could provide a guide that compares the features of the new Blackberry 10 operating system with others such as i0S and Droid. With a platform like Hubspot, an all-in-one inbound marketing platform, you can use research from your current campaign to better prepare for future ones. Consider doing an A/B test of the landing page, changing one simple variable could be the difference in a visitor becoming a lead. Hubspot’s tools provide powerful analytics. You can see in real-time the visitors coming to your site and to your landing page in particular, and who is converting.
Also consider search engine optimization in your inbound efforts. Think about what issues a purchaser might have when shopping for your product or services. Address how you can help them with frequent and consistent blog posts. Make sure your pages are properly optimized with keywords relevant to your business. If a Super Bowl ad will build a lot of buzz around your brand, make sure they are finding the right page at the right time when they decide to look into your product or service for more information.
Finally, a strong media relations campaign is a great way to get your message out to the right publics. Frequent placements in different mediums will keep your brand at the forefront of purchasers’ minds. Keep your story authentic and ensure you’ve designated spokespeople who are able to fluently communicate your messages.
While I’m not sure if this Super Bowl ad will pull RIM out of its downward slope, and put them back on the path they once dominated, I can say their campaign would go a lot further with a strategic plan that encompasses many different tactics to create a steady drumbeat of its message.
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Emma Walter is a senior account executive for WordWrite Communications. You can find her on Twitter @emmasreallytall.
