Author Archives: Natalie Prout
Sexy digital. Those 2 words don’t really pair together very often. We hear about sexy adverts or sexy product design all the time, but digital isn’t really thought of that way. It’s often functional, it’s sometimes fun, it’s frequently structured- but it doesn’t have that va-va-voom s-e-x-y of the more obvious creative mediums. And if you think about it, from a tool, personalisation and possibilities POV, that doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.
When I think about all the places digital could go I think of the Never-ending Story. Vast kingdoms, mind-bending experiences, Sebastian realising he was in the story all along…Oh, the possibilities! Experiences that can be so much more surprising, charming, authentic and emotionally in-tune with the individual than nearly any other medium.
Sexy doesn’t come from a spray of cologne or a pair of cufflinks, nor does it come from a place of desperation to be liked. Tarting something up with a new logo or colour scheme does not cut the mustard, nor does a social media campaign for a brand that needs bigger help. Sexy is a way of carrying an attitude–a swagger, an elegance, a charm…and those things start from within. They start before the wardrobe door is opened to dress the body; they are built on a foundation. They’re built on everything we do, from the ground up.
Photo Credit: CNN
After watching a talk with Dennis Crowley the founder of Foursquare, one of the big thought provoking statements he made for me was that Foursquare is about‘ getting people out into the real world’.
Later, as I watched him play a real game of Foursquare with a group of kids, it got me wondering, could location based mobile games be the answer to getting kids of their bums and out of the house again? Obviously I’m not talking about 3 years olds here, but kids who should be outside discovering the big wide world (then again, with a parents participation it could even work for 3 year olds!).
I grew up in a world of tree climbing, outdoor swimming and bike riding through the leafy suburbs of London UK, at it shaped the adventurous side of my personality that I have today. However, with the world of education, sharing and gaming becoming increasingly digital, it’s often commented on that kids don’t get outside enough to get their hands dirty and breathe in what’s around them.
Natalie Prout | Critical Mass London
Having the ability to identify your target market and market to them responsibly is an increasingly forgotten rule of thumb within online marketing. Far too often brands want to jump on the proverbial bandwagon and embrace the hottest, coolest techniques/technologies to gain praise by demonstrating how hip and happening they are. What they don’t realise however, is that most of the time in doing this, they end up damaging the opinion their existing fans have of them, or are missing them entirely.
The biggest hurdle you face in targeting your online efforts is honestly answering the following questions:
1. Who are our consumers?
2. Why do they love our brand?
3. Where do they congregate?
4. How can we communicate with them without irritating them?
The last thing most people want is to be constantly bombarded by irrelevant and overly enthusiastic brands bothering them in their online communities and safe havens. And I’m not just talking about social networks.
Picture this: you’re having a romantic meal for two in a dimly lit romantic restaurant with your significant other when all of a sudden a 10 piece brass band parades over to your table to loudly serenade you. Inappropriate? Yes. Intrusive? Absolutely. Kind of makes you hate 10 piece brass bands? Definitely.
Now, how is that any less annoying then flooding someone’s Twitter dashboard with 15-20 tweets all in quick succession of each other? It’s not really. It’s just as annoying. And on Twitter, you can simply ‘unfollow’ the perpetrator, which is a lot easier then chasing people away from your table in a restaurant.
You should already know the answers to Points 1 and 2 (as you should know your brand if you intent to market it). So skipping straight to the more misunderstood questions of 3 and 4 – let’s talk about the importance of understanding where our fans congregate and how we should communicate with them?
