Dynamic Advertising: The ABC of RTM Marketing

Dynamic Advertising: The ABC of RTM Marketing Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter is continuing to cause a stir, as many big companies are following in the path of General Motors and pausing all advertising campaigns on the platform. With around 450 million active users on Twitter, this is not a decision that any company can make lightheartedly - especially keeping in mind that people spend more time viewing ads on this platform than on most other popular social media networks. In short, this might turn out to be a major blow to sales. Why is social media one of the most common ‘go-to’ solutions for advertisers? Well, it has a lot to do with Real-Time Marketing (RTM), which is a rising force in the world of marketing techniques. If you haven’t heard of RTM yet, and don’t realize just how important it is to you, then you should definitely read on to find out more about it. “RTM is actually a quick response, and a leveraging method, to a trending issue, whether it is the news, a recurring event such as a holiday, or whatnot,” said John Doe, CEO and owner of ‘ABC company’, a leading Israeli marketing firm. “Good RTM conducts some sort of linkage between your brand to the issue, keeping your brand relevant to what’s going on in the world today. It’s a great way to create memorability, but it also requires caution and sensitivity, and a whole lot of tact.” RTM as Judo Before diving into the do’s and don’ts of RTM, and how it's done right, here’s a quick successful example of it: A few years ago, ‘Clalit’, an Israeli healthcare giant, declared with pride that it has reached a threshold of 4.4 million Israeli clients (approximately half of the country’s population). ‘Meuhedet’, its smaller competitor, reacted to this campaign by hitting ‘Clalit’ in its weakest spot - the long waiting times, with which all Israelis are familiar with (the issue). ‘Meuhedet’ posted an ad of a person holding a printout that says “Your number in line: 4.4 million”. ‘Clalit’ hurried to announce that it would make an effort to solve this issue, but the damage was already done, and ‘Meuhedet’ had the upper hand in this battle over public opinion. Why do marketers need this? Let’s face it: Many of the brands that compete in the same category are not that different in terms of what they offer, just like in the case of the Israeli healthcare service providers. In this type of situation, the best way for a brand to be a potential customer's first priority is to be at their TOM (‘top of mind’). This practically means generating marketing content that can be easily remembered because of the emotions it evokes in the consumer’s heart. In other words, when McDonald’s and Burger King compete over a hungry person’s attention (and appetite), they don’t do it nowadays by offering a different product. They both want to sell you the same old burger, whether it is called a Whopper or a Big Mac. Hence, they need to find ways to stay at the top of your mind, so when you want fast food, you’ll think of them first. Furthermore, the potential client may not be needing the advertised product at the moment they see the ad, but if and when they do, it’s likely that they'll think of the well-remembered brand first, highly increasing the chances of a purchase, before checking out other brands that have not managed to become TOMs. Using RTM, especially on social media, has the potential to increase awareness among people who don’t know the brand or are indifferent to it. Also, it can boost online engagement around the product, especially of potential customers. When people see, for example, a ‘regular’ ad on Facebook, they may click it, scroll past it, or send a link to a friend that may be interested in it. However, if one sees an RTM ad that’s related to a burning issue (and therefore, makes them laugh, re-think about a certain topic, etc.) they are more likely to share it with more than just one friend, or even actively comment on it. Taking these kinds of actions in response to an ad is likely to make it more memorable to those who see it. Do it right “First and foremost, marketers must make sure they can create a real link between the issue and the promoted brand in a way that seems natural, in order to hook the potential client,” Doe added. “They also have to make the response to the trending issue quick. Delaying for too long will make the ad irrelevant, and much less engaging. Timing is key.” However, there’s more to it than just being released at the right time. Including a call to action (CTA) in an ad makes it much more memorable. CTA means that the ad encourages consumers to do something. For example, a post of a candy brand on Facebook asks the viewer to tag their most candy-addicted friend. This, in many cases, evokes some back-and-forth messaging between the two parties in the post’s comments, and creates a positive-context memorability of the brand on both sides. Not all RTM efforts fit all platforms, so it’s important to adjust the ad to the platform. Marketers should learn the DNA of the platforms on which they want to advertise, and only then choose if and where to advertise. Twitter, for example, is not a place for flashy images or videos. It is more relevant for short and snappy texts. Facebook allows you to write more and encourages using emojis, but they also have a character limit before you need to hit the ‘Read More’ button to see the whole text (which is something that many people just don’t do, and then your effort to send out the message are wasted). The big no-no Naturally, referring to a trending issue holds the potential of stepping on some toes, and that might have a disastrous effect on the brand in the long run. For this reason, it’s highly important to do the best to minimize the chances of this happening. “Usually, making fun of controversial topics, such as religion, women's or minorities’ rights, and so on, will not be accepted and tolerated by the public, and that’s an understatement,” remarked John Doe, and added that “virality, which helps brands spread their word much more easily in this age, can also be a double-edged sword. Handling sensitive issues the wrong way is likely to give a major blow to a brand’s image, and therefore also its sales.” One of the most prominent examples of recent years is Heineken’s ‘Lighter is Better’ campaign from 2018.This campaign, promoting the brand’s low-calorie beer, features a bottle of Heineken passing by several dark skinned figures, with the words “sometimes lighter is better” appearing on the screen at the end of the bottle’s journey towards a thirsty client. The message here is unmistakable and unignorable, despite the humor around it. This commercial was deemed racist - and mainly not funny - by many Americans who saw it as an insult to the African American community. True, the message is humorous, but apparently at a time of civil unrest and at the height of the Black Lives Matter revolution, it was just a bad idea. Heineken did remove the ad and apologize, but the damage had already been done, with many celebrities publicly speaking against it and against the brand. The battle for the consumer’s attention “We are surrounded by ads most of our waking hours. It’s only natural that we become ‘blind’ to most of them. That’s why evergreen ads are nowadays just not enough. Sadly, we don’t live in a ‘60s ‘Mad Men’ simple advertising world,” Doe concluded. “The battle for memorability is fiercer than ever, and it will get even more intense as years roll by. There’s no escape from re-inventing marketing over and over again. You just have to make sure you do it right.”