Building a Brand by Being Sociable

Some marketers focus all their resources on selling their products and services. Activities range from advertising current “deals” to distributing coupons to spiffing sales people to sell more.

Then there are other marketers that invest in building relationships. They understand the importance of connecting customers and their brand.

One of the best ways to connect a brand with customers is through the value of sociability.

As a differentiating value, Sociability means friendly and pleasant; inviting; or congenial.  Now, doesn’t that just sound like fun?

Over the past number of years, some very creative marketers proved they could be quite sociable, including:

• Coca-Cola with their Happiness machine, having fun and being sociable with some college students in a very creative way. Here students shared in flowers, pizza, and sandwiches – and of course Cokes – being handed out through the small vending machine opening.
• T-Mobile used a Flash Mob dance at the train station in Liverpool, proving they could create a very social environment with complete strangers. They then extended this fun experience by enabling millions of consumers to be social with this video online.

Now there is Heineken.

The marketer of Heineken recently conducted a brilliant social move, promoting a game of Departure Roulette. They set up a huge green board in the Kennedy International Airport that looked like it could have been on a TV game show.

Travelers were then asked if they would be willing to abandon their current itineraries and instead leave for a free trip to an unknown destination. All they had to do was “push the red button” and their NEW destination would appear – all expenses paid by Heineken.

For one brave young man, instead of visiting family in Vienna as planned, he ended up going to Cyprus. His “new” plan was to rent a scooter and go up and down the coast, hoping to meet some pretty girls.

Equally important for Heineken, there were lots of travellers in the airport who were fascinated by this new game. While few were willing to change their plans, many were eager to “push the button” on the Departure Roulette and see where they could have gone.

What a great way for travelers – and millions of socially oriented consumers online – to enjoy the brand of Heineken in a friendly, fun, and inviting way.

Sometimes, being sociable is more effective than any selling.

 

Would you be willing to play Departure Roulette and drop everything and go?

 

Today’s value was selected from the “Appreciation-Kindness” category, based on the e-book Developing Your Differentiating Values.