Maintaining Connections Across Platforms

Doug Chavez, @dougchavez, from Del Monte discussed a couple of digital media case studies. Obviously, the most important thing is to start with a solid strategy that matches brand objectives along the path to purchase. Online efforts cannot be an afterthought and must be part of the planning process from the beginning. Their planning involves interweaving offline and online efforts via emotion, experience, and relationship, all to drive brand loyalty.

Kibbles ‘n Bits case study
They recently developed a campaign to drive awareness and trial of the product and needed a solution at the point of purchase. Therefore, mobile was identified as a great opportunity, and they have partnered with Whrrl to create the “I love my dog” society.  They developed the campaign to drive traffic to the Whrrl society.  It kicked off with ads in USA Weekend Magazine, and when they joined the Kibbles ‘N Bits society, a follow up was sent by email.  They utilized pet owner bloggers and their Facebook page to connect users and drive traffic to Whrrl page.  The Whrrl society is fairly new, but has generated over 4,500 members and is growing rapidly.

Milk Bone case study
Milk Bone supports Canine Assistants, which trains dogs to help the disabled, with a campaign called, “It’s Good to Give.”  They donate a portion of sales to the cause.  They extending this partnership by utilizing a Facebook page to document the work that the organization does.  They followed a puppy being born to growing up, being trained, and eventually being adopted.  The trainer regularly updates the site with photos and video of the puppy.  They have seen strong growth trends – their page traffic is above norms and industry averages.  With the social media integration, consumers spend 3-4 times more time on the brand sites, and it’s helping organic search results.

Finally, Doug says that consumer engagement must be completely integrated into the development of any campaign or marketing.  Search, display, social, and shopper marketing must all be considered, which often requires working across silos and including marketing, legal, consumer affairs, ir/pr, c-suite, etc.