Taking the hybrid approach
By Simon Fuller. When you’re an agency putting together campaigns for brands across multiple channels, the world moves pretty quickly. And as Denver-based Motive is constantly looking for the latest opportunities across different platforms, it’s no surprise that it utilises social media quite heavily.
“When it comes to developing a hybrid campaign, we can’t let ourselves focus and rely on a singular platform, technology or tactic,” says Matt Statman, Motive’s founder. “Considering the rate at which these elements are changing, we are acutely aware that different opportunities will arise – and dissipate – very quickly.
“On the social web, Facebook, Twitter and FourSquare are currently viable for all types of hybrid campaigns,” continues Statman. “However, something new will surely emerge in the months and years ahead of us that will directly influence or change the way we think about communicating with consumers in these kinds of programmes.”
In the meantime, Motive has certainly got to grips with today’s trend-setting social sites. Working for food brand Van’s, Motive not only came up with a whole new website, but also a bunch of interactive profiles across Facebook and Twitter, which aimed to establish the brand as a healthy option for young people. And for Mexican restaurant chain Qdoba, Motive rolled out a campaign a few years back to tie into the US presidential election, in which the agency designed food-based personality tests – once consumers had taken the tests and found their personal ‘Quendtities’, they could head to social media sites like Facebook and MySpace and connect with other fans who shared their culinary – and political – tastes.
In the recent DEWmocracy campaign for Mountain Dew, Motive sent out three ‘flavour teams’, real fans determined to spread the word about their favourite new Mountain Dew variety and garner support from other Dew drinkers. The teams hit cities all over the US, and wherever they were, fans stay connected via real-time updates on Twitter and the DEWmocracy microsite. The teams could share content in the form of photos and videos, while fans could interact with the teams by requesting a ‘DEW Drop’, where a team would deliver drinks direct to the fan’s home.
“Social media allowed [the teams] to blend the online and offline worlds so those in cities not visited by the programme could keep up to date with all of the action and activities in an inclusive way,” explains Statman. “In fact, fans across the country communicated directly with the teams via Twitter direct messaging and e-mail to help the teams campaign in areas they were not able to visit.
“Additionally, Mountain Dew’s Facebook and Twitter pages were used to make daily promotional announcements surrounding DEWmocracy. This, combined with the throngs of fans who created their own Facebook, Twitter and blog presences for the campaign, made for a robust social footprint for the programme.”
So, what’s big for Motive at the moment?
“Influencer marketing has become very important to our programs lately,” says Statman. “Giving hardcore brand enthusiasts a sneak peek of new offerings – and the ability to affect them – creates a heightened sense of authenticity for hybrid marketing initiatives.”
