Tag Archives: Snapchat

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

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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 management, 10(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.

Should companies embrace Snapchat as a digital marketing strategy?

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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.