Internet Marketing 101: How to improve digital campaigns

EVB is the team behind campaigns such as Office Max's "Elf Yourself", Burger King's "The Whopperettes" and Kodak's "Make Me Super". What do all of these campaigns have in common? Entertainment and big viral mark-up. Consumers not only engaged with the campaign but they sent the links on to friends, family and co-workers helping all of these campaigns to go viral.

EVB CEO Daniel Stein said, "Social is the biggest trend [we're seeing] but the pendulum has swung in social media. It is the idea of being anywhere or everywhere the consumer is. But marketers and agencies are realizing that they still need a really good, creative idea. Yes, brands need to be part of the conversations that are out there but we believe that the brand must have something worth saying."

Having something to say is a problem for both big and small brands in the digital space. Many brands and merchant have entered the social space but they aren't engaging the consumer, causing campaigns to fail and revenue to fall. The key, according to Stein, is socialized marketing.

"Whatever medium is being used, marketers have to engage the consumer," said Stein. "Apps are good at this. [Online] campaigns need to be woven into the fabric of the consumer's life because we're not marketing to media behaviors anymore, we're marketing to a digital lifestyle. It's a blend of life and work because even at the office consumers are Facebooking, Twittering, shopping and checking bank balances. We have to work messages into those tiny compartments of time."

One way to do this is the give the consumer an app, a game or a fun activity such as the "Elf Yourself" campaign which has been drawing in consumers for more than two years. These shorter activities are perfect for office-dwellers, younger consumers and social consumers.

"'Elf Yourself' took consumers :30 seconds to set up and then two to three minutes of engaged," said Stein. "Consumers passed it on and it became viral. In 2007 that little elf went out to about 197 million consumers."

So, marketers need to have a message but they also need an engaging interface. The basic message must be in tune with the marketers goals: increasing traffic, increasing purchases, increasing product reviews, etc.

"Social media works well for engagement and customer service but it isn't the best for reach. To reach five or ten million consumers, reach is still in television or a page takeover. But, to grow brand, it is all about social and getting involved in those conversations," said Stein. "[Marketers must] start with a creative idea. Sometimes it is a value statement or a product benefit. Regardless, it strikes a chord, gets attention and makes the consumer take notice. The fundamentals of creativity and storytelling haven't gone away, they have just adapted to a different medium."

Tags: Daniel Stein, digital advertising, digital campaign, Evolution Bureau, social consumers, social marketing, social media, social networks