How can confectionary companies use a combination of PPC and social media to accomodate the rise in food related health concerns?

An arising issue most confectionary manufacturer’s face is the growing concerns that unhealthy food can have on society. This has been a growing issue over the past few years, causing action to be taken in certain parts of the country with government backed ad campaigns and in some cases, banning the advertisement of unhealthy foods (Buss, 2016), therefore presenting confectionary companies with a challenge.

These companies must now realise a method in which to advertise their products which accounts for health implications as well as receiving successful returns from their marketing campaigns.

Most confectionary companies target market is young people or children, and in order to reach them a lot of advertising techniques target the parents to purchase the confectionary for their children. This therefore renders health implications in advertising a priority, as parents are unlikely to buy unhealthy foods for their children (Ip, Mehta & Coveney, 2007).

Television has encountered a lot of negative press about the advertisement of confectionary and is regarded as having a bad influence on children (Woodward, 1997). A social media approach is perhaps the best way to reach the target market of young people, and in doing so offers a platform in which customers can interact with the company. Allowing the customer to have a two-way conversation with the company leads to a happy and returning customer, as well as a business that knows what its customers want, and how to deliver that. The benefit of this is it allows the company to fight any negative stigma by contacting the customer directly.

The visual aids of advertising unhealthy food have in particular come under scrutiny in the war against unhealthy food. The use of imagery to manipulate unhealthy food as being positive and attractive has been condemned (Boydell, Scally & Scott, 1991) in modern society, and as such requires attention by marketers. The use of imagery in marketing, especially marketing food, is incredibly effective, as images act as the catalyst in increasing customer’s attention to the brand (Underwood et al, 2001). Therefore can’t be rejected.

But in order to turn it into a positive, confectionary companies must use imagery in a positive way. The use of Snapchat could enable this, as food channels on snapchat such as “Healthy AF” and “Tastemade” have seen success.

By producing images and videos of not just aesthetically pleasing food but also content which explains and encourages health in their food, customers will benefit as well as the company.

Using Snapchat is a proven method of getting customers to interact with a company, with things such as sponsored filters and events. These interactions are a great way to drive customers to the company’s main selling platform and leads to positive thoughts of the brand (Coyle & Thorson, 2001). Using interactive methods on snapchat to provide content encouraging healthy heating habits for the target market can see results for the company all the while addressing these health issues.

Another approach that can be used to reach the parent target market is the use of Pay per click advertising, where a company will have their advert placed at the top of a search engine and pay every time it gets clicked on. Using the PPC approach can become useful as it can target certain audiences, meaning adverts will only appear to parents in certain areas and at certain times, so during school holidays for example.

Along with this it also targets keywords. This is crucial for advertising to parents via PPC, as confectionary companies can bid on keywords such as “nutritious” and “healthy” gaining more interest from the parents (Goldberg, Gorn & Gibson, 1978).

All of this being said, it’s important to not false advertise and stretch the truth as far as the products healthiness actually is. These strategies are ways in which companies can account for what customers want and how they can integrate it into their marketing methods. PPC allows for easy target and keyword marketing, allowing parents to find what they are looking for, and Snapchat enables the visuals of the product to incorporate health aspects such as healthy baking videos and tutorials on a balanced diet. Giving both target markets, of parents and children, what they both want, which is nutrition as well as something tasty will ensure customer retention, as both parties are pleased.

 

References

Boydell, L., Scally, G. and Scott, M. (1991). Advertising for health?. Health Education Journal, 50(1), pp.31-33.

Buss, C. (2016). Advertising ban for unhealthy food and drinks is ‘welcome step’. Available: http://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/advertising-ban-for-unhealthy-food-and-drinks-is-welcome-step/story-29965664-detail/story.html. Last accessed 01/05/17.

Coyle, J.R. and Thorson, E., 2001. The effects of progressive levels of interactivity and vividness in web marketing sites. Journal of advertising, 30(3), pp.65-77.

Goldberg, M.E., Gorn, G.J. and Gibson, W. (1978). The effects of TV messages for high and low nutritional foods on children’s snack and breakfast food choices. NA-Advances in Consumer Research Volume 05.

Ip, J., Mehta, K.P. and Coveney, J. (2007). Exploring parents’ perceptions of television food advertising directed at children: a South Australian study. Nutrition & Dietetics, 64(1), pp.50-58.

Underwood, R.L., Klein, N.M. and Burke, R.R., 2001. Packaging communication: attentional effects of product imagery. Journal of product & brand management10(7), pp.403-422.

Woodward, D.R., Cumming, F.J., Ball, P.J., Williams, H.M., Hornsby, H. and Boon, J.A. (1997). Does television affect teenagers’ food choices?. Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, 10(4), pp.229-235.

Exploring the effects of Pay per click advertising for large corporation’s vs start-ups.

Pay per click (PPC) advertising allows a business to pay for their advert to appear at the top of a search engine results page (SERP), thereby essentially paying for clicks and receiving more traction to their website.

This PPC method has largely been regarded as a great digital marketing tool especially for small businesses to use when looking at breaking into a new market. Having PPC adverts allows smaller companies to appear higher on SERP’s and therefore receive more interactions, this is a much better alternative to use these smaller companies build SEO reputation with quality content, something that takes time.

Not only does PPC produce more favourable results than SEO for smaller businesses (Cain, 2016) but a huge benefit on top of that is the ability to appeal to a large audience in a small amount of time. As Lombardi (2011) stated “When immediate results are desired, paid advertising is a powerful strategy for generating nearly instantaneous traffic after the campaign has been launched”.

It is uncommon for large multinational businesses to use PPC as a method of digital marketing, and this is assumed because they usually have brand recognition and great SEO rankings that they don’t have to pay for clicks, their reputation does it for them. However, due to the lack of multinational businesses doing so, it could work as a competitive advantage for businesses in a large oligopoly for example, giving them another angle to steal customers from competitors, especially in markets where brand loyalty is a struggle. Sullivan (2003) states “PPC advertising can become increasingly expensive for companies as they are locked in bidding wars over the same keywords, driving up each other’s costs”. Having a lack of competitors using PPC means this won’t be a problem and remains an obstacle for smaller companies whose competitors all use PPC.

Another good use for larger companies is the ability to target audiences with specific adverts. Large companies have large product portfolios all targeting different markets and segments, so adopting an initiative that can cater to different market segments is surely beneficial no? The Google AdWords account can allow ads to target selective audiences and be shown at specific times of the day.

For example, an ice cream business is influenced heavily by seasonality, so it can create adverts to only show when the weather is above certain temperatures, and will only target parents, who will go and buy ice cream for their children. This was shown to be the case when Manning Gottleib were appointed to take charge of the marketing strategy of Starbucks, and used weather factors ot influence when adverts were shown (Dar, 2000).

Larger companies also have a large budget to accommodate their size. Research has shown that the most effective PPC campaigns are the ones which cost the most, and to be successful a large budget for PPC is required, usually at least £500 a month is required to be effective (Sullivan, 2003). Essentially the more you spend on PPC the more you will get back. This increased budget can also help pay for trained staff to manage the account, which research shows leads to a higher success rate for PPC campaigns (Sen, 2005).

On the other hand, PPC can offer a more difficult platform for larger companies to compete on. Larger companies prefer to use an SEO approach due to the main reason that it’s free. A lot of people refrain from clicking the first results they see on a SERP regarding it as spam and not good quality, whereas SEO ranking is based on having good quality relevant content, and large companies have usually established this already.

Overall, only certain large companies can really reap the rewards of PPC marketing. Being in the right market is essential, as large companies are constantly competing for market share stealing competitors can play a big part. So operating in a market where brand loyalty is tough to maintain could mean PPC will be a successful strategy, for example, the confectionary industry. Another must for a large company to utilise PPC is having some brand recognition, this will counter act the stigma of adverts in a SERP being spam if the viewer can identify the company behind it.

If you’re a small business wanting to use PPC here’s why you should. That being said, in order to be successful you need to know what you’re doing large or small business, so here’s a useful link on the do’s and don’ts when staring up a PPC account.

References

Cain, E. (2016). How to use SEO and PPC the right way (5 short case studies). Available: http://www.pagewiz.com/blog/ppc/seo-and-ppc. Last accessed 07/04/17.

Dar, I. (2000). Manning Gottleib wins Starbucks media strategy and buying tasks. Available: http://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/manning-gottlieb-wins-starbucks-media-strategy-buying-tasks/45902. Last accessed 17/04/17.

Lombardi, G. (2011). SEO vs. PPC: Which strategy will deliver you biggest ROI? Dental economics. 101 (10), p1-4.

Sen, R. (2005). Optimal search engine marketing strategy. International journal of electronic commerce. 10 (1), p9-25.

Sullivan, T. (2003). Competitively using Pay per click advertising. International journal of electronic commerce. 7 (3), p14-15.

Should companies embrace Snapchat as a digital marketing strategy?

Snapchat has more than established itself as a heavy weight in the social media scene over the years, and has shown some pretty impressive growth stats. Valued at $20 billion and with 150 million daily users, the app surpasses Twitter, Pinterest, and LinkedIn when it comes to regular engagement and is officially a household name (Haselkorn, 2016).

Yet companies haven’t embraced its marketing opportunities as much as they have Facebook and other similar social media platforms. Seeing as we are all aware of the value of video and picture content in advertising, it seems mad that Snapchat isn’t bombarded with adverts.

Well what are some of the benefits?

Apart from its rapid growth Snapchat utilises the video segment of marketing, with short and concise content to leave viewers asking questions and wanting more. This model is perfect for companies looking to increase their traffic to websites and blogs for example as they can advertise it for 10 seconds on Snapchat.

Another is that the production value of a Snapchat video is low. Part of the beauty of Snapchat is it’s every day videos by everyday people, no slick production values necessary. Making videos that fit this style will not only be cheap but could prove to be videos that Snapchat users can relate to.

The subtle approach is warranted in social media to be successful and Snapchat provides that. It allows marketers to find out what customers are interested in and then provide useful and enticing information in the form of their content (Ryan, 2016). If done correctly Snapchat can have a great positive impact on a business’s online profile.

So why aren’t companies biting?

Well firstly, Snapchat isn’t making it easy for them, much like Facebook a few years back they are primarily focused on enriching the user experience rather than factoring in much considerations for advertisers (Hanson, 2016). Great for the users, not so much for businesses. However, much like Facebook, Snapchat will be looking to monetise itself further with its continued growth and advertising will be an obvious choice. So for businesses, opportunity awaits.

On the reverse side, Snapchats format isn’t suited for many businesses and this may explain the lack of business users. Food and entertainment companies will do well from Snapchat as the visual aspect of their product is a huge part of what makes it sell. Most other businesses can’t get to grips with 10 second video or picture content unless they come up with a something that goes viral, not every day ideas unfortunately.

How can companies make the most of their Snapchat presence?

Studies have shown that content which sparks strong emotions such as humour, inspiration, sadness or fear are most likely to be shared and remembered (Phelps & Lewis et al, 2004). Cadbury has received good returns after sponsoring a Snapchat filter, adding a humorous element to one of their products in an interactive video.

Having mentioned the value of video content, having a snapchat channel would then be a logical step for companies looking to break into Snapchat. Very similar to a YouTube channel, users can subscribe to your channel and receive all your latest video content. However, due to Snapchats quick and to the point method open rates and video views tend to be higher and can be a great platform to provide teaser content, to encourage your viewers to search further.

Companies have also taken to enlisting famous Snapchat influencers with a large reach on Snapchat to promote their product within the videos they post. Sour Patch Kids adopted this approach and received 120,000 new Snapchat followers as a result. This is a great way to reach a large audience with very little effort for the organisation (Digital training academy, 2014).

If you need any more tips and pointers, Social Media Examiner provide every day users and businesses with all the information there is to know when it comes to using Snapchat effectively.

 

References
Digital Training Academy. (2014). Snapchat case study: Candy brand Sour Patch Kids have a sweet year on Snapchat. Available: http://www.digitaltrainingacademy.com/casestudies/2015/07/snapchat_case_study_candy_brand_sour_patch_kids_have_a_sweet_year_on_snapchat.php. Last accessed 27/02/2017.
Hanson, A. (2016). Why More Brands AREN’T Experimenting With Snapchat Read more at http://www.business2community.com/social-media/brands-arent-experimenting-snapchat-01441678#r49aKEhOeWvJicfu.99. Available: http://www.business2community.com/social-media/brands-arent-experimenting-snapchat-01441678#X1OdAKlO4xSxZO9f.97. Last accessed 27/02/2017.
Haselkorn, K. (2016). 5 Fatal Mistakes Businesses Are Making on Snapchat. Available: https://gofishdigital.com/snapchat-mistake-business/. Last accessed 27/02/2017.
Ryan, D. (2016). Understanding digital marketing: marketing strategies for engaging the digital generation. Kogan Page Publishers. P122.
Phelps, J. Lewis, R. Mobilio, L. Perry, D. Raman, N. (2004). Viral marketing or electronic word-of-mouth advertising: Examining consumer responses and motivations to pass along email. Journal of advertising research, 44(4), pp.333–348.

 

 

What to expect in a promotional email from Thomson.

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As I have previously booked a holiday online through Thomson, it required me to subscribe to their mailing list. In doing so I have since received a number of emails from Thomson inviting me to take advantage of their latest deals and offers in various e-newsletters and personalised emails. The most recent being their Hot October Deals newsletter.

thomo-1thomo-2thomo-3thomo-4

The email once opened shows the various deals they have on offer for the end of October or early Christmas breaks. It leads with a large picture banner and multiple blocks below enticing viewers to click each block to take them to a deal advertising that location. The excessive usage of pictures and buttons was obvious within this email. However, this is understandable and expected when booking a holiday, the aesthetics are one of the main factors in a customer’s choice, and would cause someone to open the email and enquire further.

The email therefore matches the Ellis – Chadwick study stating that the use of interactive elements in emails such as hyperlinks, images and tag lines are more enticing to customers than just text and therefore receive more clicks.

The placement of the various calls to action are also something to take note of. According to Hernandez and Resnick customers loose interest with their online baskets and due to poor navigation and the placement of various things on the website. The Gutenberg pattern was put forward in response to this. It tracks where on the page viewers make eye contact with the most.

gutenberg-pattern

Looking at the Gutenberg pattern it’s clear that Thomson have adopted it within their October newsletter. The call to action button is placed at the top of the page and at the point of fist eye contact. These calls to action are placed upon images of the destinations and combine with the Ellis-Chadwick theory to fully engage and encourage viewers to click.

Another thing you can expect from a Thomson email, and something that’s a must in modern email marketing, personalisation. Although this email I received was a newsletter and probably sent to the majority of their subscribers, most of the destinations advertised within my email are ones similar to the holiday package I booked with Thomson previously, both destination and price range. This email has clearly benefitted from my details that have been submitted and logged. This data Thomson now have has been put into this email to personalise it to my interests such as destinations and price range. On the other hand, in comparison to other personalised emails this one misses out some key areas. For example, the email doesn’t address me as an individual unlike others would by leading with “Hello James” or something similar.

Another issue I had with the email was its length, I left the scroll bar in the far right of the first image to show how much scrolling is required to read the full email. This excessive scrolling could lead to a high bounce rate. However, that being said most of the important information was towards the top of the email and fits in with the Gutenberg model of eye contact and attention. It clearly encourages recipients of the email to book online as information about their stores was located at the bottom of the email, whereas hyperlinks to the website were a main feature within the header.

Finally, we can see this particular email finds its self at the bottom of the RACE funnel model.

race-funnel-model

As I am already a customer they have already reached, acted and converted me. Now this email very much fits into the category of engage by trying to retain me as a customer with new deals. The email is then trying to re-automate the funnel with publications and promotions so that the viewer will follow onto the website and book again. This is a factor that would contribute to me personally not opening the email as I would consider it as a batch email, not suited for me as an individual. Also an email is something that would encourage an impulse purchase, as a holiday is a large investment, an impulse purchase isn’t likely and therefore means this email goes in the trash.

Overall, I would say the email was successful in its needs. Its layout and design are easy to follow and much like the Gutenberg pattern I found myself making fist point of eye contact with the calls to actions and holiday adverts and would encourage me to book a similar holiday to one I had before, if I’m in the market for one. As this email is intended to existing customers only, it fits its purpose of being informative enticing for repeat business.