Integrating traditional and social marketing

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Product placement on TV shows isn’t a new concept, but combining it with social opens up new opportunities.Brand or product placement on TV can easily be supported by digital content that is disseminated through social at the very same time the audience is watching the TV show. After all, people are no longer watching the commercials but reaching for their smart devices during the ad break. In most cases, they are using both whilst watching the large screen in the living room (yes, by this I'm including people watching Netflix and other streaming options on the old TV).

Some great examples of integrating social (that aren't just the good old product placement or slapping the Facebook URL on the end of the outro) can be seen in the rather cool series Mr. Robot. Aside from the brilliance of the series, the use of social media and creating a community around the series has been awesome. The producers partnered with the web blog site: The Verge to provide a digital aftershow discussion, take a look here. Sadly[nbsp_tc]due to NZ IP addresses, it has not been allowed to play so we can't take part in or view the discussion (that's another blog in itself). Either way, it is awesome to see some are thinking outside of the norm when it comes to connecting to (most) fans.

On the other side is an example of using social as the ad channel by producing content that entertains whilst being supported by a brand. For example, take a look at this little clip from Mountain Dew here:

[br_tc][br_tc]At the end of the clip, the viewer sees Mountain Dew is the sponsor, but you'll also notice it's the subtle placement of the drink throughout the action that gently reinforces the view that Mountain Dew is for thrill seekers or people that want to be like them.

Another is this rather epic clip that combines a number of popular elements in social media to entertain - in a more dynamic way than your typical TVC. What better way to hit search terms in YouTube than to use Parkour, an RC Truck, and a very sexy car...I sure want that Merc!!

As a sidebar, both of these are excellent examples of creating content for social and publishing it in the right context. One of the best in the business is Devin, making it well worth subscribing to his channel.[nbsp_tc]

But what if we took some of this content and released it on TV with supporting social media content? Or better yet, create an entire TV show that associates the brand with this type of action adventure and match it with buzz and unique digital content on social, rewarding fans with bonus content for engaging..!?

OK, OK, my imagination is running away from me, but I hope you can see there are so many ways we can now integrate real-time and traditional marketing with social. If you take anything from my last set of posts:

Social Media, the silver bullet..?[br_tc]Focusing on consumers[nbsp_tc][br_tc]Integrated Marketing

[br_tc]It’s to challenge your agency to innovate and socialise what you do to extend your reach. Get all your channels working together from the initial strategy phase to leverage your marketing spend, making sure your customer service is always on point to retain and create loyal fans. So, I was[nbsp_tc]almost[nbsp_tc]right. I now believe that integrated advertising is the silver bullet and social is an essential component. This silver bullet is at its most powerful when it fires great content that’s perfectly positioned across the right channels for the target audience.

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