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Over 100 million people will tune in for Super Bowl LVIII on Sunday night to watch the Kansas City Chiefs play the San Francisco 49ers. But we’ll let you in on a secret: it’s not because of the Chiefs' recent rise in PR – people will watch no matter who’s playing the game. The Super Bowl is one of the most viewed events every single year. What makes it so successful? There’s something in it for everyone. From the big game and halftime performances to highly anticipated commercials and spin-off events like the Puppy Bowl, there’s a lot you can learn, and Bowe Digital is here to help.
The Big Game
The Super Bowl is the grand finale of the 2024 season, and each element brings in a new audience. Football fans will watch the game to see how it all ends, Swifties will tune in for a glimpse or two of Taylor on the big screen, fans who’ve Got It Bad for Usher will stick around for his halftime performance and the people who “just hope both teams have fun” will welcome the excuse to gather with friends and eat football shaped appetizers.
As game day approaches, the Chiefs and 49ers will study each other's game tapes and highlight reels. Sunday night, they’ll put on their uniforms, proudly displaying their team logos as they battle it out, and fans will do the same.
Here’s what you can learn:
The events you attend may not be as big as the Super Bowl, but there’s no reason you can’t rep your team. Don’t miss an opportunity to show who you play for by wearing company gear whenever you’re on the go. Prep for events by creating a highlight reel or elevator pitch about your products or services and push it out on all platforms (use video!). Lastly, and this one might seem obvious, be friendly. Follow Jason Kelce’s lead by being so likable that even the other team’s fans cheer you on.
Commercials Worth Watching
One of the only times people will watch commercials without complaining is during the Super Bowl. Some successful ones include Kia’s robo-dog commercial highlighting their electric vehicles, Heineken’s commercial with Marvel Studios, and Best Buy’s ‘Asking Amy’ commercial, which aired during the peak of her show Parks & Recreation. What do they all have in common? They mimic the trends happening in real life–whether in pop culture or the world. Heineken, for example, chose to promote their non-alcoholic beverages despite being known as an alcoholic beer brand. They recognized that their audience was becoming more health and wellness-oriented and followed suit. These brands also decided to take a light and comedic approach despite difficult things happening in the world around the time they aired.
Here’s what you can learn:
It’s okay to try different things and target different groups of people. Not every email, post or blog needs to resonate with your entire audience. Play with pop culture, humor and nostalgia. Post a Drake meme like this one from Title Success and an educational video like this one from Southern Loan Servicing and see what happens.
Always pay attention to the world around you and create contextually relevant content that people can relate to in the moment. For example, if you’re seeing a climate change trend in the news, take the opportunity to highlight the green initiatives or projects you’ve worked on. Use your best judgment when it comes to tone.
The Puppy Bowl
None of the football, all of the hype. On February 11, the same day as the big game, you can watch a feel-good competition between Team Ruff and Team Fluff to win the Lombarky trophy. While the televised event really just consists of adorable puppies and kittens running around aimlessly, it has a greater purpose. Animal Planet capitalizes on the attention that the Super Bowl generates to shine a light on animal adoption. All “players” are adoptable, and the event boasts a 100% adoption rate.
Here’s what you can learn:
Yes, it helps that puppies and kittens are adorable, but we think you’re pretty cute yourself. If a trending event or topic doesn’t seem directly related to what you do, you can still spin it to work for your company and draw more attention to your business.
Let Super Bowl LVIII inspire you to try some super marketing tactics at in-person events, on social media and in your marketing collateral. Bowe Digital is here whether you need us to cheer you on from the sidelines or join your team to get you to the endzone with custom marketing. Contact Bradley Erb on our team at bradley@bowedigital.com. Learn more about our services at bowedigital.com.
Start off 2024 by increasing your marketing efforts. If you can’t afford a marketing company like Bowe Digital right now, that’s okay. We work with budgets of all sizes and try to be as flexible as possible for our customers, but humans are expensive. AI, like ChatGPT, is not.
However, ChatGPT isn’t perfect. The Roomba runs into walls, Alexa will respond to her name even if it’s coming from the TV, (Schitt’s Creek fans get it) and ChatGPT lacks human creativity and causes occasional plagiarism problems. Still, it can be a great tool to use if you don’t have the budget for a marketing team right now or are just getting started.
Writing for robots is a lot like writing for humans. The more information you give them, the more you’ll get out of it. Combine the following tips to come up with a single set of instructions.
Start by defining your project. Whether you're seeking content for an email campaign, social media ideas or a witty blog, a well-defined description, including the purpose of the project and intended audience, will set the stage for a more focused response.
Give ChatGPT All the Deets. Tell ChatGPT its role, providing a point-of-view for the AI tool to write from. Include any background information, statistics or facts, along with any key elements you want to be incorporated.
Bring Your Vision to Life. “Your prompt should specify how the output response should be generated, including the tone, length, style and structure, as well as research that needs to be conducted,” as stated by Coursera. You should also include any additional rules and restraints.
1. Email Drip Campaign for Your Company
Prompt: "Craft a compelling email drip campaign from a [insert type of company], encouraging past customers to choose our [insert type of product or services] again. Highlight the benefits of repeat business and the ease of working with us. Keep the tone friendly and informative with a call to action at the end, and limit each email to 100 words."
2. Social Media Ideas and Captions for Your Job Title
Prompt: "Generate 10 creative social media post ideas and catchy captions for a [insert job title] to use, targeting [insert target audience]. Incorporate humor, if possible, and focus on promoting [insert product or services], sharing industry news, and engaging the audience. Consider using a mix of visuals and text to maximize social media impact."
3. Blog Post to Inform Your Customers About an Industry Topic
Prompt: "From the perspective of [insert company], create a 500-word blog post about [insert topic]. Incorporate humor, if possible, and include a quote from [insert resource] that supports the main ideas in the blog, which should be about [insert idea] and [insert idea]. Keep it engaging and relevant for industry professionals."To avoid filtering and plagiarism issues, always run your content through AI detectors like this one and platforms like Grammarly. For custom marketing from a company that knows your brand and you, work with the humans at Bowe Digital. Contact Bradley Erb on our team at bradley@bowedigital.com. Learn more about our services at bowedigital.com.
Video pairs with audio like Taylor Swift pairs with Travis Kelce. Bowe Digital has talked about the importance of using video in your marketing, and now we want to discuss the audio piece that goes with it. Incorporating trending audio and songs into your marketing is a great place to start and could get your social posts boosted by the algorithm to earn you more exposure.
So how do you do it? TikTok curates a list of top trending songs every day. You can put a trending song on low or no volume behind any video and still see the benefits. However, we’d argue that with a little thought, any song can work for any business. We challenge you to think outside the box about how you and your business relate to memes, TikToks and songs you see daily. Turn your creative gears on, and let’s get started.
We’re Making a List (of ideas) and Checking it Twice
We’ll start with an easy one. Last week, Michael Buble’s “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas” was TikTok's fifth most trending song in the United States. With stomachs still full of turkey, users all over the U.S. filmed themselves making Christmas-themed drinks, breaking out the festive decor and showing off their best holiday outfits. They hopped on the trend, and you can, too. Creating video content to pair with holiday audio can be as simple as filming the Christmas decor in your office or your team in ugly holiday sweaters. Do you have a toy drive, collect cans or give back in any way during the holidays? If so, you’ve got another video idea ready to go!
Don’t let the lyrics (gift) box you in. While Christmas is cheery and bright, it’s not always the easiest time to be in business, especially in industries like real estate. “It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas” in your office may look like fewer deals and less customer traffic, and it’s okay to be honest and poke fun at that in your marketing – it makes you relatable. Film your team lying around waiting for the next deal or showcase the training sessions you’re doing to sharpen your skills during the off-season.
Songs for Any Business and Every Season
You’ve got the holidays down. Now, let’s take it up a notch. The number one trending song nationwide last week was “idyll” by Jonjthan. I know what you’re thinking…there’s no way that a song called “idyll” by a guy named Jonjthan (with a j where an a should be) has anything to do with my business, and while you’re probably right, it’s still possible to find some common ground, and we’ll show you how. The chorus of “idyll” goes as follows:
Ⲓt’s this one thing that caught me slippin’
It’s this one thing, Ⲓ want to admit it (you did)
Ƭhis one thing and Ⲓ was so with it (Ƴuh)
Ⲓt’s this one thing you did, oh-oh, oh-oh-oh
So tell us, what’s got you slippin' at work? What’s one thing your customers do that’s got you trippin (in a good way)? If you can answer those questions, you’ve come up with an original idea for a video with trending audio. Maybe it’s your coworker making you coffee and handing it to you, your client bringing everything they needed to a deal or a great feature on your website. It doesn’t have to be a big idea for it to be a good idea, and you can look at other TikToks and reels for inspiration.
Bowe Digital can help you develop ideas and bring them to life by putting videos and audio together for you. Contact Bradley Erb on our team at bradley@bowedigital.com to discuss your marketing goals! Learn more about our services at bowedigital.com.
Work hard so you can play an extra day. Many companies are trading in the traditional 9 to 5, five-day work week so that their employees can enjoy the benefits of a four-day structure. At Bowe Digital, we’ve figured out the key elements of a successful four-day workweek, but we’re still mastering it. It's not a one size fits all approach and you have to refine it to fit your team and company, which is something we have done and continue to do as we grow.
There are a few structures you can consider implementing:
The 32-Hour Work Week
This is the structure that Bowe Digital follows. After extensive research and a few celebratory drinks on our company’s fifth anniversary in June 2022, we announced that Bowe Digital was officially closed on Fridays.
Since then, we’ve found that moving to a 32-hour work week spread across four days can maximize efficiency, foster focus and minimize stress. By reducing the standard 40-hour work week, employees have more time for personal pursuits, family (we’ve got lots of Bowe babies) and self-care. This model encourages people to be more mindful of their time, prioritize tasks accordingly and ensures that your team members are well-rested and rejuvenated, leading to higher productivity levels and happiness during their working hours.
Four Ten Hour Days
Another structure to consider involves working four ten-hour days a week. This condensed schedule allows employees to enjoy three days off without compromising the standard 40-hour work week. When extending the daily work hours, employees need to reimagine time management – scheduling more tasks, and potentially breaks, throughout each day. Just like the 32-hour work week, the additional day off can be used for resting and relaxation or catching up on personal tasks and hobbies.
Fridays Off: Embracing Long Weekends
“Gotta get down on Friday,” Rebecca Black said it first, and while her 2011 hit was incredibly annoying yet catchy, she was definitely onto something. Granting Fridays off not only shortens the work week but also allows your team to enjoy a continuous, uninterrupted break. Hello, long weekend trips, full days of tidying the house and catching up on all the tasks we couldn’t get to before. Employees return on Monday recharged and ready to tackle the week ahead.
Flexible Days Off: Tailoring Work-Life Balance
Understanding that one size doesn’t fit all, you can also implement a flexible system where employees can choose which day they prefer to have off each week. This approach recognizes individual needs and responsibilities. Whether it’s a mid-week break for family commitments or a long weekend to unwind, this structure empowers employees to customize their schedules, promoting a healthier work-life balance tailored to their unique situations.
Combatting Customer Concerns
The four-day work week isn’t only a big change for you, but also for your customers. It’s important to communicate your new working hours and let them know when they can expect your response. Setting an OOO message on your day off helps. At Bowe Digital, if a customer has an urgent request, they are redirected to our Friday support email address, which our team takes turns monitoring. We’ve found that most customers will be respectful of varying operational hours.
Like remote work and custom stickers from Sticker Mule, some ideas just stick, and the four-day workweek is here to stay. If you have questions about our four-day workweek structure or marketing, contact Bradley Erb on our team at bradley@bowedigital.com. Learn more about our services at bowedigital.com.
Worlds collided on Sunday as 12-time Grammy winner Taylor Swift cheered on two-time Super Bowl champion tight end Travis Kelce at the Chiefs game, where he made seven catches and scored a touchdown in their 41-10 victory over the Bears. Now, the internet is divided over the unlikely pair, who are rumored to be dating, and it has both the Swifties and football fans wondering if sparks are really flying between the two.
Naturally, Bowe Digital is more worried about what this budding relationship means for their prospective brands.
Taylor’s Version
Taylor is notorious for her chart-topping breakup and love songs inspired by her star-studded list of exes. While her songs are wildly popular, it’s the marketing tactics behind them that sell out concert stadiums and create buzz on social media.
Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour generated 5 billion dollars in revenue using six main tactics we can all learn from. They offered exclusive items only available for purchase at the concert, followed organic community trends – cue the friendship bracelets (this will be important later!), listened to fans – adding more tour dates due to high demand, left hints on Taylor Swift’s website and social media, leaned into Taylor-themed side events and spread out the love on social, featuring things like ‘Get Ready With Me’ videos on TikTok, Stories during the concert and Instagram photo carousels days after.
Taylor and her team also recognize the value of repurposing successful content. Knowing how much her fans loved the album Sparks Fly, she wrote Sparks Fly (Taylor’s Version). Likewise, following the success of her tour, her team repurposed it into a movie experience.
Catching Kelce
Travis Kelce has been in the NFL for 11 years. In 2016, he scored a role on his dating show called Catching Kelce, but it wasn’t until the 2023 Super Bowl, where he faced off against his older brother Jason Kelce and won, that he started to gain the attention of people everywhere. Following his Super Bowl win, Travis was invited to host SNL, has starred in commercials, tried his hand at some modeling and most notably, started a podcast with his brother called New Heights with Travis and Jason Kelce. The football player capitalized on his newfound fame to build a lasting brand and now has the #1 most popular sports podcast on Spotify.
In Their (Chiefs) Red Era
So, how are Taylor and Travis helping each other score? First, let’s talk about how the two got together. A long-time fan, Travis attended one of Taylor’s concerts during her Eras Tour and brought a friendship bracelet with his number on it, proving just how good of a marketing tactic it was (we told you this would be important). Sadly, he didn’t get the chance to give it to her, but he shot his shot again and scored her attendance at the Sunday night game.
Taylor and Travis are the best at what they do in their perspective fields, but little overlap exists. Their relationship exposes them to new audiences, with Taylor making her ESPN debut and Travis being discovered by Swifties everywhere. However, it does seem like Travis and the Chiefs got the better side of the deal. “Since Sunday’s Chiefs-Bears game, there’s been a 400% spike in Travis Kelce jersey sales, Kelce’s podcast ranks #1 overall on Apple, Kelce adds 383K Instagram followers, 24.3M viewers watched the game, 3x increase in ‘Chiefs’ searches on the web, 3x increase in Chiefs’ sales on Stubhub and Chiefs sold more tickets in a single day since the start of the season,” according to this Instagram post from Front Office Sports.
Whether this means we’ll see more football jerseys at the next Taylor Swift concert or sparkly outfits at the Chiefs game, we’re here for it. All we can hope for is more touchdowns, new songs and great marketing. Like Taylor and Travis, give people something to talk about by working with Bowe Digital. Contact Bradley Erb on our team at bradley@bowedigital.com to discuss your marketing goals! Learn more about our services at bowedigital.com.
You’ve done the back-to-school shopping with your kiddos, teachers have shared their Amazon wishlists and set up their classrooms, and now it’s time to focus on you. However, just like the kids have ditched cursive writing for learning on laptops, you’ve traded in long commutes for remote work. Bowe Digital can help you become a remote-work pro, but today, we’re taking a page out of our teachers’ book.
Teachers, we salute you! Not only for educating our little ones but also for taking them off our hands for a while. We admire your organizational skills, patience and knack for making your classrooms both functional and inspirational.
While some of us may want to leave sharing Amazon wishlists to the teachers (they deserve it), these Amazon finds will help you revamp your home office space.
The Remote Worker’s Ultimate Amazon Wishlist:
Since you’re likely spending most of your workdays in it, a comfortable chair is non-negotiable. You can level up your existing chair with lumbar support pads and seat cushions like this CloudBliss seat cushion, or you can sit criss-cross applesauce like the kids with options like this aesthetic chair and this ergonomic one.
For the days you don't want to get out of bed, leave the couch or the pool lounger, portable desk stands like this LapGear Lap Desk can make it easier to work from wherever you want.
When the bus pulls up at the end of the day and the front door swings open, you can stay in the zone and block out the chaos (whether your work day is over or not - we won’t tell) with noise-canceling headphones. Try this budget-friendly option from JBL, or splurge on these Sony headphones.
In case working from home wasn’t hard enough, some people are adding walking from home to their resumes, too. Walking pads, or portable treadmills, have become a trend among remote workers on TikTok. You, too, can get your steps in while you work by purchasing a walking pad like this one. Of course, having a standing desk like this adjustable one by WOKA will make multitasking a bit easier.
No windows in your at-home office space? No problem. Achieve the perfect lighting for Zoom calls, video recordings and more with a clip on ring light. Try this dimmable option.
If you’re worried about your FBI agent watching your every move (if you know, you know), a sliding webcam cover like this one can help give you peace of mind and a little extra privacy when the cameras aren’t (supposed) to be rolling.
Whether you’re trying to savor your morning coffee or you're just too busy to drink it before it gets cold, a mug warmer can keep it hot. Try this wireless one.
…Because we think they should be part of every work from home uniform. After all, working from home allows you to be business up top and comfort down below. Here are a few cozy slippers you should add to your cart: Ankis Fuzzy Memory Foam Slippers, Men’s Memory Foam Slippers and Retro Smiley Face Slippers.
We hope you and your kids have an amazing school year! At Bowe Digital, we’re passionate about what we do and can work with any budget. Contact Bradley Erb on our team at bradley@bowedigital.com to discuss your marketing goals! Learn more about our services at bowedigital.com.
You could hire someone, or you could just do it yourself (DIY). Social media creators like @the_avantgarde and @angelarosehome have us believing that we can do just about anything on our own. The two badass women are transforming homes, building furniture and decor from the ground up and sharing their best home hacks so that others can join in.
Sometimes business calls for a DIY, too. Canva is a great tool for businesses looking to do more marketing on their own! But no one said it would be easy. Like @the_avantegarde and @angelarosehome, Bowe Digital is here to guide you and share tips to help anyone get the most out of Canva.
5 Things to Take Advantage of:
Another tip? Save yourself more time by using keyboard shortcuts in Canva.
Ensure Your DIY Designs Don’t Flop
The best thing about a DIY design (besides its money-saving quality) is that you can make it completely your own. So go crazy – just not too crazy. These tips can help.
Taking the First Step
Canva Free Account
Canva Free is a great option for beginners just trying their hand at design. You’ll gain access to over 250,000 free templates, basic editing features, over a million free photos and graphics and more. Just be careful you don’t get burned. If you’re using other marketing alternatives like Etsy to purchase templates, you may need the Pro version to access them.
Canva Pro
Do it like the pros. For just $12.99/month, you get unlimited access to premium design templates, over 100 million premium stock photos, videos, audio and more. Pro makes it easy to establish your visual identity with brand kits and more. Plus, you get the ability to resize designs, remove image and video backgrounds in one click and schedule social media content.
Canva for Teams
DIY doesn’t mean you have to do it alone. Get all the features of Canva Pro, plus features designed to help teams of all sizes collaborate with ease, for $14.99/month total for the first five people. Scale your brand with centralized brand assets and guidelines, maintain consistency with brand Controls, brand Templates and design approval workflows, leave real-time comments and assign tasks, get team reports and insights and more.
You Don’t Have to Do It Yourself
DIY isn’t for everyone. If you’re the type to call in a Task Rabbit or just don’t want to do it yourself, Bowe Digital will do it for you! We’re pros at custom marketing, and our expertise goes beyond creating one-of-a-kind designs.
Whether you work with us or not, we’re always happy to help! Contact Bradley Erb on our team at bradley@bowedigital.com to discuss your marketing goals, set up a time to brainstorm ways you can utilize Canva to get through this phase of the market or set up a Canva demo for your team. Learn more about our services at bowedigital.com.
Listen up! No, really. Pop on your headphones or connect to your car’s Bluetooth during your next drive because you don’t want to miss what Wayne Stanley had to say about marketing on the FNF Unplugged podcast.
The Fidelity National Financial Family of Companies’ Unplugged podcast was created to spark conversations with professionals across the country – exploring business topics and empowering personal growth in real estate, financial services and the title industry. In May, our Owner and Chief Inspiration Officer joined FNF’s marketing guru, Linda Grahovec, on the podcast for a two-part marketing series. Wayne has spent over 15 years in the marketing space. While his prior job experience and connections have helped Bowe Digital carve a niche in the land title industry, we work with small businesses ranging from mom-and-pop flower shops and small accounting firms to storage facilities, little bodegas, car washes and everything in between.
PART 1
In part one of the two-part series, Linda and Wayne discuss the importance of setting SMART marketing goals and explain how they help to shape your overall marketing strategy and guide your marketing plan (emphasis on guide because it should be flexible). Don’t worry…Wayne starts by defining what each is and what factors to consider. For example, who can give you more business this year? Versus who can give you any business at all this year? It’s okay to think big as long as you start small and uncover which individuals or groups you should focus on.
Sounds good, right? But if you don’t have a dedicated sales or marketing team, you’re probably wondering who this responsibility falls to. The two marketing experts go over the biggest obstacles in marketing and share ideas on how to get through them. Wayne touches on topics from your team’s role in market research, the budget-friendly tools and solutions available to you, how to take action on your ideas and the importance of testing messages, using the analogy “your marketing isn’t a gumball machine.” You can’t put a quarter in and expect to get the flavor you want on the first try. Marketing takes time, and your audience’s flavor preferences are constantly changing, so being able to pivot is key.
Listen to the full podcast here.
PART 2
It's time to start thinking beyond your website and focus on visuals in other mediums. In part two of the marketing series, Wayne talks about what’s working in today’s market and what’s not. He states that the four biggest marketing wins he’s seeing right now are marketing emails, LinkedIn posts, videos and public relations. But what kind of content works for each? And how often should you be sending them to your customers? Wayne shares the answers to these questions as well as the tools making content creation and design more accessible for non-marketing professionals. Those tools include Chat GPT (use with caution), Canva, Pixabay and his personal favorite, Gratisography.
Linda also sparks a conversation about how a business decides to hire someone internally versus hiring a company like Bowe Digital. While there’s no clear formula, it all ties back to your marketing goals and what you want to accomplish. Think about your work culture. Will an internal marketing person get pulled in different directions and put marketing on the back burner? Are you going to edit the “happy” to “glad” to get things just right? If so, is an external company willing to work shoulder-to-shoulder with you? What will the working relationship look like? Asking and answering these questions can help you make the right decision for your business. However, in most cases, an outside agency will probably be more cost-effective.
Listen to the full podcast here.
Also, here's a quick bonus read: https://bit.ly/3N8q7Cr!
Wayne Stanley and the rest of our Bowe Digital team are passionate about marketing, and we don’t believe in gatekeeping. Whether you work with our team or not, we’re always happy to discuss your business goals, talk about what’s happening in the market and help you brainstorm ideas. Contact Bradley Erb on our team at bradley@bowedigital.com and start putting your big ideas into action! Learn more about our services at bowedigital.com.
Some familiar movies are hitting the big screen in 2023 and allowing us to relive our fondest childhood memories in a new way, but their names alone aren’t what make them successful.
Barbie, The Super Mario Bros. Movie and The Little Mermaid are three new movies that blend nostalgia and pop culture. There’s a lot to learn from how movies are marketed to their audiences and how they mix the old with the new. We’ll be exploring that in this blog.
This Barbie is a social media pro.
The new live action Barbie movie comes out on July 21, and viewers can hardly wait to see it thanks to some nostalgia and strategic marketing. Barbie herself is timeless. She made her debut in 1959, and while she’s since gotten a pay raise, a few airplanes, fancy cars, hotels and more, she continues to find herself in the hands of many young girls and boys.
The movie’s marketing team created a ton of buzz using a few simple tactics. The first, uniform character posters using the tagline, “This Barbie is…” Once released, social media quickly turned into a Barbie world, with the poster turning into a viral meme. People and businesses everywhere started customizing the graphic and tagline to work for them. You can find some fun examples here. Another tactic for the Barbie movie was to mobilize their cast on social media. Taking advantage of the existing fan base of huge stars like Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, they had their cast members post movie trailers and photos of their characters onto their personal social channels.
Bringing the Barbie World to Your World
Viral content goes viral because it resonates with a large audience, so take the opportunity to join in whenever possible and appropriate. It doesn’t have to be complicated or have a direct tie to your business. Think, “This Barbie works from home,” “This Barbie will help you find your dream home,” or even “This Barbie needs a drink.” With a little creativity, you can find a way to make just about anything relevant to your business.
Your team may not be famous, but they’ve still got some fans (or at a minimum their moms). Having them share or post about company news on social media will help you drive engagement and reach more people.
The Rainbow Road from Old to New
The Super Mario Bros. Movie, released on April 6, can teach us a thing or two about innovation and combining the old with the new. Gone are the days of the damsel in distress because Princess Peach can buy her own flowers, and in this movie adaptation of an old video game, she takes the lead.
From plumbing commercials to a fully functional plumbing website, the movie’s marketing team did a lot to get people racing to the theaters. One thing that stood out to us was their focus on partnerships. They worked with Amazon to turn some of their delivery boxes into question mark boxes from the game, created a Super Mario Bros. background for Alexa compatible devices and more. Prior to the movie’s release, Chris Pratt, the voice actor for Mario, sent out a very relatable tweet to get his audience excited and acknowledge that the movie may be different from what everyone (himself included) is used to. It read, “The official teaser trailer for The Super Mario Bros. Movie is finally here!! After playing the games for years as a kid (and adult), I’m excited to bring Mario to all of you! Enjoy!”
Crossing the finish line.
When using nostalgia in marketing, it’s important to understand that your audiences change. Stories and messages that seemed accurate in the past may need a rewrite, and that’s okay! You can take an idea that evokes happy memories and change it to match the current interests and beliefs of your audience.
Collaborating with other companies as part of your referral program and coming up with relatable content are great ways to gain more business. For example, when introducing a new product or service to a more traditional audience, it may be beneficial to tell them that it’s new to you, as well, or to remind them of another product that was once new but has since made their lives easier.
Under the Sea-crets to an effective campaign
The highly anticipated live action remake of The Little Mermaid is set to premier on May 26. Viewers will sing along to songs from their childhoods, and watch as Ariel defeats Ursula and converses with an uncharacteristically thin Flounder.
The marketers behind this movie capitalized on the beloved songs and arranged for Halle Bailey, the movie’s Ariel, to sing “Part of Your World” during American Idol’s Disney night in Disneyland. They also took advantage of the story’s popularity and repurposed it with a book tie-in.
A Whole New World For Your Marketing Materials
Singing a disney song on American Idol’s Disney night in Disneyland is a little on the nose, but what we can take away from this is the power of promotional events. Attending and speaking at events, virtually or in person, is a great way to increase recognition, network with other professionals and show your involvement in your industry or community. Bring your business cards or some branded swag to give to other attendees.
Like any great movie remake, you can give your marketing materials new life. If something you’ve done or created in the past was successful, repurpose it. Turn your blog into a series of social posts, take information from your flier and turn it into a video or break your webinar down into pieces and distribute it over email. Repurposing materials will save you time and money.
There’s a lot to be learned from movie marketing, but one thing we know is that incorporating nostalgia and pop culture into your marketing strategy is a great way to pull at your customers’ heart strings and reach new audiences.
It may take a little extra creativity, but Bowe Digital is here to help. We’ll be the Ken to your Barbie, Luigi to your Mario and Eric to your Ariel.
Contact Bradley Erb on our team at bradley@bowedigital.com to discuss your marketing goals and start putting some of these tactics into action! Learn more about our services at bowedigital.com.
