I have been meeting a lot of digital creative and media people in London recently and as part of this I have spoken a great deal about digital trends. From real-time advertising to collaboration to how technology impacts on social interaction and of course the usual discussions around 3D TV, e readers and Google in China (as an aside, good news they have lifted censorship!).
However, one thing that hasn’t been talked about much is how technology is being leveraged to bring ‘the masses’ even closer to experiences. Now, this isn’t new in itself, but it is an accelerating trend with significant opportunities for organisations etc.
With recent enhancements in digital tools and application overlays/mash-ups over the last year such as social location based and real time feeds (and ever richer streaming), never before have people been able to feel, hear, listen what it is like to walk alongside a reporter in a disaster area, be with a climber on Everest or ride around the World on a bike for charity.
It is surprising, however, how many company’s still prefer to simply focus on ‘interaction’ when they attempt to bring to life brands or sponsorship online. It’s a rather half-hearted approach and I believe it is the wrong thinking from the start. They should instead be thinking how to bring their target consumers/supporters closer to an experience. By focusing on experience, the brand may then use a different mix or weave of online tools to realise this and with better results. After all, allowing consumers or supporters to experience something can have a much longer lasting resonance than a simple interaction.
To illustrate this point I went in search of some case studies and this is what I found….
Nike was looking for a way for non-runners to really experience what a race feels like, as part of ‘The Human Race’ appeal .
To do this, they recruited five celebrity runners and rigged them up with a mobile phone and an earpiece. By pressing a button, runners were able to share their experiences with the world using a combination of voice data, Twitter and Google Maps in real time. The voice messages were turned into text messages that were automatically published at http://thehumanrace.com.ar/envivo, in their Twitter accounts, banners and digital media. GPS allowed each communication to be geotagged along the track.
The outcome? Well, more than 650,000 people followed the race live and online either at http://www.NikeCorre.com or other media. Some 15,000 people ran the race in Buenos Aires.
Pretty strong results for any brand. So, next time you are looking to activate a brand campaign online, think ‘experience’ and not simply interaction.
Digispeak 