Hey, all! How is it May already? Bad news for seasonal allergy sufferers, good news for cherry blossom lovers…they came to play this year! 

We’ve had a fun end to the month with some company-wide Earth Day activities and our UK team over in our NY office for the week. Needless to say, we’re doing quite a bit of strategy, planning, and pub crawling 🍻. Combine that with the PRovoke North America Summit and the Sabre Awards that some of our team attended, it’s been a busy few weeks. 

Shameless Plug – our EVP, Head of Innovation & Technology Kevin Dulaney, has built an awesome new tool that helps CMOs and marketing teams amplify earned media coverage across all relevant channels. We’re in beta and will be formally announcing the details in the coming weeks, but if you’re interested in getting an advance look… we know a guy 😁.

For this go-around of the newsletter, we’ve identified a really creative campaign from Quaker, shared some smart thinking around the importance of personalization, and provided a mini-State of the Union on Threads. There’s some good stuff in there for you to peruse, and as always, let us know what you think.

Best,

Becky & Greg

Unite customers with stories: Quaker’s new campaign showcases their product with a common visual thread

TL;DR: The Quaker Oats company’s latest campaign, “100 Reasons to Rise,” is a black-and-white photo series illustrating the power of mornings in uniting people. The series showcases images and audio interviews from 100 everyday people aged 1-100 sitting down for their daily breakfast routine. The campaign was launched after research showed that more than 40% of consumers globally feel that mornings are the most hopeful part of their day, and 70% said they found hope in others overcoming challenges.

Takeaway: This campaign pulled upon two strong levers: consumer research and vivid, clear storytelling. There are many stories Quaker could be telling, but by examining research and data, their team is able to confidently identify storylines that stand to make the most impact on their brand. They’re also able to tie it to core feelings that they want to evoke in their consumers: aspiration, inspiration, and hope. In Quaker’s campaign, potential consumers see themselves in the stories and in the products through the emotional connection, and these emotions lend themselves well to a storyline that is clear and powerful in its visual impact.

Consider:

  • Take a look at your existing consumer research, or craft a timely survey to gather some new insights. Based on what your customers are looking for, what stories could you be telling them about your product? How should you be telling them? Where should you be telling them?
  • Get really clear about the stories your brand is telling and how those stories relate to the feeling you want your customers to have. If your brand was to evoke one emotion from your consumers, what would it be? Wink wink nod nod…the SourceCode Storyhub is a GREAT tool to help tell better stories.

Personalize your marketing: B2B and B2C buyers both want relevant recommendations

TL;DR: One of the many common threads between B2B and B2C buyers is the desire for personalized messaging. Research has found that 77% of B2B buyers will not make a purchase without personalized content, despite only 4 out of 10 B2B marketers saying they’re using personalization techniques effectively. Furthermore, Adobe research found that 72% of B2B companies collect behavioral and transactional data for their storefronts. With trends in consumer interests and technologies leaning into individualized marketing touches, it’s a great time to test personalization and connect more with your buyers.

Takeaway: Personalization efforts don’t have to be complicated. It can be as simple as listening to your buyers (taking a note from the first takeaway in this issue!) and incorporating their interests into your marketing efforts. You might personalize efforts by grouping buyers by demographic or psychographic traits. One company from the article found success in customizing its campaign landing pages by industry. Personalization is also something that AI tools can support well. Using AI-integrated tools, such as Intellimize, alongside your customer data platforms or content management platforms can help improve conversion rates, increase retention rates, and save your team’s time and energy.

Consider:

  • What information do you have on your audience that could be used to help provide them with relevant recommendations?
  • What do you foresee as the biggest roadblocks to creating more personalized efforts? AI tools may be able to help with your particular pain points. 

Take Threads seriously: Many brands are putting their own spin on the platform and finding success

TL;DR: Speaking of “new” platforms, Meta’s Threads platform has now been in the social sphere for almost 10 months. According to a Sprout Social survey in Q3 2023, 70% of marketers are currently using Threads with another 21% anticipating using it in the near future. For many brands, they’re finding success on the platform by leaning into customer engagement and honest, original content over trends.

Takeaway: Many of the brands finding success on Threads are ones that aren’t as buzzy on other platforms. Take, for example, WGBH, a Boston-based public media producer. They’ve crafted content around their fans’ favorite programming, like Sesame Street or NPR’s Fresh Air. Similarly, Bookshop.org, an eCommerce marketplace facilitating book purchases between readers and their local bookstores, has gone Threads viral for their honest, relatable text posts – as if they’ve taken on the persona of a book-obsessed millennial. Engagement and thoughtful, unique content is majorly appreciated on Threads– a welcome reprieve from the trend-chasing of other social networks.

Consider:

  • If you haven’t signed up for Threads yet, give it a try simply as a viewer. Examine what other brands are doing on it. Understand how content performs differently on the platform than on other social networks.
  • What does your most honest, authentic content look like? How might you show up for customers on a more personal level on Threads?